In the Family for 38 Years

THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFULLY SATISFYING ABOUT BRINGING BACK A FAMILY HEIRLOOM. Breathing new life into a truck that sat in the woods for a decade or so is particularly gratifying, especially when the completed ride turns out to be one of the best of its kind. This ’66 F-100 originally belonged to Tony Wood, purchased back in the ’70s. While Tony enjoyed the truck, his son James loved the truck even more, and in the ’90s when James was 15, it became his. James began several upgrades to personalize the truck, adding a new front cross member, a narrowed rearend, and a set of custom wheels. It was the perfect transportation during high school with the 327 V-8 even doing a creditable job at the local drag strip on weekends.

“NOW THAT JAMES’S FIRST AND ONLY TRUCK HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO HIS ULTIMATE DREAM RIDE, IT ALSO SERVES AS A GREAT SHOWPIECE FOR THE SHOP AND TONY’S TALENTS.

Flash forward to 2014 when James asked his brother Tony Wood Jr. for help in transforming the truck into his ultimate dream ride. Both men work in the auto industry and Tony owns Tony’s Hot Rod Shop in Meridian, Mississippi. This time, the makeover would entail more than just a few cosmetic upgrades. The process began by taking the truck completely apart, boxing and C-notching the frame, adding a tubular transmission cross member, and welding in a new Fatman Fabrications front end with 1-inch drop springs and 2-inch drop spindles. A No Limit Fatbar 4-link holds an 8.8 Ford Explorer rear, fitted with 3.73 gears and 31-spline Moser axles. It was narrowed 4 inches on each side to accommodate the wide wheels scheduled for the truck. QA1 adjustable coil-overs stabilized each wheel, while modern stopping power was achieved with six- piston Wilwood brakes up front and four-piston versions in the rear. The chassis became a roller thanks to Billet Specialties Daggers, 18x9s up front and huge 20x15s in the rear. Sunny rubber up front and Mickey Thompson out back laid down an effective contact patch.

Bodywork on the cab was next and virtually every inch was massaged in some way. All of the seams were welded and filled. The cowl vent was welded shut, the rocker panels were cut and moved inboard, then 1 inch was added to the bottom of the doors to fill the void. The tops of the door corners and drip rails were rounded, and then the door handles were removed and replaced with a set of distinctive Kindig-It units. Billet Specialties side mirrors were frenched into place for a vintage look. The pleats in the rear cab wall were removed along with the gas filler cap. Up front, the hood seams were welded and smoothed. The bumper was narrowed 4 inches, tucked in tightly to the body, and the corners extended to meet the fenders. The original parking lights were eliminated and distinctive Red Line LumTronix White Diamond Halo headlights with built-in turn signals now light the way at night.

Moving to the rear, the bed also received the custom treatment with Tony using double wall construction for the bed floor and sides. Oversize tubs were created to clear the ultra wide wheels and a new roll pan smoothed the rear. Tony eliminated the Ford logo from the tailgate, forming new sheet metal to cover both sides and relocating the handle inside. A Pros Pick filler neck was added to the bed floor, and then the bed was sent to Donnie Massey of D&H Construction, where the crew fabricated the awesome curly maple floor.

In order to properly showcase the new motor, the firewall was smoothed and 1962 Ford F-100 inner fender panels, core support and header panels were chosen for their flowing, rounded curves. The results are dramatic and the rebuilt 1995 Mustang 302 sits in the engine compartment like a jewel. Fitted with a Holley 670 Street Avenger on a Parker NASCAR- style intake, the V-8 uses RHS aluminum heads, a Comp Xtreme Energy roller cam, MSD ignition and Speedway Motors ceramic-coated headers that flow into a 2.5-inch system with an X-pipe and polished Black Widow mufflers. Bright work accents include the Billet Specialties pulley system, Champion radiator, Ford Racing valve covers, and polished air cleaner, all highlighted by the bright Platinum Silver paint. The Ford three- speed automatic was strengthened with a Centerforce flywheel, B&M internals and uses a B&M shift kit.

Like the exterior, the interior is also a work of art. The beautifully contoured bench seat was built by Stewart’s Kustom Upholstery in Adamsville, Alabama. The unique door panels and headliner were stitched to match, all covered in rich brown Havana leather. New sheet metal was added to the doors so they flowed into the dash and Tony built a custom gauge cluster to house the Veethree instrument package. An Alpine CDE-124SXM receiver with CD and SiriusXM plays through a pair of 6.5-inch component sets mounted in the kick panels. The subtle center console flows along the trans hump and holds the Lokar shifter. Vintage Air keeps the cab cool, while Clayton Machine Works pedals and door handles, a Billet Specialties Stiletto wheel and cinnamon-colored loop carpeting complete the look.

The final step was paint and that was James’s specialty. The truck was taken apart so that under the hood, the bottom of the cab and bed, as well as the entire frame could be sprayed in platinum silver basecoat followed by clear. The exterior is a mile deep thanks to four coats of PPG Absolute Red followed by four more coats of clear.

With their creation complete, James and Tony rushed to get the truck ready for this year’s F-100 Supernationals, an event that James wanted to attend for almost 25 years, but he never felt his truck was competitive. This year, however, things were different. The eight-month, late-night effort was completed just two days before the show. With more than 700 vehicles in competition, the slick ’66 was the top vehicle at the event, capturing the prestigious Overall Points Champion award, which is about as strong a first showing as anyone could ask for! Now that James’s first and only truck has been transformed into his ultimate dream ride, it also serves as a great showpiece for the shop and Tony’s talents.

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TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

James Wood and Tony Wood
1966 Ford F-100
Meridian, MS
Tony’s Hot Rod Shop

ENGINE

• Shop: Tony’s Hot Rod Shop
• 1995 Ford 302 V-8
• Holley 670 Street Avenger carb
• Parker NASCAR- style intake
• RHS aluminum heads
• Comp Xtreme Energy roller cam
• MSD ignition
• Speedway Motors ceramic-coated headers
• 2.5-inch exhaust with X-pipe
• Polished Black Widow mufflers
• Billet Specialties pulley system
• Champion radiator
• Ford Racing valve covers
• Polished air cleaner
• 1962 Ford F-100 inner fender panels
• Wilwood master cylinder on the smooth firewall
• Platinum silver paint in the engine compartment
• Ford three-speed automatic
• Centerforce flywheel
• B&M shift kit

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Tony’s Hot Rod Shop
• Boxed and C- notched frame
• Tubular transmission cross member
• Fatman Fabrications front end
• 1-inch drop springs and 2-inch drop spindles
• No Limit Fatbar 4-link
• 8.8 Ford Explorer rear narrowed 4 inches on each side
• 3.73 gears and 31- spline Moser axles
• QA1 adjustable coil- overs
• Six-piston Wilwood front brakes, four- piston in the rear

WHEELS & TIRES

• 18×9 Billet Specialties Draggers up front
• 265/35R18 Sunny front tires
• 20×15 Billet Specialties Daggers in the rear
• 29×18.00×20 Mickey Thompson rear tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Tony’s Hot Rod Shop, body
• Donnie Massey of D&H Construction, wood bed
• All body seams welded
• Cowl vent welded shut
• Rocker panels cut and 1 inch added to door bottoms
• Door corners and drip rails rounded
• Kindig-It door handles
• Specialty side mirrors
• Front bumper narrowed 4 inches and tucked
• LumTronix White Diamond Halo headlights
• Double wall bed with oversize tubs
• Smooth roll pan and tailgate
• Pros Pick filler neck in bed floor
• Curly maple bed floor
• Platinum Silver engine room, frame and the bottom of the cab and bed
• Four coats PPG Absolute Red and four coats clear both by James Wood

INTERIOR

• Tony’s Hot Rod Shop, fabrication and paint
• Stewart’s Kustom Upholstery, Adamsville, AL, upholstery
• Contoured bench seat
• Matching door panels and headliner
• Brown Havana leather
• Sheet metal added to the doors
• Custom gauge cluster in a custom dash
• Veethree instrument package
• Alpine CDE-124SXM receiver
• Two 6.5-inch component sets in the kick panels
• Center console with Lokar shifter
• Vintage Air
• Clayton Machine Works pedals and door handles
• Billet Specialties Stiletto wheel
• Cinnamon-colored loop carpeting

SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE OWNER: “Thanks to Jim and Tony at Red Line LumTronix and Alan Lightsey for his last- minute powder coating of hinges and latches.”

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