Daily Slideshow: When a Retirement Hobby Takes on a Life of Its Own
With the newfound freedom of retirement on his hands, Raul Silva breathed life into a 1953 F100 that had seen better days.
Making the Most of Retirement
After a long career as a city engineer, Raul Silva of El Paso, TX, finally had the time to dedicate his energy and efforts to his F100. Purchased in 1991, Silva's 1953 F100 was far from the car show stunner pictured above. He rescued the F100 from a field and it lacked all of the necessary bits to really consider it an automobile. Silva made the most of his gifts and the talents of those around him. What you're about to see is the result of Silva's attention to detail and familiarity with drafting. Click along to find out if engineers know how to build 'em best.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
From the Ground Up
As any good civil engineer knows, the foundation is everything. Silva followed a similar mentality when resurrecting his F100. Silva and his crew started by boxing the frame of the old Ford. From there, it was time to give the F100 some modern suspension components. In the front, a new independent setup complete with new A-arms, rack and pinion power steering, and coilovers was installed. Silva built the F100 with the intention of having a stout engine underhood. To cope with the muscle up front, a modified Lincon 9-inch rear end with four-link suspension, a Panhard bar, and Posi-traction were installed.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
True to the Logo
There's no blasphemy under the hood of Silva's hot rod. The truck with the Blue Oval lineage stays true to its roots and sports a 351 Windsor for motivation. Except, this 351 has been punched out to 383 cubic inches and has a few more goodies. Some of those goodies include a Lunatic cam, Edelbrock heads, Keith Black pistons, and dual-quad Edelbrock carbs. Good stuff if you're into power and name-dropping. Speaking of good stuff, the 383 is a pleasure to look at thanks to ceramic-coated headers, Billet Specialties valve covers and air cleaner, and a TruTrac pulley system. Definitely a chore to keep clean but hey, Silva's retired now. All told, Silva's 383 pumps out about 385 horsepower.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
A Beefy Driveline
Bolted to the 383 is a sturdier version of Ford's AOD transmission. The gearbox was upgraded with a 10-inch B&M torque converter and Monster Transmission and Performance shift kits. To keep things below boiling, Silva tossed in a JEGS transmission cooler.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Brakes That Actually Work
Wilwood brakes have become synonymous with aftermarket solutions for resto-mods. No surprise here, Silva's F100 sports four-piston disc brakes providing 21st century levels of stopping power, safety, and reliability. Casting a shadow over the Wilwood brakes are 17 inch American Racing five-spoke chrome wheels wrapped in Toyo tires.
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Custom Touches Everywhere
Bringing some modern comfort to the F100 are six-way adjustable leather bucket seats with upholstering done by Keller Kustoms. An ididit steering column is commonplace in old trucks and Silva's example is no different. Other highlights include the fiberglass overhead console which holds the Pioneer stereo head unit and the center console which sits neatly in between the leather buckets. The door panels feature lightning bolt designs which transitions down to the kick panels. Thump from the stereo is produced by a 10-inch subwoofer, 6.5-inch component speakers, tweeters in the headliner, and a 400-watt amp tucked under the passenger seat.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
The Nicest Bed You'll Never Sleep In
The underside of Silva's tonneau cover proudly displays the F100's heritage. Custom paintwork displays the Ford and V8 symbols of decades past. The beautiful wood seen above is of the maple variety and the planks are neatly separated by pieces of aluminum. The coolest feature? The tonneau cover can be remotely operated thanks to linear actuators.
>>Join the conversation about Raul Silva's F100 right here in Ford-trucks.com.
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