Talk about an attention getter! Retired Tujunga, California, computer administrator Gary Sutton owns this beautiful flamed School Bus Yellow '40 Ford pickup. Throughout the course of its existence, this truck has been owned/built by Pat Hughes, Kevin Green, and Gary Nelson. However, exactly who did what remains unclear.
Out back, the pickup features a fully boxed frame with a traditional parallel leaf spring suspension and Chassis Engineering-dampened 3.00:1-geared Ford Mustang 8-inch rearend bolted to it. Up front, the '40 makes use of a Chassis Engineering 6-inch dropped tube axle setup with a split wishbone, CE dropped spindles and tube shocks, and Mustang II disc brakes. Steering is by way of a Saginaw 605 power steering box. Wheels and tires on the little pickup consist of 17x7 and 18x8 SRRC billet center wheels wearing a set of P205/40ZR17 and P255/45ZR18 Nitto low-pro radials.
Powering this little beauty is a 10:1 compression, GM Performance Parts ZZ4 crate engine. Externally, the four-bolt-main 350 is equipped with a vintage Offenhauser six-pot intake manifold combined with a set of six high-tech, albeit vintage-appearing, RetroTek EFI throttle bodies set up by Ken Farrell of Corona, California. Also part of this combination is a GM HEI and a pair of thermal-coated Sanderson headers. Backing up the small-block is a GM TH350.
When it came to preparing the '40's sheetmetal for paint, Barry White's Speed Shop first installed a pair of Wescott fiberglass rear fenders along with rolling the rear pan (which conceals a Tom Ward trailer hitch), as well as filling in the bumper extension pockets. With bodywork completed, Speed Shop Custom Paint sprayed the '40 in PPG School Bus Yellow. The forthcoming flames were done by Miracle Design.
Inside, you'll find a Glide Engineering seat covered in a traditional Indian blanket. Also on board is an ididit six-way tilt steering column hooked up to a Grant banjo steering wheel. Other amenities include Bob Drake Reproductions mohair door panels, an Audio Advice/Alpine sound system, Vintage Air A/C, and Ron Francis-wired/US Speedometer-restored factory gauges.
"One of these days, I plan to have Dave Lumetta upholster the inside, but right now I'm having too much fun driving the thing!" commented Sutton with a smile.
The new pickup bed floor was nicely done with stainless-flanked mahogany, and you'll also note some tasteful pinstriping (more of Miracle Design's work) on the tailgate. To date, Sutton's '40 has won numerous trophies at local events, but the real reason why the truck was built was to go cruising!