New to the forum

[Bigger twin]

Hello!
I just joined the forum yesterday; I was a huge fan of bonusbuilt.com but I understand that Dan was unable to keep that site open. I hope he is still enjoying Bonus Built truck ownership.
I have a 52 F3 that my grandfather bought new in January of 53. It came to my dad and I have many good memories of my brothers and I piling into it with my Dad and going to work at our family's Christmas tree farm on the weekends. My dad sold the truck when I was about ten and I thought about it often. About ten years ago I came into a small sum of money and I approached the man who my dad sold the truck to about buying it back but he had sold it to someone else. I managed to track the buyer down and he was planning on restoring it. After I told him my story, he said "you will love it more than I would" and he sold it to me. I am working on the bodywork now and trying to accumulate parts as I can find and afford them.
I have never worked on cars before I bought Grandad's truck so I am so grateful for all of the sage advice from folks on forums like this one. Thanks in advance for putting up with all of the questions I know I will ask!

LS

 

[DNFXDLI]

Welcome to FTF

 

[slmann]

Welcome to the site.

 

[tinman52]

Welcome to FTF! Great to see an F-3 fan...they don't get much love. What part of the world do you hail from?

 

[Beach66Bum]

Welcome to FTF!

nice background write up

 

[pauldeborr]

Yep great to see an F-3 fan

 

[taxreliever]

Hello!
I just joined the forum yesterday; I was a huge fan of bonusbuilt.com but I understand that Dan was unable to keep that site open. I hope he is still enjoying Bonus Built truck ownership.
I have a 52 F3 that my grandfather bought new in January of 53. It came to my dad and I have many good memories of my brothers and I piling into it with my Dad and going to work at our family's Christmas tree farm on the weekends. My dad sold the truck when I was about ten and I thought about it often. About ten years ago I came into a small sum of money and I approached the man who my dad sold the truck to about buying it back but he had sold it to someone else. I managed to track the buyer down and he was planning on restoring it. After I told him my story, he said "you will love it more than I would" and he sold it to me. I am working on the bodywork now and trying to accumulate parts as I can find and afford them.
I have never worked on cars before I bought Grandad's truck so I am so grateful for all of the sage advice from folks on forums like this one. Thanks in advance for putting up with all of the questions I know I will ask!

LS

Loved reading your story on getting that rig back in the family....that is truly something special...congrats.

Well, I'm a complete newb when it comes to mechanics, but have learned so much from these guys on here over the past few years.....my knowledge in the area of auto mechanics (especially with my 77 dent) has gone through the roof just in trying to clean and maintain it.

The opportunity is here for you to gain as much....good luck with the build and post pics....we love pics!

 

[truckdog62563]

I'll add my welcome. Great story of your rescue of the truck. I too have greatest interest in the F-2s and F-3s. For many they are under appreciated, but were in truth the workhorse of the pickup line. Good to see another being saved. Stu

 

[mtflat]

There's a few of us who remember Dan's Bonus Built site - I also miss it and him ... I haven't heard any recent news from Dan.

Welcome to FTF!!

 

[51PanelMan]

Dan's site was great. He had a serious accident when he was struck by an a driver while riding his (Dan's) bicycle. He had a brain injury, but IIRC was supposed to make a recovery. I remember his wife posting about it on the site. Shortly after that, the site was down.

I tried to find Dan one time several years ago as I remember he had a place in Burbank, CA. I went to an address that his website was registered to, but it was a small apartment complex with Hispanic residents. I'm sure that he lived there at one time, but then moved to a house.

I hope he's well.

 

[Fellro]

I love the F-3's, just not that easy to find a decent one around here, most are rusted beyond reasonable salvage, on the rare occasion I see them around at all. Did see a few riding trailer recently, likely going to be either parts or repaired would be a guess, as one was full of parts. They were on the interstate, the scrappers generally stay to the two lanes.

 

[tinman52]

Did see a few riding trailer recently, likely going to be either parts or repaired would be a guess, as one was full of parts. They were on the interstate, the scrappers generally stay to the two lanes.

Let's hope they were being saved, for parts at least!

I was able to save a '49 F-2 and '51 F-3 (body only) from the scrappers awhile back. Their parts are being used by truck guys all over the USA. Unfortunately not every one can be restored......

 

[polarbear]

Welcome to FTF!

 

[52 Merc]

Let's hope they were being saved, for parts at least!

I was able to save a '49 F-2 and '51 F-3 (body only) from the scrappers awhile back. Their parts are being used by truck guys all over the USA. Unfortunately not every one can be restored......

I don't know about you, Scott, but it makes me feel good whenever I sell my parts to someone knowing that an old truck that was put out to pasture years ago is helping to breathe new life into someone's project. Kinda like an organ donor program.

 

[havi]

As Kevin (Bigwin) has said, "Some trucks must die,that others may live"

 

[truckdog62563]

Maybe this is hijacking but, on the topic of saving old wrecks from the crusher, I have no illusions about what others thought seeing me haul this p.o.s. home from the cannons of southern Oregon. Felt like I was living a scene from Deliverance! Plus, I was then very self conscious parking it and the trailer in front of our son's place for about a week before the return trip. The thing is it's a rare single speed F-3 M-H (R3-4), and the only one I've archived that's a '51. With a clean Idaho title. So it's been stripped down to it's bare chassis awaiting the day when two other parts trucks give of themselves to rebody it. As I was pulling it apart I had to fight the urge to move it ahead of the '52 that's already underway in the shop. Stu

 

[Old Ray]

Well, the locking gas cap is nice !

 

[truckdog62563]

And ya know, fool that I am, I didn't save that part. Go figure!

As nasty as the thing looks, it had rust free rear cab corners which I saved, good grille, Magic Air heater and tubes, and misc other stuff. So maybe some of those bits will go back on it when its turn comes.

I mentioned the "Deliverance" looking area. After getting it hauled out of there I swapped notes with our friend Owen (1952henry) who used to live maybe 20 miles from there. He told me that the area is known locally as a heavy methamphetamine producing location. No wonder it gave me the "willies". Stu

 

[Old Ray]

And ya know, fool that I am, I didn't save that part. Go figure! Stu

Oh well, …………what good is a gas cap with no keys anyway?