Gertrude, Revisited

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InTheGarageMedia.com

Saun & Dennis Strobel’s Korek Designs–Built ’50 Ford F-1

BY CTP Staff

IMAGES BY NotStock Photography

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ennis Strobel has been a lifelong enthusiast of hot rod and custom vehicles. In 2009, on the way to a vacation with his wife, Saun, in Holmes County, Ohio, they happened upon and attended a Goodguys event in Norwalk, Ohio, where they saw a stunning ’41 Ford hot rod pickup pull into the show. Dennis has always been a fan of the ’40-41 Ford pickups and wanted to meet the owners of that particular truck. From that point on, the search for a classic ’40-41 Ford pickup began.

The Strobels attended a few auctions in the Midwest, contacted private owners, and kept an eye out in Hemmings magazine for a truck. In 2011, after not finding the right ’41, Saun came across a ’50 F-1 for sale in North Carolina and encouraged Dennis to contact the owner. In contacting the owner, he learned that an offer was pending but promised to contact him if the deal fell through. Several days later, the owner contacted Dennis and told him the prospective buyer had backed out. Two days later, Dennis and Saun were on a plane to North Carolina to check out the truck, which was being sold by the widow of the owner who’d informed them that her late husband had purchased the truck and had it restored in 1984. The truck had a life in the coal mines of Tennessee in its early days of service. After checking out the truck and going for a testdrive, Dennis remained undecided and was reluctant to commit to the purchase. But while at dinner, Saun told Dennis that if he didn’t buy this truck they were done searching! Dennis made sure that Saun understood what he wanted to do with the truck—an eventual full restomod. She was on board, as long as the original appearance was not drastically modified or chopped.

The truck, known as “Gertrude,” was driven locally and sparingly until they had saved enough money to start a search for the right builder. The Strobels spent several years attending shows, researching, visiting shops, and interviewing the builders whose work was the quality they wanted for the F-1. In 2019, at the Goodguys event in Columbus, a friend who knew they were looking for the “right” builder told them to check out the truck built by Korek Designs being shown at this event—Danny Bouchard’s ’58 F-100 (CTP’s second cover truck!). Dennis and Saun spent a considerable amount of time speaking with Bouchard and going over every detail of his truck, but nothing materialized from this meeting until Ryan, Steve, and Danielle Korek came to the Strobels’ hometown show (Frankenmuth Auto Fest) in September of that year, after which they invited Ryan to their home to see the F-1 and discuss their vision for Gertrude’s makeover.

The Strobels made the trip to Pennsylvania in early November to visit the Korek Designs shop and meet Ryan’s crew. More in-depth discussions about the project were held and Ryan shared his ideas. He clearly understood their desire to modernize the truck without a drastic change to the stock appearance. Before returning home, they’d asked Ryan to accept their vehicle and he agreed to do the build; in late November 2019, Ryan picked up Gertrude.

The project encountered unanticipated delays caused by the pandemic, such as being stuck at the dipper for an extended period and manufacturer supply shortages. By May 2020, the project was back on track. Gertrude was back from the dipper, the Art Morrison chassis (now accented by a Curtis Speed ’57 Lincoln–inspired 18-inch billets) arrived, and Korek’s metal craftsman, Joe Kahl, began the numerous subtle changes to the truck’s body. The renderings drawn by Eric Brockmeyer were an important part of the process. Brockmeyer skillfully represented the ideas of Ryan, Dennis, and Saun in the various renderings and included some of his own ideas that were incorporated in the final design. Ryan and Kahl’s incredible talents brought the rendering to reality.

steering, dash, and seating in a ’50 Ford F-1

Beginning in June 2020, Dennis and Saun visited Korek Designs every couple of months to experience every stage of the project. They enjoyed seeing the progress, no matter how minor to Ryan and Kahl. One highlight for Dennis was the opportunity to visit Roush Performance in Livonia, Michigan, and watch the 427 on the dyno where he had the opportunity to run the engine on the dyno himself! The most difficult decision of the entire build turned out to be the selection of the paint color. The final color (Custom PPG blue-gray with a quarter-sawn white oak bed) was not determined until September 2022, and their last visit to Pennsylvania was in December 2022, when the final push toward completion began.

In early 2023, the F-1 headed to the very talented John Miller (Hide Originals) who created the beautiful Relicate Leather interior (complemented by a Curtis Speed wheel, Dakota VHX gauges, and a Bluetooth Kenwood system all surrounded by custom Korek metalwork). April was the last time the two would see the truck until they arrived in Nashville for the Goodguys show. Ryan wanted Saun and Dennis to wait until the truck was completed before seeing it again. When they pressed Ryan for some pictures of the assembly, he’d send a closeup of the wiring, the engine, or the taillight—not at all what they wanted!

May 19, 2023, was the first time Saun and Dennis saw the F-1 completed. Ryan, his entire crew, and the many vendors he uses delivered a truck beyond their hopes and dreams. The attention to detail and craftsmanship are exceptional. The Strobels are grateful to all who were involved in the build—and are extremely grateful that Ryan is more than just a builder—he, Steve, and Danielle are now family.

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