Recently posted on Hunter Speed & Kustoms is a fresh engine break-in on a beautiful kustom that shouldn’t be overlooked. Inspired by the revered Rudy Rodriguez-built “Coahuila”, this 1935 kustom Ford Pickup has all the makings of its predecessor and better.

Hunter Speed and Kustoms is a custom car shop based out of Orange County, California, and this latest kustom build has done nothing but break necks since its completion in January of 2015. Debuting at the 2015 Grand National Roadster Show, the kustom won the respect from other hot rod builders since Rudy Rodriguez had a hand in the build. Rodriguez owns and operates Fullerton Fabrication in Orange County, which also specializes in building and restoring hot rods and custom cars.

Refusing to produce another custom similar to “Coahuila”, Rodriguez turned down several offers for nearly twelve years since 2001, finally agreeing to build another in 2013. Once committed, it took nearly two years to build.

Rudy Rodriguez’s “Coahuila” ’35 Ford, built circa 2001.

The “Coahuila” was also a 1935 Ford Pickup, which helped in the resurgence of the rat rod movement. Using Rodriguez’ build as the primary vision for Hunter Speed’s build, their iteration of the “Coahuila” is mean and clean.

A dedicated frame-up build, Fullerton Fabrication started from the bottom and worked their way through hours of fabrication to bring the truck back to its former glory. With its low stance, 7-inch chopped and channeled cab, velocity stacks, and custom front grille off a 1933 Ford, it’s hard to miss this truck when it roaring down the street.

Last seen at the 60th Hot Rod Hill Climb in Georgetown, Colorado, in August 2015, its white walls, 1940 Ford wheels, spindles, and hangers, and screaming pipes, turned heads. The exposed 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 303-cubic inch motor has been fully built out, complemented with a vintage Edelbrock OL-496 4×2 intake manifold and replica Stromberg 97s. The engine is mated to a TH350 automatic transmission, and a Ford 8-inch rearend. With the mill weighing around 750 lbs. the team over at Fullerton Fabrication built extra supports on the frame to keep it from bending everything out of shape.

Rust was a problem during the early stages of the build, which Fullerton Fabrication spent weeks sandblasting the bed, which actually came off a 1940 Ford Pickup. A custom transmission tunnel was fabricated and made removable, making easy access to the transmission.

A set of Guide headlights sit up front, marking one of the first vintage parts that was bought just for this specific build. The running lights that are installed on top of the headlights are utilized as turn signals.

It may have taken a considerable amount of time to gather all the necessary parts, but we can’t argue with the builder’s patience as the final build is thorough and meticulous, which shows at any angle you look at the kustom truck.

The extra hand lent by Rudy Rodriguez and his shop helped this kustom vision become a reality, creating a timeless automobile that rat rod enthusiasts should make note of. What was literally a story of rags to riches, this ’35 Ford is a fairy tale with a happy ending.