Painted and upholstered, the '53 was back on the road to Kokomo and in the hands of Jeff and Gordon once again. From there their job was to hang it all back together and complete the build. Connie told us it didn't happen overnight; it was three years' worth of Jeff working almost every night over at Gordon's shop chewing on the big bite the two had taken on. When it came time to run the electrical system, Jeff turned to Frank Graves for a helping hand to string the wiring harness from American Autowire.
At the 2007 F-100 Supernationals, the '53 made its debut. To make a long story short, the pretty little truck took home top honors, garnering the highly coveted F-100 Of The Year award. Leaving the stage after accepting the trophy, Jeff turned to Connie and said, "You know, honey, I think we ought to build you a truck."
The '53's flat motor was replaced...
The '53's flat motor was replaced with a 351-inch OHV from Ford Racing. A super-slick custom-fabricated airbox hides an Edelbrock 850 carb. Hooker headers pass spent gases to the world behind.
A Billet Specialties half-wrap...
A Billet Specialties half-wrap steering wheel sits on a custom-made steering column by Gordon Riley. The gauges are from Classic Instruments of Boyne City, MI, and the air conditioning is by Vintage Air.