See each build: the '73 Coyote build · the '56 Stepside photos
Two F-100s show the range of what we do with these trucks. Our 1973 F-100 is a satin-black long bed with a 480-horsepower Coyote 5.0, a Tremec six-speed, Boze wheels, and a camel leather interior, the truck that proved a long bed done right carries more presence than a short one. Our 1956 F-100 Stepside went the other direction: bright orange, classic proportions, the truck people stop and photograph in the parking lot.
We work on every classic generation: the 1953–1956 trucks that started the F-100 name, the 1957–1960 and 1961–1966 trucks, the 1967–1972 "bumpside," and the 1973–1979 "dentside" that our '73 belongs to. Short beds, long beds, Flaresides and Stylesides. We're a family shop in Pelham, Alabama, south of Birmingham, and we take in trucks from anywhere in the lower 48.
New to how a build goes? Start with how it works. Just want the Coyote? See engine swaps.
The right Ford color, the right trim, the Y-block, FE, or 302 gone through so it runs the way it did new. Rust repaired in metal, bed wood replaced, gaps set before paint. An early F-100 done this way is one of the best-looking trucks ever made.
The body stays stock. Underneath: fuel injection on the original V8 or a Coyote, an overdrive automatic or a modern manual, disc brakes, power steering, air conditioning. A truck that starts cold and cruises at 75 without drama.
What our '73 is. Coyote 5.0, Tremec six-speed, 9-inch Posi rear, Boze wheels tucked under the fenders, custom billet side cutouts fabricated in-shop, a blacked-out bay with a custom engine cover and radiator, and camel leather and suede inside.
Every build is billed on time and materials. The parts on our '73 are that owner's choices, not a package. Yours gets scoped around your truck, your budget, and how you'll drive it.
Rebuild the original Ford V8, add EFI to it, or go to a Coyote 5.0 or 7.3 Godzilla with the fuel system, harness, cooling, and exhaust to run it. A Tremec manual or an overdrive automatic behind it, and a 9-inch rear end that can take the torque. Our '73 runs the Coyote through a six-speed.
Early F-100s ride on a solid front axle and steer like it; the later trucks got twin I-beams. Either way there's a modern answer: an independent front suspension or a sorted stock setup, a dropped or stock stance, power steering, disc brakes front and rear.
These trucks rust in the cab corners, rockers, floors, the bottoms of the fenders, and around the rear window and cowl. Metal first, then paint. Wood beds on the early trucks, steel on the later ones, and the small fabricated pieces, like the billet side cutouts on our '73, that nobody notices until they're up close.
Bench or buckets, stock pattern or custom. Our '73 got camel leather and suede, custom gauges, a custom console, and leather trim through the headliner, stitched in-house. Air conditioning that works, because this is Alabama.
Both are real options. A rebuilt FE or 302 with fuel injection keeps the truck's character and costs less. A Coyote turns it into a different animal, and it's a bigger job: fuel, wiring, cooling, exhaust, transmission, and brakes all change to support it. Our '73 is the Coyote answer. The first call is where we figure out which fits your truck and budget.
Yes, if you like it. Most builders shy away from the eight-foot bed, which is exactly why our satin-black '73 stands out. It cost less to start with and carries more presence than a short bed ever could. We'll build either, and we won't shorten a frame unless you ask and understand what's involved.
A full build typically runs 12 to 18 months once it starts; a Coyote swap on its own is typically 30 to 45 days in the shop. Condition, scope, and parts move those, and you'll get a window once your truck is scoped. Details on how it works.
Yes. We take in trucks from anywhere in the lower 48, and the build runs the same way with weekly photo updates. The nationwide restoration page covers transport and what to expect.