hat first started out as a basic “restore” project eventually turned into a true all-gas no-brakes redesign and build on Fred Bishop’s 1971 F-100. This truck once belonged to his wife’s uncle who was an avid camper, fisherman, and Ford fanatic. Every outdoors trip began by packing the F-100 with all the necessary goods he’d need while roughing it in the wilderness. Fred remembers riding in the truck with Uncle Dave back then when it was bone stock. Now that he was blessed with the opportunity to give the truck new life, he has tried to make the most of it—no matter what came up throughout the three-year build process.

hat first started out as a basic “restore” project eventually turned into a true all-gas no-brakes redesign and build on Fred Bishop’s 1971 F-100. This truck once belonged to his wife’s uncle who was an avid camper, fisherman, and Ford fanatic. Every outdoors trip began by packing the F-100 with all the necessary goods he’d need while roughing it in the wilderness. Fred remembers riding in the truck with Uncle Dave back then when it was bone stock. Now that he was blessed with the opportunity to give the truck new life, he has tried to make the most of it—no matter what came up throughout the three-year build process.

ormally the writer of a magazine feature article isn’t supposed to talk about himself in the first person; this is not one of those times. The 1971 Chevrolet C10 built by Ryan “Ryno” Lieberman of Ryno Built Rod & Custom in Southwest Missouri that you see before you is named “Brown Shuga,” and it almost ended up in the crusher. That’s where I come into the story.

In the spring of 2018 I saw this sad, derelict, stripped C10 with a title on Facebook for $200 about 45 minutes from my home with the note that if it wasn’t gone by morning it was going to the crusher. Well, I couldn’t let that happen. The truck was bought and brought out to my dad’s farm and dropped off in a tree line to someday be rebuilt alongside a few more “someday” projects.

here’s nothing better than building a classic truck that will see endless miles once completed. Getting there takes focus to incorporate a formula that fuses just the right amount of style with performance, stance, and dependability to ensure plenty of trouble-free enjoyment once you hit the streets. Derrick and Katie Pesko, of Waterford, Connecticut, have spent plenty of time sharing the driver seat as they crisscrossed the country in a number of their hop-ups. As the owners of Allstar Hot Rods it’s the perfect way to showcase their builds. Let’s take a look at what makes this 1940 Ford hauler packed with a classic ’60s vibe just so cool.