1953 Ford F-100 - The Gift That Keeps Giving

Dwayne Richardson has at least two things that would make any hot rodder envious. One of which is this beautiful '53 F-100, and the other is the reason the truck is in the condition it is now; his wife Marta that insisted that he get it built as her wedding anniversary present. Most of us would settle for a wife that would merely put up with our garage antics, but to find one that sets an ultimatum that either we get it done or she will is more than we could hope for.

The Richardson's history with the F-100 goes back over 30 years when Dwayne was finally able to convince its owner to sell him the 37,000-mile original truck back in 1972. The truck came from the factory about as stripped as you could get--six-cylinder, three-speed, no heater or defroster, one sunvisor, and one taillight. But, it was all there and in excellent original condition. Over the next 10 years, Dwayne used it as his daily driver, rebuilt the engine, added an overdrive, and rebuilt the brakes, suspension, and steering. The truck even showed up on the cover of his and Marta's wedding invitation with the two of them waving out the back window (note: good sign she was going to be cool with the whole old-car thing if she allowed it to be part of her wedding plans).

With the truck showing a few signs of wear and tear, Dwayne got the idea to fix up the old truck and spent the next two years rendering the truck undriveable (been there and done that). In over his head, Dwayne let the truck sit in the garage for the next 18 years untouched until Marta told him he'd better do something with it or she'd fix it herself.

Dwayne checked out a few shops and finally found Hot Rods and Custom Stuff in Escondido, California. After talking with the man behind HRCS, Randy Clark, and checking out a few of the vehicles that came out of the shop, Dwayne knew he'd found the shop that could turn his dreams into reality.

One of those dreams was to have a vintage Hemi fill the cavernous engine compartment. A '57 Dodge Hemi was located, sent to HDS in Escondido to be machined, and then assembled at HRCS. A Hemi doesn't look right with just one carb, so for induction duties, an Offenhauser dual quad intake was polished and topped with a pair of Edelbrock 500cfm four-barrels and installed.

If you're going to have a Hemi, you've got to be able to row through the gears, so HRCS mated a Richmond five-speed to the engine with some help from a Wilcap/Cappana bellhousing adapter. Dwayne's original plans called for an overdrive trans, but the Richmond's fifth gear is 1:1, which has resulted in the only change he wants to make with the finished truck. The 3.89:1 rear gears will be swapped soon for a set of more highway-friendly cogs.

Dwayne's instructions for the body were to clean it up while still maintaining the stock character. HRCS shaved the emblems, filled the cowl and seams, and installed one-piece side windows (no small feat and one they're not sure they ever want to do again). The interior was treated with the same thought in mind. Ron Mangus stitched a Glide bench seat and custom door panels in brown leather, which complements the modified original dash very well.

HRCS managed to get the Effie finished in just over two years, just in time to celebrate Dwayne's and the F-100's 50th birthdays. We wonder what Marta will make Dwayne do for next year's anniversary?