Debbie Ballard finally persuaded her husband, Roy, to drag this 1947 GMC truck out of a ditch and restore it. Sadly, she did not live to see the finished product, which now serves as a tribute to her.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard said the truck was filled to above the seatbacks with pack rats' nests, but surprisingly, the original seat was in usable condition, needing only a fresh set of seat covers created by Joe's Upholstery of Cottonwood Falls.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Power for the GMC 3/4-ton pickup is now supplied by a 354-cubic-inch Perkins diesel engine salvaged from a Massey Harris combine. It's a snug fit, but it looks right at home.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard scrapped the original 2WD GMC chassis in favor of a '79 Chevy 4WD frame and axles. He installed a 3-speed Spicer Brown-Lipe auxiliary transmission which, when combined with a 2-speed rear end, gives the truck a possible 24 forward speeds.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Most of the restoration parts, including these original instruments and gauges, came from Bowtie Bits in Wichita.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The truck is nicknamed Raggedy Ann in memory of Debbie Ballard. The burgundy and tan paint scheme underscores the Raggedy Ann theme.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The rumble of the diesel engine is routed through a pair of chromed cab stacks. A custom-bent "headache rack" sets off the diamond-plate flat bed that replaced the timeworn pickup bed.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Cab marker lights, an original sun visor and a strategically placed rear view mirror are a few of the period-correct touches on the truck.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard says he did some tweaking on the turbocharged Perkins power plant and figures he has bumped the 160 horsepower output up to about 250. "It's a torquey booger," he says.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A look at the floorboard reveals a whole lot of gear options: the original 4-speed manual transmission, the 3-speed auxiliary transmission and a lever for the 2-speed rear end.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The flatbed setup can be used for carrying hefty cargo, or for pulling a 5th-wheel trailer.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard expressed his feelings about the GMC project with this broken heart inscription. "The truck was his therapy," said his daughter, Lacey.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard bought the converted Model A tractor from its original owner. The cowl, hood and grille shell are 1928 Ford vintage and the frame has been shortened by several feet. Ford actually offered conversion kits to turn a Model A into a tractor, but this one was handcrafted by a local couple to use in their garden.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The modified tractor retains its original Model A 4-cylinder engine, which Ballard persuaded to turn again after several weeks of penetrating oil applications. The only modification is a 12-volt alternator.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard had to create his own fuel tank to fit inside the cowl, as the original was badly rusted through. The Model A steering wheel and column were supplied by a neighbor who just happened to have a spare set hanging in his shed.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The single seat on the old "Doodle Bug" tractor was replaced with a pair of seats transplanted from a late 1950s Chevy Suburban.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The shortened Model A frame left room for a mini-pickup box, which Ballard created and bolted into place, to continue the no-welding approach the original builders used.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Ballard thinks the right front tire mounted on a wire wheel dates back to when the Model A tractor was first created, in the 1940s.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
When Ballard began restoring the Model A-turned tractor, the rear wheels were of the wooden spoke variety. He opted for heavy duty steel truck wheels mounting 8.25x20 knobby tires.
Link to image
| Buy this photo
Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Manage Delivery
