An Old Effie Goes Beast Mode

We don’t know anyone who doesn’t like old trucks, but Robert Braxton wanted a bit more from his all-original ’51 Ford F-1. He loved its looks, but as anyone who has driven a stock vintage truck can attest, you often end up being in the way of other drivers in their modern machines, which can sap all of the fun from owning a classic. 

After stopping into Premier Street Rods and speaking with builder Ross Logsdon, Robert and Ross drew up a plan to modernize Robert’s F-1 without doing away with all that makes F-1s cool in the first place. For Robert, a major part of that plan meant keeping the drivetrain all Ford, even if it wasn’t the original flathead. For the build to reach the caliber that Ross and Robert had envisioned, however, the original chassis would have to go the way of the Edsel.

Ross didn’t have to think long and hard about what to put underneath the truck. Premier already had a great relationship with Total Cost Involved Engineering, so a fully dressed TCI chassis was ordered with the proper accommodations for RideTech ShockWaves at each corner. The latest from AccuAir handles the air supply for the suspension.

Since the chassis was built to Ross’ specifications, it was ready to accept a 347-ci Ford stroker engine courtesy of BluePrint Engines, which is fed by a FAST XFI fuel-injection setup for an easy and potent combustion mixture. Backed by a fresh AOD transmission from Art Carr and a rearend from Currie Enterprises, Robert’s F-1 was guaranteed to fly down the road faster than ever before.

The body, which looks fairly stock at a quick glance, underwent more than 100 modifications to get it to the state you see here.”

The body, which looks fairly stock at a quick glance, underwent more than 100 modifications to get it to the state you see here. A closer inspection reveals the less subtle mods, such as front and rear pans, with trick Lokar taillights replacing the original roundies that once occupied the rear quarters. We’re sure the originals will look great on a bike someday, since that’s where we seem to see them most often these days. Many of the mods aren’t so obvious, especially to non-Effie owners, such as the Lokar door handles and customized running boards.

Although we forgot to ask what color the truck was originally, we’re certain that it wasn’t nearly as wild as what adorns the truck now, which is a custom hue dubbed Super Blue, mixed up by the folks at PaintHouse, which is also a dealer of the GM-licensed 1947-59 steel cabs that Premier manufactures. Yeah, we just thought we’d throw that in there so you’d realize how hardcore the Premier guys are.

And speaking of hardcore, Premier brought in one of the most legendary interior builders in the industry, Ron Mangus, to update things from top to bottom, beginning with a customized dash and ending with a Glide Engineering bench seat. As unique as the interior treatment is, it still retains some of the rounded features of the interior’s mid-century design.

While the guys at Premier were already building Robert’s truck to debut at the 2017 SEMA show, they were presented with an unexpected opportunity to park it in a very prestigious spot. In fact, it’s often a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Yes, the ol’ F-1 was displayed at SEMA in Ford Motor Company’s own booth, right next to Ken Block’s AWD ’65 Mustang. It’s an honor that’s typically the crowning achievement for any Blue Oval builder, but we have the feeling that the guys at Premier will be giving it another go this year. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

owner

Robert Braxton    
1951 Ford F-1
Lake Havasu City, AZ  

Engine

• Work performed by Blueprint Engines and Premier Street Rods
• Ford 347-cid stroker
• FAST XFI fuel injection
• Billet Specialties air cleaner
• Aluminum cylinder heads
• Hypereutectic pistons
• Edelbrock water pump
• Billet Specialties pulleys
• Sanderson headers
• Magnaflow mufflers
• Custom radiator by Any Radiator
• Power Master alternator
• American Autowire wiring
• 2016 Ford AOD transmission built by Art Carr
• TCS torque converter
• Custom aluminum fuel cell

Chassis & Suspension 

• Custom TCI chassis
• Currie Enterprises rearend with 3:88 gears and Tru-Trac limited slip diff
• Parallel rear 4-link
• Custom TCI IFS
• RideTech ShockWaves front and rear
• AccuAir air management system
• Wilwood brakes with 7-inch booster

Wheels & Tires 

• 18×8.5 and 18×10 US Mags Rambler U111 wheels
• 255/50R18 and 295/45R18 Toyo Proxes STII tires

Body & Paint 

• Work performed by Premier Street Rods
• More than 100 miscellaneous modifications to sheet metal
• Custom front splash pan
• Customized hood
• MAR-K bed
• Custom roll pan with Lokar taillights
• Lokar door handles
• One-piece windows
• Custom running boards
• Delta headlights
• PaintHouse Super Blue paint

Interior & Stereo  

• Work performed by Ron Mangus Interiors
• Glide Engineering bench seat
• Custom dashboard
• Billet Specialties steering wheel
• Custom headliner and door panels
• Dakota Digital gauges
• Vintage Air climate control
• AccuAir Touchpad
• Lokar interior handles
• Pioneer head unit and speakers
• Optima battery

Special Thanks From the Owner: “Premier Streed Rods, AccuAir, Advanced Keys, American AutoWire, Billet Specialties, BluePrint Engines, Currie Enterprises, Dakota Digital, Delta Lighting, KSH Products, MAR-K Beds, ididit, JRD International, Lokar Performance Products, Nu-Relics, PaintHouse, Performance Rod & Custom, Precision Replacement Parts, RideTech, Ron Mangus Interiors, Sanderson Headers, Smokey Road Shop, TCI Engineering, Toyo Tires, US Mag Wheels and Vintage Air.”

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