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How old is your local Ford Dealership?

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reamer

How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Bowens Garage, Eastford, CT
Has been around since the beginning of time (Henry was there)
Sells maybe 2 cars/trucks a month. Yet is on the hot list for Top-of-the-line Mustangs. and has a different color Cobra on the floor just about every month.
Original wood floor 3-bay garage, yet one the few east-coast Mustang modifier packages known as Juggernaut.

Has all the service books and Micro Fiche along with current computer software and network.
original sign....

1986 F-150 Flareside 4x4, 351, 4-v, ZF5 speed. AC, Cruise, Tilt, Slider, Digital clock, Radio, Lariat seat, Pwr doors/locks

1986F150Six

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

Hmmm... very neat!

Rembrant

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

In reply to this post by reamer

reamer wrote

Bowens Garage, Eastford, CT

Hey Reamer,

Do you live close to this place? I stay in Sturbridge MA on work trips once in a while, just a few miles north of there (I think).

I actually don't know how old any of the Ford dealers are near me. The one in the small town I grew up in has been there for a long long time, I know that much. It's a small dealer, unexciting as any to look at;).

1994 F150 4x2 Flareside. 5.0 w/MAF, 4R70W, stock.
1984 F150 4X2 Flareside. Mild 302 w/ 5spd. Sold.
1980 F150 4X4 Flareside. 300i6 w/ 5spd. Sold in 2021.
1980 F100 4X2 Flareside. 351w/2bbl w/NP435. Sold in 1995

reamer

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

HI Rembrant

I live about 17 miles from Sturbridge.
Bring yourself and the truck by sometime! (if you can)

1986 F-150 Flareside 4x4, 351, 4-v, ZF5 speed. AC, Cruise, Tilt, Slider, Digital clock, Radio, Lariat seat, Pwr doors/locks

Rembrant

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

reamer wrote

HI Rembrant

I live about 17 miles from Sturbridge.
Bring yourself and the truck by sometime! (if you can)

That's a 700 mile trip for me one way, so if I can get the old f150 to the point where I'd be confident to take it that far, I surely would;).

85lebaront2

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

Damn, I couldn't tell you for sure, it was Doughty motors then something else and now Kool Ford Showroom holds 2 vehicles and service dept. has only 4 bays. I will have to ask next time I am up there.

Bill AKA "LOBO" Profile

"Getting old is inevitable, growing up is optional" Darth Vader 1986 F350 460 converted to MAF/SEFI, E4OD 12X3 1/2 rear brakes, traction loc 3:55 gear, 160 amp 3G alternator Wife's 2011 Flex Limited Daily Driver 2009 Flex Limited with factory tow package Project car 1986 Chrysler LeBaron convertible 2.2L Turbo II, modified A413

PetesPonies

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

When I was a kid, my best friend's dad owned the local Ford dealership. His father had started it in the early 1900s. He knew Henry Ford. When I got out of college, maybe a year or two later, the Ford dealership was sold. There was a huge vintage inventory upstairs in the old building. The friend's father offered it to me. He only wanted $1500 for everything. At that time, $1500 might as well been $150,000. It made me sick to let it go, something I still think about. There was a huge neon Ford sign as well. Lots of old sheet metal, parts in boxes that you could have spent a week solid opening up and figuring what they were :(

Pete's Ponies
Mustang RUSToration & Performance

1982 F100 Flareside
1983 Bronco

reamer

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Over the years, I've gotten to know Steve Bowen pretty well. Very quiet guy, I knew his dad too, Spencer.

I have said "Steve I need two new locking hubs for my '86 F-150. Any idea where I can get them?"
he walks into the parts section and hands them to me..."$40.00 he says.
"Next time make it a challenge for me" he says......

Soooo I came back one time and said "Steve" I need the Ranger package stripes for my '76 Bronco".... I thought I had him, but nope, comes out of the attic with them. hands them to me with a big smile.....

O.K. the game is on,....... "Steve. I got you this time,... I need a new front axle for my '48 F-5.........
His reply?...... "A Ford two wheel drive or a Marmon-Harrington 4x4 front" (you got to be sh**ing me!)
Nope he had them.

Alright time to double down, ""Steve, I heard Ford made grill guards for the '48 F-5 that wrapped around the headlights......."50bucks, in the basement" ......Damn, he's good!

Now before all you out there think your gonna get something out of him, it took me @ 10 years for me to get him to open-up. I've seen him tell others plain-out NO! (one of them was you Chuck if your out there)

(He calls his stash his "retirement fund")
I believe he has quite a few car-show quality 60's and 70's Mustangs, cause he beings them to the car shows with me....

1986 F-150 Flareside 4x4, 351, 4-v, ZF5 speed. AC, Cruise, Tilt, Slider, Digital clock, Radio, Lariat seat, Pwr doors/locks

Gary Lewis

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

Cool stuff! I enjoy reading this, but have nothing to contribute as my dealership is fairly new.

But Chris or Numberdummy/Bill could tell us of dealerships they found on their trip to Oklahoma.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

ctubutis

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Gary Lewis wrote

Cool stuff! I enjoy reading this, but have nothing to contribute as my dealership is fairly new.

My local dealership is also fairly new, used to be Courtesy Ford in the 70s and is now an Auto Nation thing.

Gary Lewis wrote

But Chris or Numberdummy/Bill could tell us of dealerships they found on their trip to Oklahoma.

Hmmm...... according to Bill, we stopped at 23 dealerships - way too many to remember.

But I have some pictures from a place in Texas we stopped at:

And there's this place near OKC as I remember - I think Gary said he's seen it but never noticed the glass:

And then this place, I guess it's called Harlan Ford (now relocated in a new building a few blocks away):

Gary Lewis

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

Chris - I think the one with the etched glass is in Ponca City, where we lived for several years. I've driven by the building many times, but never noticed the glass.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

ArdWrknTrk

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

I remember Loh Ford of Bridgeport .
1956 -86.

Frank died last year but he left a lasting impression on many of us.
His brothers Jay, Bob, George, and Rich all had a hand in Loh Brothers Ford of Stamford

Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake.
Too much other stuff to mention.

1985 Bronco

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

In reply to this post by reamer

Tousley Ford in White Bear Lake MN opened in 1956. They are one of the biggest dealerships in the Twin Cites, and have one of the largest parts warehouses in the country (I think). NumberDummy references them fairly often when tracking down parts. They were bought by AutoNation in 1998, and were re-branded as one in 2013.

1976 Ford F150: Regular Cab, Long Bed, 2WD, 460, C6

1985 Ford Bronco: Sold

Rembrant

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

In reply to this post by reamer

Something I've been meaning to do for the past year is check out the Ford dealer where my truck was originally sold.

My truck has been painted and touched up over the years, but the original Ford dealer sticker is still on the tail gate. I don't have a close-up picture with me, but you can see the original sticker below for Macaulay's Ford in Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

Baddeck is a couple hundred miles away, and while I do drive by it a few times per year, I haven't actually stepped foot in the town in probably 25 years or more. I didn't think the town was even big enough for a stand alone Ford dealership.

I guess the dealership is long gone, and there's no info online. I did find a Macaulay's Garage, and when I tried calling them the number was disconnected. I did a little further digging, and found the current name of the shop and it is now just an independent garage. I called the number, and the guy was very very short with me, but he did say that yes it was a Ford dealership one time but that it had closed sometime in the late 1990's.

That's all. Just something I was looking into while having my coffee this morning;).

My main motivation to see if they still existed was to see if I could get my hands on a new dealer sticker for when I get my truck painted. I guess I'll have to dig around online and see if I can get somebody to recreate it for me.

Gary Lewis

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

The dealership where Dad's truck was purchased has moved from the original building close to downtown in my hometown to out on the hill in a modern building. I haven't talked to them about the truck, but suppose I should.

As for Big Blue, I got tons of documentation with the truck, but haven't figured out where the truck was originally purchased. The DSO of "76" on the certification label says it was delivered to a dealership in the Denver district.

But the doc's don't show where, and the Carfax that Vernon ran doesn't tell either. In fact, the first location mentioned wasn't until 2006 when the truck was sold.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

reamer

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Bowens in Eastford CT will be celebrating their 100th on August 13 2022!
They will be showing 2 vehicles from Every decade! (1922- 2022)
I've been asked to bring my '73 Bronco to represent the '70's

1986 F-150 Flareside 4x4, 351, 4-v, ZF5 speed. AC, Cruise, Tilt, Slider, Digital clock, Radio, Lariat seat, Pwr doors/locks

Gary Lewis

Re: How old is your local Ford Dealership?

Administrator

That's cool, Ron! Congrat's on having your Bronco shown.

Too bad you can't enter two Broncos.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile