I was surprised to learn, these aren't Fords. These, are Fordsons. I don't think I've ever come across a Fordson vehicle, just the tractors
Showing posts with label shop truck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shop truck. Show all posts
Saturday, May 09, 2026
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Thursday, July 31, 2025
the factory built Nash prototype truck had a 1942 Nash 600 front clip and cabin up to the B pillar, where a panel was welded to the car body, to form the pickup cab.
The fabrication was placed on a 1936 Nash frame. Perfect Steel Body Co. provided a pickup box, and the rear fenders came from a 1941 Ambassador.
Later, one of the dealership’s mechanics bought it for use on his farm. This mechanic’s son disassembled it, like Jim’s truck, for a long period of time. In 1980, Nash Club member Don Lope bought and reassembled it.
Since this was one of the few factory trucks, and then it had a 2nd life as a shop truck, it's twice as interesting as any Ford or Chevy.
I doubt anyone under 40 knows what a Nash is, and no one under 30 has seen one.
Other than you and I, there probably are only a couple hundred people that think a Nash or a Hudson truck are interesting.
Sunday, March 02, 2025
hmmmm, service station work truck with a barrel of gas on top to do roadside rescues? Or trackside fuel supply? (thanks Mike!) And Steve then got curious about the background of the work truck and the gas station it represented and dug up the history!
Steve let me know a lot about this photo, this truck has an air compressor mounted in the bed, and that barrel is a tank for the compressed air, (Joe also commented on that tank being for compressed air) it's high mounted to leave space in the bed for tires.
This guy is Chuck Brown, son of the business founder A O Brown. The photo was created in 1966
Alpha Otis "A.O." Brown Jr. And his wife Helen started the station in Parsons, Kansas in 1939. He was born in Parsons in 1908 and in 1934 he was a bulk agent for Shell Oil. In 1936 he moved to Independence to be a commission agent for Shell. By 1939 he'd made enough money to return to Parsons and buy the Jones Motor Inn, a 14-year old tire and Diamond D-X gas station at 1800 Belmont Avenue. Before their marriage Helen worked for the Katy Railroad.
In 1925 Horace "Horses" Jones started a tire service station at the corner of 18th and Broadway before moving a few blocks south a year later. By 1927 Jones was the wholesale jobber for the Diamond D-X Petroleum Company and had a bulk storage facility on 20th Street at the Katy railroad. He decided to create a "1-stop. completely modern equipped service station" and so built a new L-shaped building on the southwest corner of 18th and Belmont - the business and location that A.O. Brown purchased 12 years later.
By March, Brown had rebranded the business as the A.O. Brown Oil Company, a Mobilgas filling and bulk station, and Goodyear products dealer. By 1941 it was known as the Brown Oil & Supply Company.
Married in 1930, A.O. and his wife had three sons: A.O. III; Eldon; and Charles W. "Chuck" Brown. While all three boys worked at the station growing up, only Chuck joined the business permanently, doing so in 1960, becoming Vice-President with his father being the President and his mother the Secretary/Treasurer. It is Chuck himself in the picture with the 1958 Chevrolet Model 3104 Apache stepside pickup at the Belmont Avenue location. The photo itself (part of the Steve Given collection) was purportedly taken in 1966, making the really good condition truck 8 years old here. They paid extra for that bumper.
In October 1959 the Brown Oil & Supply Co. became the distributor for Sinclair gasoline, and in May 1961 was named the dealer for General Tire and Kraft Retreading. In February 1964 Brown Oil & Supply Company was awarded the franchise for Firestone Tires and Accessories, and changed their name to Brown Oil & Tire Company. In May 1971 Brown Oil & Tire Company changed brands again and became the distributor for the Continental Oil Company (Conoco). In September the company moved to a brand-new, larger location at 1528 Main Street on the corner of at 16th & Main.
In March 1993 A.O. Brown, long since retired, passed away. Just over a year later his son Chuck decided to retire also and sold the business to George and Pamela Lockwood who had heretofore owned and operated the Tower Bowl. The Lockwoods had never run a gas station but George had always been a "car-type person" as so decided to take the plunge.
The first newspaper ad for the newly minted Lockwood Oil & Tire Company was published on June 30, 1994. The last ad appeared exactly six months later on December 30, 1994. Today the site of the Conoco station at 1528 Main Street is the site of a Walgreens, while the original station at 18th & Belmont is now the location of a Senior Center. Even the private homes of the extended Brown family are gone.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Saturday, July 13, 2024
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Dan Gurney All American Racers Eagle Club was for joining up for a newsletter, might have been a fundraiser for the AAR F1 effort after a sponsor pulled out
and the renewal stickers
membership had another priveldge, access to the open house
where someone got a photo of the company truck, and likely, the only truck to ever sport the AAR decal
Wednesday, September 07, 2022
Monday, August 01, 2022
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Friday, August 14, 2020
Monday, February 03, 2020
the shop truck had been through some tough times
Tip o the hat to Joe Sherlock!
https://aadl.org/sites/default/files/photos/N017_0651_002.jpg
http://www.joesherlock.com/39Ply-Misc2.html#Firestone_Store
they replaced it with this one
https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/110923
Monday, July 29, 2019
Monday, September 03, 2018
Friday, May 11, 2018
1956 Dodge service station truck
https://jacdurac.tumblr.com/post/172452531829/1956-dodge
The bed is probably from the many 1948 Bell Telephone repair trucks, reused as they were built to last. (thanks Gary!)
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