Lund’s classic 1925 Model TT Ford

“It’s still got the engine in it and the wheels still turn,” says Waseca County resident Nathan Lund. He’s speaking of a rust-covered 1925 Model TT Ford truck displayed in his yard along Highway 13 south of Waseca slightly north of the county recycling center. A novelty Texaco gas pump stands nearby, sharing the rock-lined garden where hostas grow in the summer.

 

Lund, a mechanic at Deml Ford, says he wouldn’t mind restoring the vehicle, but wonders when he would find the time, especially since he has an infant daughter, Charolette. “I got the truck from a relative,” he relates. “Some might think leaving it outside unfinished is a bad idea, but it’s not to the point of no return.” The truck is rusted, but not rusted out. The wheels still have the original wood rims. The seats are original as well and the key is still in the ignition. While he has tremendous respect for the vintage vehicle, Lund admits he prefers hot rods–vehicles from the 70s and 80s.

 

For the fun of it, Lund has connected the truck’s lights to a timer; at night, the headlights and tail lights come on.

 

Nathan and his wife Chelsea frequently see people take an interest in the truck. Some simply stop along the highway to take pictures. Others sometimes walk across the yard to have their pictures taken standing next to it. Lund says they don’t mind; in fact, they understand the appreciation people feel for the ancient vehicle. Seeing strangers in the yard is surprising, but visitors usually pose, snap and leave. Lund says he has received many, many offers for the truck, but always passes. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sell it, “I do think that truck is priceless, but everything has its price, and I just haven’t heard the right price yet.”

 

The Model TT was first produced in 1917, and became one of the first motorized vehicles used in wartime when the U.S. military used it to transport troops and supplies. Commentator Pat Ware observed, “Although Henry Ford was a pacifist, he didn’t pass on making 12,000 of them for the US Military.” Originally offered as a single speed, there was an option at that time for a dual. The truck was used for ordinance, ambulances and anything else the military might think of. The original cost in 1924 was $600, but by 1926, and thanks to mass production, that price was lowered to $325.