Introduced in 1948, the Ford F1 pickup quickly became a favorite canvas for hot rodders and custom builders, and Byron Geldenhuys knew he had to put his mark on one. This particular F1 had been sitting at a small-town repair shop for years, nothing more than a bare shell waiting for a second life. When Byron finally managed to track down its history, he discovered the truck had come out of the dry Northern Cape – the reason behind its irreplaceable sun-baked patina. After some tough back-and-forth with the previous owner, a deal was struck, and the transformation began.
Owner: Byron Geldenhuys
Photos by Ivan Mostert
Article by Ashley Thompson
Much like a mad scientist, Byron retreated to his workshop to bring the F1 back from the dead. The body was battered, the roof ripped wide open, and rust had taken its toll. With welding ace Matthew Craney on board, the dents were worked out, rotten steel was cut away and replaced, and the repairs were carefully aged to flow with the truck’s original patina. The torn roof was stitched back together with a series of welds that look more like scars than repairs—earning the F1 its name: “Frankenstein.”
Underneath, the body rides on a heavily reworked Ford Courier chassis, modified to perfectly center a set of imported 15-inch Smoothie wheels inside the arches. The cab was dropped lower onto the chassis, giving the truck a killer stance without touching the Courier’s stock suspension. Out back, custom touches include ’39 Ford taillights worked into the fenders and a Rhodesian Teak wooden load bed that contrasts beautifully with the weather-worn bodywork.
Power comes from a modern GM 5.3L LM7 Vortec V8 paired to a 4L60E four-speed automatic, with grunt sent to the rear wheels through a Nissan NP300 differential. The combo is set up for the best of both worlds—punchy acceleration and relaxed open-road cruising. Cooling is handled by a triple-core aluminium radiator and electric fans, while a high-performance Mr Turbo pump feeds fuel from a custom aluminium tank. Custom stainless headers and a full exhaust let the V8 announce itself with authority.
Inside, the F1 is a striking contrast to its rough exterior. The dash and panels are finished in the truck’s original pale green, offset by earth-toned leather upholstery and dark brown carpeting. A later-model pickup bench seat was retrimmed in sandy leather, while a classic Grant wood steering wheel and a Frankenstein-themed shifter tie it all together. Even the gauges have been updated with a modern electronic cluster, giving the cab just the right blend of vintage and contemporary.
Byron’s F1 may be stitched together from a mix of parts—Ford, GM, Nissan, and a healthy dose of creativity—but the end result is anything but a patchwork. It’s a true Frankenstein build, a rough-and-ready hot rod truck with scars that tell its story, a stance that turns heads, and a V8 soundtrack that seals the deal.
