Marx Ark - 1940 Ford Pickup

Mark Sanders of Garden Grove, California, has been involved in the hobby for over 42 years. He built a couple of '56 Chevys, a '55 Bow Tie, a '66 GTO, a '68 GTO, and a '30 Ford Model A pickup. But the automotive object of his desire throughout this time was a '40 Ford half-ton. When the Ford was finally finished after four years of toil, Mark gave it a biblically inspired name--Marx Ark, after Noah's creation.

We imagine Noah commenced construction of his ark with the hull. Mark and his son, Mark Jr., began building the '40 at its foundation after completely disassembling the truck. They boxed the frame and installed a Total Cost Involved IFS. Adding Firestone airbags and an Air Ride Technologies tank and compressor provided ride height adjustability and modern handling. Once they'd replaced the Ford's original rearend with a '60 Ford drum-braked 9-inch suspended with All American coilover shocks and a four-link, they took the chassis apart and sprayed it black.

A Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed manual trans backs the '91 Chevy ZZ1 engine. After installing the drivetrain in the renewed chassis, the stock fuel tank, refurbished by Matsen Radiator in Stanton, California, was relocated in its original home behind the differential. Father and son plumbed the fuel and brake lines with stainless ones before transporting the truck to Barker Customs in nearby Orange for the professional bodywork.

If the name Art Barker is familiar to readers, the magazine appreciates your longstanding patronage. We've featured many trucks Art has helped craft. He's a master bodyman. It's a guarantee that when a vehicle emerges from his shop, the body panels are pristine. Art gave the sheetmetal his handiwork and widened the rear fenders 1.5 inches for thick wheels and tires. He also made a righteous rear roll pan before his metalwork was ready for the PPG Black and clear topcoats applied by Armando, the owner of Jazz in Stanton, California.

Rather than a flashy interior, Mark followed the classic hot rod hauler theme of the rest of the '40s, opting to have Sonny's Upholstery trim the cab in black tuck 'n' roll leather. When Sonny's was finished, the Ford was completely transformed. Thanks to his son, Mr. Barker, Armando, the other Mark, and friend and colleague Allan Johnson, Mark's '40 Ford half-ton's a 42-year dream come true.

The Crane Gold full roller...        read full caption The Crane Gold full roller rocker '91 Chevy ZZ1 mill makes 345 horsepower. With a 2-quart Permacool engine oil cooler and Milodon 7-quart pan, the engine holds a total of 9 quarts. A Pete Jackson gear drive and ceramic-coated Sanderson Block Hugger headers collaborate to make beautiful music together.

Attached to an ididit column,...        read full caption Attached to an ididit column, the Boyd's black leather and billet steering wheel fits the cab's black and shiny theme fine. VDO gauges fill the stainless steel-faced dashboard.

Black tuck 'n' roll leather...        read full caption Black tuck 'n' roll leather made the door panels look mighty nice. Notice also the electric window lift controls.

To accept the beefy wheels...        read full caption To accept the beefy wheels and Hoosier tires, Art Barker widened the rear fenders 1.5 inches.

The owner fabricated and installed...        read full caption The owner fabricated and installed the steel bed floor.

Another Mark, owner of Sonny's...        read full caption Another Mark, owner of Sonny's Upholstery in Stanton, California, trimmed the Glide Engineering bench seat in black tuck 'n' roll leather. Installed beneath the swing-up seat are an Interstate battery and an Audiobahn amp. The amp is part of a Kenwood CD/stereo and Alpine separate speakers-comprised auto audiophile stereo system.

For the rear rolling stock,...        read full caption For the rear rolling stock, American Racing Torq-Thrust IIs, 15x10 inches, are shod with 29x12.5R15 Hoosiers.

For easy undercarriage access,...        read full caption For easy undercarriage access, the bed floor doubles as a door. A 3.89:1-geared '60 Ford 9-inch differential with drum brakes distributes power to the pavement. The fuel filler door for feeding the 15-gallon fuel tank was fabricated into the free-flowing driver-side rear fender.

To achieve the rakish hot...        read full caption To achieve the rakish hot rod stance, an Air Ride Technologies air tank and compressor with air lines that run to the front suspension permit raising and lowering the Ford's front end. The Air Ride components are located in a custom compartment beneath the bed floor and behind the differential.