What I Saw Today

In 1964, Sonny's Auto Sales affixed this sticker to the rear of a 1949 Crosley pickup truck. 46 years later, this olelongrooffan spotted it on that truck and here is the story.

In 1965, Rick Delvecchio was living on a farm just outside Vineland, New Jersey when his father gave this compact pickup truck to him for his 14th birthday.

And Rick has kept it to this day. Yesterday while this olelongrooffan was out and about, I saw this behind the RME Automotive building. Of course, you know I had to stop and get a couple images and the story, if I could.

While this olelongrooffan was examining this sweet, rare old beauty Rick came out back and we started chatting it up. I asked him if he was going to restore it. "Nope, just get it puttering around, paint my logo on the side and that's it," was his response. Mine? "Yeah, they're only original once." He gave me an approving grin and took this olelongrooffan into his shop and showed me the one engine, of the three Crosley engines he has, that he is going to install.
It turns out he acquired this motor back in 1983 shortly after moving to Daytona Beach. The man who gave it to him drove up in a Crosley wagon and told Rick the motor in that longroof was his but he had to come get it after the man drove back to New Symrna Beach. Well Rick did and he now, nearly 30 years later, has found the time to put it in his old pickup truck.

I asked why it had taken so long for him to get around to it. Well he took me into the front room of his establishment and pointed out four near concours level Alfa Romeos and his father's 1970 MG Midget, bought new by his dad. "I guess I had a few other things that had a higher priority," he commented. On the way back to the work area, he pointed out a couple other Alfas that were awaiting his attention and a bunch of parts for an original Fiat 500. He mentioned that the body shell was due back from the paint shop anytime now.

" I need to get moving on this Crosley or else it will be another 20 years before I get to it."

Good Luck Rick and I can't wait to share the completed projects with those of you Counting Along With Me.

And know a post about the shiny and not so shiny cars in the interior of that shop will be coming along shortly.

And finding cool old sh*t like this and meeting cool ole dudes such as Rick really allows this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.