Change can be a scary thing at times. But generally after some time has past, it works out for the best and you start wondering how you ever got along before. The F-100 SuperNationals went through such a change this year. It has always been the show to go to if your interests were deep into old Ford trucks. The amount and quality of the trucks in attendance were always high, but the old location just couldn't keep up the pace with the growing event. At last year's show, trucks were stacked so tight, just walking around them was difficult. Forget about trying to get a truck out to go cruise it anywhere.
Knowing how much the participants enjoyed the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, location, Pat Ford had to make the difficult decision to take the show on the road and move it a few miles down the highway to Knoxville. Although a few concerns were voiced, there's no doubt the move benefitted the show. The new digs at the Chilhowee Park were spacious with well-groomed lawns lined with large shade trees and a pond and fountain in the center. Twisting roads meandered around the show field for those wishing to get out in their trucks and cruise the sights (something that was impossible at the old location).
Trucks from all over the country and Canada came out, including several trucks driving on the SuperCruise from California (stay tuned for that story later.) Competition for the F-100 of the Year was fierce, and any one of the Top Five were well-deserving of the award. We look forward to the years to come as this show grows and starts to take advantage of its new home and continues to draw in the best examples of these old Fords that we enjoy so much.
A '95 Corvette donated the 350 LT1 and 4L60 overdrive trans. A Currie Enterprises
9-inch rearend and Fatman IFS complete the chassis. Boyd Coddington 20x8 and 17x7 five-spokes help give the pickup a retro hot-rod look. Gray leather covers the custom bench seat and door panels | 
Although it's showing some wear, Steve Miles' 47 F-1 still retains much of the same flavor and parts it had when it was featured in Popular Hot Rodding back in 1964. | 
The mid-'60s F-100s were well represented this year with several clean trucks. Although not as radical as some, this shortbed '76 owned by George Webb from Seymour, TN, was the perfect mix of restored and modified. |
Old speed-shop-themed trucks are gaining in popularity, and we liked this '57 Mercury shortbed even before we learned SuperNats promoter Pat Ford had his name on the title. | 
Mark Coleman drove out in one of the best stretched-cab F-100s that we've seen. The quarter window openings were obviously built from some extra doors he had laying around. | 
As always, the swap meet had plenty of sheetmetal and... |
...miscellaneous parts on-hand to keep those looking for vintage tin busy for a while. | 
Sam Beeler is well on his way to having a cool hauler. His '76 F-100 had only been out of his garage a few hours when it made its maiden voyage to the SuperNats. | 
It hugs the ground and tucks the cast-finish five-spokes thanks to a custom step-notch and 'bags. |
The interior has been finished in an Ultrasuede tan, and the custom dash flows into the door panels for a street rod appearance. | 
When it comes to old Ford trucks, you can find just about everything from unmolested originals to slammed in-the-works hot rods parked together. | 
Also new this year was an invited non-truck Ford-related group to the show. This year's group was old Ford tractors. (Next year's will be Falcons.) The tractors assembled on Friday for a cruise around the park. Many of them were restored, but a few hot rodded ones snuck in... |
...Some of the more interesting powerplants consisted of dressed Flatheads, an early Cadillac, and even a turbine-powered one. Will Drake owns this "Field Rod" which was built with several automotive trim parts from the '30s and an Offenhauser-equipped Mercury Flathead. | 
Gary and Linda Koontz's Azure Blue '56 stood out in the crowd of red Effies. The '03 Mustang Mach 1 color is very close to the old Grabber Blue and looked perfect on the truck. (The flawless finish didn't hurt.) A Gibbon's torsion bar front suspension supports a 5.0-liter Ford and gets the frontend down where it belongs. | 
The square-bed pickups are showing up more, and, by looking at Thomas Hall's '57, we can see why. The recently finished cruiser was built as a driver and something to tow a trailer with--which it can do nicely thanks to the Chrysler 413ci Wedge under the hood. |
Ron Jones dressed up the front end of his '52 Mercury with two extra grille teeth, '55 Buick headlights rings, and '49 Plymouth bumpers. | 
Stacey David from the Trucks! TV show was on-hand to check out the show and get the inside scoop from a few of the truck owners. They filmed most of the day, and then will have the difficult task of editing it down to a few minutes of run time. | 
The new location provided plenty of room both outside and inside for more venders to come out and show... |
...just what they could do to make building an old truck easier. | | |
TOP TRUCKS
The wildest truck in attendance was, without a doubt, Don Hackenburger's '56. No Limit Engineering spent the last couple of years fabricating and assembling the monster. Power comes from a 600ci big-block force-fed by a 14-71 blower with EFI... | 
...The No Limit frame (seen on this month's cover) features their Wide-Ride IFS and a custom-built IRS with ShockWaves. The tilt bed exposes the A/C compressor and alternator, which run off a pulley and driveshaft running along the passenger-side framerail. | 
Fresh off their Goodguys' Truck of the Year Top Five, Ed and Joy Stuart made the cut again with their much-cut '55 placing in the Top Five... |
...In case you missed the feature in our June '04 issue, the cab has been chopped 4 inches, sectioned 3 inches, and shaved. The bed has been widened 5 inches and shortened 5 inches. The Art Morrison chassis features a Corvette IFS and a four-link suspended Chris Alston 9-inch with airbags at each corner. A detailed EFI-equipped 454ci big-block gives the big Mickey Thompson
rear meats something to worry about. | 
Larry Hill crossed the northern border to bring out his smoothed and slammed pristine purple panel from Orillia, Ontario, and was rewarded with a Top Five for making the trip... | 
...The '53 features a small-block Ford and custom IFS. One of the tricks we liked was the trimmed-down front bumper sucked in towards the body. The top and bottom edges were trimmed back to give the bumper a lighter look, yet still maintain the original curve. |
Although they have built and owned several other hot rods and customs, Jim and Sandy Boruff told us that they have never had anything that got as much attention as this '53 they just finished... | 
We're not sure about their other rides, but the F-100 deserved everything it got and more. No airbags here! The truck sits just as it cruises thanks to the No Limit Engineering frame supporting a Fatman IFS and four-bar rear that rides on coilovers front and back. Detailing is just as well done underneath as it is on top of this truck--earning it a well-deserved spot in the Top Five. | |
F-100 OF THE YEAR
After all the votes were counted, Kevin and Susan Traylor's '56 Custom Cab came out on top... | 
...The truck's flawless construction owes itself to builder Don Jacks. The foundation consists of a custom frame built by Jacks, incorporating a '89 Corvette independent suspension front and rear. The body received many subtle custom mods, including lowered roof skin, rounded door and rear hood corners, shaved door handles and drip rails, smooth running boards, and a custom bed. | 
A GM Performance 502 sits under the mildly pie-cut hood. |
The interior features black smooth and perforated European leather over a custom bench and custom door panels... | 
Here you can see the integrated taillights that mimic the stock units and the custom tailgate hinges. Also notice how well the bumper has been tucked in towards the bed. | 
...One unique interior feature that really helps tie it together is the chrome trim that runs through each door and across the dash. The stock dash hump has been removed, and a custom panel has been added to house the Vintage Air controls and vents. |