When I was 16, I asked my dad to find me a pickup, this was in 1975. He found this 1963 Mercury that had a different color box on it and needed some work. We shortened the frame and put a short box step side on it. My uncle Jim painted it and I was driving it that fall. In 1978, I traded it in at the Ford dealership where I was working. I knew the next two people that owned it and then, I lost track of it in 1979. Then in 2018, I was at a farm auction talking to a fellow I knew and he said, “Hey, did you know that I have your old step side pickup?” I said “no, I did not but had wondered what happened to it.” He said he bought it in ’79 with the intention of fixing it up, but never got around to it. He said if I wanted it, he would sell it to me. He told me where it was and I went the next day to find it. It was in bad shape, but I bought it anyway. The next day, my grandson Blake and I went and picked it up. This was the start of a 4-year project that we worked on together. I am not a body man or painter, but I took my time and I am happy with the way it turned out. I did all the work with the exception of the wheel alignment, windshield install and dual exhaust installation. We put the body on a 1968 frame which gave us P/S, P/B and I beam front suspension. This required shortening the frame, building cab mounts, and lowering the front frame horns. It has an FE 360 motor with a C6 automatic transmission and a Ford 9″ rear end. To fit the motor in, we had to remove the bulge in the inner front fenders that went around the original shock towers and flatten them out. Along with all the sheet metal work, I installed a complete new wiring harness, door glass runners, and seals, carpet, recovered the seat, installed a new wood floor in the box, and installed shoulder seat belts. Most of the parts came from LMC. So, after nearly 40 years, I got my first vehicle back, rebuilt, and on the road. We love to take it out and have some fun with the truck. My grandson loves to drive it as well.