St. Cloud, Florida – May 31, 2024- FloState Auto Diesel Repair values its clients and offers the best services, including restoring a truck.
In 2005, Lamont Worley
purchased a Copper color, 2005 Ford F-350 from Bartow Ford, a truck that became
a cherished part of his life. With the personalized license plate
"LAMONT" proudly displayed on the rear, the truck became more than
just a vehicle – it was a symbol of Lamont's identity and legacy.
“He bought it right off the
lot from Bartow Ford, and he picked me up in fifth grade, and I thought I was
the coolest thing,” Lamont’s son, Olin, said. “I was waiting in the pick-up
line outside, and here comes my dad pulling up in a brand new King Ranch. That
was the only vehicle that he had at the time, so that was what we drove
anywhere and everywhere.”
In 2018, Lamont passed away,
leaving behind his beloved truck to Olin. However, the truck had seen better
days. It was in dire need of restoration, with a bent frame, numerous dents,
fading paint, and a destroyed interior.
“My father was always very
hard on trucks,” Olin said. “I grew up on a ranch, so that was pretty much the
ranch truck. If you know anything about a ranch vehicle, it’s anything and
everything. It probably had more miles driven in a pasture than it did actually
on the road. He used it for work, to haul cows to the market.”
Olin said a hole in the front fender of the truck that came as a result of
ranching.
“He kind of was using the
truck as a bull panel to try to stop some cows from running in front of us, and
the bull horn actually pierced the front panel, but dad didn’t really care
about looks much per se, and that thing just drove around town just looking
like it did,” Olin said.
Olin said his father also used the truck to haul trash to the end of the road
to be picked up, but once he became sick, Lamont stopped driving the truck as
much. Olin said he and his sister pulled 42 bags of trash from the back of the
truck during the clean-up process.
“It was kind of an all hands
on deck just to kind of get everything cleaned and just see if there was
anything even in there that needed to be kept … most of it needed to be thrown
away,” Olin said.
Despite its condition, Olin
was determined to honor his father's memory by restoring the truck to its
former glory, and he knew FloState Auto Diesel Repair was the place to take the
truck, with Olin recalling FloState owner Josh Fromme coming to his family’s
home, working under an oak tree to put a new motor in the truck.
“If you do work like that for somebody, you’re going to be somebody that the
people can trust, so Josh was always my dad’s mechanic, so I knew that looking
at the truck that it was kind of in bad shape, but I knew the sentimental value
that I had with it, and if there was anybody that I wanted to even look at it,
it was Josh,” Olin said.
One of the first steps Olin
took was to cancel the original license plate assigned to his father, paving
the way for him to apply for and receive the coveted "LAMONT" license
plate, which he still uses. Olin’s middle name is Lamont, and Olin’s first
child, who was recently born, also has the middle name Lamont.
With the help of FloState
Auto Diesel Repair and many others, the restoration project began.
"It was a labor of
love," Olin said. "I vividly remember waiting to be picked up from
school and seeing my dad drive up in that truck. It meant everything to him,
and I wanted to preserve that memory."
Over the course of six months
and an investment of $35,000 the truck underwent a remarkable transformation.
With FloState's expertise and dedication to quality service, the truck was
fully restored and back on the road, a testament to Lamont's legacy and Olin's
commitment to preserving it.
“It is pretty much brand
new,” Olin said, noting Josh Fromme’s work and the help of an uncle, who owns
an auto body repair shop, during the process. “I could either take that money,
and in 2019, if I wanted to buy a brand-new truck, they were 70 or 80 thousand
(dollars) … or I could have this truck that I have so many memories in … and
knew that if I put the right parts in it and had the right person to do it,
that it would last me for a long time.”
Josh Fromme expressed pride
in being part of the restoration project.
"Lamont was a great man
and father, and I'm proud to have known him,” Fromme said. “Seeing Olin's
determination to restore his father's truck was inspiring, and we were honored
to lend our expertise to the project."
Olin is hoping the truck will
be around so he can pass it down to his son.
“Maybe one day he’ll drive that truck,” Olin said. “I’ve still got it. It’s
still running great.”
FloState Auto Diesel Repair
provides complete auto repair and service for most foreign and domestic
vehicles. With a focus on customer service and satisfaction, FloState offers
transparent pricing, digital documentation of repairs, and skilled ASE Master
Technicians to meet all automotive needs.
FloState Auto Diesel Repair
is known for its commitment to customer satisfaction and quality service. This
story of the truck restoration is a testament to their commitment to quality
services for their customers. With transparent pricing, digital documentation
of repairs, and a team of skilled ASE Master Technicians, FloState ensures that
every customer receives the best possible service experience.
For
more information about FloState Auto Diesel Repair and its services, visit https://www.flostateautodieselrepair.com/ or contact (407) 498-4204.
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