THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY

The Story of Terry Beaty’s ’50 Ford F-1

The story of Terry Beaty’s ’50 Ford F-1 is no whopper of a fishing tale—this is the one that did not get away, a pickup that has been in possession of the Beaty family since the truck was nearly new.

Purchase and Early Life

In 1952, Terry Beaty’s parents, Lee and Jessie, bought the F-1 with 60,000 miles on the clock. The original owner had purchased the pickup locally, in the Beatys’ hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee, and used it to haul produce from Florida to Tennessee. Once the Beatys took possession of the F-1, it continued life as a real work truck, operating on the family farm where they grew cotton, tobacco and corn. This is the truck that hauled those crops to market, and it also hauled the family wherever they needed to go. Terry can clearly remember sitting on the floor under the dash, holding onto the heater’s top vent, as his parents and two sisters also occupied the cab.

Teenage Adventures

This is also the same truck in which Terry learned to drive and the same truck that he used to pick up his first date. He got caught drag racing and doing donuts in the truck, and he continued to use it as a work truck as late as 1978, when he hauled 400-amp welders with it for his metal fabrication company. Getting rid of a truck with this much history was unthinkable, but as it grew older, the old pickup became less and less practical and saw less use. In 2004, Beaty finally decided that it was time to rebuild his parents’ truck. At first he considered a pure, full-on restoration; however, he was too much of a performance enthusiast for that, so he quickly decided that a hot rod rebuild with a stock exterior would be just about right.

The Rebuild Begins

Beaty started by taking the F-1 apart and began working on the frame. The frame itself is the original piece, but it now incorporates a Ford 9-inch rearend taken from a ’66 Ford half-ton truck. Leaf springs and shocks that support the new rear axle are aftermarket items, and other rearend assembly items include Strange axle shafts, 3.24 rear gears, a limited-slip differential and GM-style disc brakes redrilled with a Ford bolt pattern. Fat 255/55R17 Kumho tires wrap around the 17×9-inch Boyd Coddington Smoothie wheels.

Suspension Upgrades

Similar alterations to the front suspension have drastically improved the truck’s ride and handling. Gone is the solid front axle, replaced with a Mustang II-style IFS assembly complete with shocks, springs, sway bars and lowered spindles. As with the rear, GM disc brakes help slow the truck, and the front wheels match the rears for diameter but measure 1 inch narrower in width. The tires, likewise, are smaller, at 235/45R17.

Powertrain Selection

Beaty explains that while he’s not a diehard Ford fan, it just didn’t seem right to put a Chevy engine in his father’s Ford. Instead, he selected a big-block Ford and turned to Snake Man Enterprises in Cleveland, Tennessee, for the buildup. Snake Man bored the ’75 block .030-inch over for 466-inch displacement. Keith Black 9.5:1 pistons keep compression reasonable and happy on pump gas, and a Crane roller cam with .614-inch lift and 234 degrees duration makes the most of the breathing potential in the aluminum Edelbrock cylinder heads. An Edelbrock aluminum intake bridges the gap between the two heads, with a Holley 850 carb and K&N filter delivering the air and gas. Sanderson headers and Flowmaster mufflers perform the exhaust work while a Mallory distributor contributes the spark.

Transmission and Drivetrain

The engine looks good, too, thanks to the aluminum air cleaner and Ford Racing valve covers that accentuate the aluminum accessories, intake and heads. Such a stout big block needs a little more than a stock C4 behind it, so Beaty opted to use a TCI C6 automatic, which was modified for more power, and a Boss Hog 2,200-rpm-stall converter delivers the power off the line.

Exterior Restoration

Years of constant service took their toll on this Ford’s exterior, so Beaty delivered the body to Larry Miles, also of Cleveland, and the two agreed on a plan to return the truck to its original appearance. To do so, Miles replaced both front and rear fenders and the running boards with new fiberglass components from Bebop’s and Obsolete Ford Parts. But after making repairs to the body, Miles kept alterations to an absolute minimum, and the changes he did make are nearly impossible to spot. The headlights, for example, fit in the factory housings but incorporate a more modern Euro-style crystal reflector for increased light output. In back, the stock-style taillights are now stainless steel components and feature blue dots for that hot rod touch. The bumpers, too, are stainless steel but appear completely stock. Miles painted the ’50 in PPG Meadow Green, an original F-1 color that definitely helps preserve the truck’s vintage appearance. Replacing the bed floor with new wood and stainless steel strips was an easy choice, one that definitely improves this truck’s appearance even more.

Interior Transformation

Take a look inside the cab, though, and you won’t for a minute think you’re looking at a restored, original interior. Ford never built an F-1 interior to look this good, or this comfortable, and it’s doubtful that even a new King Ranch can compete with this design and luxury. Wesley Mitchell covered the stock bench seat in tan synthetic leather, and the same material covers the door panels and the rear of the cab. The factory dash features paint to match the exterior and Dakota Digital gauges in a ball-milled aluminum insert. The chrome radio and speaker cover dominates the center of the dash, and beneath this piece hangs the Vintage Air Gen II mini climate control system. A Mahogany-rimmed Grant steering wheel tops the ididit tilt column, and the shifter is a floor-mounted Lokar unit. The Sony stereo system is heard but not seen, and Specialty Power Windows adds another degree of luxury and convenience to this vintage hauler.

Conclusion

Terry Beaty knew from the start that building his truck would be a labor of love, and many times when building a truck for your own reasons you need to expect that others might not respond to your truck as favorably as you’d like. But not so with this F-1—it has earned a First Place, Best in Show or Best Paint award at every show that it’s attended. Beaty drives it, too, wheeling it to local cruise nights, to our photo shoot and just for fun when he has the urge. It is no doubt fun to drive with that Ford big block under the hood. All that considered, coupled with the looks and execution of this vintage hauler, and there’s no question the owner can be proud he’s preserved an F-1, and even bettered a piece of his family’s history.