The grunt comes from a '67 Ford Cobra Jet V-8 that was disassembled, cleaned, machined, then assembled with all new performance goodies by the crew at Randy Liddell Performance (RLP) in Redding, California. The factory cylinder heads were ported and polished, and a new complete valve train was installed. An Edelbrock intake manifold and a Holley electrical fuel pump makes sure the Cobra Jet is never under nourished as it's fed by a 650-cfm Holley carburetor. A Mallory distributor, ignition coil, and Powermaster alternator are in charge of delivering a consistent electrical charge through the Taylor 8.8 mm ignition wires to the spark plugs.
During the hot summer night cruises, a heavy-duty four-row '67 Ford radiator backed up with a pair of Flex-a-Lite fans keeps the Cobra Jet cool. A pair of `62-`63 factory cast iron, 427ci Cyclone long tube block-hugger headers direct the burnt gasses into the exhaust system that was designed and bent up by Steve Lewis at George's Muffler Shop in Anderson, California. A pair of Magnaflow 2-inch mufflers produce that unique throaty sound while making horsepower and exiting through the 3-inch exhaust tips. A Ford C-6 automatic transmission delivers the power to the rearend.
The `53's cab needed to be straightened while the roof was lowered 3 inches. The rear window maintained its stock height giving it a taller appearance due to the chop of the roof. The drip rails were removed, while the windshield was raised up into the cab's roof 1 inches, making it align with the side windows. The cab vents were removed, patched, and smoothed. The bed features a hand-fabricated louvered tailgate that was mounted flush with the bedsides. Jeff's brother, Jerry, cut and milled the beautiful black walnut bed floor, then he separated and secured the walnut planks with stainless steel stringers and carriage bolts. A Hagen gas filler cap was mounted into bed floor providing easy access to the '65 Mustang fuel tank that was mounted between the rear framerails behind the rear end.
The bed was raised 3 inches when a 2x3-inch rectangular tube subframe was designed and fabricated to support the bed and to eliminate any flexing during its lifting and lowering action. A Lokar hood latch and cables were used in conjunction with a custom bell crank, and Bear Claw latches to secure and release the tilting bed. A 3,000 pound single Air Ride airbag was mounted 25 percent from the pivot point axis to lift the bed. To create a more aerodynamic leading edge of Jeff's `53, the hood was pie- cut 1 inches. To achieve that Swiss Army knife action, a No Limit forward tilt hood kit was installed.
 A Ford in a Ford. Not just...  A Ford in a Ford. Not just any Ford but a `67 Ford 428ci Cobra Jet that produces over 500 horsepower at the rear wheels. |  Jeff's `53 displays its Swiss...  Jeff's `53 displays its Swiss Army knife functionality by its No Limit Engineering forward tilt hood and an Air Ride pneumatic `bag action dump bed. |  Jeff's older brother, Jerry,...  Jeff's older brother, Jerry, cut and milled the dark walnut wooden planks that are separated by stainless steel stringers and carriage bolts. |