When it comes to custom metal-work, anyone can drastically alter a truck or car for a dramatic response, and there are plenty of them out there. But do you want a vehicle that's well thought out and proportioned with clean lines, or the opposite, with a bunch of people gawking at the show because it's crazy looking? Granted, this is all a matter of taste, but custom metalwork is often a good place to exercise the "less is more" school of thought. Remember, the idea is to improve on what Detroit did or didn't do; those who find no fault in a truck's factory design tend to restore.
The Roadster Shop has honed in on this over the years and built a reputation on their good ideas and even better craftsmanship. In this installment on Mike Crimaldi's '53 F-100, we're taking a look at some of the changes to Henry's design toward the back half of the truck that might be overlooked or unnoticed if we didn't point them out. Follow along and get your wheel spinning, or call up the Roadster Shop and have them do it for you!
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The Roadster Shop decided to widen the rear fenders, but not in the way you might think. A straight line marked on the fender's flat "horizontal" plane shows where it's going to split open like a hot dog in a microwave. |
A body saw makes short, steady work of almost severing the new Pro's Pick fender in half. |
After eyeballin' the situation long enough, the Roadster Shop determined that opening the very back of the fender 1 inch would accomplish what they were after. |
With the new gap well clamped in place, the Roadster Shop held up a strip of sheetmetal on the back side and traced the gap onto it. |
Sheetmetal shears quickly trimmed the new sliver of steel that will be added to the fender. |
Once all the trimming was done to ensure that the new piece fits perfectly into the gap, it was tacked in place. A job like this is probably better left to a TIG welder rather than a MIG welder's hard bead. Trying to fit a piece this long can be a tricky job, so cutting it into two or three pieces can make it much easier. |
The TIG welder leaves a softer weld than a MIG welder, it can be worked like the sheet-metal that surrounds it, and it can be hammer-welded with a body hammer and dolly to minimize warpage. |
Once all the welding is done, the weld is carefully ground down on both sides of the fender, followed by a pass with the DA sander to reveal a practically seamless operation. |
It's probably more than most people will ever bother doing, but it's neat to see the difference an inch can make! Looking at the fender from the rear... |
...it's more parallel to the rest of the truck, giving it a bit more of an aggressive yet proportioned appearance. Notice the straight stake pocket. |
With all that's going on with the rest of the truck, you can guess that the new Pro's Pick bed will get the same treatment. The Roadster Shop decided to massage the stock, bulky stake pockets to make them flow a little better, so they first took them off the bedside. |
After a run-in with the cutoff wheel and the welder, the bottom of the stake pockets had a nice inward angle. |
At the top, the stake pockets were molded into the bedrail, which was capped off and rounded in the process. |
Taking a few styling cues from trucks fresh out of Detroit, this tail accent was fabbed and mocked up for a look-see. |
And if that wasn't enough, a few beads rolled into it looked even better and really dressed up the otherwise flat, plain tailgate. |
Without using a late-model bed, the Roadster Shop has really brought the F-100's back half into the now with carefully thought out alterations and additions. Having a good idea is one thing, but the proper execution of it is another when it comes to automotive restyling. |
Most people wouldn't think twice about where the running boards meet the rear fenders, right? Not the Roadster Shop! Watch them make a smooth transition even smoother. |
The goal is to make the edge of the running board run into and join the wide bead on the fender's lip. First, the top of the running board was split about a foot starting at the fender to make it flush with the bead on the fender. Next, a filler piece was made at the bottom of the fender to mate the two to make the 90-degree bend in the bead. |
This is perfect. There's even a tiny seam between the fender and the running board so the two can still be taken off if needed and aren't molded together. It's changes like this, where most people won't even know anything was done or what exactly was done, that are the coolest... |
...Enough mods like this and the truck will have people scratchin' their heads for days wondering why it looks different! |