Drive it in Good Humor: 1966 Ford Ice Cream Truck
When I was a little kid, we lived in an L-shaped house on a corner lot, which gave it one of the larger front yards in the neighborhood. The sidewalks along the streets and leading from each street to our front porch created a ready-made baseball diamond, so our house was where the neighborhood kids gathered; that also meant that our house was where the ice cream truck stopped! I see this ’66 Ford F250 in its Good Humor livery, and all of a sudden I’m craving an orange push-up ice cream treat (but it better not cost more than a quarter!); if it’s got you drooling, find it here on eBay out of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
This truck will definitely set you back more than a quarter—bidding is at $5,350 as I write this, with the reserve not met—and know that you’re getting a project for that sum, engine and transmission not included. The seller notes some rust on a couple of the fenders, and some chips and scratches in the porcelain cladding of the insulated rear compartment. Nevertheless, the interior of the ice box is in decent shape, and, crucially, the jingling bells that cause a Pavlovian reaction in kids have been preserved and are included.
Now, the ice cream trucks of my generation were creepy high-roof vans that the vendor could stand up inside of, so this open compartment for the driver is a bit of a novelty (pun very much intended). It’s every bit as Spartan as you’d expect it to be, which just means a simpler restoration. I don’t see a seat, though, and whatever should be in that partially covered compartment on the passenger side—I’m assuming a compressor and other equipment for keeping the ice box cold—isn’t there.
Also not where it should be: an engine. The seller has a 300-CID inline six and automatic transmission from another ’66 Ford truck available separately; call me cheap, but at this price and with this much work needed I kind of feel they should be included. Then again, as the seller points out, a fully-restored twin to this truck sold at Barrett-Jackson earlier this year for $117,000, so I guess the cheap need not apply. With that in mind, could taking on this project be just the thing to put you in Good Humor?
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Comments
Not that I need a Good Humor truck, But the Ebay ad has it listed as a Good Hummer. That, I could use. I would get rid of that reefer unit and put some seats back there. It would be a fun convertible! Maybe a 289 with a third pedal.
Everytime I see one it reminds me of the good old days.
So how would you load that thing? climb in one of those little doors and pass cases? I would hate to be a large ice cream man in that situation.
I always loved Eddie Murphy doing the Ice Cream Man bit in his HBO Delirious show.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eddie+murphy+delirious+ice+cream
Not bad shape. It will sell. If the reserve is not met the seller should pull it and try again later.
There is no reserve.
I would think a movie car company would buy something like this.
It could be used to set the year in many a movie.
These trucks are still in operation on Long Beach Island NJ
Were these “Good Humour” trucks in Canada? Just wondering, eh?
Today’s IC trucks are super clapped out minivans with peeling, sun baked Popsicle stickers arranged haphazardly all over the side. The disheveled driver cannot be bothered to remove himself from the disintegrating, broken seat sticking his filthy hand into a large, duct taped cooler and handing a generic looking “Super Blast Wildberry Splash” Popsicle to your kids. Yep, times have changed from when I was a kid.
Can’t be that rare. It’s the third one posted here this year.
I was thinking the same thing… these are becoming like the Grand Nationals.
Cheech and Chong’s nice dreams
“one sold at Barrett Jackson” If I had a nickel…