This is a Barn-Find. Very special truck. This vehicle is a stock, 1953 one-ton, single axle pickup with an original 239 flat head 8 and a manual transmission with three on the tree. The mileage showing is 54216, which we have every reason to believe is correct. I have owned the vehicle for about 25 years and am retiring, downsizing and am having to get rid of some of my toys. Here's the story on the truck as it was told to me. The original owner retired from the Southern Railway in 1952. He worked out of the Hamlet Freight yard in North Carolina. When he retired, he decided to get into the poultry business, bought a chicken farm and this truck new in 1953. He put approximately 50,000 miles on the vehicle before he died. His wife parked the truck in the barn, where it stayed, nestled under a pile of hay, until she died and her son sold the family farm. About 3 months after the farm was sold, the new owner of the farm called the son and told him about what he believed to be his dad's truck. The son took the vehicle, but didn't have any interest in keeping it so he sold it to a car collector who had a pristine stable of cars near Rockingham, NC. The collector didn't like the truck, because it was not in restored, showroom condition and he put it for sale in the Charlotte Observer want ads. I was looking for an old truck, a "driver" to play with and drive in Christmas parades, etc. I bought the truck and have used it several times a year in Christmas and Veteran's Day parades. Kids love to ride in the back on bales of hay. Everything is original, including the oak decking on the bed. The engine fires with a push of the starter button. The V8 engine fires and sounds like a real truck. No power steering, no power brakes, no turn signals, no power windows, no power nothing, except the engine. What a thrill to drive this thing. You've got your hands full, but you'll smile the whole time!
This was a farm truck, very unusual indeed, as it was ordered with low gearing, an 8 or 9 foot box, a Flathead 8 and three on the tree. It's a one ton F-350, .VIN # 35R3n-11861. I have had the truck garaged ever since I bought it. This is a Southern truck and has not been subjected to the corrosion of northern winters. There is no rust showing except under the hood on the engine. There is a crack in the driver's side window. Upholstery is vinyl and is original as is the floor mat. The 6 volt battery is under the right floorboard in the cab.
Serious buyers can see the vehicle in Mooresville, NC, just north of Charlotte. I will be glad to pick up any serious buyers at the Charlotte airport if they want to test drive the truck.
