Very cool patina truck with all-new mechanicals underneath. Lifetime California truck. New Scat 304 cubic inch stroker flathead, 5-speed, 9-inch, disc brakes, gauges, tilt column and more. A slick sleeper that’s very period-correct!

This low-key 1951 Ford F-2 pickup is one of our favorite vehicles. Why? Because it keeps the original, weathered look and enhances it with entirely new mechanical equipment under the skin. Looks old, drives new, that’s just plain awesome. It apparently spent the entirety of its life on a fruit farm in California, so there’s some surface scale underneath but no heavy rot or perforation, and the exterior sheetmetal is in excellent condition. It’s obviously finished in black primer, and it has probably looked like this for decades, because there’s plenty of age on the finish that the faux patina guys just can’t match. Somewhere along the line it gained a heavy-duty rear step bumper and they decided to leave it intact when the truck got a makeover, along with the original planks in the bed and stake sides that are just about perfect. The brackets above the windshield are probably for a long-gone visor, and interestingly enough, this F-2 carries dual side-mounted spares, an unusual option. The chrome and stainless trim is in good order, not perfect but certainly appropriate, and all the lights and signals work properly. This truck is 100% ready to work or play.

Inside, it’s still bare bones pickup, make no mistake. They didn’t try to make it into some 21st century street rod with sculpted door panels and a wild center console. No, there’s a vinyl bench seat, a steel dashboard, and a cardboard headliner, all new. To help you get a little more comfortable, however, they did add a tilt steering column and a smaller-diameter steering wheel which does give it a bit of a hot rod vibe. There’s also a full set of modern gauges from the Omega Kustom Instrument Co., and they monitor all of the big flathead’s vitals. There is no radio, although you could easily install one in the factory slot, but there is a brand new heater/defroster unit stashed under the dash. Seat belts were also added in the name of safety, and plenty of sound-deadening insulation was installed to control noise and heat. It’s all pretty effective. Door panels are still metal, the knobs and levers are original equipment, and the glass is in excellent condition. It nails the balance between original and modern, just like the rest of the truck.

Now for the good stuff: the engine is a 304 cubic inch flathead V8 filled with a Scat forged crank, H-beam rods, and forged aluminum pistons. On top there are Edelbrock finned aluminum heads and a matching dual carb intake topped with Holley 97s, which are pure tradition. Altogether, we’re told it cost more than $18,000. 304 cubic inches is just about the outside edge of how big you can go with a stock flathead, and it provides a big hit of torque that you don’t expect from a flattie, making the F-2 feel quick and agile around town. There’s also a big radiator up front to keep it cool, new wiring, a 12-volt alternator that looks like a generator, fresh water pumps, a new fuel pump, and just about everything else has been upgraded or replaced. The stout flathead is backed by a T5 5-speed manual, whose tall overdrive makes highway cruising a breeze, and there’s a rebuilt Ford 9-inch rear end out back with what we believe are 3.50 gears. The front axle is still hanging on leaf springs, but it has been augmented with front disc brakes with power assist and a dual reservoir master cylinder. A custom dual exhaust system features Smitty-type mufflers for that perfect flathead V8 soundtrack, and there are fresh springs and shocks all around so it rides well enough for a pickup. Six new steel wheels with trim rings and hubcaps are the perfect finishing touch, and they carry six fresh 225/75/16 radials for a modern ride.

This is the way to do it: mechanically, every single component is new, but it’s wrapped in original bodywork with a story to tell. This truck is ready to cruise, whether it’s to the local show or cross-country on the Power Tour, and it’s got the hardware to make it easy. If you like your street rods genuine and honest, they don’t come much better than this. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.