The laughing stock junker gets turned into a mean diesel machine.
Treasure Plan
The only clean thing on Matt Tucker's 1960 F-100 was the title. Not worth saving, even as a parts truck, is what everyone told him. They laughed as he dragged it onto his trailer. Yet, true to the saying, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure,' the unfazed Tucker already had a plan—admittedly, one with literal holes.
Photos courtesy of Truck Trend.
Mess Repair
On the plus side, the frame was straight. The downside was the truck's missing interior, completely rusted out floor, trashed bed, and an engine that would better serve as ballast. Tucker saw the project as a challenge. He was also well-equipped to deal with the mess on his Locust, North Carolina farm where he operates a small diesel repair shop.
Clear Hurdle
Restorers often go to great lengths to achieve a 'patina' finish on their builds. With plenty of wear and tear from decades of hard work, this was not an issue on Tucker's F-100. He preserved the multiple worn-out paint jobs with a layer of clear, for a unique 'Frankenstein' look. The first real hurdle was forward 'motorvation.'
Power Plan
To get the old 'third-gen' back on the road, it needed an engine. While most going down the diesel road would have opted for a Cummins, Tucker turned to a burnt skid steer motor in his shop. Using custom brackets he mounted a Caterpillar 297, four-cylinder, 3044CT diesel engine into the F-100. He then hatched a plan to make even more power.
Custom Pushing
A stock 3044CT is rated for just 80 horsepower and 250lb-ft of torque. Tucker managed to squeeze out an estimated 250 horsepower and 500lb-ft with his trick setup. First, he fabricated a custom adapter plate to upgrade the injection pump to a Bosch VE/Zexel hybrid unit capable of pushing much more fuel to the reconditioned and overflowed injectors.
Plumbed Ingenuity
Next, he installed a Precision Turbo & Engine 5130 ball-bearing turbocharger with a 39mm wastegate. The turbo's turbine is spun by custom exhaust headers, while the intake charge is fed through a large air-to-air Mishimoto intercooler. Using some hot-rod ingenuity, that setup was plumbed into a custom-fabricated, log-style manifold with individual intake runners for each of the four-cylinder.
Expanded Support
In keeping with the hot rod approach, all that power is channeled through a Muncie three-speed manual transmission to a Ford 9-inch rear axle with 3.00 gears. Tucker then turned his attention to the lack of a floor. Satisfying the air conditioning duties and acting as a support for the Iron Ace Bomber seats, he welded up a few yards of expanded steel mesh.
Mean Machine
Other cool touches include a fuel tank made from a repurposed beer keg and a 4-inch exhaust stack, both located in the bed. A drop axle and a C-notched frame make for a killer stance. Painless Performance wiring was installed to connect the Caterpillar engine with a set of Kenworth gauges. This mean machine is now without a doubt, more treasure than it is trash!
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