Date: Mon Jan 24 2000
Time: 23:10:08
Title: Grampa's B Model
Story: My grandfather had a wrecking business he ran off our 240 acre family farm in Michigan. In 1960, he bought a fleet of Internationals, including several large dump trucks, and his personal B-120. The large trucks went out to the jobsites often, but his pickup tended to stay exclusively on the farm, running on the back roads of the property, with maybe a short trip into town occaisionally. It was equipped with what I thought as a large V8 and a 4 speed, altho I don't know the exact size of the engine.
Our land stretched back thru hills and woods, and ended in what we called the "back 20". That bordered land that was inhabited by the hillbillies, a loose confederation of transplanted, intermarried Kentucky hill folk, who tended to get on the bad side of Grampa from time to time. Grampa would always run regular patrols with his pickup back there, to check up on things, make sure no one was trespassing or otherwise engaging in bad activities.
Grampa said they ran everything from a still to a nudist camp back there, and growing up I remember we were kinda scared of the hillbillies due to his tales of what he just knew was going on.
Well, one day I got to ride with him on patrol, I guess I was about 8 or so at the time. He had a feel for when things were going on, and felt/sensed it was time to go to the back 20. We headed back, and when we arrived, sure enough, the hillbillies were having a heck of a homemade demolition derby/overall vehicle free for all in the bowl of the back 20!! There must've been at least 5-8 jalopies running around, up and down the hills, thru the woods, whooping and hollerin', and just generally having a good time. That was until Grampa arrived!!
Upon spotting his B, they scattered. Grampa kicked the pickup into pursuit mode, and away we went, me hanging on for dear life!! We chased 'em thru the woods and trails and off the land. However, they couldn't get all the jalopies off, with at least 2 breaking down. I remember a white 50's chevy sedan and a old flatbed truck that didn't make it. They had to do a running rescue to get the driver's out. In the meantime, Grampa's shaking his fist, cursing at 'em, and running 'em all out.
When they were off, he further disabled their vehicles, then went back to the barn, brought a tractor, and hauled the vehicles off to be scrapped. He didn't play around, and they didn't mess with him!!!
Anyway, some yrs later, after my Grandfather had passed away, I was talking to some of that crowd who went to my school. It was their older brothers who were involved, but that incident was infamous in the hillbilly clan. They told me that that International of my Granpa's was feared, they knew they couldn't outrun it or him. They were just having fun for sure, but sometimes I think Grampa was having more than them!!
Contributer: Jim Boone
Title: Grampa's B model
