The March/April 2024 issue of the magazine is available in our gift shop now and will be available on newsstands soon. Our cover feature is the Kennedy brothers’ 1967 Ford F-350 work truck. Story by John Kennedy and Daniel Perkins • Photos by Brad Bowling

“Don’t Let That Truck Die!”

The Kennedy brothers promised to restore their late father’s 1967 Ford F-350 work truck. Boy, did they succeed!

It is commonly understood on a jobsite that “You don’t mess with the Boss’ truck!”—a sentiment that goes double when the head honcho is your father.

From childhood, Wesley M. Kennedy was known as “Sugie” (rhymes with “boogie” and is a short form of “Sugar”), but on the job he was simply “Boss.” One of 17 children from Bellmawr, New Jersey, Kennedy and his wife, Geraldine (or “Gerry”), ran their own contractor firm, and our featured 1967 Ford F-350 was a vital part of the company’s success. The family business would eventually involve all six Kennedy daughters, both sons, and a healthy stream of cousins, nephews, friends, neighbors, and other employees. No matter the relation, everyone knew that the Rangoon Red and Wimbledon White one-ton Ford was to be treated like the valuable machine it was. “Boy, you better get that wet cement off the truck before it dries,” was a commonly heard warning.

Kennedy bought the F-350 cab and chassis—Wesley M. Kennedy Masonry’s first new truck—in July 1967 from Turney Motors in Turnersville, New Jersey. According to a 2002 Elite Marti Report from Marti Auto Works (MartiAuto.com), Kennedy’s stroll through the equipment list created a true one-of-one workhorse, starting with its 170hp, 300ci 6-cylinder engine, which was a $96.60 option over the base 150hp, 240ci 6-cylinder. (Ford also offered a 208hp, 352ci V-8.) The standard transmission that year was a New Process 435 4-speed manual that fed power back to a 7,400-pound-rated Dana 70 rear axle fitted with 4.10:1 gears. (Kennedy passed on the optional Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission.) With heavy-duty rear springs and auxiliary overload springs, “Red” was equipped to haul 10,000 pounds without breaking a sweat, although it carried far heavier loads than that during its time on the clock.

To read more about the 1967 Ford F-350, pick up a copy of the March/April 2024 issue of Vintage Truck magazine!

Articles in this issue include:

FEATURES

Wrecker No. 1
This 1913 Cadillac with a Holmes 680 twin-boom setup is a faithful reproduction of the world’s first tow truck!
Story and Photos by Brad Bowling
“Don’t Let That Truck Die!”
The Kennedy brothers promised to restore their late father’s 1967 Ford F-350 work truck. Boy, did they succeed!
Story by John Kennedy and Daniel Perkins, photos by Brad Bowling
From Military to Monastery and Beyond
Jerry Mattison’s 1956 Dodge Power Wagon quickly went from wood hauler to concours winner!
Story by Bob Tomaine, Photos by Al Rogers
Antique? Really?
It’s hard for some of us to realize that Coleman Knight’s 1986 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer 4X4 is old enough to be a grandparent!
Story by Robert Gabrick, Photos by Al Rogers
DEPARTMENTS
Letter from the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Dodge Garage: 1935 Dodge KC
The Road Less Traveled: Goliath Trucks
Books in the Bed: Reviews by Robert Gabrick
Aid for the Anxious Amateur: Gas Tank Treatment
Classifieds
Show Guide
Granny Gear: HTPD and the Motorcycle Outlaw

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