I figured someone would get a kick outta this

Way back when, in 1990 when I was born, my dad started working on this old pickup. He used to take me out in the garage in my car carrier while he worked on it and eventually moved the play-pen out there so I could watch. It's a 1980 flareside that had a straight six in it and a manual trans.

Here's the humble beginning. The bright orange truck in the background is an old Ford my uncle owned that my dad helped restore.



The 351 Windsor was pulled out of a 70's station wagon and given the full machine shop makeover and punched out .030" over and cleaned up. Next, a pair of 2V Cleveland heads were picked out and cleaned up and water passages machined to mate up to the Windsor block (Clevor configuration). The stock crank was chamfered and cross-drilled, a batch of beefy 351 Aussie Cleveland rods picked out and shot-peened, and 9:1 Cleveland pistons bought. Everything was also blueprinted and balanced. Thanks to the longer Aussie rods, the strange combination of pistons and rods makes 9.5:1 compression. A bigger Crane cam was installed along with Rhodes lifters to actuate valve movement and ceramic coated headers for exhaling. Then the package was topped off with a dual-plane B&A Street Boss intake (B&A also made the Track Boss that was single-plane), a worked over Holley 4150 carb, and a NOS 150HP plate shot system. Power steering was bypassed but it still has the air conditioning for comfy cruising



The 9" rearend was given 4:11 gears and a Detroit Locker and the housing and 31 spline axles narrowed to accomodate a full tub-job. The trans, for now, is a stock C4 with an Art Carr floor shifter. A trans rebuild and shift improver kit is coming soon. Wheels are Weld Pro-Stars on all 4 corners - the rears are as big as you can get 'em!

My dad, being good with a sheetmetal brake, covered the tailgate for a clean look and fabricated the rear wheel wells. He also made his own set of wheelie bars. Also coming soon will be a hood scoop, most likely a Harwood, shaved door handles (the electric actuator kit will be in the fuel door) and a fabricated aluminum pro-mod style wing.



This is an old pic not showing the tailgate cover and the fabricated aluminum tail light bezel going across where the bumper should be.

As you can see in the pic, the double I-beam front end isn't doing the truck any justice so when time and money holds out, a Fatman Fabrications Mustang-II front end will be on order and the front end will go down 8" and the rear down another 2".

The interior is all stock except for a Monster-Tach with a shift-light, Kenwood stereo, and Grant GT steering wheel.

My dad and I have been speculating on how we haven't seen ANY pro street 1980 Ford pickups. And factor in the goofy engine combination I have some better more recent pics I'm going to upload when I get a chance.

Anyone have a Pro Street pickup?