July 16, 2023
Jim Batson from Deltona, Florida, is a retired Navy man and a veteran’s employment representative for the state of Florida. New to the truck scene at age 57, this is his first custom, and he did most of the work himself, learning as he went. Inspiration for the project came after seeing a friend’s custom truck. He liked the looks and, since friends told him that trucks were easier for the first-time builder, he jumped in with both feet, deciding it would make the perfect retirement project. The undertaking began in April 1999 and wasn’t completed until March 2005. Looking back, Jim confesses to having some second thoughts about that ease-of-construction notion, and he tells us that somehow along the way he picked up the nickname Grumpy!
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When you do a lot of work, as Juan Navedo has on this hot vintage 55 Chevy, it tends to turn a lot of heads on the street and on the show circuit. This is not Juan’s first time down the custom road. As an electronics technician by trade and an automotive hobbyist by choice, he has owned 15 customized vehicles over the years, and his 55 Chevy pickup is the culmination of all those years of experience. It ranks at the top of his list.
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Though only 27 years of age, Mike MacKellar has built an impressive résumé as not only a truck builder, but also a businessman. As the owner of a financial services company, MacKellar is well aware of how much things cost, and it seems that he spared little expense when he set about building this 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe. He also knew just how he wanted his latest project to be.
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Bob Dillon built an F-100. Okay, so it’s not that Bob Dillon, but in this case it’s better. How, you ask? Well, there are two Bob Dillons: Bob Dillon owns this truck, but he does so with his wife, Bobbi. See, that explains it. Now let’s move on. According to the Dillons, “We did 90 percent of all the work” on the truck, and only had the guys at Cars do the final sanding, paint and assembly. The Dillons bought the 1955 Ford F-100 nearly 12 years ago and have worked at it off and on ever since. They had a definite vision for the truck, if not a timeframe, and judging from the results, it was time well spent.
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Boyd’s Automotive Illustrator Todd Emmons is a talented guy. After all, as an automotive illustrator he makes his living transforming Boyd Coddington’s ideas into two-dimensional splendor, and when he wears his graphic artist hat, he designs the ads and catalogs for Coddington’s operation as well. So it should come as no surprise that Emmons would display a definite flair when it came to building a ride of his own. The only surprise is that he decided to channel that talent into building a pickup truck. Not that we’re complaining, mind you. As truck enthusiasts, we love the idea that high-end talents are turning their eyes toward pickups. In the case of Emmons, his muse is this outstanding ’74 Chevy C10.
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Those who longed for their engines to look as they did back in the old days of multiple-carb setups were out of luck. Cool as they were to look at, there are lots of reasons why the multi-carb setup fell out of favor, and most of them had to do with the fact that they were a bear to sync. The advent of the four-barrel carb was the death for these systems, though the purists among us prayed for a breakthrough. Thanks to Ken Farrell and his company, Retro Tek, those prayers have been answered. Farrell started off converting old mechanical fuel injection systems (Hilborn & Enderle) when the first aftermarket EFI systems became available. His new system, which uses the latest in EFI mated together with the classic Stromburg 97 design, came about when Farrell saw that there was interest in the benefits of EFI, but he also knew that they were lacking in the looks department. The idea was simple take the best aspects of both and add them together.
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Like their diesel counterparts, gas-powered truck owners are always looking for ways to give their vehicles even more power and better mileage. To find out what kind of power options there are for gas-powered trucks, we went to J&D Performance in Ontario, California. We’ve seen what kind of power and performance the guys at J&D can make in a diesel-powered truck, so we figured we’d follow along as they wrenched more power out of a common gas-powered truck. After a quick phone call, we were set. The guys at J&D had a customer’s stock 1999 Ford F-350 dualie with a 6.8-liter V-10 ready for buildup. Here’s how it went.
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Grandma was fond of Bible quotes. Platitudes and homilies were her way of making her virtually unassailable position completely clear. Of course, she never felt that accuracy was a requisite when using quotations as a way of declaring her homespun philosophy. Many of her quotes were edited, but her points were always appropriate and valid, or at least offered a simple instruction that brought resolve to a particular dilemma. Among her favorites were patience is a virtue and all things come to he who waits. While probably not precisely accurate to their biblical roots, these quotes serve to make an excellent point. If you are willing to be patient, success is most likely on the way.
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Is it us, or does it seem that Jim Bell and his crew at Kenne Bell turn out hot trucks at truly astounding rates? In the past, they have built such a wide variety of trucks and SUVs that it’s hard to count them all. But when you consider all their other projects, such as their ’05 Mustang, the ’04 Focus and the ’04 Escape, it seems they have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger (whatever that means). One of their latest projects is this ’04 Ford F-150. As with most all of the other Kenne Bell projects, it started out as a new vehicle and was destined to be displayed in its SEMA booth.
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Ford engines are hot, and everyone—even non-Ford guys—are talking about it. The small-block Ford is an awesome package that is made even more awesome by Ford Racing and aftermarket parts. It has continually gained popularity as a high-performance buildup, as a Ford In A Ford engine transplant and as a replacement performance engine for vehicles that were optioned as such but were less equipped when new. With all of this activity surrounding the small-block Ford engine, it is safe to say that it is quickly becoming the small block of choice.
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