The owner of this 1978 Ford F-350 flatbed inherited it from his grandfather and proceeded to completely transform it.
Family Affair
When it comes to Ford truck fans, many of us obtained our love for these models from a family member, and in some cases, even inherited that pickup from them. It's a pretty clear indication of just how loyal Ford truck lovers really are, and we never get tired of hearing the stories of where this passion stemmed from. The latest comes to us from the Ford Era YouTube channel, which recently profiled Matthew Morgan's grandfather's old 1978 Ford F-350 flatbed that's a pretty amazing build in its own right.
Much Deserved Redo
For starters, this truck originally surfaced from the factory as a regular cab, short bed F-100 pickup that Morgan grew up riding in when he was young. It was equipped with an inline-six powerplant and a C6 automatic gearbox, and was used primarily as a work truck. However, after Morgan's grandfather passed away, the truck sat in a barn for around five years - at least until he decided to bring it home and give it a much-deserved redo.
Start of Something
After lowering it and giving it some new wheels, Morgan quickly realized that he wanted to do something totally different with his new acquisition - particularly, make it more useful and capable. Thus, he found a suitable donor F-350, and proceeded to combine the two trucks into one, complete with the original straight six and C6.
Power Infusion
After giving the truck a fresh paint job, a nice custom leather interior, and driving it for a whole, Morgan realized that the original motor was, well, a bit lacking. Thus, he tracked down a third-generation 5.0-liter Coyote V8 and blessed it with gen 2 heads, ARP hardware, and an Edelbrock supercharger, giving it ample amounts of power in a reliable package to boot.
Spiraling Build
From there, Morgan proceeded to install an air ride suspension underneath the truck, which is complemented by a set of "big rig" style wheels that look right at home with the flatbed. Morgan admits that he set out to build a "nice farm truck," but then things clearly got out of hand - in a good way, at least in this case.
No Show Pony
Make no mistake, however, this is no show truck - in fact, Morgan uses it for work purposes all the time, given the fact that he owns his own automotive interior shop. It's even equipped with a toolbox, a pair of air compressors, and a scratched-up wood bed to drive that point home.
Perfect Shop Truck?
Ultimately, Morgan did a nice job of preserving his grandfather's memory in a package that's completely usable to boot. Aside from looking incredibly cool and attracting attention everywhere it goes, this F-350 has all the power Morgan could ever want or need, along with a load of creature comforts - making it perhaps the perfect shop truck.
>>Join the conversation about this F-350 build right here in the forum.
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