- Keep it simple and very drivable
- Engine cranks out 425 H.P.
- The paint work is over-the-top
Time for some serious customizing
The builder-owner is an admitted car fanatic who got into automobiles as a 5-year-old kid reading his dad's car magazines, who's pages were filled with chromed-up creations from legends like the George Barris, Gene Winfield, Larry Watson and Carl Casper, and others. His next passion turned to model car building, creating miniatures of famous cars that he had seen in the old Hot Rod and Rod & Custom publications. Not a bad way to grow up, painting and gluing together scale models with the hope of one day building 1:1 customs when he was old enough to tackle the real thing!
Fast forward to building some wild customs of his own. With ideas to create things that standout from the crowd, and with a real "retro" 1960s flavor as he had remembered as a kid. Now was the time for some serious customizing, with loads of chrome, wild custom paint and an overfilling of detail work.
The long process began of stripping down the truck with the goal to rebuild the vintage pickup into a show truck that would be flashy and heavily detailed however, that also meant doing something to the parts and pieces to make them stand out. Under no circumstances would there be modern "touches", things that were not done back in the day, but a real period-correct build that replicates something that could have been constructed by a customizer in the glorious '60s.
With a design theme of "keep it simple and very drivable," component selection began with a new frame for the truck. A step-boxed version designed for a 1932 Ford, and included in the purchase were fresh suspension parts plus a complete brake system, featuring front discs and traditional drum on the rear.
Also, up front a dropped I-beam axle was used along with hairpin radius rods, and the decision was made to run with the buggy spring on the rear, to keep it old school. All the various pieces, such as spindles, a manual steering box, ladder bars and also picked up a new dash and insert, plus a seat frame that features a flip-out seat cushion.
The 350 is an old-school engine
The selection of the new engine and driveline, tried, true and nostalgic for the period, a small block Chevrolet V8 was chosen. With a 350-cid variant with 4-bolt mains and 441-casting cylinder heads. Internals included alloy pistons with 9:1 compression ratio, a set of I beam connecting rods, oil pump, hydraulic cam with .540 lift with 324/260-degree duration, a double roller timing set, valvetrain components with lifters, springs, roller rockers.
The induction comes from the carburetors mounted atop a performance manifold. This engine cranks out a reliable 425 horsepower, more than ample for the pickup.
A glimpse of the detail
A street and strip Turbo 400 automatic transmission was complete with a 10-inch diameter torque converter, linked to a 9-inch rear differential via a custom 30-inch long driveshaft. A set of 3.0:1 gears are used with 31-spline axles, with the carrier.
When the time came for interior upholstery, a complete white pearl vinyl diamond tuck upholstery job with gold piping and thread. A wild inspired tall shifter was installed, living up to the old car magazines from the 1960s.
The dash features a 5-gauge set and engine-turned face plate, with the 30-inch steering column and three-spoke wheel.
In the end, a head-turning '60s style custom truck that generates all kinds of attention everywhere it goes. The built took over 40 months and that gave the owner plenty of time in both designing and assembling it, and chasing down all the nitty-gritty small details was no easy task. Thanks to the owners persistence and drive, along with some great help from the talented men that assisted in the project, this '32 Ford pickup is a winner from top to bottom, front to rear and all parts in-between!
