Photo: Douglas N. Coon
When most flatbed trucks pull up to unceremoniously haul disabled vehicles to wherever they wind up, it's usually a sad occasion. Made all the more unpleasant by the drab, borning mid-2010s Ram or Ford trucks used for the job. But if this fully restored 1946 Dodge WFA32 Flatbed showed up instead, our eyes would light up with joy.
This particular black-on-red Dodge Flatbed was recently restored by a remarkably skilled man named Douglas N. Coon of Morris, New York. At 65 years young, the former tool & die factory worker's been restoring old American cars under his small business Dimock Hollow Garage for decades. The truck in question once belonged to his father-in-law. He acquired the truck second-hand from I. Nelson Markel of Cooperstown, New York, and used it with a rear dumping box.
Well, by the time Doug got around to starting saving the truck ten years ago, it was looking a bit worse for wear. Starting with a total frame-off disassembly, panel by panel, this truck's exterior was meticulously de-rusted, re-painted, and made to look arguable even better than it did when it left the factory floor well over seven decades ago. Gone went the dump box. In its place is a polished-wood flatbed that, in all honesty, looks better than whatever configuration it left the factory with.
The factory flathead straight six engine and unsynchronized four-speed manual transmission were also comprehensively restored to give a level of authenticity a modern Borg-Warner or Tremec stick shift could never bring. Kids these days will never know the horrors of having to shift an un-synchronized manual transmission, so seeing one in such a wonderful operating condition is bound to be a learning experience most Americans will never have access to. But if that's the kind of life you want to live, the asking price of $19,995 really isn't all that terrible. One can only wonder if the 28 first-place trophies and awards are included.
Well, by the time Doug got around to starting saving the truck ten years ago, it was looking a bit worse for wear. Starting with a total frame-off disassembly, panel by panel, this truck's exterior was meticulously de-rusted, re-painted, and made to look arguable even better than it did when it left the factory floor well over seven decades ago. Gone went the dump box. In its place is a polished-wood flatbed that, in all honesty, looks better than whatever configuration it left the factory with.
The factory flathead straight six engine and unsynchronized four-speed manual transmission were also comprehensively restored to give a level of authenticity a modern Borg-Warner or Tremec stick shift could never bring. Kids these days will never know the horrors of having to shift an un-synchronized manual transmission, so seeing one in such a wonderful operating condition is bound to be a learning experience most Americans will never have access to. But if that's the kind of life you want to live, the asking price of $19,995 really isn't all that terrible. One can only wonder if the 28 first-place trophies and awards are included.
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