need help finding my dads 1972 F-250

[sportcustomman]

hey fellow 67-72 fans. I am looking for dads 1972 F-250 sport custom camper special. the truck was a candy apple red 360 auto with a sliding rear window, roof mounted running lights, west coast mirrors, a lot of factory chrome trim. it also had chrome grab handles on the cab. it also had a chrome mustang stallion horse from a White Truck Tractor hood ornament. this was all at the last time I saw it. I grew up with that truck and was only 17 when my dad traded it for a new pontiac at the local dealer. he had retired from operating bulldozers and such and we moved to Florida. so he didnt need it anymore. the truck was built at the Mahwah New Jersey ford plant in sept. 1972. ( which unfortunately is closed now and the location owned by the foreign owned Sharp electronics co. and really pisses me off!) I missed that truck very much. I learned to drive in that truck. I also used it for school which you could drive in florida at 15. the truck was traded in at crown pontiac in St. Petersburg Florida in 1977. I never saw it again and I kept an eye out for a long time. I always said I would try to find her. Once a few years ago my wifes cuz worked in a radio room for police dispatch in NY. I asked her to run the VIN but I dont know if it was nationwide or not but came back "not on file" but that does not mean its not out there. I need tips or what I should do next. the truck also had some hand painted lettering done ( thats the way they did it then, no vinyl yet ) on the bed lower front on both sides. I'm sure that would have been painted over but traces might still be there under a repaint. I have the VIN to identify, any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance, mike

[forrestbump]

Hey Mike, Glad to see you posted this here! I have to handle some D.M.V. work myself this coming week, so I'll ask the folks at Auto Club what suggestions they might have to help you find your Dad's truck.

Godspeed!

[sportcustomman]

thanks friend that would be greatly appreciated!

[fordman]

if you know the vinnumber type it into the address bar and do a search. you never know what you might find out.

[daddysgirl]

I have been in your shoes and i actually recovered my dads bump that was missing since 2003. Here's what you have to do albeit its a little...ahem....illegal....
You must have the vin no ifs or buts. I was lucky, a woman i worked with, her Hubby was a cop and he pulled the vin and did a multistate search for it. I live in TN and found it in ga. This will only work if you are discreet cause your cop could loose his job and the truck must be titled or registered somewhere. I nearly got shot and we got chased down by my bumps previous owner for showing up at his house to late. Now i dont advocate doing illegal things so take this post with a grain of salt but i know what pain is to miss something like the truck. For me it the only item i have left from my dads passing. But id get a gun pulled on me again in a heart beat to rescue her from that barn.

[sportcustomman]

that was a cool story, was it beat? was it in good shape? mine is missing since 1977 so it might be a bit harder. the only cop I know would not risk his job and I do not blame him. I have since resorted to a P.I. he is currently running a nationwide vin search. should take a few days. I will post the results

[forrestbump]

I have since resorted to a P.I. he is currently running a nationwide vin search. should take a few days. I will post the results

Great idea Mike! Looking forward to hearing what your P.I. discovers.

[daddysgirl]

Yeah if a nationwide vin search doesnt turn it all might be lost but the good thing about bumps is you can always find one hidden somewhere to buy at a good price. With dads it was just a miracle it was still around. The guy i got it from rescued it from a junk yard to use as a parts truck then decided not to trash it. When we found her the body is in ok shape as far as dents go but my lord the rust. I need to replace the entire bed but finding a long bed with a built in toolbox and a dual gas tank assembly is proving difficult. I just spend an arm and a leg rebuilding the engine. Took me 5 months now the fuel system is clogged. >.< the guy thought he was a shade tree mechanic, poor bump. but Im lucky Cause dad didnt know what he had and apparently this truck has more add on factory options than a caddy so maybe when Shes finished she'll be worth alot. its a quite a story but i wont bore you with it. I really hope you have luck looking for your truck. Nothing is greater than climbing behind the wheel that first time when you do. i still get teary eyed and Shes safe at home in my driveway.

[forrestbump]

Mike, I went to Auto Club yesterday to get the tags for my '70...scheesh $157.00 to the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia? Yikes!!

...anyway, the AAA staff looked at me like I had two heads when I asked how to go about finding a vehicle, that was last seen over 30 years ago, by it's V.I.N. ...and is it doable nationally? Guess they just didn't have the time to go into detail with me (line was outside the door in fairness) and the staff recommend I contact one of their 'experts', via phone, on Monday as they would be able to help(?) better.

Hope your P.I. is doing a better job than AAA could.

[TNIceWolf]

Not wanting to be a wet blanket here but there are a couple of things to be considered. OK so lets say a search turns up a VIN match? Good......but is that actually the vehicle and not a random part or three? From what I have seen on here after 40 years not many of these vehicles exist entirely intact compared to the number produced......just a thought.

[robroy]

Good day Mike,

I think it's really cool that you're looking for your dad's truck, and I hope you find it! Vehicles can have a lot of sentimental value--I really understand that.

Robroy

[jp2005]

[Archinto]

I would love to find my grandfathers old chevy, but I fear it is loooong gone... (yes, I know thats a bad word here... )

We ended up getting a 65 F100 stepside that had a ton of sentimental value to my partner. He has tried to get the truck for a long time but they would never sell it. He grew up riding with his friends in that truck through high school days, and had many fond memories about how hard that built 390 would rip your head back when you'd take off, or how you could fry the tires for a mile if you wanted to. We ended up with the truck for $500, but is is a shadow if its former self for sure. It sat near the seaside for the last 16 years and it shows. The previous owner had a milder cam put in it, and also had the secondaries on the carb wired shut cause it was just too much power and their folks made em do it. bwah....

Either way, sentimentality can only be satisfied with retreival. I wish you the best of luck in your search.

If it is any consolation, there is a 68 camper special parked behind the chinese restaurant here in Seward thats in pretty good shape as far as looking at it. Never got the chance to look close, or inside. If you can't find it, I can find out if this one is for sale for you, and that would be a great excuse to make a trek to AK to sightsee and get a truck ferried south. :p

[sportcustomman]

I think its great that I have all this support! I have to exhaust all avenues first before I decide on another truck. no word as of yet from the P.I. my best guess is that since the truck was a sport model, candy red, lots of chrome trim I dont think that it got tore up as a work truck. it should still be out there, but again it had a 360 auto that got 7 mpg so it might have got parked or maybe a 6cyl. swap. dad wanted to do that but never got to it. then traded it away in 77. Florida weather is not kind to parked cars so who knows. story goes that dad had a 64 ford pick up before this one and was driving home from a job when he said that he lost steering and he just coasted off the shoulder. he got out and got under the truck and was trying to fix it when someone asked if he needed help. it was a guy in a suit and a guy in overalls covered in grease. guess where he was. across the highway from Orrin Ford in east brunswick NJ. the suit was a salesman and the other guy a grease monkey for ford, they got him fixed up and that night me a pop went out there and spotted that candy red 1972 F250 with all the goodies. I was 12 and in love baby. he bought it and he had cab roof lights put on , big western mirrors, bumper guards installed. we loved that truck. 2500 bucks brand new, there was a slide in camper on the lot and dad bought that too. the next 2 winters we took that rig to Florida. dad ran dozers then. Later he got sick so we moved to florida, and the rest is history, pops gone now. I still have the owners manual, the salesmans biz card, the dealers metal service plate and his last nationwide ins. reciept. I think that if we all wish real hard someone up there might be listening!! again thanks for everything and maybe someday I can return the favor.. sportcustomman

[woods]

I really wish you the very best of luck. I know what these things can mean to a guy.