MyStarCollectorCar

MAY 2025: 1947 FORD PICKUP–IT WAS MEANT TO BE

Jerry Admin

The story behind an old classic is directly linked to the human factor.

These old cars and trucks tell the story of the people who once owned them–that’s why they make great MyStarCollectorCar stories.

This 1947 Ford pickup was a mystery before its latest owner solved the story behind the truck.

Jerry Sutherland

Arnie Scott spotted the ’47 Ford when he was looking for property near Caroline, Alberta Canada in 1999. He said the truck “Was stuffed up against a fence” so he advised the owner to move it to a place where it would be less visible to curious tire-kickers.

The owner (Jim Bradley) agreed, so Arnie moved the truck away from the road. Arnie became friends with Jim and made a standing offer for the truck. Jim said he was saving it as a project for his sons so it wouldn’t be on the market.

Arnie noticed the sign on the door (Richards Farm) so he was curious about the history behind this old Ford. Arnie offered to get the truck running as a favor to Jim, so they poured diesel fuel down the cylinders of the flathead V-8, but the engine had a cracked block on the right side.

Time moved on and Jim Bradley became ill, so Arnie asked him again if he wanted to sell the old Ford. This time he agreed and sold it to him for 500 dollars because Arnie told him he “wanted to bring it back to life and keep it just the way it was”.

That’s when the job became a race against time because Arnie wanted to get the truck running while Jim was still around to give him a ride in his old Ford.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because Jim passed away before the project was done–but Arnie did give Jim’s best friend a ride in the old truck.

Arnie said he “tore the truck apart and decided to make it a reliable driver”.  To that end, he got rid of the old flathead and found a 5.7 V-8 in a 1990 Chevy pickup that came with a 700 R4 bolted to a 3:37 10-bolt rear end.

That was the perfect combination to make this ’47 Ford pickup a realistic driver in today’s traffic.

Arnie’s next mission was to find out who owned it–the door sign was a big clue. He learned the Richards family were pioneer farmers in the Red Deer, Alberta, Canada area. The truck had been part of their farm operation and Arnie tracked down the original location of their homestead.

He also located a member of the Richards family (Matthew) who was still farming in the area. Matthew was harvesting when Arnie rolled up in the Ford and he said Matthew “was smiling ear-to-ear when he spotted the sign on the truck”.

Arnie had two missions when he bought the truck—he wanted to preserve it as-is and he wanted to track down the original owners. 

There were many coincidences that led to this truck and Arnie recognizes that because he said it was meant to be—it was true car guy karma.  

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.

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