A few months back my dad pointed out this crew cab F-800 dump truck for sale in the Westside of Syracuse. When we stopped to take a closer look it was evident that the truck had been painted a few times since leaving the factory. Underneath the flaking black paint the previous layer of red was straining to make a comeback. Peering through the windows yet another color could be found in the hue of a bright yellow. Most likely the original complexion, this yellow spoke to the past life of the truck and uncovered a long forgotten mental note to investigate a similar vehicle nearby.
Travelling to the Eastwood section of the city found yet another road crew limo. While any outwards clues have been long removed from the westside truck this particular Ford hasn’t received the same treatment. Clearly this one is a former Onondaga County DOT rig. You can still make out the hastily covered logo on the door.
Shortly after finding these trucks a conversation developed on Flickr regarding the whereabouts of such rigs during which it was revealed the trucks to be from the 1989 model year. Now that the Fords have been found we need to find those Brockways!
Ha! They do still exist. I remember doing double takes when these first arrived in the Onondaga County fleet back in 1989. Glad you were able to track not only one, but both of them down.
These were the only two? Wow! Do you know if these cabs were a factory option or did a third party have to get involved?
I seem to only remember the two and I think Ed confirmed that when we were discussing over at Flickr. The county had just recently purchased several International S-1954 crew cabs when these Fords came in.
While I can’t say for sure, I would be surprised if these were done on line at Ford. Perhaps an after market modification company like Centurion or Fontaine did these?
I am not really sure if these were factory or not. I remember my dad taking me to the shop when they were delivered and that they were bought from Mucci’s. I will see if I can find out some more info. We had several of these. #’s 41, 55, 105, 155, 159, 162, 198, A141, and A143 are the ones I can remember. 41, 105, & 159 were in Jamesville. 55 & 155 were in North Area. 198 & A141 were in Camillus. 162 & A143 were in Marcellus. By the way Joe and Eric, the new Western Star AWD is 185 and is in Marcellus, and the new Western Star Wrecker is still 74. Pics and more info to come
Also Eric, I am in North Area for now so if your out that way feel free to stop in.
Awesome! BTW, that black truck was still wearing Mucci mudflaps so I guess we have a winner!
Great info Ed! Thanks for clearing up that there were several of these Ford 6-doors in the fleet.
By the way, what happened to old 74 the Paystar wrecker? Is it going up for auction or was it traded?