NASCAR Hauler 1966 Ford - Allison Bodine Hendrick

[Wowabunga]

I bought this on a Saturday........ woke up Sunday morning and said what

the heck did I just do...! This is a 1966 Ford C-750 cab over. This body

style was in use from 1957 up thru 1987 and with 30 years of production

the parts have been readily available.

 

Kids see it and say "where'd you get that firetruck" as this

body style was a favorite by fire departments for it's easy turning radious.

I asked a RoadWay driver once if his truck was as hard to drive as mine

concerning shifting the gears (because the cab tilts forward there are several

universal joints used on the shifter linkage) and anyway he replies back

that after 10 years of driving C700's he said he still has trouble finding

the gears on the 10 speed rear.

 

It's NASCAR history I'm still tracking down. Bought from the Hagerstown

MD Speedway last year, they tell me they got it from 3x Daytona Winner Bobby

Allison. I talked to Mr. Allison and he confirmed his team once owned the

truck. Any info about the truck would be greatly appreciated.

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[Amphicar BUYER]

Now that is my kinda truck! I'd be proud to behind the wheel in that for sure!

[Barry Wolk]

That would sure look good towing my "toybox".

[Wowabunga]

I went from driving a 3 cylinder Geo Metro, to driving a 8 ton chunk of road tractor... overnight. I requested that part of the deal in buy'n the big rig was on pick-up day the owner had to give me a 30 minute driving lesson.

 

Thankfully the route to the trucks new home was all small and windy mountain road and it gave me a great chance to learn how to drive and handle it. At first I was white knuckeled driving it around. As time passed my comfort level improved... once my daily driver broke down and I used the big truck as a daily driver for a little over a week... at about 8mpg that was a rough week at the gas pump.

 

Today... I LOVE climbing up into the rig, and knowing I have an air horn does change the way one drives....! From day one I've said a prayer for safety, and still do each time I grab onto that big vintage steering wheel.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[Jim Bollman]

I have wanted a C-700 off and on for years. Came close 3 times. Got out bid at one auction by what turned out to be a shill, and I dropped out before he did. Another I got to the auction right after it sold, I would have went higher than it went for but who knows. The last one was at a flea market and I just couldn't pull the trigger to buy it.

Never have driven one but it sounds like an interesting experience. A little like me learning to drive the truck I bought as a car hauler, a 1949 F5 Flathead V8 with 4 speed with 2 speed rear. I drove it home, when I bought it, 100 miles on hilly roads. The owner gave me bad directions on how to use the 2 speed rear and some of the hills were pretty slow since he said don't shift while moving. Once I got proper directions it was a lot more fun. I had second thoughts when I got home and had inches to spare to get it in the shop. I sold it 6 weeks later and the fellow drove it 500 miles home, I gave him proper directions on shifting the rear. Still miss it sometimes, but couldn't see building a new building just cause it was to big.

Looks like a great hauler.

[West Peterson]

Jim

I'm curious as to how you found out you were bidding against a shill?

[Jim Bollman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Jim

I'm curious as to how you found out you were bidding against a shill? </div></div>

After the auction someone said the fellow that bought it was a friend of the owner. That didn't bother me. The truck never left the property. I saw it parked there most of summer right were it sat during the auction. I just figured that was what happened, otherwise it would have went away.

[Joe Block]

I jealous of the car hauler, what the capacity

joe

[Wowabunga]

Truck is rated at 26,000 lbs. I had a 3 ton 4 door Rambler on it this past summer, couldn't even tell I had anything on the back, drove real nice with the "small load". With no cars it's at about 14,000 lbs so I have plenty of room to carry STUFF...! Thanks for look'n.

[DizzyDale]

Dear Randy,LOTSA room to haul STUFF like those 100 extra gallons of fuel so you can make it across town and back.Hows the mileage compared to that 3 cylinder Geo?I know,i know its not about the mileage.Having fun THATS what its ALL about and it looks like your going to be having TONS OF FUN.Take care.diz

[Joe_Materasso]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Jim

I'm curious as to how you found out you were bidding against a shill? </div></div>

ebay seems to have become THE home for shills - besides the aptly named BJ auctions!

jm

[Joe_Materasso]

I was selling Fords in the eighties, and you'd be amazed how many people still wanted them in 1988 and beyond! a damn good truck, that in my opinion they should Still be producing!

best,

jm

[Joe Block]

I love it eveyone need one. it cool.

JOe

[Wowabunga]

Haven't updated this page in 17 years.  Truck sat quiet for 16 years.... my bad.  Did I mention I've traced ownership back to 1969 and the truck has hauled race cars for legends Bobby Allsion, Geoff Bodine, and Ray Hendrick.  It's still a mystery who made the truck when it was showroom new...!?!?!

 

I'm very thanksful the engine still runs great.  This weeks challange / headache is redoing the entire clutch hydraulic line it all froze up as well as the clutch plate is stuck to the flywheel.  

 

I just made a heart pounding walk around video, so if you love good welding and fabrication you are in for a treat. 

Music by the 1972 US Marine Band.   . 

 

Video... https://rumble.com/v3xyvad-1966-nascar-hauler-inspection-walk-around-big-red.html

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[Wowabunga]

I WAS SO EXCITED five years ago when I finally found the first photo of my truck in service hauling a car.  I've been told "back in the day" no one ever took pics of the haulers... it was always about the cars.  Defying the odds I found 2 photos of Bobby Allison's #22 car on my truck.  The lower photo is Charlotte in 1984 and Allison won the race that day..!

[r1lark]

Cool truck, and great pics you found! What are your plans for it now?

[Wowabunga]

1 hour ago, r1lark said:

Cool truck, and great pics you found! What are your plans for it now?

 

Five years ago I had zero photos of the truck being used as a hauler...  now I have a dozen.  I'm going to make one more big push at finding out who fabricated the truck and then trade it for a farm tractor.  Here's a page I made with the historical timeline and lots of photos:  https://wowabunga.com/fun/bigred/

 

[Wowabunga]

Frozen clutch after 15 years sitting.  Learn from my mistakes my friends.  Metal and rubber clutch hose rusted out also and Ford hasn't had one on their shelves for decades.  The rolls of  1/4 inch metal line are such a great solution... except this truck "tilts" forward a good 50 degrees thus the reason these trucks are called "tilt-cabs".

 

I paid $118 for the local hose fabricator to craft a hose with the correct 1/4" tips. To bend by hand ( and find a rubber hose for the cab ) I was thinking would take forever: So I installed a clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder and the new hose in 1.5 hours. Used a vacume bleeder and did it myself another 30 minutes. I now have a clutch again... giving free rides tomorrow if you can make it. I still don't have any brakes... bring a helmet.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[West Peterson]

Love it.

So .... did Sandy Beach belong to you?

[Wowabunga]

On 12/5/2023 at 4:29 PM, West Peterson said:

Love it.

So .... did Sandy Beach belong to you?

 

Thanks for the laugh I needed one...!!!!!!!  Been surrounded by bozos in every direction all week.

Sandy used to belong to me... she has a new forever home now.

 

Pictured below was Sandy on the deck of the car hauler at the Winchester AACA Swap Meet in about 2005.

Hershey field captain Bill Miller complimented me saying "You always bring interesting things... We like that..!"

 

[Wowabunga]

This story just keeps getting better.  Add Red Farmer to the list of drivers who used this hauler.  Hauler is in this photo, tools and equipment laying everywhere on the tail of the bed.

 

In 1971 at the Martinsville Cardinal 500 driver Red Farmer ( member of the Alabama Gang ) came in 4th place, driving the #11 car for owner Bob Adams out of Richmond VA.

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[8E45E]

On 11/28/2023 at 6:46 PM, Wowabunga said:

It's still a mystery who made the truck when it was showroom new...!?!?!

Same body builder as The Snake and Mongoose haulers?  Original Snake and Mongoose haulers head to auction | Hemmings

 

They are from the same vintage.

 

Craig

[Wowabunga]

2 hours ago, 8E45E said:

Same body builder as The Snake and Mongoose haulers?

 

After exhausting every online forum on racing and no answers I adjusted my sails and started asking who were the men who fabricated the much loved open car haulers from the 1960's.  I ended up with a short list of builders who had the skill set and resources to do such, and by deduction eliminated those that didn't fit like a glove.  For example Holman Moody gets all the credit for building the Ford NASACAR team haulers, but all they did was call Baker Body of Charlote and subcontract the job to them ( Baker did line trucks for Duke Power and knew how to build a bed and cabinets ).  

 

I"ll be putting all my research into a small little historical video around Christmas time called a Short History of Open Haulers.  I've got visual proof that Baker Body also made the Mopar haulers of the same era including the Richard Petty Dodge Crewcab hauler.   Did you know Petty's hauler was/is the yellow  Hotwheels hauler....?  Here's a taste of my research per the Hotwheels pair:

 

Yellow Cuda Hauler

- Richard Petty 2 Years

( Petty sold back to Mopar Dealership Briefly )

- Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Hotwheels 

- Private Ownership

- Don Prudhomme and restoration.

 

Red Plymouth Duster Hauler

- Sox & Martin Drag Team

- Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen and Hotwheels 

- Don Lowery

- Private Ownership

- Don Prudhomme and restoration

 

Mopar had an engineering department that only worked on race cars and they had a plain ( no graphics ) white Dodge Crewcab hauler.  A family member of one of the engineers tells me this white hauler pictured was given to one of the Mopar teams and might have went to the Petty team.  The tire deck on the Mopar truck and on the Ford hauler pictured are identical and both beds were made by Baker Body out of Charlotte NC.

 

A characteristic of Baker Body was the chrome cabinet latches were all etched with the BAKER logo.  The latches on my hauler are plain generic latches, and my tire deck is more aerodynamic.  More to say on style and beauty in our coming video to hit around Christmas.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, Wowabunga said:

The tire deck on the Mopar truck and on the Ford hauler pictured are identical and both beds were made by Baker Body out of Charlotte NC.

 

A characteristic of Baker Body was the chrome cabinet latches were all etched with the BAKER logo.  The latches on my hauler are plain generic latches, and my tire deck is more aerodynamic.  More to say on style and beauty in our coming video to hit around Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the information.

 

An open car hauler body with tire rack and cabinets would most likely be beyond the scope of a local welding shop, and would have been done by a specialized builder like Baker.  What year did Baker start building these car haulers?  This truck must be at least two years newer than yours with the side marker light on the door which first appeared in 1968.

 

Craig

[Wowabunga]

10 hours ago, 8E45E said:

An open car hauler body with tire rack and cabinets would most likely be beyond the scope of a local welding shop, and would have been done by a specialized builder like Baker.  What year did Baker start building these car haulers?  This truck must be at least two years newer than yours with the side marker light on the door which first appeared in 1968.

 

I asked on a popular metal fabrication forum what kind of person builds a cabinet ( see yellow arrow ) that has 5 leading edges...?  The answer back was a cognoscenti does that.   Definition:  "A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste; a connoisseur."   With most of the haulers the tail cabinets are square and any extra space is wasted space, but not on this truck.

 

All the former fabricators at Baker are now gone.  The Ford and Mopar factory haulers showed up around 1966.  The imitators began making haulers in 1967 for example Junie Donlavey made his hauler in 1967 and drove it to Daytona in 1968.  I've included a photo of his hauler that has never been posted online until this month.  Junie Donlavey's day job was helping build the Truxmore commercial trash compactor trucks.

 

Per the marker lights on the doors... I didn't know about that tidbit.  Thanks for the education..!

Edited December 9, 2023 by Wowabunga (see edit history)