Randy Renfro can still remember the excitement he experienced when his father drove up in the yard with a new Ford Ranger pickup in 1969. At just 8-years-old, in his wildest imagination he could have never visualized that at that moment it was the beginning of an adventure that would carry him into the 21st Century.
Randy's father Cecil had purchased the Cordova orange pick-up to provide reliable transportation for the family when it wasn't being used on their small Kentucky farm. When his father wasn't hauling hay or farm supplies Randy was always standing by to fill in as his co-pilot.
Over the years the two of them, along with "Goldie" (the name he gave the truck early on) made more memories than they could've ever hauled in the back of that pickup truck. Randy's fondest memory was that of his father trying to teach him how to drive and shift a 3-speed tranny on the column when he was 12-years-old. While we all have memories that are dear to us, the sad part is that someday those creating them memories are destined to leave us.
After nearly two decades of making memories with his father, his dad passed away in August of 1983. Goldie, who was nearing the end of her life span was kept alive another 3-4 years by Randy before she expired and was parked in the back 40 of the Renfro farm where she remained under Mother Nature's care for the next 29 years.
Fast forward to 2016. After attending several car and truck shows in the Lexington area, Randy's son Cecil, (named after his grandfather) got the "itch" for a classic car or truck. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, his mother suggested that he pull his grandfather's truck out of the woods and restore it.
Several days later Cecil and his dad, with the help of John Deere, rescued Goldie from the confines of Mother Nature and began a frame-off rebuild that would take them over three years to complete. After ridding the truck of nearly three decades of Mother Nature's "cast offs" the truck was taken to Russ Palmer Auto Sports in Nicholasville, KY where they, along with Cecil's help, began the restoration. First thing on the agenda was to dismantle and sand-blast the truck in its entirety before installing a Crown Vic front clip, digital air ride tech suspension and a 2013 ‘Stang rear with 4-link suspension. To help "Goldie" stay ahead of the competition, Cecil chose to go with a Gen 3 Coyote engine with a 6R80 tranny. For stopping power, the guys at RP Auto Sports recommended Wildwood 6-piston disc brakes with 14" rotors on all 4 corners.
After several weeks of body work, replacing floor/side panels, etc. the truck was taken back home for Cecil to do the wiring. When that was completed, Cecil took it "on the road again" to the Classic Car Studio in St Louis, MO to finalize the exhaust, fire the engine, and do a "no holds barred" interior. When CC Studio finished their work in July 2020 the truck was then taken back to RP Auto Sports for final assembly, buffing and detailing.
After investing nearly four years of "blood, sweat, and tears" Randy and his son had one more stop to make before taking "Goldie" home and that was to the Grand National F-100 Show in Pigeon Forge, TN where she won "Top Honors" in her class.