An F-100 Statement More Meaningful and Menacing Than It Looks, Every Inch of This Truck Has Been Artfully Massaged

The “F” word: To use or not to use, that is the question. What a mighty force the letter F has become in the Modern English language. As quickly as one utters the “F” word, it commands the attention of all assembled. Feared and shunned by the pious and the shy, welcomed and even endorsed by the outspoken and the rowdy. 

What exactly does the “F” word mean within our society today? To us, the most obvious use of the “F” word is, of course, Ford. The second part of the Ford equation is the truck designation “F,” as in F-100. Then, there is the third possibility. Hey, you’ve got it—Foose, as in Chip Foose, the current car design king of the hot rodding world.  

What’s wrong with you? What “F” word were you thinking of, anyway? 

When the illustrious Mr. Foose set pencil to paper, the creativity flowed all the way from the design input on this truck to the catchy appellation, “F-This.” That he titled it means that not only can he draw, but he’s a funny guy, too.

The origins of this vehicle as a project build go back about 12 years. The truck build was conceived, commenced and even touted in a magazine as an up and coming project vehicle. Readers who perched on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the completed vehicle soon tired of that awkward position. Unfortunately, a reassignment of budget priorities forced the sale of the uncompleted pickup. 

A new owner armed with optimism and enthusiasm contacted Jordan Quintal, proprietor of Super Rides by Jordan in Escondido, California, and engaged him to continue to complete the vehicle construction. Once again, fiscal restrictions aborted attempted completion. The truck was then sold to Rick and Retha Clutter. The new owner’s enthusiasm waned at one point, and a despairing Jordan finally inquired, “Isn’t anyone ever going to finish this truck?” Apparently, a good portion of the reluctance around the truck was based on the original concept. The Clutter theory was that “We need to make a few changes.” A few ideas were expressed and subsequently implemented by the group. But it was when Chip got involved that the show began to gain momentum. 

The top chop was revised, and the pancaked hood was redone. A number of minor additions and a few deletions brought the concept up to speed. Once the Foose touch was applied, the work began, apparently with considerable fervor. After 12 years of getting warmed up, it only took about 12 months to finish it. That’s the impact Foose has on such projects.

That year must have been one of furious activity for Jordan and his crew. To say that there were a few additions, deletions and minor changes would be inaccurate. The whole vehicle was dismantled and totally reconstructed. An entire chassis made from box tubing was custom-fabricated by Super Rides specifically for this vehicle. The brackets alone are major works of art. Four complete systems wind their way through the frame—air for the suspension, fuel to quench the thirst of the 540-inch ZZ 502 GM big block, hydraulic fluid to operate the tilting bed and nose and brake fluid for the velocity restraint system. Heck, there are Beverly Hills mansions that have less plumbing than this truck.    

The Currie Positaction rearend has a 3:55 final drive ratio and is suspended on an AirRide bag system. Excessive vertical travel is dampened by Shockwave shock absorbers. 

The front-end story begins with a two-inch drop Heidt’s IFS Superride unit that is chromed and polished. The front springs and shocks are AirRide Shockwaves, the front spindles are chromed Heidt’s items and 13-inch Wilwood discs are used on the front and rear. All this unseen splendor rolls on a one-off set of Coddington wheels, where two hoops were welded together to achieve the extra width required to properly mount the rear tires. The fronts are 18×8-inch and are mounted with BFG T/As. The 20×15-inch wheels at the rear are shod with the first set of brand new M/T radials—a new 20-inch Mickey that configures at a whopping 31x18x20-inches! These new tires are totally outrageous and are destined to become the latest “must haves,” where the big rubber must meet the road. Readers interested in these new tires can contact Larry at EVOD Industries 760-723 7880.

Even with all that rubber on the pavement, traction at launch time may still prove to be a problem. Do not think for one minute that the svelte and sexy appearance of this slick truck is the end of a sane and simple story. Underneath that gizmo of a tilt front end pulses the very life blood of the whole concept, a ZZ 502 big-block Chevy that has been stroked to yield a voluminous 540ci. Greg Scott Racing Engines in El Cajon, California, is responsible for unleashing the 850hp monster onto the streets of California…hide the women and childre—the wild horses are loose! 

Interior dimensions are a 4.500-inch bore and 4.250-inch stroke.  The JE pistons are fit at 9:1 compression ratio and are sealed using JE Plasma Moly rings. The assembly is mounted on Eagle rods that are cycled by a fully-balanced crankshaft. An Iskenderian cam anxiously shoves the valves within the Edelbrock heads, and a Cloyes gear drive ensures slip-free timing control. Combustible mixture delivery is through a Hilborn EFI system, which is mounted on a Weiand 871 blower.  The bird catcher intake was carefully milled down to clear the low hood. Ignition is by MSD, and the exhaust is processed through a set of handmade headers into a four-inch stainless Borla system that is beautifully done. If it didn’t sound so awesome, ear protection would be mandatory!  

The polished aluminum valve covers are from Moon. With close inspection you will find an endless array of carefully-executed details, which are typical of Jordan’s work—he is a master at automotive fine art. For instance, the custom radiator is housed in a fan shroud made by Jordan from nine separate pieces. We know it’s just a fan shroud, but that’s the way Jordon does it, or he doesn’t do it at all. The chassis and engine parts are all chromed and polished by Azteca Polishing in Escondido. A Richmond six-speed connects the ponies to the Mickeys through a Centerforce clutch. And like so many other things on this truck, the shifter assembly was handmade by Jordan.

The highly modified body took about 4,000 hours to complete. Not only did Jordan do the chassis fabrication, but he is also responsible for all of the amazing bodywork. Does this guy ever sleep?  Every inch of this truck has been at least massaged, and at most, parts have undergone major surgery. The distinctive nose of the F-100 remains identifiable, but it has been sliced, un-pancaked, tapered, whacked, cut, trimmed, welded together and made to tilt forward. To open the hood, a button inside the cab on the key fob is pushed, and the entire front-end assembly slides forward and begins its gentle tip-up to become completely open. 

A three-inch chunk came out of the top, and The Glass House in San Dimas, California, provided the glazing. The chop was designed to fit the windshield so that only one was used for the job. They also cut the rear glass. The front bumper is a cut down ’56 unit, that has been frenched into the front pan and surrounding area. Bump protection takes second place to appearance here. 

The doors were reversed to a suicide configuration and lowered to meet the handmade running boards. The bed is virtually a new unit divided into a cargo space and a mechanical space that houses the fuel tank and battery. The rear fenders are widened just the right amount to accommodate the Mickeys. The rear bumper has received the same recessing as the front. The stock headlights are used in front, and the ’56 Chevy taillight lenses are recessed into machined aluminum housings, again by Super Rides. The House of Kolor Spanish Gold paint was supplied by Mesa Paint in Escondido, and it was expertly applied by Mike May at Pasi’s Place in San Marcos, California.

The inside of the cab is as original and well-finished as the rest of the truck. The seats are all hand-created from sheet metal, and the reworked dash houses a ’57 Chevy gauge panel that features Classic Instruments. The console has a hidden compartment for various controls, such as ride height buttons. Pedals are by Jeff Phipps, and they match the A/C duct trim. Armondo’s Upholstery from the desert country of Hemet, California, applied the leather and snakeskin to the interior. The black centers of the seat backs feature a very detailed hand-stitched pinstripe design that took many hours to complete. This is a unique detail that really contrasts with the black seat. The flight crew enjoys temperate conditions at all times, thanks to the Vintage Air AC system. Tunes are by Sony, although the thunderous symphony coming out of the well-pumped Borlas may be preferable listening material for most rodders. The final touch inside is the one-off polished aluminum and leather steering wheel by Boyd, and it exactly matches the one-off wheels.

The truck made its debut in Detroit at the ’05 Autorama, the toughest competition in the nation for show cars. It comes as no surprise that the truck won “Best Radical Pickup.” It was also selected as one of the “Great Eight” picks at that show, which to many builders is akin to actually winning the Ridler, which was won by another Foose-designed vehicle. The “Eight” is a winners’ circle reserved for only the finest hand-built cars. The subsequent outing at the Goodguys event in Del Mar reportedly caused several heart attacks among truck lovers in attendance.

Jordan credits Chip “the F-Man” Foose with providing the inspiration to really bring the project to a full head of steam. His ideas and drawings resurrected an almost failed project and certainly put more new life into the “F” word. Apparently, Jordan himself was pretty inspired, and with his unbelievable ability and the help of five talented guys—David Wright, Aaron Holland, Doug Fisher, Josh Nelson and Eric Hansen—this monumental project was brought to completion.

There’s only one oversight that Jordan will have to address here; the cargo compartment that comprises half of the bed space is too small for the big job that lies ahead for this F-100. It looks like Jordan and his crew will to have to build a matching trailer just to haul the load of trophies that “F-This” is certain to garner in the very near future.TB