Truck Roundup

Red Hook Roundup

While on a ride through Red Hook the other day I ran across a wealth of interesting old iron. Since there is definitely enough material for a few posts I've split them into categories.

 First up we have a 1979 Ford F-150 Ranger in an eye-catching 2-tone combination of Cream and Tangerine. Still looks great even after having her eye knocked out.

 In California these trucks still populate every street in every town, but here on the East Coast they're increasingly rare. I love the chrome trim highlighting the 2-tone on the Ranger models.

Being the workhorse of the Ford truck lineup the F-150 came in an almost impossible to quantify number of different engine, axle, and option configurations so I won't speculate here as to what lies beneath the hood. I love the plain metal bumper and Wagon Wheels reminding us that this is a utilitarian vehicle no matter how charming the paint scheme is.

 This old truck looks plenty capable of going to work today. With the various rust spots throughout it might just be an original East Coast truck that someone took good care of.

 Now let's compare it with the scaled-down version from 8 years later; a 1987 Ford Ranger STX Supercab. The STX designation was largely a trim option which included the bumpers, mirrors, window surrounds, and grill being painted black as opposed to chrome. Dig that tiny spoiler under the bumper that's surely made of plastic. For that one item to survive on a 27 year old truck is remarkable! Once it's missing (as most probably are) it's the kind of item that becomes impossible for restorers to locate.

 From this angle you can see the Supercab in all it's glory, which amounts to 17 inches storage space behind the seats. The suspension on STX trucks was raised slightly; around 2 inches. 4-wheel drive and a 5-speed transmission also seem to be a part of the package as are the sporty wheels and bucket seats. This little Ranger looks like it's in mint condition with it's flashy Rangoon Red color choice! Now let's get off our high horse and back to the heart of this blog with something slightly more used.

 Hobo edition storage space beater Jeep!

 This thing looks like a forlorn pack mule sent up the mountain with too-heavy a load.

 You can see the bizarre decision of hanging faux-marble canvases all along the outside, but just what is that massive structure on top?

The bummer is that this actually looks to be in great condition with the exception of all the garbage filling it (there was plenty) and all the extra stuff strapped to it. Standard-issue 1OOSP to ensure long-term parking.

Specifically, this is a late-80s/early-90s Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport 2-door. I do love this body style which was essentially unchanged between 1984-2001. The 2 and 4 door versions both shared the exact same dimensions, with the main difference being that the doors and front seats were much larger on the 2-door, and the rear quarter windows didn't open. These fancy alloy wheels and blackout trim allude to some special trim package, but all this has been trumped by the rigging treatment this poor beast has been wrapped in.  

 *More Red Hook discoveries to follow so stay tuned . . .