Can you believe what engine they put in this ’58 Ford F-100!

Justin Nevius’ 

Justin Nevius of Junction City, Kentucky, has been around custom vehicles his entire life. He purchased this 1958 Ford F-100 back in 2014 as his first project truck.

“When I purchased the truck, it was just a cheap cruiser, but I loved it,” he says. “Unfortunately, over the next few years, the truck became pretty rough and was in serious need of a rebuild.”

It didn’t take long before Justin was ready to dig into the build and make it truly his own. He says he wanted to build a ’bagged truck since he was 16.

This build took off when Justin met Chris Cooper, the owner of The Flamingo Lounge and Rods in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. What Justin didn’t realize was just how quick his old truck would turn into something he had only dreamed about.

Nothing but the Best

Justin dropped off the truck with Chris in 2018 so he could get started bringing life back into the truck. This would be an entire rebuild project all the way down to the frame.

My favorite part of  the truck is the truck itself. You just don’t see many of the 1957-1960 F-100s.

The truck is now sitting on a Chevrolet S-10 frame that has been C-notched to get the truck to lay on the ground. Chris had to fabricate custom body mounts to get the F-100 body to line up perfectly. As Justin wanted nothing but the best, Chris installed a Thorbros 4-link along with Ridetech strong arms and Proforged steering. Airlift airbags were installed in the front and rear along with Monroe shocks. With most of the air-ride components bolted up, it was time to get the Accuair E-Level installed and dialed in. Justin wanted to be able to lay this thing all the way on the ground, so Chris was in for a challenge!

Unfortunately, Justin ran into a few problems during the building process.

The main problem, he says, is that “they don’t make parts for these trucks anymore. So, my biggest issue with the build was finding parts and making it work with what we had.

“A lot of the parts had to be made from scratch. We also searched tons of swap meets to find what we needed.”

The original fuel tank was removed, and a 14-gallon Tanks Inc. fuel tank was bolted up. Justin purchased a set of staggered Coys C5 Wheels, 18×8 in the front and 20×10 in the rear. Wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact tires, this truck rides super smooth as it skates down the interstate just inches off the ground, and boy do the tires tuck hard when he lays it out!

An Uncommon Original

After most of the chassis work had been completed, they moved on to the exterior. The entire exterior of the truck is all original, even down to the grille.

They added a custom hardwood bed that lifts, and the blue patina paint on this F-100 really sets this truck apart from other trucks. To Justin, “the truck itself is the most unique feature about the build,” he says. “You don’t see many people building ’57-’60 F-100s.”

Justin then installed a set of Holder’s Hotrods wheel tubs. Wanting to add a few more custom touches, Justin called up his friend Kirby Stafford in Danville, Kentucky. Kirby laid down some awesome pinstriping on the dash and several of the exterior panels.

With the air-ride and chassis complete, next up was the engine and drivetrain. Under the hood is a massive 1996 Chevrolet 350 V-8. They used a set of S-10 motor mounts, which made the entire process of bolting this big V-8 up in the truck super easy. Justin also removed the original carburetor and installed a Holley 600cfm carb to give this truck a little more power. He also upgraded to an HEI ignition. A custom 2.5-inch exhaust system was welded up under the truck as well as a set of stainless MagnaFlow mufflers that really make this truck sound as aggressive as it looks!

The 1987 700R transmission holds up well to the power the mighty Chevy 350 puts down. Under the rear of the truck is a 1991 10-bolt Chevy S-10 drive axle as well as S-10 brakes in the front and rear. Justin upgraded to an 8-inch CPP brake booster and master cylinder. Justin then installed a Lokar shifter to match the theme of the interior.

Justin was determined to make this truck truly something custom. He never thought he would have the chance to build something of this caliber.

“I have always wanted a ’bagged truck,” he says. “There is just something about an old truck laying rocker, tucking some big wheels. It’s just cool.”

Justin was able to take this ol’ Ford and create a Recycled Opportunity.

Final Finishing Steps

With most of the exterior modifications complete, Justin moved to the interior of the truck—and he knew just who to call. He took the truck to Jonas Taulbee and Erik Demonbreun at Auto Kustoms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

Jonas and Erik created an amazing custom bench seat wrapped in distressed brown vinyl. They then built some custom door panels wrapped in the same distressed brown vinyl to match the bench seat. The F-100’s doors had to be rebuilt using a combination of Dennis Carpenter and LMC parts.

The ’58 dash received several upgrades. All new Dakota Digital VHX gauges were installed as well as a 15-inch Speedway 40 Ford steering wheel. Justin knew he was going to cruise this truck everywhere he could, so installing Vintage Air was the final step in completing his build.

With the truck finished, Justin was finally able to get the truck out on the open roads. The entire build took a little over a year to complete.