Enthusiasts who follow the crowd usually end up with a cookie-cutter ride that only stands out on the freeway when blended in with a sea of late-model stockers. Certain trucks have gained popularity as the brands and body styles to build. Chevy and Ford have enjoyed the majority of the custom spotlight, and the classic Ford '53-'56 F-100 is an old-school hauler many enthusiasts have used as the basis for their low-slung, smoothed, and rpm-turning desires. While these trucks are certainly popular and plentiful, the ingredients most builders use to craft them never really seems to change. Typically a '56 F-100 big-window is the truck of choice, and when it comes to color selection, most people seem to select red, black, or yellow-and they always stuff a 350ci small-block Chevy between the 'rails. Originality, when it comes to creating a unique Effie, has certainly gone by the wayside.
Rick Federmeyer of Anacortes, Washington, decided to build an extraordinary truck and to set a whole new level of custom style and refinement for the F-100. The result of his out-of-the-box thinking is the Nemesis. As a street-rod designer and builder, Rick is not shy when it comes to reshaping and redefining his metal and tossing on his custom signature. Of course, having the skilled metal and paint hand of Chris Odom from Extreme Metal & Paint by his side didn't hurt. When it came time to tear into the F-100, going crazy with the stance and looks was the only custom road Rick was interested in traveling down.
Once the cab, bed, and frontend were hoisted from the chassis, Rick locked the door to his shop and went full-throttle, crafting a fresh skeleton for the F-100 skin to hang on. New framerails were crafted using 2x4- and 2x3-inch boxed mild steel, and the tail end was shortened 6-inches to accommodate the new F-150 bed. A custom Mustang II-style frontend complete with Heidt's upper and lower control arms and Heidt's 2-inch drop spindles combined with Lincoln Rolling Lobe airbags hammer the nose down hard for the ultimate cruising altitude and attitude. The rear framerails were treated to a deep C-notch and an '87 Mustang rearend with a four-link and Lincoln Rolling Lobe airbags. Custom lower control arms, air spring perches, iron cross sway-bar mounts and polished hard lines for the air suspension further accent the chassis. Rick's buddy Aaron Starkovich installed the custom air suspension, and the pavement-grinding stance was topped off with 18x9-inch front and 18x9.5-inch rear Centerline Sahara wheels strapped in Ventus P245/ 40 ZR18 front and P265/35ZR18 rear street shoes. After the chassis was styled and dialed, the time came to decide on a powerplant.