The Long Road

Feature

InTheGarageMedia.com

Rick Clutter’s Demanding yet Revolutionary 1961 Ford F-100 Unibody

By Fuelish Media

W

hile it’s refreshing to hear about easy-going, successful builds, there is always a flip side to these “dream” projects. Nobody wants to struggle throughout the process of reaching to meet a milestone (especially when building a custom vehicle), but it’s a reality that is completely unavoidable in some cases. Chalk it up to being the nature of the business because piecing a one-off truck together isn’t always as enjoyable as it should be.

Front view of the 1961 Ford F-100 highlighting its smooth, minimalist grille and modern headlights

Hidden compartment labeled Nightmare in a custom 1961 Ford F100 truck bed

Sleek black custom truck bed with metal slats on a 1961 Ford F100

A prime example of this unfortunate scenario is the history behind the insane 1961 Ford F-100 unibody pickup seen here. Now, this truck has been in the works for a very long time. It has been in and out of a few shops over the years and has seen more than its fair share of dizzying high points and very humbling downs. One major highlight during the truck’s past is when it spent some time with Bob Grant at GrantFab. While in his care, the truck received some impressive fabrication work, which is his calling card. It was chopped and sectioned and was outfitted with suicide doors—true hot rod customization that Bob Grant has built his name on. Normally, anything with Bob’s name on it would mean instant success, but this Ford was on a path all its own that eventually led to changing ownership and bouncing around between other automotive craftsmen before it finally found a place that would push it across the finish line.

The truck found its way to Rick Clutter in Lancaster, California. Rick made a call to Ross Logsdon of Premier Street Rod in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to have him give it a once over so he could hopefully assess the project that had been placed on pause for far too long. Since Ross was very familiar with what it takes to transform a truck like this, he made an offer to transport it to his shop in order to give it the love it needed. Of course, Premier’s legendary record speaks for itself, and very little convincing was necessary to put an immediate plan to put the Ford build back into motion.

Rick is a longtime custom car enthusiast, and with Premier having a star-studded list of previous truck builds to its credit (Snow White, Sinister, Sonic56, and Patrón, among others) his outlook for the future of his Ford shot steeply upward. The truck arrived at Premier HQ in October 2019, and the main objective set out for the project was to keep the original lines and styling of the truck throughout the process. In order to complete this all-important task, Ross and the team at Premier decided to rework the metal fabrication on every panel, and to assist in this job they reached out to the “metal master” Brandon Sisco of Sisco’s Fab. Sisco would soon play a huge role in assisting Premier with fit and finish metalwork to bring the unibody to the next level.

Head-on shot of the 1961 Ford F-100 with doors open, revealing its vibrant blue interior

Once the metal massaging was complete, Jason Deering of Premier treated this truck to a PPG Ford black paintjob that seemed to represent its troubled past throughout the years. From there, Ross called on Lucky’s Auto Glass to install brand-new AM Hot Rod flush-mounted front and rear panes to give the Ford a subtle touch of restyling for good measure. Other custom flair can be found by closely examining the bumper, grille, and just about everywhere else, even though streamlining the entirety of the truck was the team’s top priority.

One feature of the Ford that gets a lot of positive attention is the one-off bed. While the floor does look slick as hell at first glance, it gets way cooler once the centersection lifts to reveal even more fabrication work and well-organized air ride components for a major boost in curb appeal. Adding to that appeal is a set of front 20×9 and rear 20×12 Budnik Knife wheels that have been wrapped with 245/35ZR20 and 315/30ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, respectively. Behind the spokes of the billet wheels lies upgraded Wilwood performance rotors and calipers to bring the unibody to an abrupt halt once it airs up and gets going.

Allowing the truck to go is a Ford 302ci small-block that has been fully painted, dressed, and souped up with some great aftermarket components to increase its cosmetic and performance values. The Jim Inglese 8-stack manifold, Holley Terminator ECU, custom 3-inch exhaust system, Borla mufflers, and custom valve covers that read “Nightmare” give the Ford the ability to reliably rip while looking as mean as can be—that’s not to mention the shaved firewall and amazing network of custom metal panels and tubs that surround the engine on all sides.

Close-up of the NightMare V8 engine inside the 1961 Ford F-100

Steering wheel and center console of the 1961 Ford F-100 with a sleek, modern design in blue

Dashboard of the 1961 Ford F-100 featuring custom blue upholstery and modern gauges

Engine bay of the 1961 Ford F-100 with a custom blue NightMare V8 engine

Knowing that the interior had to rise to an equally epic level to keep up with the rest of the build, the truck was scheduled for an appointment at Sew Cal Rods in Ontario, California, for a complete in-cab overhaul. The Ford received a Vibro Solution lining, custom leather-wrapped Glide Engineering seats, dash, center console, headliner, and door panels that have been dyed “Motorsport Light Blue” to starkly contrast its dark exterior demeanor. Dakota Digital gauges, Vintage Air climate-control, Sparc Industries steering wheel, an easily accessible AccuAir e-Level controller, and a full Rockford Fosgate sound system wired up by Premier’s own John Thomas round out the cabin’s high-end amenity list. Of course, nothing but the best parts from American Autowire made the job much easier to manage.

This Ford unibody is officially the longest build Premier has even been a part of to date, but who can argue with the result? Its owner, Rick Clutter wanted a truly one-of-a-kind Ford, GT40-inspired trend-setting truck, and all those involved pulled off that lofty goal through persistence, attention to detail, but, most importantly, teamwork.

“One step forward, two steps back” was the unofficial theme all throughout the project, but builds this extensive are hardly ever a walk in the park. From start to finish, very talented hands have worked its surfaces, and the folks at Premier Street Rod are honored to have been given the opportunity to finish it off—with a respectful tip of their cap to Bob Grant and Brandon Sisco for their influential contributions.

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