A GMC Sierra gets stuck in the mud while trying to pull an old Jeep truck, but none of that stops this late 1970s Ford pickup.
Ford trucks are always ready to work, whether that means carrying a crew to a job site or hauling lumber. Sometimes that work involves helping get a truck from a rival company out of a sticky situation. In this video from the YouTube channel Buddy713, a late-1970s Ford truck yanks not one, but two trucks from other manufacturers to firmer ground at the Michigan Mud Jam.
True to its name, the event has plenty of mud and a 2000s GMC truck gets jammed in it. It has a friend…or should we say fellow prisoner.
The Sierra happened to be pulling a trailer topped with an early-1970s Jeep J-series truck with chunky and wide rear tires on it until Mother Nature stopped it. The GMC has four-wheel drive, but neither that nor the Sierra’s packed tires seem to be helping the driver remedy the situation.
Luckily, a man named Alan comes to the rescue with his Ford truck. It’s a handsome two-tone rig that sits high on a lift above a set of meaty tires. And it sounds just as good as it looks. The 460-cubic inch V8 sits under a cowl induction hood and roars through open headers – no mufflers, no silencers, nothing.
Even with all of that on its side, the Blue Oval beast has a little trouble hooking at first. It’s not exactly as if it’s pulling a Civic on dry pavement, after all. But with some minute adjustments to the steering wheel and plenty of throttle, Alan is able to gain traction and get the three-vehicle train going in the right direction.
Alan’s selfless act literally is dirty work. While the 460 is shouting its anger at the elements, the tires are flinging up clods of moist earth. The Ford doesn’t seem to get any filthier than it already is, though. The GMC seems to end up wearing most of the ground. The further the Ford pulls it, the more mud the GMC gets on its windshield. It was bound to get an all-natural paint job eventually, anyway. Alan and his Ford just applied it ahead of schedule.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
