ORIGINAL engine, original gear box, original diff … original colour.
One of the things Bill Monk loves most about his 1966 Ford F100 is that it’s genuine.
Bill has a bit of history when it comes to ‘doing up’ interesting motors.
The ’66 Ford is the most recent of the eight vehicles he’s poured his blood, sweat and money into over the years.
He was already the proud owner of a 1964 F100 when, about five years ago, he decided he needed another.
He didn’t get the ’64, but his search led him not too far down the Warburton Highway to something even better.
“A fellow from Woori Yallock brought two of the 1966 models out from America,” he explained.
“He went over to Ohio to buy one, got the two of them at the right price, kept one and sold the other one to me.”
He managed to talk him down from $15,000 to $12,000 and came away with a three-year project.
“It was a bit rough, not in good condition at all really, and I’ve basically rebuilt it from the ground up,” he said.
After 35 years with the Board of Works as a plant operator, pulling things apart and putting them back together is second nature.
He worked on the pipeline from the Upper Yarra Dam to the Silvan Dam and on the Sugarloaf and Cardinia dam projects during his time with the Board, so why wouldn’t he be looking for something to work on in his retirement!
There is a lot about this particular F100 that Bill likes, but the 352 big block, Thunderbird engine, is right up there when it comes to what makes it a bit extra-special.
“It’s a pretty rare one,” he says pointing out that it’s the equivalent of a 5.3 litre engine, or, in layman’s terms … “a very powerful engine”.
The engine was in perfect condition with 61,200 miles on the clock when he bought it, and he’s added another 6000 driving it on a club registration that allows him to take it out 90 days each year.
The column gear shift is another feature which puts it into a class of its own – as opposed to the more common flow shift.
Of course, it’s left-hand drive, which he said took a bit of getting used to at first.
Maintaining the integrity of the 50-year-old Ford has been paramount.
“Everything on it is as it was when it was brand new in America,” he says.
“There are no false parts on it, every part is genuine Ford.”
He could have saved a bundle of the $70,000 he’s spent on it, but says it wouldn’t be the genuine article with anything less than Ford parts.
Owning something as eye-catching as the ’66 F100 is not just about nuts, bolts and panels.
Bill says it creates an immediate connection with other car enthusiasts.
“I saw this guy at the shopping centre the other day with an XW Falcon and got talking to him,” he offers as an example.
“His dad bought it brand new, and he’s now passed away.
“It had done 17,000ks.”
Bill reckons car people are different to the average person.
“I can talk about bits and pieces, what I’ve got, what they’ve got and everyone understands each other.”
You can check out Bill’s pride and joy at the Upper Yarra Museum Crank-Up in Yarra Junction on 2 and 3 April.
