Walking the endless rows of custom rods and muscle cars in Daytona at the annual Turkey Rod Run, Jennifer Kelley, a junior in college, saw a classic truck and told her dad, Ken, "I want you to build me a truck." That simple request sent Ken, owner of Kelley's Koncepts in Savannah, Georgia, on a search for a suitable truck project that would satisfy his love of '30s-era rods and her desire for a truck. After dropping less than $2,000 for a far-from-perfect '36 Ford pickup, the project was underway and graduation was only 11 months away.
Ken wasted little time in ordering the Fatman chassis for the '36. The CNC mandrel-bent rectangular frame features a Mustang II rack-and-pinion, 2-inch drop spindles, and power disc brakes. Pro Shock coilovers provide the exact height, front and rear, and out back, an Air Ride Technologies four-link, without the airbags, controls the rear axle. The wheels are old-school, with Cragar 14x7-inch hoops up front and 15x8-inch wheels wrapped in 255/60R15 tires. Weighing in at only 1,950 pounds, a massive engine wasn't necessary, so Ken went with a small-block Chevy. Under the suicide hood lies a 305ci V-8 equipped with a Comp cam, painted Edelbrock intake, Demon carb, Hooker block-hugger headers, and as he puts it "Lots of chrome." The estimated 300 hp is plenty when cruising down River St. in Savannah. That power is sent into a 350 tranny through a shortened driveshaft and ends in a Ford 9-inch rear with 3.73 gears. At that point, Ken had himself a rolling and running chassis, but the Ford pickup body was in need of major surgery.