Trucks

[James Hall]

Did they hot rod pickup trucks in the 50's?

[kab]

Not in my area ,,they didn't. Everyone that I knew had cars,,,although there was an old chevy,,rusty with the doors flapping in the breeze. I think it was a mid to late 30's truck. All I can tell ya is that it sounded like a six cyl, (he would never let anyone look under the hood). He used to take all the rich boys money. You know who I'm talking about,,,the kids that got a new car for their 16th birthday. MAN that old truck used to hit hard.-KB

[henrys57wagon]

I don't recall too many, but in the 60's my brother had a 53 Merc 1/2T that he was putting a Buick nail head engine in, never finished the truck, good day, Henry.

[middle]

I learned how to drive in a '55 1/2 ton that my dad had in 1965. It had an Olds V8 in it with a 3 spd.....he eventually rolled it and it was totaled out.It was a nice ride till then!

[craig32]

Did they hot rod pickup trucks in the 50's?

No, they did not. Trucks were trucks in the 50's, only about 10% of vehicle sales and not the 50% or better by todays standards. They were farm vehicles, and a lot of them were 6 cylinders. People that bought them, used them. They weren't 'man-purses', they hauled livestock and pulled trailers. It wasn't until the 70's that pickup trucks were used to transport just people. :)

[middle]

I do remember seeing a couple modified Model A Roadster Pickups with flatheads in 'em when I was a kid...the tri-fives were new cars & trucks then..so one could say that yes, there were some hot -rodded pickups.

[angs1957]

Alot of the trucks were still used as work horses so not too many were hot rodded that I recall

[carls 56]

not on long island, n.y. where i grew up. :)

[r66ss]

there doing more now with these trucks , there gettn really popular,
customizing them, pro street them, I could go on and on.
seen a few back then that were mild custom then:tu

[carcrazyjim]

I never saw a hot rod truck back then, and I noticed anything with four wheels! All the trucks were farm trucks. My uncle had a pretty cool '41 Ford 1/2 ton pickup with a flathead V8, but it wasn't a hot rod.

[Original Pete]

James, the trucks were always seen as work vehicles that were really worked into the ground or an early grave. It had only been in the early 90's where the truck scene had started to take off but it did not really dominate. Today is a different story. They do look so good when they have some love put into them.

[GREEN 56]

Did they hot rod pickup trucks in the 50's?

Oh yes, ever watched Happy Day's ? What did Ralph drive ?

[G.R.]

Not sure about the '50's but around here in the '60's there were 3 brothers, farm kids, that had hot rod Ford pickups, one 'A', a '37 or '38, and a '40...the '40 had a flathead and the other two were V-8's, can't remember what make engines, though I don't think they were Chevys. They were sort of spot primered and black. One of our original club members had a '35 Ford pickup with a Buick 'nailhead' in '57 when the club was started. He was still in H.S. and got a ticket in it one night...Don told us his Dad made him sell the truck after that.

[roger1]

What about the T-Buckets?

Lot's of them hot rodded in the '50s.

[SS502MC]

Yes, I have seen a few Model A Trucks. If something has 4 wheels and a engine, you can bet somebody somewhere will try and make it look better and go faster.

[mickeywestsr]

Oh yeah...almost every service station had a "service truck" and each one tried to out do the other. Where there was a station on each corner they would park the trucks out next to the road so every body could see them. :tu

bowtie-trifive

[Mr. Jean]

Not to many in the 50's in our area, but in the late 60's I used mine to tow my race car.
So now being retired and a kid again, I have another one.:sign0020:
This one is much more custom with a lot more power though. ;o)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/JEANS32/My%20first%20Racecar/FlattowingtoIrwindale.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/JEANS32/Garage%20stuff/IMG_0277.jpg

[mickeywestsr]

Not to many in the 50's in our area, but in the late 60's I used mine to tow my race car.
So now being retired and a kid again, I have another one.:sign0020:
This one is much more custom with a lot more power though. ;o)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/JEANS32/My%20first%20Racecar/FlattowingtoIrwindale.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/JEANS32/Garage%20stuff/IMG_0277.jpg


You can park the in my garage anytime ya wanna....beautiful.......:shakehands:
:gba:
bowtie-trifive

[Will]

I live in farm country and in the 50's trucks were farm vehicles. It was in the 70's people used to hot rod the 56 F@&D F100, top choice pickup to hot rod around here.

[Mr. Jean]

You can park the in my garage anytime ya wanna....beautiful.......:shakehands:
:gba:
bowtie-trifive
Thanks Mickey.:shakehands:

[blackieharley]

Mickey your are correct!!!! "Oh yeah...almost every service station had a "service truck" and each one tried to out do the other. Where there was a station on each corner they would park the trucks out next to the road so every body could see them." I had one and my friend had one, he ran the dual exhast up threw the step and along side the top of the bed to the back near the chains. At the time thought that was cool. Lots of T buckets, and Model A roadster Pickups, One was in Eureka I would have died for, and I had two of them but one never finished. The other used at the drags, hmm maybe can find the photo and scan to computer and post. Yep pickups mostly were workers but I do remember a few fixed up. Now I want another one the TRI FIVE guys are doing a great job on the trucks and making me want one more and more.