1965 Ford F-100

Description

With the ability to handle the biggest of big blocks, rear-wheel-drive, a reasonable power-to-weight ratio, and minimalist interiors, pickup trucks are the new muscle cars. This 1965 Ford F100 kind of proves the point, what with a 390 under the hood, fat radials out back, and a pugnacious stance that clearly advertises its performance intentions.

In the years before pickup trucks grew into personal luxury vehicles, they offered tidy proportions that work quite well with a few custom touches. This Ford has a great look, especially with the bright white paint job that seems to highlight the interesting sheetmetal that Ford built into every one of its trucks. Dig the aggressively flared front fenders, the clamshell hood, and, of course, those fat fenders out back that are a big part of the look. Finish work is very good all around, and while this truck may have led a blue collar life at one time, it doesn't show it. There's still plenty of chrome, including a nicely finished front bumper, a cool grille and oversized side mirrors that suggest this truck is still ready to get the job done. The bed is lined in diamond plate and the inner fenders were custom made to handle the oversized rear rubber that gives this truck its aggressive look.

Using gear from a late-model is always a cool way to update your old hauler, and this F100 uses a gray cloth bench seat from a recent F150, complete with power lumbar support and a center armrest. Matching material was used on the door panel inserts to tie it together quite neatly, and the floors are rubber mats so it's still easy to keep clean. A replica Cobra wood-rimmed steering wheel actually looks right at home in the pickup truck's cabin, and the dashboard suggests that this truck's goals go beyond a trip to Home Depot. There's a big Auto Meter tach on the steering column, complete with shift light, plus a set of auxiliary gauges neatly installed on either side of the original instruments and an external fuel pressure gauge just ahead of the windshield in proper racer fashion. Pioneer supplied the AM/FM/CD stereo head unit, which feeds a pair of speakers in the doors, and with sound deadening materials used in the cabin, it actually sounds quite good.

That racer look isn't just for show, either, because under the hood there's a 390 cubic inch V8 that's been built for combat. Bored .060 oversize and fitted with a set of 427 medium-rise heads, an Edelbrock intake and 850 CFM Holley carb, long-tube headers, plus a massive Lunati camshaft with .600" of lift, this sucker cackles like it just escaped from someplace dark. The engine bay is tidy and easy to service, which is surely the intent, and it's backed by a built C6 3-speed automatic with a shift kit and a 4000 RPM stall converter. Combined with 4.11 gears in the 9-inch out back, it leaps off the line and pulls like no pickup you've ever driven. Traction bars try to plant the power, with the 295/50/15 rear BFG radials doing their best to hang onto the pavement.

Fast and fun, this pickup proves that the formula still works, even if the package is shaped like a truck instead of a Mustang. Call today!