1954 Ford Pickup
Story by: Jerry and Nancy Hancock

It all started with a phone call of desperation. Nancy’s brother needed money for child support or his next address would be with the state corrections. We refused to just give it to him, but would take something in trade. All he owned was an old Harley and an old Ford work truck. We chose the truck. It wouldn’t make the trip from Amarillo to Victoria, so our son and Jerry took the trailer to get it. It was painted three different colors, had a plywood bed, and not one good tire.
Over the next nine years, Jerry disassembled, assembled, disassembled, replaced, repaired, lost, found, purchased, and drove Nancy crazy. Our grandchildren never really thought it would be a running truck. But miracles do happen! It has gone from being in three garages—at one time—to being a “mostly dependable” truck that we are enjoying.
We sent pictures of the completed truck to Nancy’s brother. He was amazed. He said, “It’s what I would have liked to have done with it.”
It’s definitely been a learning experience for Jerry and a lesson in patience for Nancy.

Ford F150 2004
Story by Herb and Deb Pike

We’d gotten one of those “Come Test Drive a New Explorer and Get a $50 Gas Card” mailers and thought we’d redeem it. Needless to say, we ended up getting a new Explorer. The dealer wanted to smooth out the brakes, so Herb took the Explorer back in to be worked on.
While waiting, he looked at and test drove the new F150’s. He was asked if he wanted one and he replied, “If it is a step-side with a CD changer and an outlandish color, he would consider it”.
The dealer using the internet found one yellow and one orange truck. Herb was “bitten”, but I wasn’t available to talk finances. I was in the emergency room after “falling out” during Air Force Medical Field Training exercises. When word finally reached him and he arrived at the hospital, he was a man torn between the two things that meant the most to him—his wife and cars. He was very worried about whether I’d had a minor heart attack or the chest pain was caused by me blowing out another disk in my back. At the same time he was about to “bust” wanting to tell me about the new truck and all the potential he saw in it for customizing. He would start to tell me about the F150, but then stopped saying, “It wouldn’t be right while I was in the hospital to discuss a new truck for him. At least he has his priorities straight.
We bought the truck! And now have many wonderful memories working on it and showing it.
 

1935 Plymouth Coupe
Story by Gladys Baesham & Billy Baesham

We found our 1935 Plymouth Coupe in Pierce, Minnesota. You’ve heard of cars that were stored in barns and forgotten—well this one was! This car had been stored in a hay barn in Montana since 1957 before it was brought to Minnesota. I knew that the car was going home to Texas with us after the first time my husband saw it “For Sale” on the road. He had that “I’ve got to have that car” look in his eyes!
The Plymouth had only 35,000 original miles on it. It had been wrecked when it was stored in the barn. It was November and extremely cold when we were ready to leave Minnesota. We had two diesel trucks that we had a hard time starting because of the extreme cold the morning that we were leaving for our home in Ganado, Texas. I asked Bill, “How are you going to load that old car?” We were having such a time starting the trucks that I didn’t think the car would easily start. He went down to load the car. It started right up! It has the original engine, runs quietly, and sounds like my sewing machine!
He pulled the travel trailer home to Ganado and I pulled the Plymouth. Boy, did I get a lot of “looks” all the way to Texas! Although the coupe had some wreck damage and needed a paint job, it still drew a lot of stares! We could have sold it several times before we got home.
We bought the Plymouth in the late 80’s. We finished restoring it in 2005. We did all the restoration work ourselves. My husband’s brother painted the car after he and Bill did all the body work. Bill and I did the upholstery work ourselves.
Now, we enjoy being a part of our car club’s activities and attending great events like this one!