What was I thinking …..

It was the first question my uncle asked me after telling him I purchased a 1960 F100 project truck and a question I continued to ask myself for years after…..

It was early January between a morning and afternoon hunt when my daughter and I noticed an old weathered truck sitting on blocks in someone’s driveway. Our initial thought was “wow that would be a cool project to do” so we stopped and met with the owner who we learned was family of friends we were visiting.

We briefly spoke about the truck and learned that it was in several pieces and needed a lot of work. We returned a couple weeks later and spoke with the owner again which resulted in purchasing a 1960 F100 Custom Cab Styleside short bed for which I knew nothing about.

After getting the truck home I spent the next few months getting it running and breaking down a lot. It wasn’t long after, that I decided to take on my first complete frame-off resto-mod project. So I informed my uncle of what my plans were and asked if he would teach me what to do, after all, he had completed multiple high-end builds and I thought how hard could it be… This is when “What was I thinking?” became a reoccurring phrase and as it turns out, it took four times longer and cost five times more than I originally thought.

With my uncle’s help, we pulled the truck apart and I was immediately overwhelmed, but reassured by my mentor that there was a sequence and path ahead, but first, I needed to acquire a little patience and learn a lot about building a vehicle.

So, the journey began with teaching me how to weld, followed by a lot of practice. With a nice frame and suspension completed we moved onto the sheet metal work and lots of it… Although there was quite a learning curve, we got through it and moved onto the body work. It was around this point and two years into it that I really began to understand just how much goes into a complete frame off restoration project and just how talented my Uncle is in every phase of the build.

After applying and removing gallons of Bondo, I quickly realized that this was my least favorite part of the build but again, with help from my uncle and friends, we got through it. Priming went well, which I enjoyed, followed by building the 351 Cleveland with a friend which was out of a 1972 Mustang. I thought it was fitting to pair a rare engine with a fairly rare truck; what I didn’t realize was how difficult it was to obtain performance parts for uncommon engines but with time, experience, and hard learned patience, we got through it. It was time to add color and begin thinking about wiring, wheels, interior design, bed wood, etc.

After purchasing all the materials and Matrix paint for the truck I decided to let a very experienced member of our car club do the base/clear paint application. Each component was painted and then we reassembled the truck, which looked beautiful and was completed without scratches. We installed the drivetrain and I completed the wiring. A very good friend and talented builder meticulously cut, sanded, and fit each piece of African Sapele Mahogany to the bed with every joint and contour fitted perfectly. Now 3.5 years into it, I could finally see an end in sight. The glass was installed and after about four months, the interior was completed as designed and it was perfect.

So although I wasn’t sure what I was thinking over 4 years ago, I know now that I have a whole new appreciation for this hobby, respect for talented people like my uncle, who are willing to teach tough students like myself, and a true appreciation for friends that are willing to give countless hours to helping others complete their projects. Thanks to LMC for the many, many parts and supplies purchased to complete this build. And special thanks to uncle Rudy for the teaching and his “can do” outlook no matter how difficult or impossible the task seems.