Goodguys 2019 Scott’s Hotrods Truck of the Year Early
Congratulations to Danny Bouchard for winning the Goodguys 2019 Scott’s Hotrods Truck of the Year Early title with his 1958 Ford F100! We’ll see you in Scottsdale November 15-17, 2019!
The 1957-60 Ford F100 has never been as popular as its predecessor, nor later designs. Maybe this was due to the boxier, wider front end extending square over the wheels, or perhaps the quad headlights that came out in 1958?
To each his own, but Danny Bouchard has been a Ford guy all his life and decided he wanted to go against the grain of popularity with his next hot rod. This led to the decision to build a big-window ’58 F100. To help form a vision of what the truck would become, Danny took his ideas to prolific rod designer Eric Brockmeyer to develop a concept that would help guide the team at Korek Designs throughout the transformation.
Once a design was settled upon, Carlos, the name given to the ’58, was taken apart and the custom work began. An Art Morrison chassis was called upon to supply a solid foundation. The chassis is fit with coil-overs, a rear four-link securing a 9-inch Strange rearend, and a set of Wilwood 14-inch brake rotors with six-piston calipers. The Ford rolls on a custom set of Mike Curtis 19- and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Continental tires.
As the chassis work progressed, the body was also getting its share of custom work, including new bumpers and a custom grille assembly with a thinned-out surround and custom center bar. The drip rails were sliced off, the cowl filled, and the hood received a pair of scoops in front and vents on each side to evacuate some of the hot air formed around the supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote built by Vintage Motorsports. The motor exhales through a custom 3-inch Flowmaster exhaust system culminating into a custom center exhaust tip. Fesler taillights serve as bookends to a custom tailgate and the bed is finished in white oak. The pickup was coated in a deep, one-off PPG paint dubbed “Blue Ice” by Ryan Korek.
The interior also received its share of upgrades, with John Miller at Hide Originals handling the Relicate leather stitch work over a pair of Snowden custom buckets, the custom center console, door panels and headliner. A Dakota Digital HDX-2018 instrument cluster fills the dash along with a custom extension to house the Vintage Air system and vents.
The transformation of a utilitarian fridge on wheels to an amazing, one-of-a-kind custom truck took more than three years and nearly 3,000 hours of dedication and perseverance from everyone involved. The truck exceeded all of Danny’s expectations and he even admits having to pinch himself every time he gets in it. Congratulations to everyone involved in this truly unique, amazing, and deserving 2019 Scott’s Hotrods Truck of the Year Early!
Photos by John Jackson
