A Man and His Truck

Joe Novak’s 1940 Ford

Our “photo of the month” shows Joe Novak by his 1940 Ford ½-ton pickup getting ready to hit the road to an area car show on May 18, 2004.  This show was the inaugural “shakedown cruise” preparing for the tour to the Eastern National Meet in Frederick, MD, in June.  Participating in club events and tours like the National meets is what Joe likes best about owning his truck.

In September 2003 Joe bought the truck from fellow NIRG member Lloyd Duzell.  Since that time, Joe has put several thousand miles on the ’40 traveling to various events, including two V-8 Club National Meets, two Lake Geneva Cancer Rallies, the NIRG tour to the Newport Hill Climb, NIRG picnics, the NIRG fall colors tour, and various area shows and cruise nights.  Joe says that the camaraderie of going on tours is what makes being a member of the club and owning a V-8 fun.  This is the best way to get out and meet your fellow V-8’ers doing what is best for these cars:  driving them.

Joe drives his truck to the V-8 Club National Meets and enters it in the “Touring A” class – no trailer queen here!  At both Eastern National Meets (Frederick, MD in 2004; Hiawassee, GA in 2005) Joe received a first-place trophy in his class.  He also added about 3,000 miles to the odometer!

Although Joe’s favorite tours are those associated with the V-8 Club, Joe also enjoys the local cruise nights in Frankfort, IL, and for the past two years has organized a tour to the Good Guys meet in Waukesha, WI.  In 2004 Joe’s pickup received the Good Guys “Right-on Resto” award and was pictured in the December 2004 Goodguys Gazette .  This proves that our flathead-powered V-8’s can still turn heads even when being shown next to high-dollar and exotic street machines.

Joe’s pickup has an interesting history.  As you can see from the original bill of sale, the ’40 was purchased for $682 on May 21, 1940, from Sturgeon Bay (Wisconsin) Motors by Coley Cardy of Jacksonport, WI.  Mr. Cardy owned the truck for the next 45 years, putting only 27,000 miles on it.

On May 26, 1985, NIRG member Rich Doligale purchased this unrestored original from the first owner.  Coincidentally, his good friend Joe Novak accompanied Rich and his son Rich Jr. to pick up the truck.  At that time, Joe took several pictures of the truck that he had no idea would be his 18 years later.

In this picture you can see Rich (right) examining his “new” truck while his son, Rich Jr (back to camera – wearing NIRG club t-shirt) and the original owner’s grandson, Willam Cardy, look on.

Rich subsequently sold the truck to his boss, George Schaaf, who in turn sold it to another NIRG member – Lloyd Duzell.  Lloyd undertook a complete “body off” restoration of the truck, completing it in about 2001.  Keeping it “in the family”, part of the work was done by former NIRG member Ralph Morey in his restoration shop.

When Joe began looking for a V-8, his primary criteria was quality – he wanted the best.  NIRG members are well aware of Lloyd’s reputation for perfection, his impeccable craftsmanship, and his attention to detail.  Ralph’s paint jobs are also among the best out there.  The truck is a great example of a stock flathead with a few updates like 12-volt electrical system with an alternator.  Joe is happy that the truck has remained in this area since new.  After the original owner, it has basically been in the hands of NIRG V-8 Club members with the restoration also being done by club members.  Joe is grateful that after he acquired the truck, his friend Rich still had those photos from 1985 and gave them back to Joe as the new owner of the ’40.

Since buying the truck, Joe has added a few touches like the tonneau cover, storage box, and a slick spare tire cover.  He says that his favorite memory in the truck (so far) was the first long trip to Frederick.  During this winter the ’40 is back in the garage awaiting a fresh flathead V-8 to be ready for more tours, including the 2006 Eastern National Meet in Batavia, NY.

Joe Novak is a long-time member of the Early Ford V-8 Club and the NIRG, serving as our regional group president in 1990.  Joe is active in club activities including monthly meetings and various tours, including several that he has organized over the years.  He encourages all club members to take an active part, get the cars out, and attend as many tours as possible.  Joe’s experience has been that you don’t really get to know your fellow members until you go out on the road and share the experiences of driving our V-8’s.  Joe says “If you haven’t attended a tour before, sign up for one this year.  If it has been a while since you have attended tours or other events, get out there and see what you have been missing.”