Most every corner on the cab was rounded, the cowl vents were filled, the handles and emblems were shaved, the seams were welded and smoothed, and the doors were cut and modified for one-piece side glass. The Roadster Shop even made custom running boards to ensure that they flowed properly into the front and rear fenders and were raised up from their stock location to, again, perfect proportions. The rear fenders were widened 1 1/2 inches in a pie-shaped fashion to add more depth to the rear sides to ensure the wheel openings were parallel to the wheels as they sit in the fenders. The Pro's Pick bed was massaged and tailored to match the rest of the all but one-off truck, which includes the noticeable tailgate changes and, of course, the unique and intricate aluminum-framed, vacuum-formed, carbon-fiber bed floor insert crafted by 3G Services in Taylor, Michigan, because wood simply wouldn't do at this stage. Also in the F-100's rear are heavily massaged C3 Corvette bumpers that now hold Watson's StreetWorks LEDs.
After all this work, it just wouldn't be right to stick a plain Jane motor into the '53, so a call was made to Mr. go-fast himself, Bill Mitchell, to place an order for one of his World Class 509ci big-block Chevy motors that thumps to the tune of 560 horsepower. To get all those ponies to the BFGoodrich G-Force tires out back, a Tremec TKO-600 five-speed transmission was ordered from Keisler Engineering and nestled between the framerails. Dressing up the inwardly brutish Rat motor are a set of Billet Specialties valve covers painted and striped at the shop, and preceding the big-block is a Billet Specialties Tru Trac serpentine belt system to keep things spinning in unison. The Roadster Shop fabricated the 3-inch stainless steel exhaust that incorporates Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers and mates up to the Sanderson Big Tube headers.
Taking a look inside the F-100, it is safe to say there has been just as much painstaking work done in the confines of the cab as there has been elsewhere, from the handformed aluminum waterfall center console and door panels complete with carbon-fiber inserts to the custom dashboard with its six-gauge pod that houses the Auto Meter Carbon Fiber Series gauges that keep the distinctive theme going. A closer look reveals perforated mesh in the dash that not only looks trick, but also serves as vents for the Vintage Air system. The tilt ididit column hangs from the matte silver dash via a one-off tubular mount with a perforated insert and holds the Budnik steering wheel that eclipses the intricate Kugel swing pedals mounted on the firewall.
Once the Roadster Shop coated the truck from top to bottom in PPG two-tone Black and a custom-mixed blue metallic hue, Rick's Pinstriping added the silver leaf accent between the two colors as well as the arrow-straight pinstriping on the rest of the truck before sending the '53 to Paul Atkins Interiors in Cullman, Alabama, for a trim job that would complement and match the quality work already performed. Paul covered the ISS bucket seats and much of the rest of the interior in charcoal leather, as well as crafting the Mercedes-style charcoal carpet.
Nothing less than perfection took place over the last two years at the Roadster Shop, and as the project progressed, Mike, who didn't need to justify the build by any means, but wanted it to mean something more, decided the F-100 would be a fitting tribute to his son David, who they lost to SIDS at 3 months old a little over 20 years ago. They went on to have three healthy daughters who are all now teenagers and young adults, but none took to the "car thing" like their son might have. So the F-100 has grown to represent the father and son time Mike and David might have spent together, but in the most positive and optimistic way possible. Not to mention the fact the '53 has helped to establish the Roadster Shop as a full-service turnkey shop with an appetite for the meticulous. Eat up, everybody!