Ol’ Blue

This Marlin Blue 1964 F-100 is affectionately referred to as Ol’ Blue by the Lanicek family of East Texas. The SWB truck was manufactured in the FORD assembly plant in Dallas TX (now closed) and sold new in the Fall of 1963 by a local dealer to my father Raymond Lanicek. He was the proud owner until his passing in 1979, at which time custody was bestowed upon me, his eldest son. My brother and I grew up riding around, making many fond memories in this truck, with our dad, who everyone else called “Shorty”.
For many years, Ol’ Blue was the most reliable work truck a guy could ask for. The original 6 cylinder 223 CID engine was worn out by 1975, so I did a complete overhaul and drove it many more years before retiring at about 192K miles. After I set it aside from full time service, both of my sons enjoyed driving Shorty’s truck for a while. They too moved on to other vehicles, and it stayed in the family, just waiting for some attention. Once I had retired from full time employment, my first project was to fix up Dad’s old truck. So, on January 1, 2020 we hauled the F-100 to my home where a 3-1/2 year, frame -off “labor of love” restoration was completed. The rust and decay were extreme, and it really was no longer a good project truck. However, it had a lot of sentimental value, so we moved forward with the recovery. Other than refurbishing, replacing or restoring everything necessary on the truck, there were upgrades to a classic 292 V-8 engine and some Custom Cab trim added. Front disc brakes and electronic ignition parts or on-hand and ready to install. Today, thanks to 2 other donor trucks, generous friends with surplus OEM parts, and of course the large selection of quality LMC parts, we are back on the road and cruising to local events.