There are many father-son connection car stories, but a father-daughter connection is much less common.
Fortunately, this 1977 Ford Super Cab is a genuine father-daughter connection story.
Jerry Sutherland
Sarah Sommerfeld is the proud owner of this survivor truck—survivor is the key word because this truck was retired in 1979. Two years after it left the dealer, this big Ford truck was banished to the field with only 50,000 miles on it.
She admitted she was “looking at something else”, when she spotted the F350 at the same yard. Sarah knew the truck would be dad-approved because her father owns several 70s-era Ford trucks. He knows these vehicles inside and out, so she wasn’t afraid to adopt the weathered old truck.
Sarah said the truck was in good shape under the faded paint, but the seller said it wouldn’t start because of bad gas. Sarah went down that road, but she learned there was an ignition module that was a problem with trucks from that era.
They replaced that and the truck fired right up on gas that was four decades old. That was the beginning of a flood of good news for Sarah. The big 400 cubic inch V-8 under the hood was still in good shape, even though the previous owner thought it was cooked.
That’s how Sarah enrolled in Old Ford Truck 101 class, because years of inactivity had doomed all the seals under the truck. She had to replace every piece of suspension rubber, gaskets, seals and brake lines. The rear gas tank was also replaced because it was a mess.
Sarah was completely hands-on during this process–under the guidance of her dad. Her goal from Day 1 was to learn how to do things—not have them done for her. It’s been a process with a large learning curve thanks to her dad’s massive experience with 70s Ford trucks.
The interior was also good news for Sarah because it’s still in great shape. Somehow it escaped a mouse invasion, so the Ford still has a very clean, original interior that responded well to detailing.
Everything points to this ’77 Ford being a work or farm truck because it’s heavy duty and came with a factory four-speed manual with a ‘farmer-low’ first gear. It has clearance lights and payload markings so this old F-350 had a brief, but hard life.
The best part about Sarah’s Ford is simple–now it’s a daily, all-season driver. That was the goal when she saw it and now it’s a reality. Sarah is going to upgrade the tires for winter because she lives in an area where snow and ice is a grim reality and she wants to be prepared.
Sarah’s expectations with her truck have all been met. She rescued her truck from a bad fate and got it running again. She’s learned about the process through hands-on experience and now she’s far more confident she has a safe, reliable old truck.
Sarah’s also learned that running old iron as a daily is a constant process—right down to the part where she runs off the brand-new rear gas tank instead of using the factory front tank.
Dad taught her some great things about old Ford trucks.
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
