1970 Ford F350 Holmes 440 Wrecker

Chuck Most · December 24, 2024

In 1995, Michael "Fat Mike" Agosti struck out on his own and opened Fat Mike's Towing. The first wrecker in the fleet was a shabby '70 F350 4x4, which Mike bought from a guy in Lansing for $1000. It ran and drove great but needed a cosmetic refresh.

To that end, it received some bodywork and a new paint job. Mike chose a light blue because that was his favorite color. To anybody who knew Mike they knew that was a joke... Mike was actually blue green deficient... color blind. His daughter Sherilyn actually choose the color and Mike just trusted her judgement.

Today, Mike may be gone, but the Agosti family and Fat Mike's Towing are still humming right along. And although the '70 is no longer in regular service (and hasn't been in years), it's still part of the fleet. Mike's grandson Mike Slaughter is even thinking about restoring it to celebrate Fat Mike's 30th anniversary in 2025.

The model is the '72 Moebius kit, with a '70 grille. I added antennae, spot lights, steps, a smoke stack, and air horns from the parts pile. The door decals came from Gopher Racing, and the whole thing wears a coat of dirtied up Rust-Oleum Aqua.