Larry Mason of Lake Isabella, California, wanted to build something a little on the heavy-duty side, but he wanted to keep it on a small scale. No problem, he started with '49 Ford F-6 that began its life as a Union 76 oil field boom truck, and then kept chopping until he ended up with the size truck he wanted. To squish the cab down a little closer to the ground, Larry tried his hand at top-chopping. The deep chop came real good, so Larry kept on chopping. Next in line was the F-6 leaf springs which Larry whacked in half, and produced quarter-elliptic springs that were mounted longitudinally. The original 239-inch Flathead V-8 had almost no miles on it, from sitting most of its years, but the compound four-speed had to go. With the help of a good neighbor-a metal sculptor-Larry made an adapter and bolted up a T-5 and the '49 picked up another gear. It looks like our friend Larry has started something, so we're sure we'll be seeing more "Rig-Rods" on the road in the near future.
Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.