Nick’s 1950 Ford F1

NICK GUNTHER FROM SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI HAS BEEN A CAR AND TRUCK ENTHUSIAST SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE KID, AND HE CURRENTLY OWNS SOME VERY COOL CUSTOMS. Nick always wanted to have a vehicle displayed at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and he thought this ’50 Ford F1 would be the hot ticket—he was right.

Step one in the build was to remove the truck’s cab, doors, fenders, hood and bed from the stock frame. After the frame was media-blasted, it was delivered to Ace Fabrication in Springfield where it was rails boxed using 3⁄16 steel plate. A Speedway Motors Mustang II front clip was grafted to the frame rails, and a Speedway Mustang II rack- and-pinion power steering unit was installed along with matching tubular upper and lower control arms and 2-inch dropped spindles. A Moser 4-link and pan hard bar suspension anchors the Moser narrowed 9-inch rearend housing with 3.0:1 gears and 33 splined axles. A set of ShockWave pneumatic ’bags at all four corners coordinated with a RidePro Bluetooth-enabled module with dual compressors and a 5-gallon tank. Baer front and rear disc brakes with 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers are responsible for stopping. Nick’s F1 rolls on a set of Wheel Smith Artillery red powder-coated aluminum wheels with polished trim rings and center caps, front 18×8 and rear 18×14, wrapped with Kumho rubber.

Under the hood, the boys at Kaase Racing in Winder, Georgia worked their magic by creating a Kaase 547-ci Boss Nine SVO aluminum block that received a big bore kit, forged billet crank, stroked rods, pistons and rings. A pair of aluminum Kaase cylinder heads along with the F.A.S.T. stacked fuel injection was added. An Aeromotive A-1000 Series fuel delivery system, Fragola ProFlow fuel lines and AN fittings with psi regulators deliver fuel. The burnt gases are exhausted through a pair of Sanderson headers. To crank the engine, a Power Master 140-amp starter was bolted up. A custom tune was performed by Kaase to achieve the maximum torque and power curve for superior performance. When all was said and done, the mighty 547-ci Ford calculates out to 9.8:1 compression and produces 878 hp. The engine, custom headers and exhaust system were fabricated and installed by Jesse James at Austin Speed Shop in Austin, Texas. Austin Speed Shop was also responsible for installing the TCI Pro Built Ford C-6 automatic transmission with a 3,000-stall torque converter that was bolted up behind the Boss Nine 547 engine.

A lot of attention went into reworking the rough cab, fenders, hood and bed. Jason Brewer and his crew at Redline Finishes massaged the truck’s entire sheet metal surfaces. After media-blasting to remove the 55 years of paint, dirt and grime, it received extensive body modifications. Cab dents and dings were removed, and the truck was massaged and straightened with body filler then skim coated and sanded smooth. The cab’s roof seam and drip rails were filled and smoothed. The original windshield visor was also restored and smoothed. The doors were straightened, skim coated and sanded smooth. New door hinges were installed, the doors were rehung and adjusted, and then the door gaps were squared. The front fenders and hood were also reworked and smoothed.

Moving to the bed, the tailgate was welded to the bed and smoothed. The rear fenders were bonded to the bed sides, and the seams were filled and smoothed. The bed stake pockets were filled along with the bed rail ends and then sanded smooth. The oak bed floor was raised 4 inches for clearance of the rear frame rail’s step-notch.

The cab, doors, hood, front fenders and bed were given a couple of coats of PPG Vibrance 2100 Polyester Primer. The truck was block-sanded numerous times, and once it was in the paint booth, it was sealed with DPLV Primers. Then PPG Envirobase Redline Red waterborne custom mix was laid down as a basecoat. To achieve the matte eggshell clear finish, PPG Global D8115 and D8117 were mixed and sprayed. After time to cure, the clearcoat was cut and buffed. The crew at Color Vision in Springfield assisted with supplying the waterborne paint. Custom front and rear bumpers were fabricated and formed for a snug fit to the body and bed. A new chrome grille and headlight buckets were installed.

Larry White and his crew at White’s Auto Restyling in Springfield, Ohio were responsible for the truck’s interior. DynaMat sound deadening material was laid down before covering it with black cut-pile carpet. A black leather headliner and cab back wall complete the immaculate interior. A pair of ProCar bucket seats was covered with tuck ’n’ roll black leather and mounted on a pair of custom aluminum seat pedestals. The black factory dash received an aluminum gauge cluster filled with Auto Meter Prestige Black Diamond instruments. A Vintage Air control panel and vents directed the ideal creature comfort inside the cabin. To adjust the ride height, an Air Ride pneumatic ’bag control panel was mounted between the bucket seats for easy access. A Billet Specialties banjo steering wheel capped the ididit chrome tilt steering column. Gear selection of the Ford C6 automatic transmission is done with a Lokar 30-inch swan neck shifter.

Nick’s ’50 Ford F1 drew a lot of attention at the 2014 SEMA Show. It definitely stood out from the crowd and looked very cool cruisin’ down the Strip in Las Vegas.

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TECH SPECS

OWNER

Nick Gunther
1950 Ford F1 Pickup
Springfield, MO

ENGINE:

• 878-hp 2014 Ford 547-ci V-8
• Built, machined and assembled by Jon Kaase
• Installed by Austin Speed Shop
• Kaase aluminum 460 block
• Diamond flat-top pistons
• Aluminum Kaase ported and polished cylinder heads
• Manley BBC valves and springs
• Kaase push rods
• Comp Cams crankshaft, camshaft and cam gears
• Crower lifters
• Aluminum Kaase valve covers, powder- coated red
• MSD distributor and ignition wires
• Electric water pump and cooling fan
• Factory Walker-style aluminum radiator with A/C condenser and transmission cooler
• Billet Specialties serpentine kit
• F.A.S.T. stacked fuel injection
• Custom headers and exhaust
• MagnaFlow mufflers
• C6 automatic transmission with 3,000- stall torque converter

FRAME & SUSPENSION:

• Frame rails boxed and step notched
• Speedway Motors front suspension kit
• Speedway Motors control arms and spindles
• RideTech Shockwave airbags and air management system
• Speedway Motors steering kit
• Moser 4-link and pan hard bar
• Moser 9-inch narrowed rearend with third member, 33-spline axles and 3.0:1 gear ratio
• Baer brakes front and rear with 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers

WHEELS & TIRES:

• 18×8 and 18×14 Wheel Smith Artillery polished aluminum wheels with powder- coated red centers and chrome caps
• Kumho Ecsta V710 tires

BODY & PAINT:

• Shop: Redline Finishes,“J Daddy” Jason Brewer, “Rustin” Justin Kenney and “Hollywood” Justin Old
• Custom front and rear stainless steel bumpers
• Smooth firewall
• Modified original cab visor
• Fenders welded and smoothed to body
• All seems and drip rails smoothed
• Modified running boards
• Tailgate welded to bed
• Shaved inner bed and stake pockets
• Oak wood bed floor
• Redline Red Basecoat
• PPG EHP Waterborne Basecoat custom mix Redline Red covered with PPG 8115/8117 PPG Matte Clear

INTERIOR & AUDIO:

• Shop: White’s Auto Restyling Larry White Springfield, MO
• ProCar bucket seats with headrests
• Custom aluminum seat pedestals
• Black cut-pile carpet
• Black custom door panels and headliner
• Billet aluminum door handles
• Vintage Air AC
• Auto Meter Prestige Black Diamond gauges
• Ididit chrome steering column
• Billet Specialties banjo steering wheel
• Lokar pedals and 30-inch swan neck shifter

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