1979 FORD F250-Custom Explorer- Karl Herr

Below is the final portion of the model name: "Explorer" is displayed in the hood ornament.

Story and photography copyright D. S. Brown, except Ford Documents copyright Ford Motor Co.

In October, 1979 Karl Herr was planning to move from his house in Kent, Washington to a new home in Ferndale, Washington. He needed a truck to move his stuff which would also serve as a tough hauler for the building projects that he had in mind for the new house. Karl went down to Sound Ford to get a brand new truck. See the story on Sound Ford in the DEALERSHIPS section of this website.

Karl bought a bulldozer and other heavy equipment so it's no surprise that the truck he bought on Oct 6, 1979 wasn't the typical Ford pickup with highway axle and 302- 2 bbl commonly encountered in those fuel crisis times. Karl's F250-Custom packs the biggest Ford engine available: the 460-4 bbl monster.

Running through an automatic transmission, the Dana 60 rear end has very steep 4.10 gears. The truck gave Karl astonishingly low MPG: 5.9! To see a story on Karl's gas records for this truck see the GAS LOGS subsection of the TRAVEL STORIES section of this website. Although the truck is only a 2 wheel drive, it has an impressive 7,700 lbs Gross Vehicle Rating. The truck was built February, 1979. It had been sitting on the lot for awhile when Karl bought it Oct 6, right when the new 1980 model release was starting. The ownercard is reproduced below with the last digits of the VIN blocked out.

Karl saves every single piece of paper he gets. Below is the original Ford Factory pre delivery checklist with the final significant digits of the VIN blanked out for security purposes. This checklist was completed by the staff at Sound Ford. To read about Sound Ford in Renton, Washington see the DEALERSHIPS section of this website.

Below is the original temporary permit used to take the truck home from the dealer. The truck was financed through Boeing Credit. The final numbers of the VIN are removed for security.

The Light Medium Blue truck has power steering, power brakes and AM radio. Karl mounted an aftermarket cruise control unit with the controller clipped onto the turn signal stalk. Karl also built a wooden lumber rack on the truck bed. The truck is otherwise completely stock with original paint and interior.

The F250-Custom was used to haul lumber, rock and bricks for building projects. The Ford logged about 1,000 miles per year as attested by the mileage standing at a mere 33,245 miles.

One winter the rear wheel locked up on ice and the subsequent skid resulted in some ripples in the passenger side as seen in the photo below.

Despite laying thick wood on the rear bed as a protective liner, some scratches and dents mar the rear cargo bed, mainly along the top edge of the rear tailgate. Considering that this was a work truck, the interior is pristine. The seats are free of rips or stains, and the dash has no cracks.

The carpet is still good and the pedals show no wear under the dirt.

At 83 years old, Karl doesn't drive the truck much anymore. By the time this story goes online, he will have sold the truck to a good friend after owning the truck 32 years, one month and two weeks.