1968 Ford F-100 Pickup Truck in fine condition for sale by son of original owner

Description

Okay, the truck is back for another auction. Let me just tell you, the reserve is $15,000. So let's go, if you're interested, make a bid.
This is my beloved 1968 F-100. My father purchased it brand new from Bailey Ford in Keene, NH in April 1968. It was his first new vehicle he ever purchased. I even rode home with him from the dealership at age 3, standing up on the seat, no less, in those days before child seats and safety awareness. As a kid, I loved riding in the back, often standing up looking over the roof. It has spent it's entire life here in Vermont. On my 16th birthday in March 1981 my father gave the truck to me. If I recall, it had approximately 80,000 miles on it at the time. While my my mother and older brother drove it a few times, this truck has otherwise had only two owners and essentially two drivers its entire life, me and my father. It was my primary vehicle between high school, college and law school, until the early 1990's. My father kept it oil undercoated from the beginning, which saved it from rusting out through the many Vermont winters. It has been garaged for a good deal of its life. In the late 80's to mid-00's, it was without a garage though. I used a cloth car cover at the time. However, it was then that, without a garage, some rust set in, especially around the bed, rear fenders and step sides, and door bottoms. In 2009 and 2010 I had it overhauledto address this rust and other cosmetic issues of age and use. This included replacing the wooden bed floor with nice new oak planks, rust eradication and replacement parts bodywork, new seat cover and interior floor covering, and full paint job (metallic blue, its original color). I have photographs of the bodywork restoration project as it proceeded. I also had a good deal of mechanical work done at that time as well. This included new tires, shocks, complete brake job and new master cylinder and brake lines, plugs, points, fuel filter, new fuel tank, and radiator. In all, I invested over $15,000 in this overhaul and restoration in 2009/2010. My desire in connection with this sale is to, at the very least, recoup these expenditures and hopefully some more. Since the overhaul in 2010, it has been garaged and never driven again in any winter weather, salt or snow. As such, it remains in the fine condition to which it was restored. The mileage is 139,669 miles. It had 139,132 when I had the work done in 2010, and thus I have only put on 500 miles since then, over the summers. Included with the sale is a heavy-duty, fitted rubber bed protector mat (pic included) to protect the wood floor should you wish to carry anything in the truck. It has a current Vermont State Registration and current Vermont State Inspection. The engine runs as well and smoothly as ever. It has a L6-240 3.9L engine, hand-pull choke, and manual three-speed shift on the steering column. I still have all my service records since approximately 1989. I also have the original title from my father. As well, I have the original owner's manual, of which I've included several pics, including the notation on the inside cover by my father when he bought it in 1968. So, why am I selling this you wonder? To be honest, it pains me to do so. It has been an extremely difficult decision, given the priceless sentimental value it has to me because of how long I have had this truck (36 years) and because it was given me by my long-since-deceased father who had it for the first 13 years. It has been a part of my life for the past 50 years. However, I do not find the time to drive it much anymore and my daughter is just turning 16 and getting her driver's license. I wish to give her a vehicle the way my father gave me one, yet I want her to have a newer car with the more modern safety devices and conveniences. By selling this truck to get her a car, it is a way for her grandfather, whom she was never able to meet, to pass on a small legacy to her. In any event, know this, the buyer will be getting a much-loved and well-cared-for old truck that runs well and is in very fine shape. With probably very little further work, it could be brought to a pristine and show-worthy state.