’ll admit, as much as I love retaining factory steering columns in 1940s-50s pickups, when an independent front suspension swap has been done, it’s not always the easiest—or the best—solution. Case in point: my 1948 Chevy.

When I received the truck, it had (and still has) an earlier Mustang II–type aftermarket IFS—actually, the entire front frame section was replaced. However, the stock non-shift column had been retained and modified to adapt with the manual rack-and-pinion. With a hand-filed DD on one end (with a homemade “column saver” that kind of did its job) and a blown-out mast jacket on the other, let’s just say it was rather sloppy, but more so, potentially dangerous. Because it was a “truck” column, I was unable to use any of the early GM factory steering wheels with a tall centersection due to the shorter stick out of the steering shaft (or so I believe—I may be wrong on the car versus truck column, but I do know none of my ’40s Chevrolet deluxe wheels fit!). So, my initial plan was to source a decent stock replacement, rebuild, and modify accordingly with a CPP Column Saver. That was until Ryan Manson and I wrapped up the American Autowire harness install and realized the importance of the dangling GM column plug with nothing in which to attach to!

ditor Rob keeps nudging me to write another article for you guys on the truck, so let’s talk about some of the final engine bay details. With only a couple weeks before Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs’ Open House, I decided to completely rip all the front sheetmetal off the truck and rip out the 1,100hp Wegner Motorsports 427 LS and TREMEC six-speed. This allowed me all the room in the world to weld up all the miscellaneous holes left on the firewall and toeboards, as well as fully weld in and silicon bronze the steering column mount. I added some center gussets to the motor mounts and then put the front flip back on so I could figure out how I wanted to finish out the bottom of the inner fenders and surrounding filler panels. 

I originally wanted to build covers to fully cover the upper control arms and top of the crossmember, but the engine bay is pretty tight with the headers installed, so I opted to leave the space open as usual. I shaped up a quick piece that conformed to the shape of the inner fender with the opening shape that I liked, then clecoed each piece on to make sure I liked the result. With everything looking good, I cut in, welded the pieces in, and then made the new stepped bottom sections for the front filler panels surrounding the electric fans to cover the framerail. Once those were finished, I made some trim rings for the control arm openings just to add a little bit more detail. From there, I made the rear filler panels as well as a clearance pocket to gain a little more room for the top steering joint.

hen it comes to building a classic truck, it should come as no surprise that as aftermarket components are added or other-than-stock setups are incorporated, OE-style hard lines and hoses no longer work. Changes in locations, orientations, sizing, and the like all contribute to this factor, making it difficult to use original equipment to mate the new components. Our C10 project is a perfect example of this. The brakes, suspension, and drivetrain have been upgraded, resulting in custom plumbing for the brake and fuel system having been required. So, when it came time to tie together the late-model 4L60E transmission to the aftermarket Afco Racing radiator, it was already assumed that we’d be making custom lines.

Back in the day, a C10 equipped with an automatic transmission and integral trans cooler in the radiator likely had a combination of hard lines and hoses, affixed with hose clamps around flared/barbed fittings. In fact, the 4L60E transmission in our pickup came equipped with fittings designed for a flared hard line. While we could have accommodated these fittings and designed a pair of hard lines to suit our situation, instead, it was decided to go with a more reliable method to the hose clamp route, using AN fittings and stainless braided hose instead.

hen our buddy, Paul Willis, decided his new project would be building a 1955 Ford F-100 from the ground up he had two goals: one was to incorporate some classic mild-custom features like a tube grille, quad headlights, a rolled rear pan and early Ford taillights, among other modifications; the second was to include modern mechanicals, like a Chevy Gen V direct-injected L83 V-8, 6L80 automatic, and independent suspension on both ends. Of course, a climate-control system would also be part of the modernization effort, and for that he turned to Old Air Products for one of their Hurricane A/C, heat, and defrost units.

Old Air Products was established in 1989 with the intent to produce a compact climate-control system that would fit any vehicle, be easy to service, and install. The result of their efforts was the popular Hurricane series that met all those goals. There are three variations of the Hurricane, the differences being where the connections exit the case to go through the firewall. The kit Willis chose was Old Air’s CAP-5100 series that is specifically designed for 1953-56 Ford F-100s. It provides A/C, heat, and defrost functions.

he Southern California sun shined down on Featherly Park in Anaheim, California, a familiar warmth for a crowd of Ford truck enthusiasts gathered for the 2025 F-100 Western Nationals. The air buzzed with the rumble of classic engines and the excited chatter of friends catching up. This wasn’t just any truck show, it was a testament to the enduring passion and a living history lesson of Blue Oval machinery.

It all started humbly in 1968, when a handful of ’53-56 “Effie” F-100 fans, driven by a desire to connect with more like-minded folks, decided to form the club Pickups Limited. For years, they simply hung out, sharing stories and admiring each other’s prized possessions. As the years turned into decades, club members became a bit older and wiser. By 1983, they decided to channel their shared love for these trucks into something more. They threw their first show in Lake Havasu, Arizona, not just for fun but to raise money for prostate cancer research. The event hopped around a few locations, but by 1992 it found its permanent home at Featherly Park, a green oasis in the heart of Orange County, California.