Vehicle Description
An honest old pickup from the '50s that isn't a Chevy, how
interesting! With clean good looks and a nice restoration on a
relatively unusual truck, this 1959 Ford F-100 Custom Cab 4x4
offers a fresh look at an old favorite you may not have considered
before.
We like the two-tone paint on this truck, offering a bit of '50s
style with the kind of no-nonsense conservatism that seemed to
drive Ford truck designers. That's not to say that this isn't an
attractive truck, it just doesn't take many risks, although we'd
argue that the restorers took things up a notch when they decided
to set this long bed on a 4x4 chassis. Ford developed a clean sheet
design and admittedly the earlier F100s were a hard act to follow,
but this is still a modern-looking truck in many ways, especially
with its ground clearance and heavy-duty bumpers fore and aft. The
condition of the paint is every bit of driver grade, with a nice
shine and presentation, albeit a few imperfections here and there.
But hey, it's a truck, not a Rolls Royce. Gaps are good all around,
the flat-sided bed is straight, and the paint is rendered in modern
urethane but without any metallics, so it looks period-correct. The
long bed was finished with the same yellow paint used on the truck,
and it's peeling in a few places where it was used to haul, so a
nice spray-in bedliner would be a cheap upgrade back there that
looks great and is very practical. The big grille up front shines
up beautifully, the push bumper up front is augmented with
integrated running lights and a diamond-plate skid protector below,
and the giant block letters in the meshed part of the hood ensure
that nobody will mistake this bruiser for anything other than a
vintage Ford.
The wrap-around windshield and big rear window make the cab bright
and airy and the white and yellow color scheme continues here as
well, with the addition of a light brown seat. The vinyl and cloth
seat cover is plain and simple, like the rest of the truck, and it
has plain rubber floor mats to reinforce the working-class image
into which it was born. The two-tone colors wrap around the door
panels and dashboard, so it's clean and simple, with a black and
white steering wheel that's big enough to really maneuver the big
pickup without difficulty. The factory instruments appear
unrestored and are in good condition with only light fading and all
the secondary controls are lined up neatly right underneath. As a
'50s pickup, it's kind of light on options, offering only a heater
(which might have been standard by 1959), but I kind of like that
aspect, too. Seatbelts were likely added with the introduction of
the bench seat, as were the trio of aftermarket gauges installed
under the dash. This is a clean, simple, and honest truck
everywhere you look, and that's exactly how we like them.
Originally born with a rather underpowered six-cylinder motor, the
restorers cleverly installed a period-correct 292 cubic inch V8
under the hood, which is a welcomed upgrade for this 4x4. It's
still a vintage powertrain through-and-through, and offers a unique
sound and feel that is all part of the charm of owning a classic
vehicle. The engine bay show signs of regular maintenance, although
it's not quite as highly detailed as the body or interior. There's
an original air cleaner up top, bright red paint on the engine
itself to match, and basic hardware that makes it insanely easy to
service. The only other notable non-stock components in the engine
bay are a 12-volt for electricity and some fresh wiring, but that's
about it. A 4-speed manual transmission shifts easily and with a
4x4 system and big brakes all around, it feels confident going
about its business. There's also a newer dual exhaust system with
Flowmaster mufflers that cuts out before the rear pumpkin that give
this mighty Ford a tough soundtrack, and fresh, tall shocks and a
steering stabilizer manage the elevated stance. Painted steel
wheels are the right choice on a bare-bones 4x4 pickup and big
235/75/15 Goodyear Wrangler white-letter tires accentuate the
truck's blue-collar look.
Not flashy, not over-done, and not expensive, this handsome,
useful, and somewhat rare Ford pickup represents an alternative to
what everyone else is doing. Call today!
