Me and a friend filled the bed of one of those Rancheros up with lighter fluid and/or gas an lit it up on the street outside our house - boy did I get my ass beat from my mom when she came outside and found us with it on fire. I swear my butt still hurts - and I was like 9 years old then....! (And it wasn't even my Ranchero or idea!)
I was born in 1964. my dad had got out of the army right before i was born but was still in reserves fora few years. he bought me the Tonka Jeep. I still wish i had that to sit on my shelf. Looked like this, I do not remember it having a top
mine is better shape than this one, where you can see the front. I always imagined this was an international truck when i played with it.
I always thought those had a Chevy/GMC look to them. I remember my Dad reminiscing about the Tonka trucks he had when he was a kid. About two years ago we were sitting around visiting and the subject came up again. He got out his phone and after a while was able to find a photo of what one of them looked like and showed it to me. He's not a super nostalgic guy but for some reason I could tell that truck had a special place in his heart. It became my mission to find one and give to him as a gift.
I actually asked my Mom what she thought about it, if she thought he would like it. She wasn't sure. They've been downsizing for a few years now and are always looking for ways to get rid of stuff, not acquire more. But for some reason I just had a feeling my Dad would like to have another red Tonka truck. It took some diligence, but in the end I was able to find one in good condition and buy it. It wasn't cheap either. But I knew it would be worth it. We were able to give it to him for Christmas in 2020 When he opened the package, he got real quiet. And then he said "It's my old truck" He's not one to get all mushy or sentimental, but I think his eyes were getting a little sweaty...
My two oldest brothers, in the early Sixties, had matching trucks of that design except they were dump trucks. I'm not sure if I have an electronic copy on my laptop, but Fred and Tim were both just so happy.
