’m sure we all have a story (or 10!) about the one that got away. You know the one; that first love from “semester” year. Tan on green on 17s … something like that. For our buddy Tim Foss, when he had the opportunity to buy back a long-lost friend in the form of a 1972 Ford F-100, he knew it was his chance to relive a teenage dream, this time via an adult’s budget. But before he simply started throwing cash at the truck, he knew he wanted to get it up and running. The FE motor looked good and a quick inspection revealed she should be a strong runner, so it was decided to start there, beginning with the fuel system.

With a list of parts in hand, we logged onto the JEGS website, knowing that their vast inventory would likely contain everything we would need—and we weren’t wrong! From the gas tank to the air cleaner, we created a parts list that would allow us to freshen up the entire fuel system without concession. From a truck that barely ran that morning to that afternoon when it was fueled up, fired up, and ready for a shakedown cruise around the neighborhood. Back behind the wheel of his high school dream ride we could see the excitement in Foss’ eyes.

s promised last month with our initial Belltech coilover install, concluding our late late-model editorial experiment is the article I was most excited about putting together (most importantly the actual installation process): the Wilwood Engineering TX6R disc brakes on the front of our 2011 GMC Sierra daily.

I’ve personally been involved with more disc brake installs over the last three decades than I can recall, so why was this particular one so exciting for me to be involved with? Well, that’s simple: I got to do it with my longtime buddy Mike Hamrick, aka “Wilwood Mike,” at the Wilwood compound in Camarillo, California, which also gave me the perfect 200-mile round trip “before and after” brake test opportunity.

f you’ve spent any time in the classic truck scene, you know it often feels like a sea of Bowties. From dedicated C10 gatherings to massive Bowtie-dominated custom shows, Chevy fans have no shortage of places to fly their flags. That’s exactly what makes it so refreshing and deeply satisfying, to see a dedicated Ford truck show not only hold its ground but absolutely thrive and grow.

The F-100 Western Nationals, held on June 27, 2026, felt less like a standard automotive exhibition and more like the ultimate backyard barbecue for the Blue Oval faithful. Walking into Anaheim’s Featherly Park, you were immediately hit by the perfect Southern California afternoon—warm sun beating down on rows of vintage steel, saved by a steady, cool breeze that rustled the trees and carried the unmistakable rumble of classic V-8 engines across the grass.

The story of this gathering goes all the way back to 1968 when it started humbly with a handful of passionate 1953-56 “Effie” F-100 fans. Looking to connect with like-minded builders, they decided to form a club called Pickups Limited. For the first 15 years, there was no massive event; the members simply hung out in driveways, shared garage stories, and admired each other’s prized possessions.

lenn Sinon has decades of experience as a bodyman and painter. He’s a former training instructor for PPG and today Sinon is the department head and instructor for the collision repair and refinishing program at A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, Connecticut. With all his experience Sinon knows when practicality has to enter into the decision-making process. As a result, after taking a close look at the bed on his 1951 Chevy pickup, he decided replacing it made infinitely more sense than investing the time and effort it would take to fix the original. To that end he ordered a reproduction bed kit from LMC Truck.

The subject of Sinon’s latest project was discovered in 2006 when his mailman mentioned an old pickup parked in a driveway not too far down the road. It turned out to be a 1951 Chevy five-window pickup that had been parked since 1996, and it was love at first sight. Sinon approached the owner about buying the truck but was told he was not interested in parting with it. Not easily discouraged, Sinon checked back periodically and his persistence paid off—14 years later the owner agreed to make Sinon the truck’s new caretaker.

ake patina is like fashionable, overpriced, pre-ripped jeans. To some people, it’s dishonest. To others, it’s artistry. Most of us land somewhere in the middle, depending on the truck, the execution, and whether the finished product looks believable or like someone sprayed glossy clear over a basket case.

Ronnie Mitchell’s 1969 Chevrolet C10 CST is not a candidate for a concours-level restoration. The truck already had age on it but it also needed minor rust repair, dent work, and some color. That made it a good candidate for the kind of fake patina that can actually make sense: not pretending a freshly built truck lived a hard life but blending repaired metal, new paint, old paint, and intentional wear into one cool ol’ pickup.

very July, our calendar has a weekend circled for the Southeastern Truck Nationals (SETN). This event gets better year after year, and it’s due to a tremendous amount of work from show organizers who pour their heart and soul into this annual show. Of course, part of the event’s success is rooted in the dedicated participants who travel hundreds (or even thousands) of miles to take part in it. The SETN focuses on Chevrolet and GMC trucks, and it’s been going on since 2010. The first SETN event had 100 trucks, and it grew quickly to the point of moving locations to the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tennessee, where it continues to take place today.