V-12 1950 Ford F-1

[Chuck Most]

Roswell New Mexico resident Larry Fernandez spent a dozen years and about 70,000 miles behind the wheel of his Flathead V8 powered 1978 Ford Courier. When he finally sold it to a guy in Michigan in 2021, he decided it was time to get back to his other Flathead project, his V-12 1950 Ford F-1.

Purchased by Larry's grandfather, Eligio "Lee" Fernandez, in 1969, Larry got the truck upon Lee's passing in 1996. Repowered with a 1953 vintage Flathead V8 and given a cosmic refresh in 1973, it was treated to an even more extensive restoration in 1994. It was Larry's "main secondary" vehicle all the way up to 2015, when the retrofitted, twice rebuilt Flattie spun a bearing.

It wouldn't be until the COVID 19 shutdowns and Larry's subsequent voluntary early retirement that he really got serious about the project.

He'd procured a 1948 vintage Lincoln V-12 in 2011, and had all the parts needed for a rebuild. He also got some aluminum heads and a triple carb intake. Said V-12 was thusly rebuilt and painted in the shade of matte green he'd chosen to retain from the 1994 restoration. It's channeled through the same floor shifted four speed manual that's been in the truck since 1973. 

The chassis had been fitted with a Mustang II front suspension and a four link rear during the 1994 rebuild. Larry freshened the chassis and installed an adjustable air suspension.

The interior was basically left alone, just thoroughly cleaned and the seat was recovered.

Larry left the weather-beaten fenders as-is, but went with a matte version of the truck's previous shade of green.

The truck finally hit the road in the late spring of 2024. Originally it had a set of 18" Torq Thrusts, but after a while, Larry wanted a change. Around the same time, his buddy Jason was also looking for something different for his yellow '49 F-1. So eventually, the friends switched rolling stock... Larry's '50 got the flipper caps and wide whites from Jason's '49, and Jason's '49 got the 18" Torq Thrusts from Larry's '50. Larry might repaint them in matte green. Some day. For now, he's too busy running it every chance he gets. 

The kit is, of course, the Revell Monogram '50 Ford F-1. The green is Rust-Oleum Satin Moss Green and the fenders are weathered black primer. The wheels donated by Larry's buddy Jason are yellow because that's originally the color I had in mind. It's lowered by... basically a LOT of cutting. ?

The engine is a resin part from The Parts Box of Australia. I wired it and used different carburetors and air cleaners, and used the stock Ford oil filter. Yes, the engine is 1:24 scale and the truck is 1:25, but I wasn't concerned about scale fidelity for this one. It was just an idea I felt like I needed to attempt.

Now that I've lathed the idea into existence, I guess I'll have to build Jason's yellow '49 at some point. Anybody know of a good set of 18" Torq Thrusts in 1:25? ??

 

[Zippi]

What a kewl truck and a kewl story Chuck.  Fantastic build man.

[bondo bill]

sharp build

[ChrisR]

Cool!

[BK9300]

Don’t know which I like better - the build or your story.  Both are terrific!

[espo]

Great looking paint finishes. The V 12 engine is a great idea. Like the stance and rolling stock. 

[PappyD340]

Awesome pickup!

[Bullybeef]

Awesome build Chuck

[DJMar]

I'm digging it! ?

Also, cool detail with the vent window appearance. Rusty frame and a black rubber seal is spot on!

[Mattblack]

You aced it! The yellow wheels are spot on.

[ncbuckeye67]

Another great looking build! Your weathering is always top-notch.

[Koellefornia Kid]

Very nice! Love the stance!

[slusher]

Fantastic Ford, Chuck!

[XYHARRY]

Your story telling is as good as your builds. Really well done Chuck. 

Cheers, 

David. ??