Fat Fender Garage’s $250,000 Shop Truck

What is the one thing that Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg can’t buy more of? You could save love or happiness, but give us billions, and we could probably figure out how to get close enough to both. However, no matter how much more those billionaires make, none of them will be able to buy more time. Sure, some might try weird longevity treatments or sleep upside-down in hyperbolic chambers, but that would only possibly add some days at the bitter end. How you spend your time right now is most important, because none of us can buy more of it.

That is why Jason Noel decided to let his employees build his 1972 Ford F-100. Noel would rather spend his time personally spinning wrenches, but as the owner of the ever-growing Fat Fender Garage, he is an extremely busy man. Specializing in parts, interior kits, chassis, and complete builds of classic trucks, Fat Fender Garage’s employees are also an extremely talented bunch with multiple high-end creations under their belts. Noel knew his truck would be in good hands, allowing him to focus on running the business. The build would also be used to develop additional parts to assist those building the trucks in-house, making it a win for everyone.

The first goal was to give the F-100 a low, mean stance without it becoming a trailer queen. To keep the F-100 hugging Mother Earth yet still completely drivable, the team swapped in a custom 1967-’72 Ford F-100 Fat Fender Garage chassis built by Fat Fender Chassis Co. Beyond making the low stance much easier to achieve, the new chassis upgraded the venerable Ford with a Ridetech coilover front suspension and a 4-link rear suspension for improved ride and handling. Careful clearancing, custom inner front fenders, raising the floor of the bed, and using 12-inch-wider rear tubs made room for 245/40R20 front and super-wide 335/30R20 rear Michelin tires wrapped around 20-inch Klassen iD wheels.

As specialists in Coyote swaps, the team at Fat Fender Garage stuck with a proven formula to power the F-100. A brand-new Ford Coyote 5.0L V8 crate engine is now found under the hood. Backing up the Gen 3 mill is a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission, offering a gear for every situation. Fat Fender Garage also built a custom cold-air intake, headers, and a 3-inch exhaust to help the engine breathe better. All that horsepower finally makes its way to the wheels through a custom Ford 9-inch rearend. Should Noel get too happy with the go pedal, Wilwood disc brakes at each corner are there to rein in his enthusiasm.

The interior is a nod to another truck Noel owned and loved: a 1966 Ford F-100 Ranger. Gone is the original bench seat in favor of more comfortable and supportive Mustang buckets. Apex leather in ivory with tan inserts covers the seating surfaces and the Ranger-esque center console. A Fat Fender Garage bumpside interior kit and A/C valance both find their way into the cab and are part of the myriad of parts that the truck helped develop. Visible behind the Sparc Industries steering wheel is a complement of Dakota Digital gauges that provide precise stats while keeping true to the original look. A multiple-speaker Focal audio system allows Noel to bump his favorite tunes, whatever they may be.

The original paint graces the truck’s exterior for two simple reasons: patina is cool, and it was in remarkably good condition for a 54-year-old specimen. Plus, it is hard to beat the two-tone goodness of the original Prairie Yellow on Wimbledon White hue. A solid detailing job and several coats of wax zapped some fresh life back into the factory paint job. Another exterior detail invisible to the naked eye is that Noel’s truck originally started life as a long bed before the original bed was meticulously shortened.

Sure, spending $250,000 on a truck doesn’t make sense for some. After all, someone could go down to their local exotic car dealer and walk out with a sweet ride for that amount. But the result of that money and almost countless hours of labor is a truck that is a true one-of-a-kind. Beyond its singularity, Fat Fender Garage also built an F-100 that delivers a vintage appeal that no modern truck can match. It was time (and money) well spent.