1954 Ford F-100 Kustom Show Truck

Nothing excites me more than acquiring a classic car or truck that has a rich history, a story from decades past when Kustom cars & trucks ruled the streets. Opportunities like this rarely arise, and when they do, they disappear as quickly as they appeared. Well just imagine how excited we @ Red Hills Rods and Choppers were to find the original 1954 Ford F100 Ralph Ehorn Kustom Pickup, which appeared on the cover of 'Rod & Custom’ magazine not once, but twice (January 1959 & January 1960)! Mr. Ehorn of Red Bluff Ca., created this one of a kind Kustom truck in the late 50’s, with much of the work being done by Ray’s Custom Shop in Chico, California. The body was smoothed & shaved of its trim handles, the hood was louvered, nosed & peaked and the tailgate was paneled smooth. They lowered the truck by using a dropped axle up front and relocating the spring mounts in the rear. A 1955 Bel Air grille was used with ’54 Buick headlight bezels, along with ’50 Buick taillights, which were molded into the rear fenders (frenched), and a recessed antenna (frenched) was mounted on the rear of the cab on the passenger side. Chrome bumpers, chrome running boards and chrome side exhaust matched the chrome reverse rims w/ ’40 Ford hubcaps, wrapped in wide whitewall tires. It was finished in Candy Apple Red and was dubbed ‘The Candy Truck’. Ralph showed his truck all over the West Coast and won many trophies along the way. In 1958, it won 3rd in Class @ The Oakland Roadster Show and in January, 1959, it made its first appearance on the cover of 'Rod & Custom’ magazine, with pin-up Roberta Calame gracing the pages alongside the truck. Later that year, Ralph restyled the truck, this time installing a ’59 Buick Grille Insert and using Quad Headlights from a tilt-cab fire truck. She was painted Pearl White and was again featured on the cover of 'Rod & Custom’ magazine in January, 1960, exactly a year from the date of its first appearance. A pretty amazing story if you ask me! Ralph continued to travel the West Coast that year, earning trophies at every event he entered. In late 1960, Ralph ended up trading his award-winning Kustom Pickup w/ Bob Tindle for a Thunderbird. Mr. Tindle was quite the Hot Rodder at the time and is remembered mainly for his famous show/drag car, ‘The Orange Crate’, as well as the ‘Stompin Savoy’, which was known as one of the fastest Super Stockers of that era. He also had a successful dealership in the Portland, Oregon area and he & his cronies were known as the ‘Tindle Gang’ when they attended the Oakland & Portland Roadster Shows. After that, the truck bounced around between several owners over the course of 30+ years until it eventually fell off the radar completely. After years of research, Steve Lemke of Washington State, found the truck after it had been sitting for many years, and was in desperate need of a restoration. Rather than restoring the truck himself, Steve sold the truck to Pete & Joanne Rosenberg in 2002, who immediately set out to make contact w/ Ralph Ehorn, whom they found rather easily as he is still in Red Bluff, California. Ralph was very excited to find out that his truck was still intact, and sent Pete & Joanna copies of old photographs and magazine articles from back in the day. After that, the Rosenbergs decided they just had to restore this legendary Kustom Pickup. The complete restoration was done to very high standards, cutting no corners along the way. The body is laser straight all of the way around, with excellent fit & finish throughout, and NO rust issues whatsoever. The PPG ‘Pastel Green’ paint is absolutely beautiful, and has to be seen in person to truly appreciate how gorgeous it really is. Of course, the '59 Buick Grille, Quad Headlights and '50 Buick Taillights are all still present in show quality condition, and the chrome bumpers are brand new. All weatherstripping & window seals are new, including the wing windows. The truck bed features beautiful Oak Wood paneling w/ stainless trim. A white vinyl Tonneau Cover was custom made for the truck, which fits tight & snug like a glove. Pop open the door and slide into the beautiful white tuck & roll bench seat interior w/ the dash & upper door frames painted body color, which looks exceptional. The original & fully functional gauge cluster is still present, as well as a full set of Auto Meter Gauges, which were added to monitor all vital signs. Directly in front of you is the Chrome Tilt-Steering Column w/ a beautiful Impala Steering Wheel painted in the two-tone body color. Open the glove box and you will find the Kenwood AM/FM/CD/iPod Compatible Receiver neatly mounted inside for easy access. There are (4) switches on the dash, (3) for the neon bulbs & strobes mounted under the truck and (1) for the power antenna, which all work beautifully. The interior of this truck is absolutely beautiful, extremely comfortable and very functional. Pull open the tilt-hood and you will find the all FOMOCO drivetrain! Powered by a 351W motor w/ an Edelbrock Performer Aluminum Intake Manifold, Holley 600 cfm Carburetor, Electronic Ignition, Cast-Iron Exhaust Manifolds, Chrome Valve Covers, Chrome Alternator and Taylor 8mm Plug Wires. The 351Wmotor is linked to a C4 Automatic Transmission which feeds power to the Ford 9” Rear Axle w/ 3.25 gears. She starts, runs and performs beautifully and is an absolute blast to drive! The 351W motor has plenty of power & torque and the C4 Automatic Transmission shifts smooth and crisp like a new truck. This Pickup does really well on the freeway, and the Power Steering & Power Front Disc Brakes make driving around town effortless. A Chrysler Volare front clip was installed during the restoration, which really made a difference in regards to handling & driveability. She still sits on Chrome Reverse Rims, like she did over 50 years ago, with new B.F. Goodrich Wide Whitewall Tires (P215/60R15 on the rear & P205/60R15 up front). After the restoration was completed, Pete & Joanne started showing their truck, winning lots of awards along the way, including ‘Best Of Show’ at the 2009 Billetproof event. She now sits on our showroom floor here in St. George, Utah, and is ready to hit the highway or start winning trophies all over again. This gorgeous 1954 Ford F100 Kustom Pickup has everything you would ever want in a classic truck, with its incredible history, no expense spared restoration and functionality that will let you get in and drive anywhere at anytime without a worry in the world. If you have been searching for a special classic pickup, look no further! Do not hesitate because she will not last long! Enclosed shipping is available anywhere in the world at the buyer’s expense.