For every hot rod, a trend. For every trend, admirers have those images of what’s hot burned into their minds. Oftentimes those images are replaced the newest idea of what’s now, but every once in a while, one sticks and sticks hard. Now, no one likes an outdated custom, but when you dig back far enough you earn the title of “retro,” and that’s not a bad thing at all. Besides, when you’ve got a classic Ford truck with a blown 351 Cleveland under a flamed, one piece front end, who needs trends or titles in the first place?

Pop open that big yellow hood and get personal with that engine. It’s a ‘72 vintage 351 2bbl motor, freshly rebuilt with new 8.5:1 pistons, bearings, rings, gaskets, cut crank, resized rods, a full hot tank and cleaning and a 214/224 .510/.536 cam…the works. Topping the mill is a B&M street supercharger and a fat Holley 850CFM double pumper – just in case the 351 wasn’t enough to get things moving! A Summit Racing CD ignition box, coil and billet distributor use MSD wires to get the spark to the chambers on time. Ford Racing aluminum valve covers dress up the sides while Lokar cables issue kick down commands to the C6 underneath.

Hop inside for a comfy trip back in time – the oak, velour and vinyl work in here is impressive. The seats start it all – they’re comfortable and they set the motif. The stitch work pattern is emulated in the headliner while the door panels are all vinyl. The like-new carpeting at your feet is custom matched to the seats. As for the wood trim, it’s wall-to-wall on the dash, fitted with Classic Instruments gauges and the Vintage Air controls. A wood and gold LeCarra wheel with a Ford horn button tops the GM tilt column, a Lokar shifter is at your right leg and the original pedals reworked to run far newer systems are at your feet. A street car needs tunes, but head units aren’t built with vintage faces…what’s a rodder to do? How about a trick wiring harness that allows the detachable face to control the radio – from the driver side sun visor? How cool is that?

Drop underneath and check out the well constructed chassis. Chrome coil over shocks up front work with leaf springs out back to get the stance and the ride right. Power rack and pinion steering and a fat front sway bar hold the corners with new tie rods up front while a Ford 9" rear follows willingly. Inboard springs make room for massive Mickey Thompson 29×15.50×15 Sportsman Pros in the rear fenders while 255/60/15 M/T Competition tires willingly fit in the fat front fenders. There’s a polished stainless exhaust system from the shorty headers to the quad exhaust tips, and the sound’s great. A power brake booster attaches to the stock pedal to run the front disc/rear drum setup, and the flat mounted A/C condenser with a puller fan makes a lot of sense on a hot rod truck. Easily the coolest pieces on the chassis are at the rear bumpers. First, the tailpipe hangers are aluminum connecting rods. That’s a trick touch. Even cooler, there are vacuum lines that run from the motor back and attach to a pair of actuators that drop the license plate frame down into sight whenever the truck is running. Shut it off, and it retracts…have you even seen something like that before?

Outside, screaming yellow and flames smack around your retinas, and you’re going to love every minute of it. Start up front. That chrome grille up front is as imposing as it is recognizable. The highlight of the truck is undeniably the hood – it’s a tilt forward, one piece unit, and it’s cool. It makes service a snap and it’ll impress the heck out of car show attendees! Tasteful pinstripe accents follow all panels for added flair. Check out that bed, too: That’s all furniture grade oak and stainless steel in there. The right front “bolt” is actually the power antenna – there’s a lot going on here!

Retro or not? We’re not ones to label stuff – leave that to magazines. What we have is a cool truck with ample power, a fully finished chassis, a comfortable interior and a unique look. You gotta like that!