Matt Peace of Tyler, Texas, dragged home this beautiful 1955 Ford F-100 over four years ago when it was just a sad pile of rust sitting in front of a local man's front yard. After handing over $600 to purchase the 50 year old classic, Matt probably had no idea his truck would not only be on the cover of a major print magazine, but it would also become an icon for truck enthusiasts nationwide as well as abroad!

As a truck enthusiast myself, I can understand the amount of pride Matt must have in his hot rod pickup. There is nothing like standing back and staring at a tangible, rolling result of all the late night wrenching parties and the investment of loads of cash. The process of building a custom hauler is difficult, with the stresses of family, work, and in Matt's case, school. In the end, it is all worth it once you receive the universal seal of approval... thumbs up. One thing is for sure, patience is a key ingredient in the successful completion of any well-crafted custom pickup. A rush job looks like a rush job in the end. Matt made sure his truck would be a quality piece by not rushing, which is why it was approximately a three year road to the beautifully crafted blue oval you see laid before your eyes.

Since this intended to be a frame up build, Matt began the transformation of his Effie by first inspecting the frame. To his dismay, it was obvious that the truck had seen tons of hard duty over the past 50 years. The stock chassis was ditched and a custom frame was to be built.

Matt purchased a wrecked 1996 Ford Explorer and snatched the front clip, the engine, the tranny, and the 8.8-inch rear-end. New frame rails were purchased and welded to the front clip along with new cross members. A little bodywork was performed on the chassis and then black, silver, and red paint were applied for rich shine and detail.

Once the Ford Explorer rear-end was installed with a custom 3-link setup, Matt and his brother Jonathan, installed the various suspension parts that would give the truck its aggressive hot rod stance. Firestone 2600 airbags were installed at each corner to give the truck a maximum drop. A ViAir 450 compressor with stainless steel lines handles the air supply with Metron valves controlling the up and down motion. To complete his rolling chassis, Matt chose 20-inch Gunslinger billet hoops, by Billet Accessories Direct, wrapped in Hankook 255/35ZR20 and 275/35ZR20 mounted over custom disc brakes.

Prior to dropping off the vintage blue oval at Hill's Hot Rods in Lubbock, Texas, Matt decided to clean up the body a bit by shaving the door handles, cowl vent, louvers, cab seams, drip rails, emblems, gas filler hatch, front bumper, mirrors, stake pockets, bed latches, and all of the factory seams. The cab was body dropped over the frame rails 2-inches along with a custom floor. The firewall in the engine bay was smoothed, the roofline was widened, a set of smooth running boards were bolted up, and a front roll pan with LED signals was molded into place. In the rear, a Dan Carpenter custom bed was laid over the frame rails fitted with a custom red oak bed floor that was stained charcoal gray and accented with polished billet strips. A molded-in roll pan replaces the stock rear bumper and a set of extra fat fenders gives the truck a contemporary look.

Once the truck's body was prepped by the crew at Hill's Hot Rods, Jason Hill played the role of mad scientist and mixed up a custom PPG red and gunmetal gray. Using the rendering drawn by Ed White of Fast Eddy's Hot Rod Art in Katy, Texas, as reference, Jason sprayed red as the base coat and applied the gunmetal gray topside for an appealing two-tone paint scheme. Custom F-100 logos were airbrushed on the hood that incorporates a set of traditional flames. To further break up the two-tone paint scheme is an airbrushed billet-like trim.

Prior to reassembly, the drive train was set into place and the chassis was wired for power. Go-power for Matt's "effie" is provided by a 5.0-liter EFI powerplant that was installed by TK Performance in Tyler, Texas. The engine was mated to a transmission pulled out of a Ford Explorer and rebuilt by Crump Automotive in Lubbock, Texas. Matt's vintage hauler puts the power to the pavement through a refurbished Ford 8.8-inch rearend. Exhaust noise is provided by BBK ceramic coated headers followed up by 3-inch custom exhaust flowing thru a set of Flowmaster Super 40-series mufflers.

In order to spruce up the interior of his now-radical ride, Matt delivered the truck to Roy Gibbs of American Upholstery in Lubbock, Texas, where a set of I.S.S. seats were covered in charcoal textured suede capped with a stingray backbone insert. Custom door panels and a custom headliner were also installed and covered in matching charcoal leather. A painted-to-match fiberglass center console was formed, by Jimmy Davis of Vision Audio in Lubbock, Texas, that houses a subwoofer. A Dakota Digital instrument cluster, Ididit tilt steering column, billet steering wheel, billet shifter, air conditioning, black loop carpet, and single glass power windows add to the cab's creature comforts.

Tunes are cranked through a Kenwood head unit with JL Audio components and a JL Audio 10-inch subwoofer all powered by a Kenwood amp. Dynamat was applied to the cab floor to keep the road noise to a minimum while Stinger Expert Series wiring links all of the audio components together.

Three years is a while to wait for a dream truck to take shape, but based on the results, it was well worth it. Matt's vintage hauler is now an icon in the scene and is regarded as one of the finest (if not "the" finest) Ford F-100s around. Matt's "Hot Rod Effie" is sure to get a lot of attention for years to come for it certainly has garnered our attention here at ESM!

Shout Out: "Special thanks toHill's Hot Rods, God, mom and dad, my brother Jonathan Peace, Patrick 'Slim' Bowman, Wes Hanover, Brent Davis, Matt Christian, Colby, Jimmy Davis, Roy Gibbs, Tony Smith, and to all who said the project would never be completed... you were the motivation behind it all!" -Matt Peace