1923 Ford TT Supertest Gas Tanker by Ron Houghton

Anyone that knows me can attest to the fact I'm a dyed in the wool GM - Chevy man. However, my first experiences with old vehicles came in the form of a 23 Ford TT.

A local Cold Storage and Variety Store owner in Glanworth Ont., Keith MacDonald had purchased the truck in pieces. A woodworker had restored the cab but he was no mechanic so the truck was sold. Keith did as us old car guys sometimes do, make the purchase and let your wife know later! He brought it home a little at a time , but eventually his wife Shirley got the drift of the situation. Keith hired me on as the gopher, I was 14 or 15 years old. I loved the job from the start. We travelled the country looking for parts, going to such places as Burchills in Port Huron. I can't recall if the tanker was in fact a Supertest or not originally, but Keith knew how to strike deals. He called Supertest and said that if they paid for the paint job he would show the truck at local fairs and parades for a small fee. They went for it ! The lettering was done by a man who had lettered trucks for Supertest in the 40's and 50's, how original do you want ! I spent weeks hand sanding and filling in the frame to make it smooth. Keith guided me in rebuilding the transmission. Many coats of varnish for the wheels and finally the tank was mated up to the frame. The project was completed by the time I was 16 and could now drive, although some test runs were done around town with my instructor prior to being 'legal'.

The first year of shows started in 1967. We made Supertest keys at local fairs and went in many a parades and several shows. I missed 'the fun' at a plowing match where Keith got the '23 stuck to the axles. I spent the next week cleaning and polishing the old girl for the next show. It hit the Santa Claus parade one year in London. Just good fun overall.

Keith was anxious for 1973 to come as Supertest and the truck would both be 50 years old. Unfortunately Keith passed away from complications of diabetes in the summer of 1972 and by the winter of the same year BP bought out Supertest. The year of glory for man and machine was never realized.

I cared for the truck for a number of years until Shirley decided it was time to sell it. I was offered a very attractive deal, but with 2 small children and just having bought a house a few years back it was not practical. We always talk about mistakes, I guess this counts as one ! About 1977 the truck went to a local business man in London, Ont. When he went to pick up the truck in Glanworth I was there to help. The purchaser had brought an 'expert' in T's along to load and unload the truck on the tilt bed trailer. The 'expert' got in the cab and said to me "just refresh my memory here, where's the gearshift??" I said something to the effect of "get outta there!!" and took her for one last drive and loaded her on the trailer. They insisted I didn't have to follow them to London to unload, they could handle it form there. I'll bet that was a sight to behold taking it off the trailer.

The new owner didn't do much with it and after several years I saw an ad in the paper ' 1923 Ford Model TT Gas Truck'. I jumped in the car and pretty soon I was looking at her in the flesh recalling some of the good times we had. I went back to see it about 3 times over a 6 week period hoping I could now strike up a deal. On my third trip I was stunned. All the lettering on the truck had been removed and it was painted plain orange! He said no one wanted to buy a truck with lettering from an extinct company, it was a dinosaur. I as much told the owner he was crazy and if I were to purchase it I would now be burdened with the cost of lettering it. I left in a huff ! Shortly afterwards I found the truck had gone to an oil man in Pennsylvania. I've never seen it since.

Keith owned a 1929 Whippet and a '40 Ford 4 door that he used as a second car for a little while. The '40 went to someone across from Springbank Park in London, I don't know where the Whippet went. We pulled the "TT" with a 1964 Mercury Park Lane 4 door H/T, later Keith bought a 1965 1 ton Chev long box for towing.

I would be most interested in knowing the whereabouts of the old Supertest truck. If it's still in good shape I'd like to see it, if neglected I'll just cherish the memories.