Dick Ceola's 1930 Ford

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Finally out! A construction photo of Dick with the truck taken sometime between 1960 and July of 1962. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Built over a two-year period, Dick started the build in 1960. The body was channeled over the frame before he removed the fenders and running boards. It was lowered front and back and dressed up with a 1932 Ford grille. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
The back of the truck received a rolled pan and an inset club plaque. Later on, he also installed 1939 Ford taillights. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
"Dickey Celoa and his 3500.00 dollar street rod." A photo of Dick's truck taken at the 1962 4th of July Parade in Springdale, Arkansas. According to notes in Dick's album, the truck was pulled by Dick's 1959 Ford Convertible with Dickey and John Bedell in the front seat. "A great deal was said over the radio about the club & truck," according to the notes. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Closer to completion. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
A photo of Dick with the truck taken at the first annual Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama indoor car show in the National Guard Armory in Springdale in December of 1962. Sponsored by Dick's club, the Ozark Drifters automobile club, the fire-engine red truck won three top awards at the show, placing first in the full entry custom class. It was also judged the entry with the best exterior appearance and was selected as best of the show in an audience poll. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Another photo of Dick with the truck. Angel's hair was used for the display. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
The big one didn't get away, all five feet of it go to Dicky for peoples choice of entire show. Dick receiving the People's Choice Award at the first annual Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Say cheese. Another photo of Dick as he is receiving the People's Choice Award. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Dicky takes the prize for the best exterior of the show. How many coats of paint Dick!! Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Another shot of Dick as he is receiving the prize for the best exterior of the show. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Part of Dickeys loot. First Place Trophy in full custom class. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
SHOW TOPPER - A couple of newspaper clippings from Dick's scrapbook. The local newspaper ran these two stories after he had won three awards at the first annual Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Another newspaper clipping about Dickey and his truck. This story wrongfully refers to Dick as "Dick Cola." Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Dick's truck was featured on the flyer for the 1963 Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Sometime between 1963 and 1964, the Ozark Drifters changed the name to Road Angels of Springdale. Around the same time, Dick replaced the flathead engine in the truck with a small-block Chevy engine. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Dressed up with ribbed valve covers, the small-block Chevy engine ran six carburetors and an early alternator. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
After installing a small-block Chevy engine, Dick also sectioned the 1932 Ford grille. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Interior photos taken after the engine swap shows that the dashboard had been dressed up with white pinstriping. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
A late iteration of the truck running chromed rear wheels and rear tires with dual white stripes. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.
Dick's family is currently trying to trace the whereabouts of Dick's lost truck. It was his pride and joy, and any information about it would be highly appreciated. The last picture they have of the car was taken around 1968. By then, Dick had replaced the exhaust with white headers that went along the bottom part of the cab. The truck was sold sometime during the 1970s. Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any info to share about the long lost Ceola truck. Photo from The Dick Ceola Collection, provided by Nicholas Coe and the Ceola family.

1930 Ford Model A truck owned and built by Dick Ceola of Springdale, Arkansas. Dick was a member of the Ozark Drifters Kar Klub of Fayetteville when he set out to build the truck in 1960.


Built over a two-year period

Built over a two-year period, the body was channeled over the frame before Dick removed the fenders and running boards. It was lowered front and back and dressed up with a 1932 Ford grille. The back of the truck received a rolled pan, and inset plaque, and 1939 Ford taillights. Once completed, Ceola's truck went on to become a trophy winner in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and according to Nicholas Coe, it was often a featured car at shows around Northwest Arkansas in the early 1960s.[1]


The $3,000 "30"

3,000 dollars supposedly went into the build. Photos from Dick's personal album shows it attending the 1962 4th of July Parade in Springdale. Back then, the car was pulled by Dick's 1959 Ford Convertible. We're not sure exactly when the build was completed, but in December of 1962 he showed the truck at the first annual Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama indoor car show in the National Guard Armory in Springdale. That iteration was painted fie engine-red with a bright white firewall and matching white rolled and pleated interior. It was powered by a full race 1953 Mercury engine that Dick had dressed up with red, chrome, and aluminum details. It ran chromed wheels with whitewall tires up front, while the back of the truck featured deeply reversed and painted wheels, also with whitewalls. Chromed exhaust stacks ran up between the body and bed. The roof was upholstered in white with two red stripes, and a matching cover was made for the bed.[1]


Show Topper

Dick's truck won three top awards at the 1962 Ozark Drifters Auto-Rama. It placed first in the full entry custom class, was judged the entry with the best exterior appearance, and was selected as best of the show in an audience poll.[1]


Road Angels of Springdale

Sometime between 1963 and 1964, the Ozark Drifters changed their name to the Road Angels of Springdale. Around the same time, Dick replaced the flathead engine in the truck with a small-block Chevrolet engine. Dressed up with ribbed valve covers, the small-block Chevy ran six carburetors and an early alternator. Interior photos taken after the engine swap shows that the dashboard had been dressed up with white pinstriping. The grille on this iteration had also been sectioned.[1]


Where is it now?

Dick's family is currently trying to trace the whereabouts of Dick's lost truck. It was his pride and joy, and any information about it would be highly appreciated. The last picture they have of the car was taken around 1968. That version ran chromed rear wheels and rear tires with dual white stripes. The exhaust had also been replaced with white headers that went along the bottom part of the cab. The truck was sold sometime during the 1970s. Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any info to share about the long lost Ceola truck.[1]


References




 

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