Tow trucks come in many forms because every job has different requirements.
They range from simple fender-bender rescues with light cars to massive semi-trailers, so this ’66 Chevy LCF (Low Cab Forward) medium-duty tow truck was in the mid-range of heavy-duty vehicles.
Jerry Sutherland
Mike O’Dwyer is the proud owner of this classic LCF truck.
Mike’s buddy is a huge vintage tow truck fan, and he told Mike about a ’66 Chevy Low Cab that was originally from California and ended up in Arizona. Mike liked the truck and the story behind it, so he became the next owner.
Mike said the last owner did all the heavy lifting on the truck because he saved it from a date with a crusher. The LCF was a tow truck for M&M Chevrolet/Buick in California, and it did real-world work for the dealership.
The truck disappeared from the workforce and was rescued by a guy who “liked big trucks”. He took on the project and learned the C-50 was in decent shape and all the critical parts were still there.
There’s a fully-functional Holmes 500 wrecker on the LCF now and it wears period-correct emergency lights. You could fire it up and tow something if the car or truck in question can handle good old fashioned tow hooks instead of today’s modern slings and ramp trucks.
That meant the truck was a relatively easy project, so he carried on with a restoration. He changed the color, but he retained the M&M Chevrolet/Buick door signs. That’s how it was when Mike bought the big tow truck. He said the previous owner had health problems, so the truck became a casualty.
Mike said the LCF originally came with a 283 but now it runs a 305 with a 4-speed and split axle. He said the truck runs at about 55 miles per hour—anything after that is extremely hard on the truck…and probably suicidal. Mike had the truck hauled back from Peoria, Arizona because he didn’t want to run it on a major road trip at less than freeway speeds.
The previous owner redid everything on the truck, so the LCF flew through a very thorough safety inspection to register it. That’s a dream very few buyers achieve after a purchase, but this truck had every detail looked after before it was for sale.
This LCF tow truck is retired now after years of real-world duty, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely inactive. Mike likes to drive it to local shows and take it on occasional fun runs because exercise is important to old iron. He said, “It gets you there—it’s slow and reliable”. It now has three license plates from two states and Alberta.
Mike has become a caretaker/historian for the ’66 Chevy tow truck and he’s happy to answer endless questions at car shows. He likes to give credit to the previous owner for all the work he did on this vintage truck, because Mike bought a turnkey vehicle. He appreciates the history behind this truck because very few of these old tow trucks survived a brutal working life.
That’s what makes this LCF such a crowd-pleaser at every show.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
