While it looks decent in the photos, the original paint quality was terrible.

Words & Photos: Tommy Parry

It’s always nice to begin a build with a stable platform. The rebuilt 302 and a Ford 9″ help give the old ’51 Ford a little vim, some get-up and go – but this was a build designed to do more than hustle. To turn heads, a good-looking interior and exterior, a pleasant-sounding exhaust, and some classic accents would be needed.

The truck was disassembled, stripped, and sandblasted. With disc brakes added to the straight axle, the valve covers and wheels painted red, and the body sprayed a luminous-yet-flat black, the classic Ford was beginning to take shape. The paint mix incorporates a small amount of clear to keep bird poop, fingerprints, wax, and UV rays from damaging the paint. Yet it still retains that hot-rod look, if you can allow for exceptionally high build quality.

 Of course, the interior got the full makeover as well. Continuing on the black and red theme, the seats were retrimmed in black leather with red stitching. A Rockford Fosgate amp was mounted behind the bench seat, and Sony speakers grace the walls of the footwell.

After all, this is a stylish machine. If the engine sounds wonderful, as it should, that’s welcome. But to really look and sound the part, the rockabilly has to blare from the cab, right?

Now, a classic F1 like this has to ride well. The TCI suspension this truck had rode terribly. With a specialized air-ride system, the Ford now has that plush, riding-on-a-cloud feeling a cruiser like this ought to. While the truck sits low, it’s not deterred by the odd speed bump any longer.

To complete the overhaul aesthetic, some classic dress-up and graphics were added to the head covers and the body itself. Hard to argue with such a clean, simple recipe. Of course, the budget was quite flexible with this build, but the insistence on quality and commitment to timeless style paid off. Yes, some detractors might say the color scheme is cliche, but it works, and it’s been done many times for a very good reason.

 Getting the chickenwire out of the body and patching the bullet holes was time-consuming, but it only helps illustrate how far the car has come. As far as incredible hot rods go, this is a tested formula and certainly ranks high up there.

Simply beautiful.