The Search for Sparky
30 years ago I met my husband, Eric. I have to admit that it was his car that caught my attention first. He was driving a maroon 67 Camaro with a white vinyl top and I really liked the classic muscle cars. Little did I know, he also had another 67 Camaro that was red with a white stripe around the nose. He no longer has the maroon one, but the red one still sits proudly in our garage today. About 9 years ago, my husband decided to buy himself another muscle car, his 1970 Challenger. Needless to say, he kinda took over our garage, but the good thing is, I really like both of his vehicles.
About 2 years ago Eric asked me if I could have any car, what would it be? Without hesitation, I said an old pick up truck. I wasn't sure of the year at that point but in my head I knew exactly what it looked like. It was red, it had wide, white walled tires, a wooden bed, and chrome accents. This began the search for what I now affectionately call Sparky.
Eric started showing me pictures of trucks and I was able to narrow it down to a 1940 Ford. I think he thought I was a little crazy, but hey, I like what I like.The internet is great for researching. I looked at so many images, checking out color, trim details, tires, wheels, fenders, everything. Eric also grilled me about other things, like did I want air conditioning, power steering, manual or auto transmission, etc. Initially I had all these requirements and to get pretty much everything I wanted already done was going to be very, very expensive. The practical girl in me thought this was probably not a good idea and so I just sort of tucked the idea away and didn't give it much thought.
Well, Eric had other ideas and started finding trucks for sale close enough to take a drive and check out. He wanted me to drive at least one. To quote him, "You might find out this isn't your dream vehicle. It's a 70 year old truck, not my Avalance". He had a point, so began a series of test drives that went from the Bay Area to the Central California valley to the quaint town of Occidental near Bodega Bay. The first one was actually a 1939 and had been restored and modified. When I drove it, it felt a little squirley and I really didn't like the way it looked. The second one down in the valley was a really good price, but it pretty much needed to be completely restored and I didn't really want a fixer upper. The one in Occidental held a lot of promise. It was red and had been restored. The price was pretty decent. So we went to check it out. It rode really rough and there was something about it that just didn't feel right. The guy had advertised it as a 1940, but upon further investigation, we figured out it was actually a 1941 with 40 trim. The hood didn't fit well and I just wasn't sure. On the drive home, Eric suggested that we contact the guy with a lo-ball offer and then we could use the difference to fix what was wrong. By the time we got home, I had changed my mind. It just wasn't the right truck.
I told Eric, if it was meant to be, the right truck would come along and I would know it. Occasionally Eric would have me come look at one he found on the internet and I would say if I liked it or not and he kept asking me questions about what I could or could not live without. Eric loves to search for things like this, so I let him. Two weeks before Father's Day this year, Eric shows me a truck he found. Everything about it seemed perfect, except for one small problem, it was in Maryland. The guy selling said he would ship it out and if we didn't like it, we could ship it back and only pay for the shipping, about $1500. I thought that was a pretty good deal, but Eric just didn't like the idea of buying something without seeing and driving it first. He then started talking about flying to Maryland, but that just wasn't going to work for me. Within a day or so, Eric tells me he found another one, but this time it's in Livermore, which is very close to our home, so we drove out to give it a test drive.
Overall, it was a nice truck, but it didn't have power steering and let me tell you, it drove like a BEAST! The paint job was called Eggplant. At first glance it looked black, but as you walked around it, it changed to a very deep purple. It was pretty cool, but there was something wrong with it. It had air-conditioning, although I don't think it worked very well. They had also cut into the metal dash and installed a very cheap stereo, It had a cassette tape player in it. Even with all the flaws, this one was a serious contender, but it wasn't a 1940, it was a 1941. The big difference is the trim piece on the hood. The 1940 is very thin, whereas the 1941 has the wider "waterfall" trim piece. When I first started looking, I didn't think I liked the 41 trim, but it had actually started growing on me. We left the consignment center with a list of things we wanted them to check out for us. In the meantime, Eric gets home and starts looking again. On Sunday, he finds another one in Gilroy. This time it's a red 1941 and for a better price. Since Eric works that direction on Tuesdays, he drove down there and checked it out. I told him I trust his opinion and when he told me it was pretty solid, I agreed to go with him on the day before Father's Day to check it out.
First impression was that it was really pretty. I tried not to show too much enthusiasm and remain pretty chill. Bill, the owner of Checkered Flag Classics, gave us the keys and let me take it for a drive. This one had power steering and power brakes. I honestly felt like I could have been driving my Jeep, I was so comfortable behind the wheel. It rode like a truck, but not a 73 year old truck and that made me very happy. It didn't have air-conditioning, but Eric had a good point. Old vehicles like these are not the type of vehicles that you drive around with the windows rolled up. You should have the windows down and the breeze blowing through your hair. It also makes it easier to wave at people when they give you the "Thumbs Up!" By the time we got back from the test run, I knew I had found my truck. I ended up giving him a deposit and I got to put a SOLD sign on the window. Eric teased me that I was getting a truck for Father's Day, but we actually bought it on the 14th, which just happened to be my daughter's 21st birthday. I said it was a gift for giving birth to her 21 years ago! Regardless of the occassion, I couldn't get the smile off my face for the rest of the day.
There was a little bit of work that needed to be done on the truck, so we were going to have to come back to get it. I was going to be gone the following weekend at my mom's, so I didn't think I would get it until the following Monday, but once again, my wonderful hubby surprised me and when I got home last Saturday evening, my truck was in the garage! I immediately wanted to take her for a drive and that's what I did.
I've been asked, why a truck? Ever since I was a little girl, I thought girls who drove trucks were pretty cool. I like to be different and stand out. Guess I like the attention. But all that aside, I love the classic lines and personality that this truck has. Today's vehicles just don't have that. My favorite nickname my husband calls me is Sparky and I felt like the name really fit my little red truck, so I dubbed her Sparky as well, as a tribute to the love I feel for my wonderful husband who loves me enough to buy me my ultimate dream vehicle.
