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Community May 10, 2007
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'Blood, sweat, tears and a lot of money too' to fix up old pickup, says owner
By Jim Cox

Lewis Herron, right, explains unique features of his 1950 Ford F-1 to Joe Gray at the Nuthin' New Car Show in Thomasville Saturday. Photos by Jim Cox
Lewis Herron gets excited talking about his restored 1950 F-1 Ford pickup, a big-fendered rig that easily grabs many people's attention.

During the Nuthin' New Car Club show in Thomasville Saturday he pointed out the plugged-up holes in the firewall of the engine compartment. "It didn't come with a heater so the holes where the heater hoses would go were plugged at the factory," he explained.

The same is true for the spot where the passenger-side windshield wiper should be. A plug fills the hole.

"This was a farm truck; it came from the factory without a heater and with only one wiper," he explained of the nothrills utilitarian truck.

And, of course, there was nothing as fancy as a radio!

Next, he directed attention to the shifter lever on the steering column. Most 1950 models had the shift lever in the floor board.

"Ford was bad about changing things in the middle of a model year. This is really a 1950 and a half," he confided.

1950s cars drew a lot of lookers (top).
The bed of the old pickup has been lined with smooth and polished oak. The original flooring was oak but not nearly as finished or polished as this. Still, it matches the original specs for oak that Ford required.

"Ford put oak in their beds because it would last longer. Chevrolet used pine and it would rot away," the Ford connoisseur related.

Herron, a Thomasville city council member, was telling anyone who would listen about his truck and the features that he said make it a rare model.

"A real car buff doesn't care about the awards and the trophies," offered at car shows, Herron admits. "We like to talk about the little things that make a vehicle unique."

Herron was one of many classic car or truck owners who displayed their prized possessions in the Nuthin' New Car Club show Saturday.

Herron said he worked three years to restore his truck. He did a lot of the work himself but had help rebuilding the engine as well as help with some body work and the fire truck-red paint job.

Model A Fords from the late 1920s to early 1930s were among some of the oldest cars on display (left).
"You can sink a lot of blood, sweat and tears into a project like this, not to mention too much money, too," he offered.

Still, if you stand back and watch Herron or another serious collector eagerly showing their vehicles and explaining the details, you'll understand why they put so much time and money into them. The work is a labor of love.
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