1950 Ford F1 Farm Truck Gets a 2nd Go Round
After many years of service, this Ford F1 got a second chance at life - this time as a hot rod.
Farm Truck Connection
Finding old Ford trucks on farms, in barns, and sitting out in fields is a common occurrence. These were, after all, built and bought to be workhorses. Dave Bartlett actually grew up on a farm in Nantucket, Massachusetts, so he knew the virtues of these connections.
Photos: Hot Rod
Lifetime Partnership
Bartlett’s Farm is actually the oldest and largest family-owned farm on the island, dating back to the 1800s. So it's no surprise, as Bartlett explained to Hot Rod, that he's owned a number of old Ford trucks over the years both for work and basic transportation.
Photos: Hot Rod
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Personal Favorite
Of all the trucks he owned, however, Bartlett had a particular fascination with the F1. So he began the search for a suitable project pickup and landed on this original (at the time) 1950 model he found on eBay.
Photos: Hot Rod
>>Join the conversation about this Ford F1 restomod right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Resurrection Project
The Flathead-powered pickup was in decent driving shape, but 60+ years of hard work had taken its toll. So his goals from the start were to restore the outside to show quality and update the chassis and drivetrain to modern standards.
Photos: Hot Rod
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Lay the Foundation
Bartlett teamed up with Chris Cerce Customs in Taunton, Massachusetts to share his vision and make it a reality. And that started with an all-new boxed foundation fitted with a TCI Engineering IFS, custom center section, and crossmembers.
Photos: Hot Rod
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Strong Bones
Out back, the team went with a 3.70-geared Currie Enterprises Hot Rod 9-inch differential and 31-spline axles. A TCI four-link keeps it all in place, while RideTech shocks and anti-roll bars fore and aft help this old pickup handle better than ever.
Photos: Hot Rod
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Diesel Power
Huge 12-inch Wilwood drilled and vented rotors with 4-piston calipers ensure that stopping is no problem. And that's a good thing, because this beast is powered by a built Cummins 4BT four-cylinder turbo diesel.
Photos: Hot Rod
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Stump Puller
The built diesel features beefed up internals, which are needed to handle the power provided by a 62mm billet turbo and custom intake. The combo is good enough for a modest 300 hp but a stump-pulling 600 lb-ft of torque.
Photos: Hot Rod
>>Join the conversation about this Ford F1 restomod right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Masterful Massage
The body of this beauty was in pretty rough shape, necessitating a ton of fabrication to replace all the rotted out panels. But now, the many layers of PPG Custom Vibrance Black Pearl show zero flaws thanks to some masterful massaging.
Photos: Hot Rod
>>Join the conversation about this Ford F1 restomod right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Enjoying Retirement
With a unique power source, stunning good looks, and the right stance, there aren't many bones to pick with this vintage Ford beauty. Even if we're pretty sure that its hard-working days are far behind it at this point!
Photos: Hot Rod
>>Join the conversation about this Ford F1 restomod right here in Ford-trucks.com.
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