Fellow truck lover Eddy has had a few trucks built over the years. He approached me for his latest build and wanted to collaborate with some local businesses. So he dropped off a bare frame one day and said ill find a body for it eventually. So we ripped into the stock chassis, cleaned it up of all unwanted brackets, repaired a few small cracks and ordered up a ton of goodies to update the frame. A new Mustang II front end was welded in along with motor / trans mounts for a 350/700R. The rear of the frame received a healthy step notch with a 2-link and panhard bar set up. The frame was built around the wheels so that we can lay running boards and tuck the big 15×10 out back. After all the fabrication work was completed on the frame it went up to Bullseye Powder Coating in Broward for a gloss black coating. The wheels being chrome steelies also got powder coated, in a Gold kandy with some metallic. To accent the gloss black frame we chose to have all suspension components coated to match the wheels, A-arms and trailing arms got powder coated in chrome first, then received the same Gold kandy with metallic coating. The motor / trans came fresh on a crate, while the rear end was sourced from a donor truck and received a full rebuild. The driveshaft was another local shop Florida Powertrain who fabricated exactly what we needed. The idea of doing a gold drivetrain seemed only fitting, so we contacted Manny of Tropical Glitz to handle painting all of the drivetrain in a custom mixed color to match the Gold powder coating. With a truck body now at the shop, we began to do all necessary rust repairs to it while maintaining the exterior patina as intact as possible. The firewall was smoothed out and the dash taken down to metal, both to be sprayed in a creamy ivory single stage. To keep a clean look inside the cab, the inside of the doors were also sprayed to match. Another local collaboration was with Clay who does some amazing pinstriping, he spent the day at the shop adding gold leaf and pinstripes all over the fresh paint and the old patina.
By now it was time to start putting all the pieces together. Every part available new for the truck was purchased, from door seals and glass, to chrome door handles and gauges. The rolling frame was put together with all new stainless hardware. We bent all new brake and fuel lines and plumbed the chassis for its air bag suspension. We turned to Accuair for the air management system with their white powder coated 5 gallon aluminum tank and their E-level system. Once all the frame and drivetrain was assembled the body parts started finding their new home. New wiring harness was installed and neatly tucked away as well as all new glass, seals and even power windows made their way in. Eddie handled getting the seats, door panels and headliner wrapped with his local interior shop, while we handled making a new carpet and kick panes at the shop. A new oak wood bed was modified to have a display window for the Accuair management package and then handed off to Tropical Glitz for staining and clearing. The metal rails were also matched to the drivetrain Gold color. After a few more odds and ends, bumpers and lights, handles and body parts the truck was ready for its maiden voyage. We didnt get to enjoy this truck much cause an offer was made just as it was being finished so the new owner was patiently waiting on the other side of the World. It was a fun project with lots of nice details and we hope it gets many miles of enjoyment as it cruises the New Zealand coast.
