A ’71 F-100 with the Right Amount of Rust

While we never did anticipate the patina look to lose its popularity any time soon, finding new project trucks out there that have a perfect, naturally weathered finish is proving to be harder than ever. Luckily for those on the West Coast, locating rusty but not rusted-out trucks is still an occurrence that happens every now and again.

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A few years back, Steve Adgate unearthed this ’71 F-100 from a local junkyard not far from his home in Northern California. The truck needed some attention to get it back on the road again, but Steve was more attracted to the artistically aged paint and surface rust that only Mother Nature has been able to perfect. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with faux patina finishes, there’s just something about the genuine story of a truck that has earned its weathered skin. How long was it originally in use? How long had it been sitting forgotten about in the boneyard? Has it always been in the Northern California area? While these questions may never be fully answered, there’s a sense of pride in preserving the appearance like the one this Ford has earned in its 50-plus years of existence.

FORD + CHEVY

Once Steve got the F-100 back to his workshop, he closely inspected the engine, transmission, and suspension systems to figure out if he wanted to salvage anything from them. Instead of trying to make something out of what was originally there, he scrapped it all and looked for a donor truck—a ’90s model Chevy full-size pickup to harvest everything he’d need from it. Steve had other plans for the suspension, so he didn’t even mess with any of that, but it was the V-8 engine and transmission he was more interested in hanging on to.

Pulling the GM engine and transmission transplant combo worked out great, and they would soon be mated once again—this time inside of this FoMoCo pickup. There were no hard boundary lines that Steve was too worried about crossing while mixing Ford and Chevy components. He simply wanted to get the truck back on the road without the burden of ruling out perfectly good parts just because they weren’t the “right” brand.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with faux patina finishes, there’s just something about the genuine story of a truck that has earned its weathered skin.

As far as the chassis system, Steve figured it best to start from scratch, as he opted to put a full custom Choppin’ Block/CB Chassis frame underneath the F-100. This would allow for the truck to sit as low as possible while still maintaining a comfortable ride quality with the utmost of reliability. Not too long after Steve wrapped up the suspension setup, he began to get inquiries about selling the truck that he successfully brought back from the dead. One offer stood out from the rest as it came from Chad Cooper from Magnolia, Texas, who already owned a truck that Steve had previously built. Chad wished to have the opportunity to add to his collection of Adgate-built customs, and luckily found himself in that very position before too long.

Is there such a thing as a “perfect patina”? Perhaps!

CHANGING HANDS

The first thing Chad wanted to see done was for the F-100 after he purchased it was for the engine to be gone through and upgraded where possible. Performance In-Frame Tuning in Napa, California, took the top end of the engine off and removed a good deal of parts and replaced them with top-shelf Edelbrock Performance products.

Once the GM powerplant was humming and running like a champ, Chad had the truck delivered to Max Fish at Bio Kustumz in Southern California to add some new shocks to the chassis for even better ride quality while increasing the turning radius for the Raceline Executive wheels that he selected to bolt on. These 26s are massive, but with some very strategic tweaks here and there, the F-100 has no problem tucking them nice and deep when parked or driving at a fraction of an inch off the ground.

Chad fully appreciated the truck that Steve Adgate had built back when he decided to buy it, but he wanted to push it a bit further to put his own touch on it.

There wasn’t too much that had to be done to the Ford’s exterior to get the look that Steve was originally after. When he still had the truck, he built a custom bed floor using some old wood planks he happened to come across. Well, once Chad got ahold of the truck, he was asked his friend Bill Flynn to create one-off kick panels and a subwoofer enclosure behind the seat using the leftover wood used in the bed. The unique plaid design upholstery used to cover the seat helps create period correctness inside the cab, which further lends to the F-100’s overall cool, classic demeanor. Before he was done, Chad just had to wire up a full audio system featuring an Alpine head unit and JL Audio components for a well-balanced sound quality that he can enjoy when out for a proper cruise.

Chad fully appreciated the truck that Steve Adgate had built back when he decided to buy it, but he wanted to push it a bit further to put his own touch on it. Since its completion, Chad has shown this truck all over the United States, but like a lot of adventures with custom vehicle builds, it has since changed ownership once again.

Chad enjoyed the hell out of the experience of building and driving the ’71 when it was his, and he is consoled in knowing that the next owner will be just as happy with it. The F-100 sports the ideal shade of patina, maintains a mostly stock exterior appearance, but most importantly tucks 26-inch nuts without reservation. A resume of that stature is sure to impress anyone, anywhere it goes.

TECH SPECS

OWNER

Chad Cooper
1971 Ford F-100
Magnolia, TX
No Regrets

ENGINE

Shop: A.J. Gracy @ Performance In-Frame Tuning, Napa, CA
1999 Chevy V-8 and transmission
Standalone harness and computer
Edelbrock fuel injectors, coils and fuel rails, mid-rise intake manifold, larger throttle body, valve covers, fuel pump

CHASSIS