thank you I'm learning as I go. I have never done any type of sheet metal or body work till this truck. I'm a machinist by trade going on 40 years. now the plant manager and more into automations programing plc's and robots for the last few years.

 

Tell us more about your drivetrain. You clearly have put a lot of thought into your truck.

 

i got this project from a guy a wanted to build a 50year tribute to the ford lighting and he got a 54 f100 , 2004 Supercharged Triton V-8 5.4 off a ford lighting truck and a no limit big 10 chassis 9" 32 spline axle with a locker rear end, fiberglass hood well it sat for a few years. I got it started working on it the more I played the more I did not like the FG hood now with metal finders and inner finders the 5.4 with dual overhead cam was way to wide to fit in this frame without major mods. so I wanted a good running motor with HP easy to get affordable aftermarket parts and being a GM guy I went with a LS 6.2 upgraded the cam a little head work and added a modified LSA supercharger with upgraded 4L80E trans should get 650+ at the wheels. these f100 cab is cramp for a 6'5" guy so i wanted to stretch the cab looking around doing a extended cab would be the easiest but to me it doesn't look right so i went with 6" doors thing now i am way over my head but got it to work now with the cab longer i had to stretch the chassis to match. the thing is I know what I want in my head and being a stubborn guy I just need to figure it out and just to build it or keep trying but i am having fun doing it or redoing it a few times. now I got all the major parts done now its the details work, running boards, roof has a few bumps need to be workout, doors and hood gap need work also hood had a hump in the middle that does not match the fenders I've notice a lot of these trucks have this issue so it needs to be address but i am planning by spring I'll start finish body work and a whole new learning curve


here is a pic of the frame from no limit and the mid pic is my mod frame bottom is the motor in place before i redid the firewall to clear my taller valve covers

 

No Limit makes very good products. If I was going with an aftermarket chassis, their chassis would be near the top of the list. The X braced frame is very strong.
I bought their battery box and reverse tilt hood setup.

Some folks may prefer a Ford engine in a Ford truck, but GM engines seem to be less expensive per horsepower than the Ford engines. When I was growing up, many folks did the GM drive train because many of the parts matched. You could put a straight 6 transmission on a big block, etc. Ford, back then, had everything different. Even the 351-W was totally different than the 351-C.

Ford has come a long way with their modular engine designs. Their dual overhead cam engines are good, but they are expensive.

I really like your build. It will be a great performer when you get it done.

 

i always loved these trucks when i was 10 i had a AFX slot car track my favorite car was the 56 f100 in high school a good friend had a yellow 55 i believe he had a 351 stick shift. it ran good i wanted one so bad now 35 years later i got one ;-). i was planning keeping it all ford with the 5.4 just being so wide plus with very little support for the 5.4 i also wanted modern motor so i went with a LS sorry ford

the big 10" frame is very stiff i can lift it at 2 points opposite corners on my lift ill get zero flex or drop with motor installed even after I stretch it


here a pic of a AFX truck like i had

 

I started building equipment trailers when I was 15. That is how I worked my way through 1/2 of college when I started at 16. That trailer jig I am using was built by my dad when I was around 12. I remember helping him by cutting the steel in the big band saw he had. My dad only built about a half dozen trailers on it, but he had it set up in a building with an overhead hoist. I used it much more than he ever did. When he sold the business about 30 years ago, I moved the jig to my house and rebuilt it.
I have built many equipment trailers on it over the years and a few off road race car chassis. I still have my Greenlee bender that I have not used in over 40 years.
Having some experience in building these items, when I first saw the No Limit chassis, I was really impressed with the design. The full width combined with the full X brace and high web makes it extremely strong for the weight. That is why I said that if I was using an aftermarket frame, the No Limit would be at or near the top of the list. They do not look original, but if that is not an issue, their design would be hard to beat.

 

fixtures and jigs that's what it take to build things with less skill and still be right straight and true like my bed i used a cheep slip roller to get the basic shape but i made ribs like on a wing on my cnc converted mill and formed the sheet a round it like on my tail gate in the pic.
speaking of off road i was going to be in parker AZ this weekend for best in the desert parker 250 desert race that got cancel

12 helping dad cutting with a big bandsaw i assume with no covers and guards lol i was 16 working in a machine shop in 82 we had old ww2 8 spindle screw machines good times

 

It had guards and it was liquid cooled. It was easy to use. It had the roller feed also. It was an old band saw, but a good one. He sold it when he sold the business. You just put the material in to the mark you made, turn it on and let the hydraulic system lower it slowly. Not much to it.

What is funny, I can build many things faster with a porta-band. It is easier moving a small saw than moving big material. I never owned a large band saw since. I never really had a need for a big band saw.

 

Just checking on your build. I can not wait to see that No Limit chassis on the ground with wheels and tires.
That is going to be an awesome truck.

 

I have a set of Cadillac taillights like you have in your bed if you need them...

 

Those are the earlier model Charlie, looks like he's using the 94-98 like I used on my panel. I have spares too of both styles..

 

Thanks... the cutouts seemed a bit large for the 89 style, just can't trust my calibrated eyeballs these days.
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When I was looking for some they seemed hard to find around here anyway, after I bought a set off Ebay I found 2 sets at zero cost and another for $10. Ebay cost me$125...lol

 

Thanks ya I got my tail lights from ebay 94-99 cadi a few years ago I wanted something to match outside bed profile well I should say I made the bed to match the lights lol

I was planning on doing the running boards but I am waiting on metal plus I have been tied up with work stuff so with the time I had I decided to work on my dash. I want to keep it clean still needs a lot of work but

 

Do you have any pictures of your chassis on wheels without the cab on it?

I know you lengthened it and I’m curious how your No Limit chassis looks with the suspension on it.