Certain things just go hand in hand, like spaghetti and meatballs, pizza and beer, lamb chops and tuna fish, and, of course, hot rod shops and shop trucks. Since the start of hot rodding, shops have been churning out some kind of hauler to serve double duty as a parts runner and a rolling promotional showcase. Barris had the Kopper Kart, a customized '56 Chevy; Roth had a flamed '56 Ford; Winfield customized a '40 Ford; Chuck Porter rocked a '49 Ford; and now Ashcroft Motorcycles has this wicked awesome '36 Ford.
For the most part, Ashcroft Motorcycles owner Lynn Ashcroft believes the concept of advertising is to let the custom bikes do the talking. However, things can change. One day Lynn happened to run across a truck in a magazine, and something clicked. All of a sudden, Lynn decided his Salem, Oregon-based shop could definitely use a shop truck similar to the one in the magazine. And just like that, the idea for the '36 Ford, later dubbed El Shoppo Trucko (Oye Mamacita), was born.
For starters, the crew at Ashcroft got a hold of a '36 cab. Although the cab had a '36's silhouette, down below, the floorboards and rocker panels were completely rusted out. The bed they acquired was a little better, but not by much, for it too would need a lot of work along the front panel and bedsides. For a frame, they came across a '40 Ford and decided that would be the build's starting point.