Indholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2022 i F-Series Builder's Guide

Hello, everybody! It’s Solomon Lunger, the new Feature Editor F-100 Builder’s Guide. It’s still crazy to me that I can say that hahaha. This is the eighth time I’ve written my first editor intro column, and after seven tries I think I’ve finally been able to convey how excited and proud I am to have this opportunity. I’m not the best at talking about myself, but it’s time for me to step up my game, and I hope you can see just how passionate I am about this industry. I bet you’re wondering who I am and how I have built up enough credentials to become the editor of such a prestigious magazine. Well, it’s a long story, and since this is a book about our lifestyle, I’m going to…

IF YOU’RE READING THIS MAGAZINE, then you already know that the cream of the Ford crop is a F-250 crew cab. Even though Ford itself didn’t produce a crew cab until 1965, companies like Armbruster, Stageway were coachbuilders that had been making them since the inauguration of the Ford F-Series trucks. Back in 2017, Robert, also known as @Mr__Shift on Instagram, started a page we all know and love called @ OldFordCrewCabs. With that name, you can already tell what it’s all about. If you guessed old Ford crew cabs, you are absolutely right. The crew cab community is a small subset of Ford truckers, and Robert wanted to organize a get-together to see how many of them would like to get together. This brings us to Scottsdale, Arizona, for…

EDDIE WEST IS NO STRANGER TO CUSTOM vehicles. He and his crew have built several trucks in the past, and they were ready to start a new project—one that turned into the Snowball Effect. All this 1962 Ford F-100 unibody needed was some seatbelts. But then, as the project moved forward, the mods piled on like so much snow, but it was so worth it. First, they ditched the old frame in favor of a 1968 Ford F-100 frame and added Viking coilovers in front with QA1 coilovers on the rear. Next, they modified the rear for a custom Mosser rearend. Up front, a Flaming River Mustang II made steering the Ford unibody a lot easier. The frame was stripped and painted red. The components attached to the frame were…

THE GREAT JEFF SPICOLI FROM “FAST Times at Ridgemont High” once said, “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” At a time in life when more is valued as more, it’s refreshing to think back to Spicoli’s ode to simplicity and keep in mind how little we really need in order to be truly content. Joe Parks of Livonia, Michigan, can relate to this sentiment in his own way. Although he doesn’t surf (that we know of, anyway), his equivalent of tasty waves would be a wide-open highway. And the cool buzz? Well, that sound is most likely coming from his 1965 F-100’s factory AM stereo—but the fact that he is still rocking this audio relic is proof that he is choosing to focus…

Some might say Covid-19 was the fuel that propelled them to greater things. Zach Lloyd is one of those guys. He owns a concrete pouring business, and when Covid hit, he was completely shut down and unable to buy concrete. Zach thought he might as well work on his 1977 Ford F-350 Crew Cab. He wanted one of these trucks since he was age 14. Lucky for him, while searching Facebook he came across this F-350 owned by a man in Connecticut. Jack It Up Having the truck in hand and plenty of time, Zach began by installing a 6-inch lift using all Skyjacker Suspensions components. The truck was high off the ground, just not high enough. A 3-inch body lift was added to lift it a total of 9…

YOU KNOW SUMMER HAS FINALLY arrived in SoCal when it’s time for the F-100 Western Nationals presented by Pickups Limited of Orange County. Held June 25, 2022, with temperatures hovering at 90, nothing could stop more than 200 beautiful F-100s from cruising in to the Canyon RV Park in Anaheim, California. Not only that, but the day before the show, Pickups Limited also held a Friday afternoon cruise called the Annual Western National Mystery Cruise in nearby Yorba Linda. In the past, fat fenders have typically starred in this show, but surprisingly, the casting has changed this year. While everyone’s rides gathered together in all shapes, sizes, and colors, bump sides and dent sides took over the view. The Herencia truck club, in particular, displayed an impressive 30-plus dent sides,…

WHEN MODIFYING YOUR VEHICLE, MANY times the factory or replacement panels no longer fit the build, and so it becomes necessary to build custom panels to fit your needs. Some of the most common places custom panels become necessary are floors, inside beds, and engine bays. Not only are they functional but they can also help take your build to the next level by producing a one-of-a-kind look. One of the most important things to remember when building panels is to keep everything functional and strong. You can add strength and rigidity by bead rolling or breaking an edge. Common gauges for custom panels are 16, 18, and 20; just make sure you are using appropriate sheetmetal thicknesses for the location of your panels. The steps below are just a…

EARLY MAY MEANS ONE THING FOR THE city of Gainesville, Texas: The Texoma F-100 Roundup put on by Allen “The Sheriff” Davis. With the spring weather in check, trucks began to show up at dawn to claim their space in Farmers’ Market area. Spots filled quickly, and so trucks then overflowed to the beautiful downtown streets. This year, 2022, marked the Roundup’s seventh show, and attendance has grown annually. Even with a recent move from Leonard Park to the downtown area, the show’s new site already seems to be too small. More than 230 Ford trucks showed up—too many for the space—and so staff had to turn down nearly 30 entries. Texas trucks weren’t the only entries. Competitors from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas, and Arizona showed as well. Along with many…

VINTAGE AIR HAS BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH aftermarket air conditioning since the mid 1970s. With the company’s plug-and-play SureFit kits, this job is as easy for a guy doing it in the garage as it is for a professional. Vintage Air makes this setup dummy proof. We have Snickers, our 1978 Ford F-150 4x4, that we took on Hot Rod Power Tour. That was a 2,000-plus mile journey in the summer in the south. Let’s just say it was HOT!! One of the first things we wanted to do was add air conditioning to make the truck more comfortable for cruising. About a year ago, Vintage Air released its 1973-’79 F-Series and ’78-’79 Bronco SureFit kits. So, it was about time we tested it out to give you all a glimpse…

ALL MARK LEONARD WANTED out of his latest truck build was to be able to fit his family in one vehicle (including their dog Duke) while pulling their camper during road trips. Simple, right? The build of his 1970 Bumpside Ford F-250 was relatively straightforward without any disastrous detours to report, which was due to equal parts streamlined planning and a little bit of sheer luck. Mark was not looking to pile on all the bells and whistles with this project, so he had the luxury of not worrying about things taking a turn for the worst. I lucked out big time—I just don’t see trucks like this living in Ohio. “For the most part, I just wanted the truck to look relatively stock with a few custom touches peppered…

HRPT: THESE FOUR LETTERS, AN acronym for the Hot Rod Power Tour, signify an annual thrashing—one that has been on my bucket list for years. In 2022 all the stars aligned, and we were able to make it out for the multi-state ride. The HRPT is the world’s largest traveling car show. With more than 3,500 registered participants and thousands of spectators at each venue, it truly is one of the most magical experiences you can have in this hot-rodding world of ours. Taking the southern route this year, HRPT 2022 started close to home, which was nice. It started in Memphis, Tennessee, on Day 1. Then we headed to Nashville on Day 2. On Day 3, we made our way to Hoover, Alabama. On Day 4, we went over…

My favorite part of the truck is the truck itself. You just don’t see many of the 1957-1960 F-100s. JUSTIN NEVIUS OF JUNCTION CITY, Kentucky, has been around custom vehicles his entire life. He purchased this 1958 Ford F-100 back in 2014 as his first project truck. “When I purchased the truck, it was just a cheap cruiser, but I loved it,” he says. “Unfortunately, over the next few years, the truck became pretty rough and was in serious need of a rebuild.” It didn’t take long before Justin was ready to dig into the build and make it truly his own. He says he wanted to build a ’bagged truck since he was 16. This build took off when Justin met Chris Cooper, the owner of The Flamingo Lounge…

ROB KOOLEN HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO BUILD A killer vintage Ford truck. Residing in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, he found it difficult to find the truck to match his taste. Making a few trips to the States, Rob found exactly what he was looking for in Texas: a 1959 Ford F-250. The truck had just the right patina for Rob’s taste, but it wasn’t rotted in the wrong places, and the panels were straight considering the truck’s age and history. Once Rob had the truck in his possession, he began formulating a plan. Rob contacted many shops but had a hard time nailing one down. With a little more searching, Rob found Farm Truck Racing (FTR) in Azle, Texas, to tackle the build. FTR is owned and operated by Dennis Winegarner.…

THE GRAND NATIONAL F-100 SHOW HAS found a new home: Pigeon Forge’s LeConte Center, located in the beautiful Smokey Mountains of Tennessee! The largest F-100 event with focus on truckers building their trucks, show participants from all over the US and Canada attended the three-day event. The most popular vendors showed off the latest in Crown Vic/Coyote complete custom frame swaps. Any part, whether new or used, was available to purchase on the spot from dozens of new parts vendors in the convention center and swap meet vendors outside. There was so much to see and so many cool folks to talk to … and this is why truckers continue to come for the entire three-day event. On Friday, trucks lined up for the Grand National Cruise through the Smokeys.…

WHERE TO START THIS ADVENTURE? WELL … HI! I’M SOLOMON, AND I’M A SELF-ADMITTED F-100 HOARDER. SOME OF YOU KNOW ME FROM ARTICLES IN THIS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES OF “F-100 BUILDER’S GUIDE.” BUT MY ADDICTION TO FORD TRUCKS STEMS BACK MUCH FURTHER. I ALSO FOUNDED FORD ERA, A YOUTUBE CHANNEL THAT HAS KIND OF TAKEN OVER MY LIFE. IT ALL REVOLVES AROUND MY LOVE FOR THESE CLASSIC FORD TRUCKS AND THESE WILD FORD JOURNEYS THAT I TEND TO FIND MYSELF KNEE DEEP IN QUITE OFTEN. Recently, in fact, I was contacted by a buddy of mine who told me about a honey hole in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. He had been picking there for years, and one day, he wanted to take me there so I could make a video and…

WE DECIDED TO REDO THE ENTIRE INTERIOR of one of our trucks. You can’t have a good home without a solid foundation—meaning the sheetmetal. Before getting into sound deadening and carpet installation, we will make sure the substrate is solid and will not rust in the future. That is where the POR-15 three-step process comes into play. The POR-15 3-Step Stop Rust System is designed to stop rust on metal. The company ensures best results when POR-15 Rust Preventive Coating is applied. Prepare and prime bare metal or directly paint rust with confidence. The clear-cut process when using this rust stopper for metal allows for the proper cleaning, prepping, and coating of metal to create a non-porous surface that seals and protects metal from water, chemicals, salt, acids, alkalis, and…