Daily Slideshow: This 1965 Ford Pickup is an Icon, For Real

One Iconic Ride

If you're into automobiles at all, you've undoubtedly heard of the talented folks at ICON 4x4. Led by founder Jonathan Ward, ICON reworks old four-wheel drive vehicles into the restomods of our dreams. These are high-quality boutique pieces, built by hand and carrying an appropriately hefty price tag. We're huge fans of ICON's work around these parts, but it goes without saying that our favorite build of theirs, at least so far, has to be this amazing 1965 Ford Crew Cab.

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Rare Bird

The build was actually commissioned by a client who wanted a capable heavy-duty truck with classic styling and modern reliability. After some searching, ICON managed to find a rather clean, rather rare Crew Cab to start with. But rather than mess with the stock frame, ICON decided to tick off Ford fans across the world by swapping in the entire rolling chassis from a 2006 Dodge 3500 Mega Cab. We might not be crazy about the foreign frame, but it does at least provide an easy solution to make this old truck ride like a new one. 

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Foreign Power

Of course, swapping in the entire rolling chassis, with the drivetrain intact, made an even more sensible solution. So under the hood, you'll find the familiar 5.9-liter Cummins diesel straight-six. ICON worked their magic on this famously reliable mill and unlocked quite a bit of extra power in the process. In its current guise, the mighty diesel engine pumps out roughly 700 lb-ft of torque. 

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Beautiful Place to Sit

Like the outside, the inside of the ICON '65 Ford looks remarkably period correct. And yet, it's fashioned skillfully from top-notch materials. The seats are covered in red leather and two-tone cloth normally used on outdoor furniture. Which obviously makes it rather durable. The dash is original, but the air vents now blow from the bottom. The gauge cluster comes from another model and incorporates all the warning lights for the Cummins diesel. Throw in plenty of turned aluminum, and it's one beautiful place to sit.

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Easter Eggs a Plenty

Like every other ICON model, there are many subtle, hard-to-spot changes that have taken place on this old Ford. The front fenders were stretched, and the front bumper was tucked for a cleaner look. Gone is the original FORD lettering above the refinished grille, replaced with ICON badging. The chrome side trim is designed to look like the stuff used on half-ton trucks from this era, but sports custom ICON emblems. Altogether it provides a look that's similar to stock, yet very unique!

>>Join the conversation about this Classic  right here in Ford-Trucks.com.

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