Golden Opportunity: A 1972 F100 Survivor on Steroids
Mike Reed has been into trucks and cars for as long as he can remember. Over the years there have been plenty of projects and a lot of drag racing and good times, but he’d always thought about finding a Ford bumpside pickup like the one he drove in high school. Over the years he’d kept his eye out for a worthy candidate and finally struck gold (or should we say Goldenrod, the Ford paint name) with a solid, very original 1972 F100 Explorer with a blown engine. Score!
Mike’s plan was to build a truck he could only dream about back in high school by retaining the factory looks, but with an updated interior and big power under the hood. That was all well and good until he walked through the Roadster Shop display at the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals a few years ago. He was quickly seduced by the lure of a killer stance and ordered one of RS’s Spec chassis, which in turn changed the entire direction and scope of his build.
The chassis would not only deliver the stance Mike was searching for, but also the added strength for the pending big-block Ford, not to mention a smooth ride and performance handling capabilities. The coil-over shocks, rack-and-pinion steering, modern suspension geometry, space for meaty tires and, of course, Wilwood disc brakes all worked in favor of Mike’s new plan for a survivor pickup on steroids.
With the chassis plan sorted out, Mike went about refining and working the Ford body to bolt in place. He fabricated a new transmission and driveshaft tunnel, smoothed the firewall, and built new front inner fenders. The bed was left with its original steel floor except for a portion of the center being cut out for larger wheel tubs with a relief in between for the suspension.
Mike went to work on the original 1972 F100 Ford Goldenrod paint, cutting and buffing on the exterior and then applying the color to the engine compartment, underside, and interior where necessary. The truck appears original save for the LED lighting and the great stance with 17×8- and 17×11-inch Budnik wheels tucked nicely into the fenders for a blend of pro street with pro touring. Eagle-eyed Ford fans will note the ’70 grille, which was the cleanest original example Mike could find to fit with the rest of the survivor exterior.
While Mike easily handled the sheet metal and bodywork, he turned the interior upgrades over to Keith Kirk, who rebuilt and covered the factory bench seat with diamond-stitched leather and added custom door panels and a headliner. The entire truck was rewired with an American Autowire harness and Auto Meter gauges were installed in a billet panel, along with an Ididit tilt column and B&M Pro Ratchet shifter to control the TH400 trans. While the Flowmaster exhaust tone is nice for a while, Mike prefers the sounds radiating from a serious JL Audio system comprised of two subs and four speakers.
Getting back to the plan for big power, Mike wanted an engine he could only dream about as a 17-year-old in his first F100. That truck had a 390 FE engine but when he did a little research on building an FE, it became apparent that he could achieve more bang for his buck with a 460, so a call was put in to Morgan & Sons Racing.
An appropriate 460 was sourced and then machined to fit a forged stroker rotating assembly from Scat, boosting the displacement to 545 cubic inches of Ford performance! The engine is topped with Jon Kaase P51 aluminum heads, an Edlebrock Victor intake, and a Pro Systems carb with the outcome being more than 700 horsepower naturally aspirated. We mention N/A because there’s also a NOS Fogger system in place ready to add several hundred more ponies at the push of a button! (Mike did a lot of drag racing over the years and is a big fan of nitrous injection!)
In the end, Mike’s 1972 F100 has nearly nothing in common with his high school ’71 except the fact that they’re both F100 short bed pickups, but that’s enough to rekindle memories from those younger years. This truck is basically a pipedream for any Texas high school kid from the early-’80s and Mike wanted to thank his wife, Lisa, for her patience and his car-guy friends Buddy Ward, John Sliney, and Buddy Garza for their help with the project and end goal. Now all that’s left to do is enjoy the cruise with his daughter Jorden and get ready for that first hit of nitrous from a roll.
Photos: John Jackson, Damon Lee
