1955 Ford Truck - Selective Breeding

With the drivetrain virtually a done deal, the body and interior received the majority of Cesar's efforts. Starting up front, Cesar had the original bumper and grille covered in miles-deep chrome, while the stock light housing was cleaned up and sent for a dip in the shiny stuff as well. While the chrome was out, Cesar hauled the truck to Town & Country Body in nearby Sequin, Texas, so they could finish the bodywork, which included clipping 3 inches off the fenders and installing a pair of Smoothy steel floorboards from Smoothy Fabrication in Iron Station, North Carolina.

Cesar chose to keep the cab's stock dimensions, but he went with his friends at Baldo's Auto Upholstery in his hometown of New Braunfels to stitch the interior. They installed a comfy bench seat and modern safety belts from an F-150. The dash was kept stock in appearance, but it houses Dakota Digital gauges in the stock cluster, and sonically, the AM tuner was tossed so Cesar could use a JVC system that features 500 watts of power driving a pair of 4-inch tweeters and two 6-inch mids that provide plenty of punch without the bolt-loosening quality of a sub-woofer. Knowing the color of the paint to come, he had Baldo's create a cream and green scheme for the leather interior that would flow with the paint. They also installed a brand-new headliner to help insulate the roof from the baking sun.

One last bit of bodywork was cutting a hole in the bed's rear for a gas cap, then the bed was shot with a spray-in bedliner. The tailgate is a custom-fit stock unit topped off with chrome hinge plates. For paint, Town & Country shot New VW Beatle green over the '55's body, and Cesar's hybrid was rolling. We couldn't get Cesar to divulge where he procured the trick Ford scripted taillights, but there are some cards a guy just has to play close to the vest.