San Francisco Street Sighting - 1936 Ford Pickup

Back in the 1970s, my dad owned a 1936 Ford pickup. He bought it for $20 as a basket case and restored it himself.

This is not that truck.

I've only seen his old truck twice in my life, and it looked nothing like this one (his was Corvette Elkhart Green, all stock except for a Mercury flathead V8 and chrome simulated wire wheels). But it should give you a clue as to why I have a soft spot for 1936 Ford trucks.

In 1932, Ford Motor Company introduced its first V8 engine, a revolution in engine design that allowed for the masses to command the wonder of one hundred horsepower. By 1936, the powertrain hadn't changed too much, but the body sure had. The truck wore handsomely sculpted sheetmetal that was, in my opinion, prettier than the 1936 Ford passenger car range.
This example looks great from a distance. Once you get up close, you see how much its originality has been diminished with its generic cruiser hubcaps, quadruple exhaust tips, diamond plate rear bumper and ridiculous Mercedes "V8 Kompressor" badging. From certain angles, though, this truck looks like it's in really good condition. Everything that's been done to it could likely be reversed if desired. I dig the black paint; it suits the truck's curves. For a 74-year-old work truck belonging to a shop in San Francisco that gets driven to work and parked on the street every day, I'd say it looks pretty good. I see it at local car shows every so often. Judging by the "Kompressor" badge I'm guessing it's supercharged, so a light little truck like this with that kind of power probably gets out of its own way. It just needs a few details tweaked in order to be perfect.