Although No-Limit Engineering...
Although No-Limit Engineering offers a full line of off-the-shelf components for most classic trucks, they do an equally high number of one-off custom builds.
In the same way it's been fashionable in recent years to add the word "choppers" to the end of a motorcycle shop's name there was a trend in the late 20th century to add "engineering" to the end of just about any kind of shop's name. Looking back one might think gee, there sure use to be a lot of engineers back then, but the truth of it was few shops had any real engineers in their employ.
In 1984 when Rob MacGregor opened the doors to No-Limit Engineering he had just graduated from Cal Poly Pomona as an engineer. Rob had a '56 Chevy pickup, that he still owns to this day, that has served as a testbed dating back to its use as his daily-driver back and forth to college. With a hot-rod motor under the hood the '56 got up and went, but it was a little light in the brakes and suspension department. There were more than a few times when the beefed-up stock components left Rob with white knuckles. Beyond not really being able to stop, Rob discovered there were some serious reliability issues. One time on a little jaunt from San Bernardino, California, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Rob got a firsthand look at what happens to stock Chevy ball-type wheel bearings after miles of extended high-speed use. These were the early days, and a lot of things have changed since then. As the years passed, Rob and his crew gained a lot of firsthand knowledge as they developed custom parts to be sold on a production basis, and custom-engineered parts for serious one-off customs built to compete on the show-and-go circuit.
Recently, we dropped in out of the blue to see what Rob and the crew at No-Limit Engineering have been up to.
Here Rob is pointing out the...
Here Rob is pointing out the MagnaFlow stainless steel muffler with the exhaust system and how it is routed.
When Rob showed us the meats...
When Rob showed us the meats going on the rear of the Pro Street '57 he couldn't help but laugh at how monstrous they are!
At the heart of the Pro Street...
At the heart of the Pro Street rear suspension is a 9-inch Currie rearend suspended by a No-Limit Fat Bar four-link setup.
This close-up shows a No-Limit...
This close-up shows a No-Limit exhaust flange on the MagnaFlow muffler that is an off-the-shelf part anyone can buy.
No-Limit has owned this Waterjet...
No-Limit has owned this Waterjet for a few years now. Beyond being a necessary prop for a gearhead TV the Waterjet performs flawless cuts.
No shop tour is complete without...
No shop tour is complete without a picture of some guy using a mill.
With a goal of providing as...
With a goal of providing as many off-the-shelf components to go with their suspension kits, No-Limit offers pre-bent brake line kits for a little more than the actual materials cost in raw form.
Check out how clean No-Limit's...
Check out how clean No-Limit's motor mount kits come out. This kit is designed to make life easy for the DIYer.
No-Limit markets a line of...
No-Limit markets a line of ready-to-go TIG-welded gas tanks, and accepts custom orders as well.
Here's a good example of a...
Here's a good example of a full-on custom '56 F-100 being built from the ground up by No-Limit Engineering.
The front wheelwells have...
The front wheelwells have been elongated to eliminate the overbite look all '53-56 F-100s have. The chassis underneath is a custom-made variation of a No-Limit design, and extending the wheelwells allows adding four more inches of wheelbase to this truck.
No-Limit Engineering is famous...
No-Limit Engineering is famous for their great tilt front end hinge kits, but on this truck they custom made front-opening hinges to retain the stock feel, and they work better than the original Ford hinges.
By the time Rob stopped showing...
By the time Rob stopped showing us all of the super-subtle body mods featured on this '56 there must have been a hundred. Notice how the stake pockets roll under at the bottom.
Here's a sneak peek at No-Limit...
Here's a sneak peek at No-Limit Engineering's new Gen III Big 10 chassis. The same structure will fit under all '48-52 F-1s, '53-60 F-100s,'47-55 Advance Designs, and '55-59 Chevrolet trucks. Look for more about it in an upcoming issue.
Although this F-100 is a radical...
Although this F-100 is a radical custom, the stock Ford styling cues are being retained. The firewall has been shaved, but the stock shape has been preserved.
Here it can be seen the door...
Here it can be seen the door edges have been rounded.
The tailgate on this '56 is...
The tailgate on this '56 is like no other. It fits snugly into this boxed area and yet still resembles a stock Ford piece.
When we met Boris Said at...
When we met Boris Said at the Street Challenge he fell in love with how well Air-Ride's '56 F-100 went around Putnam Park outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. The guys at Classic Trucks will be following the build of Boris' red '55 F-100 as No-Limit installs one of their new Big 10 chassis.
That's Sasha, she's the shop...
That's Sasha, she's the shop dog.