Vehicle Description
When you go old school, you need to do it right, and it's more than
just starting with the right vehicle. This 1951 Ford F-1 pickup
absolutely nails the vintage look with a perfect stance, awesome
flathead power, and a great color scheme that might seem a little
crazy on paper but really works great in person.
You'd think that a neutral color like light blue would be a mistake
on a V8 truck with a blue-collar attitude, but it turns out that it
looks exactly right. Of course, it helps if the truck in question
is one of the best-looking pickups ever designed, the Ford F-1, but
if you hadn't seen this one in person, you'd probably never believe
how right it looks. A big part of that is the clean bodywork
underneath, which only enhances the shine and gives you something
to look at beyond the subtle driver-quality paint. Nothing on the
body has been chopped, shaved, or deleted, and although the paint
is several years old it still cleans up very nicely and gives the
truck great curb appeal. The finish is shiny and bright, a perfect
1950s hue that seems right at home on the vintage pickup's rounded
bodywork, with great factory gaps and doors that shut firm with
that familiar Blue Oval 'thud' your Grandpa loved. Most of the
chrome and brightwork trim remains, including the bumpers, the hood
trim, the iconic front grille, and the bed has been finished in
dark-stained oak with brightly polished stainless steel slats.
The interior keeps it equally simple and it's every bit as
effective as the exterior, albeit with the use of some modern
tricks. Late model power bucket seats are both comfortable and
practical wrapped in supple leather hides, which is definitely
something you want in a truck that's going to get driven and
enjoyed. The door panels are custom pieces with matching black
upholstery and a little wood paneling that warms things up inside,
and the use of the door inserts against the painted steel makes the
panels look artistic, not merely functional. Simple blue carpets
insulate that cab and are easy to maintain, especially in a truck,
and the big original steering wheel offers a commanding view of the
road. Updated Omega Kustoms gauges are in great order and look
great inside the trucks original pods, offering a much more
comprehensive read-out of the Flathead under the hood. Unlike most
vintage trucks, you do get some creature comforts with this '51,
starting with the aftermarket cold A/C running through the
underdash unit, an aftermarket turn signal stalk attached to the
column, the power seats and seatbelts, and the Kenwood AM/FM/CD/AUX
head unit that manages the tunes.
The engine is a venerable Ford 239 flathead V8, which is always a
welcome choice in a vintage hot rod like this. It's brightly
painted in corporate red paint and uses an original-style 1-barrel
carburetor with a chrome air cleaner, so it looks quite correct and
hasn't been over-dressed for duty. There are some modern features
that help with reliability too, including the chromed alternator,
power steering system, modern A/C compressor, and big aluminum
radiator and electric fan up front that keeps the Flathead nice and
cool under any circumstance. It's backed by a 3-speed manual
transmission and a heavy-duty rear end, so it's still ready to work
as a pickup yet scoots through traffic without feeling too
truck-like. A custom dual-exhaust with glasspack-style mufflers
gives it that vintage hi-performance sound and the suspension has
been augmented with heavy-duty springs, newer shocks, and front
disc brakes up front and leaf-springs and shocks in the rear that
work together to improve the ride quality. Cooper whitewall tires
wrapped around 15-inch steel wheels from a later-model Ford give it
an update on the factory look that's just different enough to stand
out.
A very neat little truck that's a lot of fun to drive and easy to
love if you're a fan of the era. It's one of those vehicles where
old and new are seamlessly blended to create a fantastic cruiser.
Call today!
