Goodguys 2021 Goolsby Customs Next Generation National Champion!
For 25-year-old Logan Adkins, winning the 2021 Goolsby Customs Next Generation national championship is more than just another award on the shelf. It’s years of hard work, dedication, and self-taught skill that ultimately resulted in him being confident enough to open his own hot rod shop, K32 Kustoms.
Logan’s ’54 Ford F100 was pulled out of his grandmother’s yard when he was just 17 years old. Nearly every corner was rotting, forcing him to source parts from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and even California. “The most challenging part was the intimidation of doing stuff I’d never done before,” Logan recalls. “Having to prep sheet metal and create minimal warpage when welding was something I wasn’t too familiar with.”
Logan started by reinforcing an early Chevy S10 chassis and fitting it with 2-inch drop spindles, new springs, and a Ford 8.8-inch rearend with 3.73 gears and lowering blocks. He upgraded the brakes with a Wilwood master cylinder and PowerStop calipers and rotors. Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dog 18×7- and 20×9-inch wheels add style and contribute to the hot rod rake.
For power, Logan opted for a 350c.i. small-block Chevy equipped with an Edelbrock intake and carburetor, MSD ignition, Patriot headers, and March Performance serpentine kit. The engine is backed with a TH350 transmission controlled by a Lokar shifter.
The body modifications are where Logan’s skills shined. He had to replace both cab corners, the inner and outer door skins, and the front quarter posts, and he converted the cab to a big back window. He also eliminated the vents and body lines, fabricated a custom rolled pan, rolled the bed stakes, shaved the drip rails and wipers, and added widened rear fenders, smooth running boards, one-piece door glass, and custom taillights. A smoothed ’56 F100 grille was fit into an electrically operated fiberglass tilt front end from Terry’s F100 Parts. Logan got help from his friend Bryce to apply the Axalta Magna Steel Grey paint.
More of Logan’s work is on display inside, where he fabricated a custom console, smoothed the dash, and installed iEquus gauges in a Speedway Motors panel, an Ididit column, and a billet steering wheel. Logan also installed the carpet, wrapped the dash and door panels in black vinyl, installed an LMC Truck headliner, and added Sube Sports bucket seats. A Painless Performance wiring kit delivers power to all the electronics.
Logan says there are still more plans on the drawing board for the F100. Since becoming more comfortable with sheet metal work, he wants to fabricate custom engine bay panels and put a steel front clip back on the truck. He also has his eyes on a Coyote engine. We have a strong feeling we’ll be seeing much more from Logan Adkins and K32 Kustoms in the years to come.
Photos by Steven Bunker
