There are too many things in life that are frustrating because of a lack of context. You can fill in your own blanks, but I’m reminded of a Peanuts cartoon strip where Snoopy takes a phone call, laughs, hangs up, and walks away, leaving a befuddled Charlie Brown to yell impotently, “I’ll never know what that was about!” Hyperpack has left a series of pictures in the Cohort that leave me feeling as befuddled as everyone’s favorite animated sad sack in the face of his wonder dog. It’s a ’59 Ford F-250, that much is clear, but what isn’t so obvious is the owner’s purpose in adding an array of aftermarket lights, reflectors, electronics, and even horns. Are they an ex-trucker? A lover of accessories? Both? Regardless, perhaps you can spot a couple things I miss, and we can all speculate together; sometimes it helps to talk through one’s exasperation.
Clearly, the good Hyperpack was thinking the same thing I was. In this picture alone, I can spot the following: a spotlight, a mirror reflector, a necker’s knob, air horns, and roof lights. Just off screen is an alligator hood ornament (or is it a crocodile?).
Inside, there are a few controllers and doo-dads that leave me uncomfortably out of my element, including two knobs/receptacles underneath the Motorola AM radio, a device with a lever protruding from the front atop the steering column (behind the vintage tachometer, perhaps a trailer brake controller?), and something attached to the kick panel on the driver’s side. At least I can identify the accessory gauges to the right of the steering column. We can also see that this F-250 has a manual transmission, as most trucks did in 1959; buyers could choose from a three-speed, an “MD” three-speed (medium-duty), or a four speed, in addition to the Cruise-O-Matic. This one appears to have a four-speed, considering that the shifter is on the floor rather than on the column, which was the customary location for a three speed and is pictured in the brochure. This 1959 F-250 that sold on Bring a Trailer in 2022 has a four-speed manual on the floor as well.
Only two engines were available in the F-250: the 139-horsepower 223 six or this 186-horsepower 292 Y-Block V8. The air cleaner may be from a ’60 Ford truck, because the 292 was downrated to 172 horsepower for that model year, and that’s what the air cleaner tells us. Someone has obviously painted the engine Ford Blue, or some close facsimile, and there’s a painted aluminum radiator up front, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The brochure pictures show a Holley two-barrel carburetor, but someone has transplanted an anvil-reliable Autolite 2100 on this 292, and it also has the mechanic’s favorite free tattoo maker, the unexplainable factory stock front-of-the-engine exhaust crossover. The brakes have been upgraded with a dual-circuit master cylinder with a power booster, which is clearly much safer than the truck’s original equipment but certainly takes up a lot of space. That’s OK, the battery tray is already in the way of the passenger side valve cover; Ford was always good at that kind of thing. Nothing like having to play “Operation” with the rocker cover so you can adjust the valves on a hot day.
All F-250s had an eight-foot box, regardless of whether a buyer chose a Styleside or a Flareside.
Our example is clearly a Flareside; the book tells us that there is actually quite a bit less cargo space, but Styleside trucks were still fairly new in 1959 and buying habits die hard.
The rear end of the truck isn’t much less interesting, with four red lights below the tailgate and two white lights under the brake signals.
Finally, let’s not forget about the lethal-looking rods sticking almost straight up from the front bumper; a guy’s got to know where the corners of his truck are at all times. Seriously, however, this is a nice example of a hardworking truck of the style that was used, abused, and discarded, and because of that, it’s always a treat to see one today.
Here are my hypotheses about the accessories:
- The owner has a sense of humor.
- The owner bought the truck this way and has grown to love accessories.
- The owner bought the truck because they love accessories.
- The owner loved accessories so much that they added them when they bought the truck.
Feel free to add some of your own. Thanks to Hyperpack for posting such a neat truck for us to ponder upon, and to the owner for giving us the best kind of conundrum, a fun one.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1960 Ford F-250 Styleside – The Tonka Truck Truck
Why, I do believe that you’ve located Mr. J.C. Whitney’s truck.
It does seem that the driver at least sometimes rides with a toddler (or passenger under 3 feet tall, regardless of age). I’ll bet operating those air horns is a big hit. 🙂
J C Whitney is right. Hes missing Winky the cat.
Let us not forget that back bumper, surely custom fabricated, that could almost serve as a back porch.
The gob of accessories don’t bother me nearly as much as those hub caps. Given all of the Ford hub cap designs over the years, these are the most character-free of anything Ford ever offered.
The truck is carrying a West Virginia inspection sticker, lower corner drivers side windshield, need I say more?
This very well might have been the best truck at the show that day. I get tired of seeing all those gnarly, lifted, trying to be a read legal monster truck or slammed to the speed bumps Square Body GM Trucks. I found this lovely highly accessorized ’59 workhorse Ford refreshing.
Where are the dual mirror mounted CB antennas? Or maybe a rear bumper mounted ball/spring mounted super long whip?
In picture 5&6 on the back of the cab, right side, I see a mount for a whip antenna with the top removed, I bet it was a 20 footer, had to remove to get under overpass and go thru drive up window at fast food joint. There’s a CB somewhere, either under the seat or in the glove box. I think maybe this was once a fire truck going by the patch on the side rail of the bed and the rear bumper.
The ball spring mount is on the right upper rear cab corner.
JoAnn beat me by 2 minutes!
Looks like a fire chiefs response vehicle. Tricked out but all useful in that line of work. Especially the tail end. Emergency vechiles really do need to be seen and heard when on the job.
And don’t forget the hubcaps from a late ’70’s dentside F-series.
Looks fine to me .
I remember the radios from these being different, no push buttons .
-Nate
Oh boy, this reminds me of the story my uncle told me. It seems was in a gas station in February getting fueled up, when a “couple year old” Buick pulled in. It was slathered with all the J. C. Whitney crap that was in the catalogue. Uncle was staring at it in dis belief and the owner noticed my uncles gaze. Owner was proud of his work and showing it off. Attendant collects my uncle’s money and as he was leaving the station, half asked and half hollered, my uncle stated “So, I guess you got a drill for Christmas.”
I like the ’57-’60 Ford trucks for their clean design. Evidentially the owner of this particular example didn’t. To each his own, but nonetheless this truck is in great condition. It does appear to have the wrong radio, the OEM radio for these trucks was a novel little Bendix design with a round dial:
One of the do-dad knobs looks like a variable speed rheostat for the windshield wipers. Guessing the other may be a switch for any/all of the accessory lights.
I have the highest regards for he who installed all the gear. In my dreams I do the same thing!
Marker light overload, a nice tidy pickup, But that crossover pipe would long gone if it was mine.
So could someone illuminate for me how the current fad of grille-mounted clearance lamps got started (example below)? Some have more than 3 lights, and some are white rather than amber.
Also **calling Daniel Stern** what’s up with those “angry Jeep” headlights — covering up part of the lenses to make the Jeep’s “face” appear angry?
Well the start was the first Ford Raptor. The 3 lights in the center front and rear are to denote a vehicle that is more than 80″ wide. Before the Raptor only Duallies required them. To meet the requirements they do need to amber on the front while the rears need to be red.
Good to know; of course to meet the requirements, clearance lights need to be mounted on the roof. Now everyone with pickups and SUVs seems to be copying, except putting the front lights in the grille.
On vehicles (except passenger cars) over 80″ wide, those are required in the US and Canada; amber* front and red rear. A colinear group of three of them, spaced between 6 and 12 inches apart, with at least double the lamp-to-lamp spacing between the outboard lamps and their same-side clearance lamps, which are the single lamps at the left and right edges, also required on non-passcar vehicles over 80″ wide.
They’re “identification lamps”, and are a very old lighting function dating back to the 1930s. Back then they were commonly called “ICC lamps” for the Interstate Commerce Commission, which originally required them. The original impetus is lost to time, but a good, solid guess is that it was to give drivers overtaking on 2-lane roads as much warning as possible to get back in their lane, especially when they were foolish enough to be passing on an uphill; the ICC lamps would be the first ones visible over the crest of the hill.
On vehicles ≤80″ wide, they’re not required, but a principle of the American vehicle regs is that anything not specifically prohibited is allowed, as long as it doesn’t impair the effectiveness of a required item or design feature. So there’s been something of a trend to put identification lamps (or lights which look more or less like them) on pickup trucks that don’t need them. That’s a much better use for extra lighting money than putting on, I donno, real rear turn signals or something, which wouldn’t even begin to come close to making the buyer feel like they have a big rig or something.
*The latest couple of revisions of the relevant SAE standard allow front identification and clearance lamps to be white or amber. White would be better, and it would be really smart if the light distribution of the front ones were such that they’d throw a bit of light upward to illuminate the overhead road signs. That is a very difficult thing for headlamps to do when there’s a big vertical separation between the lamps and the driver’s eyes, as on, um, most vehicles big enough to need identification lamps. This would bring effective sign lighting for drivers who really need it, without the glare and backdazzle involved with trying to use the headlamps to do that job.
But we’re kind of resolutely not smart when it comes to vehicle regulations in North America.
**And the SAE standard’s allowance for white front ID lamps is of no effect, because SAE standards carry no legal force on their own, and Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 108, which _do_ carry force of law, require amber.
But have you not heard the Good News? Car lights are fashion toys and not life-safety equipment.
But seriously, though, the explanation is simple.
Big time JC Whitney customer! I used to pore over the catalogs as a kid. For a truck like this it can be fitting. Even into the 80s. But over time, vehicles modernized, but the catalog remained pretty much the same. It was more like reading a comic book. The black and white cartoon drawings so you never really knew exactly what you were getting.
This truck looks good, it was done cleanly. I’m also taking notice of that Rampage / Scamp right behind it.
The aluminum chunk on the left inner fender ahead of the master cylinder looks to be a cruise control unit.
The box with the protruding lever and knob on the steering column behind the tach looks to be an antique electric trailer brake controller. That’s my best guess