1972 ‘El Diablo F-100’ is a Triple-Red BEAST!

Owner Fred Bishop and his buddies at the Colorado-based Big Willie’s Garage built the El Diablo F-100 over three years!

When it comes to trucks, few names resonate more with the custom and rodding community than the F-100. Since the model’s debut, its ubiquitous, timeless lines invite many-a-builder to tinker with their rides. And although we’ve covered many different ways to build these trucks, from chunky off-roaders to street rods, it takes some serious skill to claim not just one, but three magazine covers and numerous truck-of-the-year awards. Well, the El Diablo F-100 is raking them in so effortlessly that it’s making its competition look like they’re standing still. And with all the work done to this 1972 F-100, we can see why.

Owner Fred Bishop and his buddies at Colorado-based Big Willie’s Garage are the men responsible for this demonic creation. El Diablo is the end result of three years of hard work, effort, and undoubtedly a lot of cash to boot. Originally intended as a runner built from an old fishing truck, El Diablo quickly snowballed into something far more ambitious, as many of these projects often go. Before Bishop knew it, he was knee-deep into the world of street trucks, and set himself the goal of making one of the finest on the road today.

Was he ultimately successful? We think you should be the judge of that.

The Devil’s Power

Under the hood, a 2018 Whipple supercharged 5.0L Coyote V8  –mated to a 6R80E six-speed automatic — dominates the engine bay. Everything is clearly hand-worked by incredibly passionate builders with nothing untouched. As a result, the engine bay is stunningly gorgeous by itself, right down to the smallest details. From the spotless matching custom-mixed PPG “El Diablo Red” paintwork to the headcover lettering, everything is neat and tidy. As a result of all this meticulous effort, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the engine alone is a work of art. And we’ve barely even touched the rest of the truck.

Speaking of the rest of the truck, the bodywork’s not escaped the hands of these fabricators, either. The modifications done to the body are as extensive as they are subtle, and read like a long-term wish list. They’ve widened the bed by an inch to line up perfectly with the cab. The front clip’s narrowed a couple inches to line up with the hood. All the body seams are welded up. They even made a custom rear tailgate with raised “FORD” lettering. And so the list goes on and on. We’re noticing a distinct pattern from all that work. Everything is designed to accent the existing lines of the truck, and each panel serves to form a complete image. And what an image that is, indeed.

Red on Red on Red… El Diablo F-100 Indeed

The interior is just as beautiful and with the same perfectionistic attention to detail. The team crafted the seats out of a bench mated to two bucket lowers, with a custom center console seating the shifter and A/C controls. The design is reminiscent of the classic look of a Ford Galaxy, and wears matching red custom leather upholstery by Recovery Room. The console and shifter were also entirely custom-built, as were the dash and Mustang-style door cards. Furthermore, the ‘50s-style gauge cluster and Vintage Air A/C unit were heavily modified to run flush with the rest of the interior. The end result is a clean, simple, but undeniably striking view from the driver’s seat.

Finishing up the extensive (but nowhere near exhaustive) tour of this build, take a look under the bed. It’s custom as well, naturally. Opening the trapdoor bed exposes the running gear, and there’s quite a lot going on here as well. The truck rides on a Heldts IFS front end and custom four-link back with a Currie 9-inch axle. On top of that, the builders mounted an Air Lift active suspension kit to a modified boxed factory frame. The brakes received the same attention as well, with Wilwood discs on all four corners. Even the fuel tank is a hand-built Boyd cell.

There are quite a lot of purists out there who aren’t into extensively modified classic trucks. But it’s been awfully difficult for even the most nitpicky of onlookers to criticize the El Diablo F-100, as evidenced by its extensive list of awards. Since its completion, some of these include:

• Goodguys Car Show’s Truck of the Year
• Top 5 place in the 2021 Barrett-Jackson Cup
• Winner of the Lone Star Throw Down
• Not one or two, but THREE magazine covers

That isn’t to mention how easily it’ll stand out at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Honestly, I think the builders have outdone themselves because the truck is gorgeous inside and out. That said, there’s no doubt that El Diablo will see many more well-deserved awards in 2022 and beyond.

Photos by Barrett-Jackson

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.