If you’ve ever seen a vibrant yellow 1952 F 1 Ford truck around the Hamilton area, you’ve probably seen the culmination of a decade of hard work by Bill Hampton and his family.
“My Dad, Johnnie Hampton, originally bought it off a car lot in Hamilton,” says Hampton. “We put a lot more money, time, and effort into the truck than what it is worth, but the memories of building it with my Dad are irreplaceable.”
For many years, Bill and Johnnie worked on the truck together; Bill redid the interior, and Johnnie worked with him on the motor. His brother John worked at a body shop and did the painting to complete the look. Bill Hampton credits the automotive program at Butler Tech as a valuable resource for both him and his son, who is 16 and is in the automotive program himself now.
“It’s not perfect by any means, but we built it to drive, and we built it to do cruise-ins; both of my kids grew up with it,” says Bill Hampton.
The car starts conversations when Bill Hampton is out and about; the yellow paint and vintage shape of the vehicle are instantly recognizable as a classic car.
“People talk about how cool it is; as you drive down the street, you get a lot of waves,” Hampton says. “We enjoy going to cruise-ins and car shows, and it has won multiple trophies and plaques.”
Bill Hampton does have good advice for anyone who is interested in classic cars but hasn’t worked on them extensively, despite his own passion for working on cars.
“Buy one that is already done,” he says, laughing. “Unless you have a lot of those skills, buying it already done will save you money.”
Bill Hampton has recently gifted the car to his own son, Kellan, as his father did to him, but other classic cars are also around the family: his brother Kevin has a 1978 Ford Granada that has also been in the family for three generations, bought new by Clyde, both Kevin and Bill’s grandfather. Bill is also starting work on a 1927 Roadster. The key, Bill says, is to care about the memories associated with the car.
“I can’t believe in having an old car unless you are having fun and driving it,” says Bill. “Every scratch on the truck is from memories from my kids, so I don’t get upset.”