1948 Ford F1 Pickup Called Frankenstein

Introduced in 1948, the Ford F1 was ahit with customizers and hot roddersright from the start. Owner and builder,Byron Geldenhuys had his eye on thisparticular 1948 Ford F1 Pickup for some time. It was standingat a local repair shop for several years- justa bare body begging to be reborn.

OwnerByron Geldenhuys

Photos by Ivan Mostert

Article by Ashley Thompson

He dug a little deeper into the truckshistory and discovered that it was originallyfound in the arid Northern Cape, whichexplains the F1s irreplicable natural patina.Byron had owned other muscle carsbefore, but he decided it was time to buildsomething with a few more curves. Aftersome tough negotiations, he was finallyable to convince the previous owner to partwith the F1and they shook on a deal.Much like Dr Frankenstein, Byron built thisF1 in the secrecy of his laboratory (aka hisgarage).The body was badly dented in places andthe roof was torn wide open. So Byronenlisted the help of welding specialist Matthew Craney.

The dents werehammered straight, the rusted sectionsrepaired and the repairs aged to blend inwith the original patina. One of the standoutrepairs on this truck is the stitch-likewelding work doneto the torn roof skin. This is why the truck was aptly namedFrankenstein.The body is mated to a customized FordCourier chassis. The chassis dimensionswere modified to ensure the imported 15

Smoothie wheels are perfectly centredin the arches. The body has also beenmodified to sit lower on the chassis,giving the truck its low stance without anymodifications done to the stock Couriersuspension.

The truck sports an array of customtouches to the exterior, such as the NOTPowered by Ford valve cover plate addedto the bodywork. The 39 Ford taillights are customfitted to the rear fenders and the naturalRhodesianTeak wooden load bed.

The F1 is powered by a modern GM 5.3LLM7 Vortec V8 paired to a 4-speed 4L60Etransmission. The power is delivered tothe rear wheels through a Nissan NP300differential. Geared for a perfect balance of off-the-line acceleration and open roadcruising. The 5.3L V8 is kept cool thanks tothe upgraded triple-core aluminium radiatorand electric cooling fan setup. Fuel deliveryfrom the custom aluminium fuel tank to theengine is taken care of by a Mr Turbo high-performance electric fuel pump.

The unmistakable V8 rumble can beheard miles away thanks to the custom-made stainless headers and exhaustsystem.

The interior is beautifully finished andcontrasts well against the weather-wornexterior. The interior panels and dash are colour-matched to the F1s originallight green paintwork. The earth tonesof upholstery compliment the patinaedexterior perfectly. The bench seat wassourced from a later model pickup andupholstered inluxurious sandy brownleather, while the floors received a darkertone of plush brown carpeting.

The interior also sports many subtlecustomizations, such as the Grant classicwood steering wheel. As well as the custom Frankensteinshifter and an electronic instrument clusterto name just a few.

This 48 Ford may be an amalgamation of many different components aFrankenstein if you will. But it all comestogether in perfect synergy and the resultis one seriously hot rod!