“First love”1967 Ford F-100

The story

This was my first vehicle, and the truck that I learned a lot of my wrenching skills on. It was a gift when I was 15; my parents' friends had built it up and didn't really have anything to do with it.

It had a custom interior, tinted windows, and power steering. At the time, I had never driven a vehicle with so much raw power (I had been driving SBCs).

I spent way too much time working on it, learning all of its ins and outs. I added power brakes soon after I started driving it regularly.

On a Sunday in February 1996, it came to a tragic end. The carburetor stuck open, and not knowing what else to do at that age, I tried to put it into neutral. Instead, it went into park at 100 mph, locked the rear tires, and I went off of the side of the road. The truck ended up in three widely-spaced areas in a field--the cab, the frame, and the engine/tranny. My then-girlfriend (wife now) was following me in her truck and was frantic until I came out the window of the truck. I walked away with a torn tendon in my hand and painful memories.

It was a very painful learning experience, and I still agonize at the loss of a very unique '67. Many of the parts from that truck are either in storage or have made it into my '68. — Richard Cherico