In June of 1998, I got a call from a friend who told me he had located a restorable 1937 Ford pickup truck. We drove to Gardena, California, where I found Old Bleu wasting away in a lot.

I was told that the truck had been in storage since 1968. The paperwork that I examined seemed to confirm that fact. The truck was minus an engine and in pretty sad shape. Nonetheless, something told me that I had to have this truck. I paid the man and hauled it away.

The truck was taken to Limeworks Hot Rod Repair in Whittier, California. Steve Dennish and his band of merry men went to work hooking up a small block Chevy engine to the original driveline. After a quick wiring job, and a little TLC, we got the truck running.

Driving Old Bleu in it's original condition was a remarkable experience. Even with a relatively modern power plant, the truck was still somewhat difficult to drive. The front suspension and steering gear made for some interesting excursions on Southern California freeways.

The condition of some of the sheet metal was so bad that restoration or reconditioning would be impossible. I began looking for replacement and reproduction parts while putting together a plan for restoration.

I drove the truck as you see it here until March of 1999. At that time, the truck went back to Limeworks where it was completely disassembled and the real restoration began.