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By definition, 25th anniversaries do not happen very often. Fiftieth anniversaries are at least twice as rare, and centennial celebrations of any one thing will undoubtedly only happen once in your lifetime. This year was a big one for Fords. Namely, Henry Ford and Pat Ford. As most of you already know, this year marks the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Company. More important to us truck guys is the fact that 2K3 is also the 50th anniversary of the first F-100. As if that weren't enough reason to celebrate, Pat Ford took over Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, this past May for his 25th Annual F-100 Supernationals.

Taking all of these milestones into consideration, it was no surprise that a record 1,639 Effies made the pilgrimage into the Great Smokey Mountains for this year's Supernats and Family Reunion, many of them as part of the F-100 Super Cruise that originated near Toronto, Canada. Pat even estimates that there were a couple hundred more trucks in town that weren't registered entries, putting the final tally at nearly double the previous year. Kevin and I arrived on Tuesday afternoon (remember, the show does not officially start until Thursday) and were amazed to see the main show area between the Grand Hotel and convention center already filled. By Friday, the trucks were spilling over into all of the neighboring hotels as far as the eye could see in either direction along the parkway.

The convention center was packed to the gills with vendors from all over the country who brought interactive displays, held workshops, and answered tech questions throughout each day. Just a sampling of those in attendance included Dan Carpenter Specialties, Carolina Classic F-100, The Fairlane Company, Obsolete Ford Parts, Air Ride Technologies, BeBop's Glassworks, RodDoors, ididit, and Dennis Carpenter Reproductions. The area behind the convention center was reserved for the swap meet, and every square inch was packed with smokin' deals on Ford truck parts from the '40s through '70s.

While the days are spent looking over the amazing amounts of trucks, new products, and swap meet items, the nights were reserved for all of the great restaurants, shows, exhibits, and most importantly, go-kart tracks that Pigeon Forge has to offer. Come Saturday afternoon, all of that was put aside when the whole town lined up along the parkway for what was to be the largest F-100 parade in history. That many Effies idling down the same drag was truly a sight to behold. Later that evening, over 3,000 participants gathered in the convention hall for the awards ceremony. After the literally hundreds of awards were given away, only the four biggest awards remained. Of the four trucks that were picked as finalists for the coveted title of F-100 of the Year, John Besick's '53 stake bed "1-Ton Tomato" won the Spectators Choice award, and Harold and Amy Nicely nabbed the Truckers Choice award with beautiful green '56. Finally, the Truck of the Year award was presented to Lew Thompson and his periwinkle blue '56. This is usually about the time when people scatter, but on this particular evening, each and every person in the auditorium sat quietly and waited for Pat's final announcement. You see, some lucky person in the room was going to be leaving with a new F-100. For the 25th anniversary, Pat commissioned The Toy Shop in Rydal, Georgia, to build the giveaway Effie using a No Limit chassis and parts from Billet Specialties, BFGoodrich, and just about every other sponsor of the Supernats. The extremely fortunate winner was Freddy McCall from Rockmart, Georgia, who was just about speechless as he accepted the keys with his wife and son.

The 25th F-100 Supernats turned out to be an overwhelming success and a great experience for everyone who attended. We learned a few things about Effies, forged new friendships, and got a lot of great Fords on film. Love must have been in the air at the Supernats. Not so much for us, but for the two couples that got engaged there (more on each elsewhere in the issue). For more information on Pat Ford's 26th F-100 Supernats, give the promotions office a call at (704) 872-7327 or log on to www.f100supernationals.com.

The Whipple supercharged small-block was in the vast minority here at the Supernats. Ninety-plus percent of the trucks here were Ford powered.	Bill DeGaine made the trek all the way from Cathedral City, CA. Flames were the theme under the hood, covering the air cleaner, valve covers, and inner fenders--and all polished to a mirror finish. Needless to say, Bill's '56 was high in the Top 50 list.	This chopped '55 belongs to Mark Shepard from Salisbury, NC. Under the tilt hood and within that powdercoated frame lies a highly detailed 5.0 H.O. powerplant.
Trevor and Roberta Rush finished at the top of their heap with their smoothed-over '67 longbed. The 17-inch Billet Specialties wheels are wrapped with 245/50 and 275/60 rubber.	Dummy spots, lakes pipes, homemade bed with padded tonneau, Briz bumpers, Echo cans, Firestone FR-721s on baby moons, louvers, and a lot of tuck 'n' roll. We'd say Gary Hosler's '53 is 1962 perfect.	Neither Kevin nor myself can ever walk by a truck like this without snapping a picture. In case you can't read it, the front plate says "It's hard to be humble when you drive the best."
Benny Burris and his '54 came from Grenada, MS, to be part of the fun. The truck has a nice stance and rides on the ever-venerable Torque Thrust IIs.	This '56 panel has a ton of neat little tricks that really made it stand out in the crowd. Well, the Offenhauser-equipped Olds engine probably helped too.	Clean and simple is the key for Joseph Olvera's '56. The red steelies are accented by a two-tone red and gray vinyl interior.
We didn't see the owner of this truck all weekend. All we can tell you is that it's one of the most immaculate '57s we've ever seen.	This "mini '56" panel was found lurking behind his big brother, who placed high in the Top 15 panels.	The flamed brandywine paint on this '55 was so spectacular that it wound up in front of our cameras. The two-tone leather interior is nothing to sneeze at, or on, either.
Doug Wimberly's bumperless '56 had a very low stance, a bunch of louvers, and a fresh coat of aqua suede.	What does it look like when over 1,600 of your Effie-owning friends meet up? Well, this is not even a quarter of it.	The swap meet had just about everything from bare cabs to rolling chassis. If you needed something to rebuild an F-100, chances are good you'd find something to drag home. With some of the prices we saw, we're sure some of it went back home with the sellers too.
Plenty of performance was on hand. Todd Crow of Chattanooga Valley, GA, gave his '72 a break from its dragstrip duties for a weekend of relaxation. A big-block 429 and C6 provide plenty of punch for those foolish enough to challenge the docile-looking pickup.	Several clean F-100s were looking for new owners. One of the cleanest '60s models we saw was this '68 equipped with a 360 and C6 brought out by Jack Harp from Bossville, GA. By Sunday morning, it had a new owner for a lot less than it would have cost to restore one.	Jim Blackman brought out his interpretation of a crossbred Lightning and '55 F-100. The truck features a 5.8-liter crate engine, 17-inch Corvette wheels, and all the creature comforts you'd expect in a new truck.
Even with all the trick trucks in attendance, the one that our editor Kevin wanted to bring home was Steve Haessly's '56 Custom Cab resto. It was so clean and subtle that it begged to be dropped just a little further and put into daily-driver service.	F-1s seem to be gaining in popularity and were very well represented in both restored and modified trucks. Bill and Janie Von Hofen brought their clean driver out from Jacksonville, FL. The basically stock body sans bumpers is highlighted with 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels wrapped in 245/40/ZR18 and 275/35ZR20 rubber.	We don't know if it's finished or not, but Mike and Cheryl Bragg's '56 small window looks good in hot-rod-gray primer and 16-inch Torque Thrusts. The small-block Ford motored them in from Canton, OH.
Let's see, we can put our ladder on top and store our tripods, camera gear, and reflectors in the utility bed. The 235ci six-cylinder won't win any races, but it should cut down on the fuel costs. We think we've just found our new company truck. Now all we need to do is convince Kevin Molley to part with it, and then find someone to write the check (oh, Mr. Brennan, we need you sign something).

Ford Racing was on hand to answer any questions about their nearly twin FR100s. These two trucks are anything but trailer queens. Both of them made the trip from California, rolling along with the Pickups Limited Super Cruise. Several participants got a chance to ride shotgun along the way and later attested to the trucks high-performance image.	Here's the guy you want to talk to when you've decided your truck's working days are over. Bruce Horkey was displaying several bed wood samples and giving out advice on the proper way to finish them to make sure the boards look good for years to come.	Sal and Evan made the trip out from SoCal to show off Total Cost Involved's new F-100 chassis and front suspension kit. If you're looking for a stout foundation to build your next truck on and don't want the trouble of upgrading your truck's 50-year-old original frame, this is definitely one of the best ways to do it.
You'd have to have a really nice original bed or a body man willing to work real cheap to use an original bed these days. Pro's Pick was showing just how much cheaper it is to start with new straight steel. They were also more than willing to put you into one of their new fiberglass cabs, as well.	Brent VanDervort and his crew from Fat Man Fabrications were showing folks just how easy is to get rid of their straight axles and replace it with an IFS. The hardest part might just be deciding between coils, 'bags, or coilovers. They also brought out a complete rolling chassis with with big-block Ford power.	Walton Fabrication was on hand with the new '53-56 F-100 chassis they offer. This one has been fit with a 32-valve DOHC engine and is part of a top-secret project truck that Mr. Walton won't tell us about. He did reassure us, however, that you would be reading about it in Classic Trucks first.
No Limit Engineering's Norhett, Amanda, and Michelle were on hand to answer all the tech questions regarding wide ride and fat bar suspensions. Rob, Tim, and Carlos were there too, but they were just eye candy for the female customers.	During the awards, things got a little crowded when the recipients of the Top 50 awards took the stage. Pat did get them to settle down long enough for a photo, though.	Taking top honors with the Truck of the Year award was the "Californian," owned by Lew Thompson of Denair, CA. Among other things, the immaculately detailed truck featured stainless bedsides and a glass bed floor.
A look under the tilt hood of the Californian reveals just what it takes to win the most prestigious award at the Supernats.	The fun-filled event culminated with the announcement of the new owner of the giveaway truck. Pat Ford and builder Eddie Smith handed over the keys to Freddy McCall and his wife and son for their very first cruise. We have a feeling Fred is still grinning ear to ear as we speak.