At that time, the Brucker brothers also owned a ranch in Ventura County which they frequented for rest and relaxation. Their journeys to the property led them to ultimately decide to make the Ford truck a dedicated work truck for the ranch. However, after an off-roading mishap one day on the ranch, the truck rolled over and almost ended up at the bottom of the steep cliff. In the process the roof, windshield pillars and fenders were crushed.
One day Dutch walked up to Danny Brucker and asked if he could repair the vehicle. Since Danny viewed the vehicle a total loss, he gave him the go-ahead.
A mere 24 hours later Dutch had chopped the top, made a custom windshield, cut the fenders, custom formed and rolled the body panels, made custom hood inserts with expanded mesh, fabricated the custom grille panel and painted the entire truck as you see it here. The truck remains entirely original, including the paint with all the custom lettering and touches which were applied by Dutch at that time.
After making the repairs the truck was affectionately known as BW-SS-1, being given the moniker by Von Dutch himself. The designation refers to ‘Bat World Sirloin Sabre One’.
Bat World refers to the 80,000 square-foot warehouse in Santa Paula where Von Dutch worked and lived. Due to the configuration of the former fruit packing warehouse, the local bats chose to reside in great numbers in the rafters of this facility. Von Dutch hated the flying rodents and so named the building.
This is where the plot thickens. After the truck was repaired, it was completely serviced and was returned to the ranch with the intention that it would be used on a regular basis. However, visits to the ranch became more infrequent. As a result the truck would either have a dead battery or some other malady which would keep them from using it. From that time on the truck was stored under a covered overhang and left to sit for over 30 years. No one aside from the Bruckers had seen the truck, as it sat forgotten.
Fast forward to 2012 when Mark and Danny Brucker were having a conversation about the old days on the ranch. The topic of the Dutch truck came up and Danny explained that the truck had not been moved for many years, mostly due to the remote location of the ranch. It was at that time that Mark realized the significance of this find.
Rather than see the truck simply go to waste, given its incredible historical value, a deal was struck for the transfer of ownership with the understanding that the truck would be brought back to life, yet maintained in its original glory. What you see here is the end result of Mark’s efforts to rescue the truck and maintain all of its mechanical systems to ensure it will continue to provide service as one of the last remaining significant Von Dutch treasures.
http://carstories.com/2015/01/rumored-missing-von-dutch-truck-found-running/
