"Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get," is one of the famous quotes from the movie Forrest Gump. While it rings true, it is still interesting to see life imitating art. You may wonder what Forrest Gump has to do with hot rods. It is not as far-fetched as you may think. After seeing the movie, Tony Henehan realized that for the previous two years he had been driving past an old, black truck - an old black truck just like the one he saw chasing Forrest in the movie. There is no telling how many times he drove by the same farmhouse on his way to work and never noticed the fading-black '52 F-1 Ford. Of course, after realizing what was sitting in the farmer's yard, curiosity got the best of him. Even then, it took several attempts to buy the truck. The deal was finally struck, along with a little cash transfer.
Tony knew the truck had been sitting for some time, but with a little patience and TLC, he also knew it would soon become driveable. Of course, driving around for a couple of years in a somewhat original state of decay was okay, but that was never the original plan. It did give Tony time to really think about the ultimate design of his truck. Once the final concept was completed and the basic parts were located, the fun began. Keep in mind, the fun lasted another two years to get the completed truck to become the driver shown here.
Starting with the basics, the truck was stripped and the body was set on jackstands after the old frame was removed. Tony fabricated a new frame from 2x5-inch square steel tubing. The front suspension is a subframe from a '77 Camaro that also uses HAL adjustable shocks as part of the basic rebuild. For the rear suspension, a pair of HAL adjustable coilover shocks were installed to work with a set of Chris Alston ladder bars to support the shortened 9-inch Ford rearend. The Ford housing contains a 4.3 Detroit locker setup along with a set of Mosier axles.
The engine machinework duties were offered to Owens Racing of Pearland, Texas. Starting with a base '95 big-block Chevy and working from the bottom up, the steel crank, Manley rods, and 8.5 blower pistons were all balanced before assembly into the 502ci big-block that is now found residing in the front of the Ford. The Brodix aluminum heads contain Inconel valves that are worked by a hydraulic roller cam. The big horsepower comes from the BDS 8-71 supercharger fed by twin Holley 850-cfm carbs that were modified by Biggs Carbs. The exhaust is a custom-built set of headers that Tony built. Once completed, the header pipes, which exit to a dual exhaust system created by Manvel Muffler, were Jet-Hot Coated. An engine of this build puts out about 800 hp on 93 octane gas, which keeps it streetable, quick, and very cool-sounding. The transmission is a reworked '69 Chevrolet Powerglide by TransKing of Galveston, which includes a trans brake and Stahl 3,000-rpm torque converter. While the engine was being assembled, Tony was preparing the engine compartment for the new powerplant. The firewall was smoothed and finished much like the exterior of the truck.
Having long been a fan of old-school style, Tony went to Fairlane Fiberglass to supply a one-piece tilt front end. A great side effect is that access to the engine is a dream for any maintenance that occasionally needs to be done. There were a few other body modifications that needed to be completed before the final paint could be sprayed, such as a 2.5-inch chop on the cab that Tony was able to complete himself. The running boards were also smoothed, and a Pro's Pick aluminum tonneau was added.
Like all things beautiful, it takes a great body to wear solid black. After going over the engine compartment and the interior, Robert Mesa of Alamo Custom Paint in Alvin, spent many an hour making sure the 40-plus-year-old body was as straight as it could be before laying down several layers of PPG Black everywhere.
Once the individual pieces of the truck were painted, the final assembly could finally begin. Starting with the interior, a Nu-Relics power window kit was installed in the doors, as well as a complete wiring kit from EZ Wire. A must for the Texas coastal summers, a complete Vintage Air A/C system was built by Lewis Makeovers just down the road in Pearland, Texas. For the rest of the interior, Shawn Cook of Cooks Top and Trim in Dallas, worked some of his magic. The basic bench seat was donated by a Ford Ranger, and the cover material used throughout is a sculptured Ultra leather found on the seat and door panels. The same material can also be found in a completely finished and detailed bed interior that is hidden and protected under the aluminum cover. Other extras for the interior include a Pioneer AM/FM/CD player that supplies the signals for a system powered by a Kicker 750-watt amp. The amp powers twin Kicker 10-inch subs, Infinity 6-inch door speakers, and a set of tweeters mounted in the headliner. There is also a DVD player that can be watched from the 7-inch flip-down monitor mounted in the headliner. A really nice addition is a set of wireless headphones that can be used when it is hard to hear over the whine of the blown big-block at cruising speed.
Of course, if you are going to cruise, you need a set of wheels that will give you enough rubber for the big-block to at least try to hook up. Tony chose a set of 15x14-inch Weld wheels that hold a pair of Mickey Thompson 33x21.5x15-inch Sportsman tires for the rear. For the front setup, a pair of 15x5-inch Weld wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich P215/65R15 tires.
Of course, all of the local hot rodders know the story of how Tony really got interested in building his little black truck. So, from the very beginning, Tony has had to endure the usual jabs by his buddies, particularly during the early cruising times in the stock-motored '52 Ford. However, the first time out with the blown big-block Ford project complete, the famous phrase "Run, Forrest run," quickly took on a whole new meaning.