Richard Gregg's 1950 Ford
1950 Ford pick up owned and built by Richard "Rick" Gregg of Rick's Body Shop in Sacramento, California. According to an old newspaper clipping about the car, Richard decided to build the pickup after he had been beaten by a souped up pick-up in a race. Richard was driving a Thunderbird. After loosing he yelled back: "I don't have one, but I'll go home and build one." Richard based his build on a wrecked two-door sedan that that he bought in 1957. The build was started in January of 1958.[3] Rick sectioned the body 5 inches. The top was then chopped an additional 5 inches before the front end was modified to accept a 1950 Mercury grille shell.[4] A tubular floating grille was fabricated for the new opening. The front fenders were reworked to accept frenched 1957 Chevrolet headlight rims. The hood was shaved, peaked and reshaped into a pancaked opening. In the rear, 1954 Pontiac taillights were adapted to fit the fenders. The tailgate did also receive a molded and recessed license plate. Total height reduction was 14 inches. When the bodywork was done, the car was painted and scalloped Coppercrust and Sunburst by Translucent Color Company. The scallops were outlined in white. The car had an unique exhaust pipe installation, and the exhaust stacks were routed up behind the doors and mounted on each side of the pickup bed, running along the fender line. Dual spotlights and side pipes were installed to give the car a lower appearance.[5] It featured a full pleated upholstery in Gold and White, Copper rugs, Chromed interior moldings, and a tarp in Copper and White. The engine was kept stock. The build was completed early in 1959. Once completed, Rick named it "The Capri". He estimated that the car cost him $5,000 in labor and material.
Contents
National Roadster Show and the Sacramento Autorama
February 14-22, 1959 the Capri was shown at the 10th annual National Roadster Show. It was also shown at the 1959 Sacramento Autorama.
Canted Quads
In 1959, after the National Roadster Show and the Sacramento Autorama, the car received canted quad headlights and a Cadillac grille. This version was also fit with bumper guards. In October of 1959 the first version of the truck was featured on the cover of Custom Cars magazine.
Sold to Charles Bliss
Around 1963 Richard sold the car to Charles Bliss. Charles showed the car in 1964 before he sold it to George Palyak of Fremont, California. After buying the car, George moved to Livermore, California, bringing the custom along. In the 1970s George sold the car to Rich Souza of San Ramon, California.[3]
Lost and Found
Tony Gomes of San Ramon, California came across the old custom in June of 2016. A buddy of Tony called him to say that the father of his boss had an old truck like the Shampoo Truck in his possession. At the time Tony had the Shampoo Truck at his shop Tri-Valley Auto Glass. He asked if it was for sale, and the fellow replied "Yes." The following week Tony met up with a friend, and they went to Rich Souza to check it out. Rich lived 10 minutes from Tony. The old custom had been in storage for 40 plus years, and it was buried in mud. The windows were down and it sat on flat tires, but it was complete, so Tony decided to buy it. The body was in a good shape, no major rust damage, and all bodywork was done in lead, with just a little bit of filler used. It had been painted several times since it was first built, and it featured a Lavender Metalflake paint job when Tony bought it. That same weekend he hauled it back to his shop; "I just sat there for like 3 hours and geeked out on it, asking myself what the **** happened just now!" Tony wrote on Facebook. Tony plans to restore the car back to how it was first built by Gregg. According to an old registration from the 1970s, third owner George Palyak lived on Xavier Drive in Livermore. The same street as Tony! In 2014, two years prior to Tony buying the car, Tony's father Dennis bought Richard Gregg's old scrapbook. The scrapbook contained several build photos of the Capri. [3]
Bare Metal Debut
In January of 2017 Dave Hitchinson started stripping the body for paint, preparing it for its bare metal debut at the 2017 Grand National Roadster Show. Dave also restyled the front end converting it back to how it was first built, with the 1957 Chevrolet headlight rims.
Magazine Features and Appearances
Custom Cars June 1959
Custom Cars October 1959
Custom Cars January 1960
Custom Cars April 1960
Rod & Custom September 1960
Trend Book 197 Custom Cars 1961 Annual
References
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