A vehicle that oozes character usually has an owner who does also. Double that sentiment for any built-from-scratch vehicle, with the character rating going off the chart when the vehicle in question is also the owner’s daily driver.
I came across this very unusual truck at the first outdoor car show of the season. A little down on attendance due to a delivery of snow the day before, it nevertheless offered a few interesting automotive nuggets. Even from a distance, this truck looked to be very different. The hood was longer than what you would normally see on a vehicle of this vintage. A small crowd was gathered around trying guess what the heck it was and what parts donors could have been used. Turns out everyone was stumped and for good reason.
The owner appeared and explained with great pride that it was completely scratch-built. Usually such assertions are followed by disclaimers related to the use of production vehicle frames or body panels. Not so in this case as the owner, Fuzz, fabricated the frame, cab and all body panels. About the only stock components are the axles, front and rear, which were sourced from a Jeep. You can see his nickname in the grill surround as well as on the side step.
The interior isn’t exactly plush and features a lot of wood. The cab was authentically vintage in looks as well as size.
The engine is a Ford V8, but is an odd ball itself. Fuzz said the block was a 351 unit with a 289 cam. The pistons were sourced from a Chevrolet V8 and he had sourced push rods from another, unspecified vehicle to make it all work together.
To top it off, the engine had been converted to run on propane rather than gasoline. I got the feeling Fuzz rather enjoyed thumbing his nose at conventional thinking. He mentioned the engine was built for torque, which makes sense given the vehicle’s heft and four-wheel drive, and that it had plenty of get up and go.
Fuzz was an old school hot rodder and shared plenty of photos of his rides from back in the day. One of the more memorable of these was a Ford Model A roadster which served as his daily driver, despite having no roof. He shared a photo of it full of snow and relayed the story of having to shovel it out before driving his mother to work in it. She must have had the understanding and patience of a saint!
I noticed the out of province license plates and Fuzz mentioned that he was just in town for the day. He had seen the show driving by and decided to pop in, making this his first car show appearance despite being the owner many speciality vehicles in the past. I’m certainly glad he made the effort, as this was probably the one and only time I will see this unique vehicle and its unique owner.
I admire people like Fuzz!
Not for him, a Toyota with a grey interior, like everybody else!
It’s Jethro’s ride, from The Beverly Hillbillies. It was his first version of the Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon we saw earlier.
I see he also uses MSD ignition components and K&N filter.
Personally I keep dreaming about an MSD Atomic EFI for the old 289 in my Mustang.
“That is one ew-nique vehicle.” – as my Father would say.
I was going to guess that the man who built this vehicle was named Jed Clampett. Does Fuzz have a Granny who likes to ride on top?
Nah, Jed’s truck was a 1921 Oldsmobile Model 46 Roadster… According to Jed: “Strictly speaking, it belongs to my cousin Pearl. But she said I can keep it as long as I keep cousin Jethro.”
A couple years back I saw something similar to this (minus the camper) in San Antonio but think it was only the body was unique. The frame and running gear was Nissan, I think.
My hat is off to this guy and I wish I knew what he does about building these things. I hit the full extent of my knowledge building an electric VW.
A little RHS some dead cars nearby a little plywood and hey presto its running yeah good effort a true custom built pickup.
Looks like a drivable outhouse.
Looks like he did a really nice job, especially with the wood. That thing must weigh plenty. I wonder what the inside of the camper portion looks like? The 4wd would be great for camping out in the boonies. And a Ford instead of a 350 Chevy to boot. Nice ride, but it looks like it would be tough to see the overhead signal lights. I like it.
Good for Fuzz! It is nice to see one of the old-school home fabricators. A little engineering, a little carpentry, a little wrench work, and there ya go.
Impressive work indeed. Even more-so in that it appears to be a pickup truck and the home-made camper(?) slides into the box.
Kind of reminds me of a Monogram model I had called the Beer wagon .
..there would be buyers for these were Fuzz to produce say half a dozen or so and then cease, making them a truly unique off-roader/camper/hot rod.. i’d take one and tootle it down Queen Street at lunchtime ..chicks would love it!!! 🙂 🙂
…just like it’s been shown that they groove over a rat rod in preference to a new Lambo.. (video online proof of) ha ha
I remember the Beer Wagon model… I like the Fuzz. It has a sort of ‘House that Jack Built’ vibe to it. Interesting and functional, what more could you ask for?
Wow, so many questions!
– Why did he build it, and when?
– What is it used for, ‘just’ an RV?
– How many miles has it done?
– Are there any gauges?
You have to admire the work involved in getting a car like this completed. It reminds me of this one, which was built on a 1952 Standard Vanguard chassis in 1967, and driven throughout Australia including a lot of desert areas for many years by a guy including with his family at times. I think that every component was modified (chassis and driveline) or replaced with something scratch-built (everything else)
You can see the underhood oil pressure gauge in the engine picture and the nylon line running up past the driver’s side header that is missing a couple o bolts.
Built in 2008. It is his daily drive and I believe his only vehicle so I bet it has a fair number of miles on it. I think there were some gauges under that dash.
Thanks for the replies.
That is one crazy home built intake particularly the water crossover/thermostat (assuming he is running one) housing. It is nice to see that is has a Ford engine in it rather than a Chevy. It is just a shame he doesn’t car enough about it to run an actual oil filter instead of a Fram.