I've been looking around the past few weeks for a used car for my son as I've had time.
A couple weeks ago I stopped in to see the folks at Wilson Toyota here in Ames. On their showroom floor was a beautifully restored 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser, Baby Blue (might officially be Gulf Blue?). A salesman told me it belongs to the Wilson Family, and they had their shop work on it back when business was slow during Covid in 2020. Looks like a Jeep with a cab. Pretty sure it was all steel construction...when I opened and closed the door, it sounded solid! I doubt it's for sale, but would be a pretty vehicle in anyone's garage. I didn't remember seeing those on the road.
Then, last weekend, I drove out to Cassill Motors in Cedar Rapids. Landon Cassill, a young son/grandson of the founders, got started on the Nascar junior circuits a few years ago when he was still in high school. Anyway, on their showroom floor was a 1952 Ford Sedan with some custom modifications (can't recall the model now), and also a 1972 Ford Maverick.
But what really caught my eye was a restored 1974 4-door Extended Cab Ford pickup with the traditional 8-foot bed, that stretched almost from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City. I always thought my dad's old Ninety Eight Oldsmobiles from the '70s were long, but I think this pickup was longer. I was envisioning how annoyed I'd be parked next to this in a parking lot somewhere and trying to see to back out.
I had no recollection Extended Cabs were made already in 1974....especially with 4 doors. I thought the first Ext. Cabs were just those kind of half cabs that were basically a place to carry stuff in, and not people very comfortably. The salesman told me not many of these were made in 1974, and to find original parts and trim for restorations is a challenge.
A couple weeks ago I stopped in to see the folks at Wilson Toyota here in Ames. On their showroom floor was a beautifully restored 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser, Baby Blue (might officially be Gulf Blue?). A salesman told me it belongs to the Wilson Family, and they had their shop work on it back when business was slow during Covid in 2020. Looks like a Jeep with a cab. Pretty sure it was all steel construction...when I opened and closed the door, it sounded solid! I doubt it's for sale, but would be a pretty vehicle in anyone's garage. I didn't remember seeing those on the road.
Then, last weekend, I drove out to Cassill Motors in Cedar Rapids. Landon Cassill, a young son/grandson of the founders, got started on the Nascar junior circuits a few years ago when he was still in high school. Anyway, on their showroom floor was a 1952 Ford Sedan with some custom modifications (can't recall the model now), and also a 1972 Ford Maverick.
But what really caught my eye was a restored 1974 4-door Extended Cab Ford pickup with the traditional 8-foot bed, that stretched almost from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City. I always thought my dad's old Ninety Eight Oldsmobiles from the '70s were long, but I think this pickup was longer. I was envisioning how annoyed I'd be parked next to this in a parking lot somewhere and trying to see to back out.
I had no recollection Extended Cabs were made already in 1974....especially with 4 doors. I thought the first Ext. Cabs were just those kind of half cabs that were basically a place to carry stuff in, and not people very comfortably. The salesman told me not many of these were made in 1974, and to find original parts and trim for restorations is a challenge.
