A NASCAR racer?
Larry
Palazzo purchased his '64 Rampside in December, 1997. It was previously owned by Ken
Schrader (the NASCAR driver).In November 2000, Larry moved the truck from
his mother's home in Florida to Minnesota, his home at
the time.
Larry had the following to say about his trip:
"It was stored inside for the last 1 1/2 years. I probably shouldn't
have but being short on time I put a new battery in it pumped the gas 6 times
and it fired right off. It ran good until some of that nasty gas got running
though the carbs. I had to do them anyway. Now I have all winter.
I hope to do a safety and cosmetic restoration (Krylon Overhaul) over the
winter to make it more eye appealing and safe to drive. I want to be able to
enjoy it a while before it gets a complete restoration."
In March 2010, Larry sent the first pictures of the restoration he is
performing. In his words:
"I disassembled and sandblasted my truck about 4 years ago. Things
were going fairly well, then I had an accident. I fell backwards down a
flight of stairs from the second floor of a two story garage. I landed
on my head, otherwise, I could have really gotten hurt. Actually, I did
get banged up pretty good. I ruptured my Achilles tendon, had to have a
hip replacement, separated both shoulders, and really messed up my neck.
I have finally gotten back in the shop and things are moving, slow but
steady.
I am replacing the floors in the cab then will work my way around the
truck. I had it on a rotisserie when I blasted it, and now it's on a
wooden cart. When the time comes I will put it back on the rotisserie.
The Bondo you can see in the pictures is from a previous owner. I
didn't want to keep blasting away to remove it and maybe warp the metal.
I will grind it off as I work on each section. The two pictures on the
rotisserie are from 4 years ago, before my accident, and the other two
are current.
I have lots to do and I hope I finish before they take my driver's
license away when I am to old to drive! Just wanted to check in to let
you know that good old 4R124S100294 and myself still exist."
Larry, it was so good to hear from you and see the progress on your
truck. You hands-down have the best-ever excuse for not making steady
progress on a restoration project! I am am very happy that you are able to
once again do fun things, like work on your Rampside.
Information from the data plate
