Customs The truck that ate my brain, workin on my F-100

The front is very modified,, but the front wheel openings are in the stock location. The hood has been pie cut 3in, and the grille opening has been changed. Very similar to the Barris Wild Cat. Here is a picture from when it was on the road years ago.

 

Probably not. It does not look the big in person. Maybe just try some taller tires, not sure.

 

You've got a great eye and great talent. Keep up the good work dude!

Mike

 

That is about as bad as it gets! I've seen so many of these trucks that had questionable, if not downright ugly mods, but yours looks perfect! What grill is that?

 

Any more info on the panel in the background?

 

Looks fuckin killer.

 

The grill is a Datsun. The panel was built at the shop my dad worked at when we still lived in Ct. That picture was taken in the mid '70's. If I recall the guy lived in New York. It was on a Corvette chassis. There was a two page article in Hot Rod when it came out.

 

Thanks Ant. Get back down here and you can see it in person. It looks much better than the pictures.

 

Whoa, lookin' good Mike!
Didn't you say that's the Truck that brought you home from the Hospital when you were born?

 

I thought so, sorta recognized that grill from days gone by. Are you going to leave it in there?

 

Yes I am. I already have it, and it would be a bitch to change the hole at this point. Plus it keeps people guessing. Yes Kenny, I did come home from the hospital in this, and went to many car shows with the car seat in it.

 

"Yes Kenny, I did come home from the hospital in this, and went to many car shows with the car seat in it."

How cool is that!!!!!!

 

It has been awhile since any updates. I have been busy finishing up the other side and working on the front of the bed. I pulled the bed back off to weld the front panel on and to work on the front stake pockets.
I welded up the ends of the front panel


I also capped the ends of the roll, but i just realized I did not take any pictures before the bed went back on. I also rolled the bottoms of the pockets into the bed.


After putting the bed back on I realized the roll kinda matched the roll of the cab corner.

 

Next up is the tailgate. I built some hidden hinges that mount inside the bed. Before I welded the rear stake pockets back on I welded in a piece of 3/8 plate inside that I could drill and tap for the hinges. I used some flat bar and some 5/8 solid rod to make the hinges. I got some nylon bushings to put in the bottom of the tailgate so that the paint will not get screwed up.


The upper and lower bars of the gate will be 1'' mild steel. The vertical pieces of the gate will be 1x2 on the outsides and 1x1 in the center. Once the frame work is built it will be skined. I had to pie cut the square tube to put the arc in them.




That is where I am at rite now. Once the gate is done, I will update this.

 

damn how many of those vise grips u got?
How is the tailgate coming?

 

Not enough. I still had to borrow a couple from my dad. It's coming, I hope to have it all tacked together today.

 

I am liking this, thanks for posting and please keep it coming! Peter

 

Spent the weekend working on the tailgate. The outside is finished, I still have to finish welding the inside.



This is the frame with the inside welded on



After welding all day the outside is finished. A little more grinding on the edges to adjust the gaps.

 

looks good

 

Thanks. Having the gate on makes the whole back come together. Now it's time to start the taillights.

 

awesome project...Keep the pics and updates coming please.

 

Great craftsmanship. I really like the tailgate build in particular.

Subscribed.

 

Dare to be different....looks great.

 

Looks great! I love the curvature of the gate.....it blends really well with the curvature of the cab. It ties it all together really nicely. Great work too!

 

damn that looks good.

 

Looks great, Not the biggest fan of the front end treatment but the overall look really comes together. Great work.

 

My one minor suggestion would be to put a peak in the tailgate to match the peak in the hood...I'm blown away by how smooth that bed looks now, but I'm curious about whether the 4 inches you took out of the front of the bed is now out of proportion after sloping the rear stake pocket or is the rear stake pocket still in it's stock location at the bottom?...

 

I was thinking of doing exactaly that. I want to get the taillights and roll pan finished up, and stand back and look at it. I really am not a fan of just a smooth gate. But I don't want to do something just for the sake of doing it. The measurement of the fender to the stake pocket was taken at the point where the lower panels mate up to the bed sides. It is the same measurement front and rear at the seam.

 

The way I see it in my mind's eye would be to start flat and wide around the top of the tailgate skin (wrapping over the top and tapering in height and remaining the same width as it rolls over the top) and then gradually taper the width of the peak as it travels down into the roll pan with the tip coming to a point in the roll pan just as it rolls under the back...I'm guessing about 1 1/2 or 2 inches wide at the top of the tailgate...I just like the idea of it being flat and raised at the top and gradually peaking in the center as it starts tapering narrower in width...and having it fade in height as it goes over the top of the tailgate would be a smooth transition...

 

Sounds like you have put as much thought into this as I have. I want to do the taillights in the pan first and see how it all shapes up. I was thinking of the peak starting out small at the top getting bigger in the middle and then smaller near the bottom of the gate. Kinda like the peak in the hood does.