A half dozen or so years back when I took over the reins of Custom Classic Trucks magazine, we had a column on the very last page titled “The End?”. It was created by John Gilbert originally when he was the editor of CCT and I simply inherited the page when I came aboard. Initially, I had very little material to run, a couple issue’s worth at best, and I soon started to worry that I’d be forced to kill the column. Then, by some random stroke of luck, a fella by the name of Ken Lorek started sending me envelopes full of prints and a short write-up describing what was contained inside. All of sudden, “The End?” was back in business!
Fast forward a few short years later and the print world underwent a slight shakeup, titles were shuttered or combined with other existing publications and CCT ceased to exist (just in time to celebrate its 20th anniversary!). It was at this point that I was transferred to my current position here at CT, and when I made the decision to steal John’s idea and roll “The End?” into a similarly themed column titled “Tailgate.” Ken’s contributions continued to slide in at an impressive pace and the content was just too good to waste.
One of those submissions was printed in the Mar. ’13 issue of Custom Classic Trucks and titled “Snowjob COE.” The subject was, as you guessed it, a dilapidated cab over truck, left to rot in a field in Southwest Michigan.
But while some see trash, others see treasure, which is exactly what Jerry Fry thought when he saw the COE on that last page. In fact, not only did he see a truck worth saving, he saw an opportunity in the old cab over to promote his business, Fry’s Rides and Fabrication, by building a killer shop truck and car hauler. Some careful detective work put Jerry in touch with the old Ford’s owner, a deal was struck, and another rusty truck was given a second chance. For this old hauler, it definitely wouldn’t be “The End.”
Jerry saved the stock chassis, installing airbags at all four corners to get the right stance while retaining the Ford’s hauling capabilities. Big-block Chevy power was added, in a mid-engine position as opposed to under the cab, which worked out since Jerry converted the flatbed to a ramp truck configuration. Meticulous sheetmetal work and further fabrication was completed before the truck was sprayed gloss black.
This second chance COE just goes to show that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder and what can be accomplished with vision, talent, and a whole lot of hard work and perseverance. Congrats to Fry’s Rides and Fabrication for saving another vintage hauling relic and prolonging this COE’s “End.”
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