Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i F-Series Builder's Guide

If you didn’t already know, my side gig is Ford Era, an online place that’s all about Ford F-series trucks from 1948-1997. That’s a big part of my history and one reason why I was chosen to be the editor-at-large of the prestigious F-100 Builder’s Guide. Back when I was a professional automotive photographer, non-unibody truck owners messaged all the time to post pictures on my Instagram page. It quickly became one of the largest classic Ford truck pages, and I was just enjoying posting photos of my truck and other peoples’ trucks. That’s when Ford Era was born. About a year or so later, Mike Alexander became the editor of the F-100 Builder’s Guide. I saw the first issue and was thrilled to see that Ford trucks were finally…

THE FAMILY BEHIND BROTHERS Composites knows rust—a little all too well, actually. In fact, cancerous rust issues were one of the driving forces for Niel Mattek, along with his two brothers and two nephews, to set up a custom carbon shop in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. They looked to build their own parts and body panels that wouldn’t succumb to the harsh winters of their region. Tracking down classic project vehicles that weren’t fatally deteriorating had proven to be a difficult task in the past, so Niel and his family of auto enthusiasts came up with a way to fuel their passion for classic vehicles in a format that would soon push the boundaries of the custom auto industry one segment at a time. Brothers Composites gained quite a bit of…

FORD PICKUP enthusiasts affectionately refer to 1967-1977 4WD-equipped F-250 trucks as Highboys. Some also lump F-100 4WD models of the same vintage into the Highboy category as well, but a very stringent sect of aficionados prefer to reserve the term for the larger, taller F-250s instead—and for good reason. The Highboy nickname for the F-250s came specifically due to them sitting 5-6 inches taller than factory 2WD models (the 4WD F-100 sat about 2 inches lower than that). These trucks had to ride that much higher to create the amount of clearance space necessary to gain the factory-equipped 4WD ability, which is gained through Ford’s use of a divorced transfer case along with a long front driveshaft. What Bennett is lacking in birthdays, however, he has made up for in…

THOUGH ALIGNING THE BODY ON YOUR BUMP side may seem like the most basic thing on a build, doing so is often forgotten but relatively easy to address, even after you are “done” with your build. Body alignment can make an average build look nicer, or a nicer build look average. The biggest mistake you can make is aligning the body parts in the wrong order, making it a more challenging task. So, where should you start? The doors. You start with the doors because their correct position is solely based on the cab, which is not adjustable. The cab is the solid foundation that the doors, fenders, and hood must fit. The fender location is determined by aligning the “bump” line to the door, so if the door is…

SOMETHING CHANGED AT THIS YEAR’S F-100 Supernationals Truck Show, held in Sevierville, Tennessee, but it was so subtle that the 5,000-plus attendees and the drivers of the more than 500 registered vehicles probably didn’t notice. Earlier this year, Danny Blackwell, Jeff Blackwell, and Steve Miller agreed to purchase the show from Charlie Cobble. This new management crew made small changes to put their own unique spin on the show. One notable update was the vender roll-in area. They were all moved to an area together inside the Sevierville Convention Center for a better shopping experience. Year one for the new ownership team was a success. The subtle changes made the show better. Make plans now to attend next year’s show to see if they decide to make even more changes!…

Weld-In Front Suspensions Art Morrison Enterprises offers weld-in front suspensions in a variety of widths. To determine which is best suited to your truck, you’ll need to determine the distance from the outside of the right frame rail to the outside of the left frame rail. This distance is shown on the left side of the adjacent chart. On the right side of the chart you’ll see the track width for the corresponding assembly. Track width is determined from hub-to-hub. Please also consider wheel size and offset when determining width. *Based on 4-inch-high frame; frame O/S to O/S track width Art Morrison Enterprises800-929-7188 | www.artmorrison.com FFG x PBFab 1967-72 4-Link Kit Have you swapped your frontend out for a Mustang II or a Crown Vic subframe and need to drop…

I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK on Oct. 19, 2021. A good friend of mine texted me out of the blue and asked if I was interested in it. A fellow had dropped by his shop and asked if he knew anyone who would want to buy it. Within an hour I owned it. I had been looking for an older F-250 4x4 to use around my property. But once I got it home, I realized it was actually a pretty decent truck wearing its original 1969 shade of Cordova orange. I cleaned and polished the paint, removed the side racks, and made a plan. SPRUCING IT UP The stock 360 ran pretty good, all the lights worked, it shifted fine, and the 4WD worked. It was just a basic, old, used…

IN THE LAST ISSUE OF FBG, WE DID some Crown Vic front upgrades to our 1967 F-100, and we wanted to keep the rhythm going and address the rear suspension too. We have some fun plans with this ’67, and power is one of them. With that in mind, we elected to go for a new 9-inch GearFX driveline housing with 35 spline axles, 3:70 gears, a Detroit locker. To hold that monster of a rearend in place, we have the QA1 rear suspension. Just like up front, we went with a matching set of Baer Brakes Pro+ 6-piston setup. One thing we did a little differently than a usual QA1 install is that we welded the QA1 axle parts to the axle instead of bolting it on, just because…

DESIGNER, ENGINEER, and mega-detail-freak Jonathan Ward started creating his Reformers series when he decided to put himself in the shoes of the original designers. If they did not have to consider scale production processes and cost, what would they have dreamed of actually offering their customers? Jonathan runs Icon Customs in Los Angeles, a boutique automotive company that revisits ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s iconic car designs, mixing them with top-of-the-line modern engineering. Jonathan Ward put himself in the shoes of the original designers if they did not have to take into account scale production processes and cost. “We celebrate the history while infusing the best state-of-the-art content to create unique daily drivers, rich in character and distinction,” Jonathan says. Unlike Icon’s mini production of restomod 4x4s and classic cars, the…

TRUCK OWNERS AND BUILDERS WHO FIND THEMSELVES being brand-loyal to the pickups of choice in their adult years most likely have had a positive childhood familiarity with, say, a Ford or Chevy model. While no real science is behind this statement, the amount of times builders who mention the trucks their dad or grandpa had years ago influencing the trucks they choose to buy or build today does point back to that direction. There is some truth to explain this proclivity towards certain badges that develops over the years, and to back this claim up, Michael Cassey of Canton, Georgia, recently shared the story about his most recent F-100 project. “Restoring my dad’s ’81 Ford F-Series with him and my brothers was such a great experience as a kid, it…

THERE’S A HUGE SENSE OF PRIDE AND accomplishment that comes with building a custom truck from scratch. After all, you’re putting it together exactly how you want it from top to bottom, right? But what if there’s already a truck out there that’s pretty close to your idea of perfection? Do you build a clone? Do you build one different enough so that you don’t feel like you’re copying it? Or, perhaps, do you buy the original? While the third option doesn’t come up too often, when it does we’re all for taking advantage of the situation and fulfilling that dream! Scott Young of Hickory, North Carolina, is a longtime Ford fanatic and has had plenty of awesome Blue Ovals over the years, but when he caught wind of a…

HOLLEY Intergalactic Ford Fest & the NMRA World Finals, held at the Beech Bend Raceway Park and NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is quite an event-name mouthful. This isn’t just any old, ordinary event. This is the mecca for Ford Motor Company fans. You have a little bit of everything out here, from Ford and Lincoln to Mercury. The event itself has so much going on. You have NMRA drag racing, autocross, drifting, car and truck show, off-road experience, swap meet, and my personal favorite—the burnout competition. It is a jam-packed schedule throughout the event, and you will not have a moment of boredom. Aside from going to all the events and enjoying all the entertainment, which is fun and exciting, you get to spend time seeing friends,…

AS AN OWNER OF AN automotive restoration and customization shop, as well as a lifelong auto enthusiast, there aren’t many vehicles out there that Marty Veltrop can’t make a whole lot cooler. Marty owns and operates Osage Classic Cars in Jefferson City, Missouri, where his team works on all kinds of custom rides, but one model in particular that has eluded him over the years is a clean fifth-gen Ford F100 Bumpside. The story begins when a nearby salvage supplier, 74 Auto in Sikeston, Missouri, listed a 1970 F100 specimen for sale that instantly caught Marty’s eye. This Ford pickup had all of its original parts, including a 302 V-8 engine and a three-on-the-tree shifter, which is cool and all, but Marty had other plans for it. While he did…

WE ALL STRIVE TO BUILD A TRUCK with its own attitude. A fast way to make that adjustment is by installing a set of John Rods Drop Beams. John put a lot of thought into modifying the original beams that came with these trucks to get the perfect 4 1/2-inch drop up front. Now, you might be thinking this could be a really challenging install. However, it can be done in a few hours in a shop with all the proper tools or in your driveway over a long weekend with some friends. The steps below take you through the process of installing a set of the John Rods Drop Beams on a 1974 F-100. When doing the install on trucks from different years, you may come across a few…

IN JULY, F-100S ONCE AGAIN TOOK OVER Maggie Valley, North Carolina! Fords, sunshine, and good times were enjoyed by just about everyone at the 2022 Moonshine Valley F-100 show! This year’s show was back at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds the weekend of July 15th. With more than 100 Ford trucks of all years and models, the mountains were filled with some absolutely amazing trucks. This show continues to grow each year, and this year was no different. Bubba and Kelly Bowman took home Best of Show with his beautiful Ford. The event was also joined by more than 100 Ford Mustangs that competed against each other. Next year’s event is currently scheduled for July 14-15th, 2023 and they have a big surprise for everyone! Surfboard Promotion will be hosting…