Tanshanomi sent these photos in of a yard-slug he found quite some time ago. I’ll admit, I’m not entirely sure what it is.
And you know what, I’ve just decided I don’t care. It could be a de-bodied overhead crane, or the remnants of a combine harvester, or just a bunch of pieces cobbled together. No matter, whatever it is, and however it was put together, it would make one hell of a weird hot-rod. Tanshanomi imagines “a mad cool hotrod in the tall-and-short Little Red Wagon tradition, with a wooden stake bed, super-wide single rear tires, a leaned-on engine, candy apple red lacquer and chrome wheels.”
We say “yes”. What say you? How would this best be converted to a project?
Mystery Yard-Truck Makes Us Imagine Strangest Hot-Rod Ever
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I will take a stab at it. Two square blocks of downtown SLC have been under construction for 2 years now. Seems the Mormons wanted to invest 8 billion (yes with a B) on a complete makeover of the area adjacent to the temple. This includes a giant open air mall and several high-rise office/apartment buildings. I see trucks like this all the time, albeit a lot newer. The ones I see haul the steel beams from the trainyard several blocks away and are way more manuverable than your standard big rig, getting down narrow streets and alleys with ease.
That said, I would chop, lower, lengthen and drop a Merlin behind the cab and add a big-ass wing. Patina stays. -
It looks as though it could have been an airplane tug at some point. I would have to guess that if it was still being used, it is probably just a runabout to move trailers and whatnot around a rather large trucking facility. as far as rat rod stuff goes, I would find an old fat fender Ford truck cab, or perhaps…a Divco van body…Hmmm…
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Not an airport/airplane tug, it has the wrong kind of hitch. You are right, it is a yard truck, like the kind used a a freight yard or a plant to move trailers around, usually doesn't even go on the highway. Judging by the carbureted engine and the valve covers, it is early 1980s at the newest.
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Definitely a yard-dog – no highway miles on this donkey. A buddy's been in the trucking business longer than I've been alive, and he says once these things are over 2 years old, they all tend to look the same, like they've been rode hard and put away wet.
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I've seen similar trucks moving around loads of barley at the Coors brewery here in Golden.
Personally, I'm OK with the philosophy of trying to make hotrods out of oddball vehicles. Hemi powered meter-maid-mobile, anyone? -
That thing is so cool. It looks like someone took the frame of a highway tractor, bolted the cab off a Massy combine or self-propelled swather to it then stuffed a truck engine in it and said "That'll work for ya right?".
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I try to find photo's of an Autocar halfcab. Might be used as a Yard-mule aswelle. The only thing I found was one with a concrete mixer. Can anyone help me??
Hessel
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