remember, back in the day, Volare clips were all the rage for the early F-100s. Matter of fact, there were quite a few “specialists” within a 50-mile radius of where I lived. Today, however, with the advancement of the aftermarket IFS kits, not to mention the wide variety of available aftermarket chassis, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense resorting to the older torsion bar clips.

That said, there is somewhat of a current trend in clip borrowing for the ’76-up F-100s: the ’03-11 Ford Crown Victoria bolt-in front suspension crossmember. Occasionally, you can spot these a mile away without having to peer under the truck, as the increase track width puts the front wheels at the fender’s edge if the right negative-offset wheel isn’t used. For the most part, however, the cast-aluminum cradle is an easy way to update that old split I-beam front suspension.

With the late-model clip you get a decent package deal: disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, the ability to install a modern engine/trans (including the Coyote) with ease. The only slight drawback other than the track width (which our friends at Fatman Fabrications offer an improved geometry control arm kit for!) is the standard coilover-shock configuration. But there is a cure for that as well—and it’s without a doubt one of the most affordable and easy-to-accomplish upgrades you can do to your Crown Vic–equipped F-100 … and get amazing performance results.

hoosing and installing an alternator sounds easy enough, right? In the old days you simply bolted in the new (or rebuilt!) unit, connected the wires, and tightened the belt to where it had an inch or two of deflection and done. Alas, those days are long gone, along with a factory “high-output,” 50-amp alternator.

Today, you likely need at least twice as much output to power the growing list of electronic controls on a modern-built classic truck. We’re talking about electric fans, fuel pumps, HVAC systems, EFI, and more modern amenities. With increased output requirements also comes more pressure on your wiring connections, cables, and grounds, not to mention belt and pulley choices.

It’s important to note that the alternator is producing the electricity your vehicle needs while it is running not the battery. The battery’s main function is to act as a reserve storage of electricity that is primarily used to get the engine started. Once running, the alternator is tasked with maintaining the battery at its full capacity as well as powering everything on the vehicle that requires voltage. If you’re using more than the alternator is capable of producing, well, you’ll be on the side of the road eventually, or as a best case, sitting in a parking lot waiting for a jump.

hile we often enjoy seeing adventurous experimentations with truck styling, this is something that is easily overdone. Sometimes the more subtle modifications produce a better result.

Last month we introduced Jason Souza’s F-100 project
being built at Gary’s Rods and Restorations in Northern California and showed the work done on the floor and firewall. This time we’re going to look at a subtle modification being done to lower the roof—not by chopping but by sectioning the cowl.