1952 F1 Truck Build for Goodguys Show

Television has given many in the general population a misconception about what can be done quickly. Homes are remodeled, or even demolished and rebuilt, engines or even entire cars are built in 42 minutes of actual show footage. Even when it’s clearly stated during a broadcast that the entire project took a certain amount of time, that detail is often lost on many in the viewing audience.

We recently came across a truck being built on what could be a TV show time frame. TAJ Motorsports, a small Mississippi custom shop, is constructing the 1952 Ford F1 pickup named “Moonshiner” for customer Jimmy Elkins. They’re doing the assembly in thirteen days. We found a thread on the process over at yellowbullet, and we were immediately impressed by the project and build quality. Keep in mind though that just like on TV, even though this is being built in thirteen days, it would appear that some work had already been completed and that the time frame for final assembly and tying up loose ends was thirteen days – not the full fabrication and build. But even with all the parts and pieces ready to go together, assembling something with this level of detail and with a goal of being a show winner is a task requiring hundreds of hours of careful work.

Details of this truck are scattered throughout the thread but what we’ve been able to gather from talking with the shop and owner is this is a top notch project destined for greatness. The suspension features a four-link rear with coil overs and Mustang II front. We also know the engine is a built 289 Ford utilizing a Billet Specialties serpentine drive system and backed up by an AOD and nine-inch rearend. The body has had all it’s drip rails and other moldings shaved. It is painted a beautiful House of Kolor candy red over a white base which took nearly ten quarts of the high dollar liquid candy to get the color coverage right. The bed features new wood strips that have been stained and coated with multiple coats of clear, to the point that from the finish, they appear to be plastic rather than wood.

Inside the interior has been given a full custom treatment as well. The dash has been custom-built and flows into a full one-off center console. Panels fit tightly around the seats, and there’s even an overhead console and custom-built headliner. Everything is monitored on two large combination gauges built into a custom panel for the dash. A Vintage Air system should keep things comfy going down the road and a MasterShift push button shifter gets it all into gear. The push button theme is continued throughout the dash controls, starting, parking brake, line lock, are all nicely done in a matching theme.

As of this writing the truck has not been completed yet but is slated to make it’s debut at the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals show in Ft. Worth the first weekend in October. The crew from TAJ Motorsports are setting out with a goal of shooting for some major awards, and although competition is heavy, the way this truck is looking–we’d say their chances should be pretty good.