Inside This F-100 is the Heart of a Mustang

Racing is in his blood

This story isn't about a simple engine swap into a classic vehicle. It's about the end product of years of experience in road racing and being part of the Bonneville program with Ford. To put things into perspective properly let me start this story from the beginning. Ever since John Maffucci was a child he knew he wanted to be part of the racing world. John built his first hot rod when he was just 14 and soon after began dirt-track racing. After high school, he moved to Daytona with the hope that someone would hire him on so he could continue the pursuit of his dream. It took awhile and he bided his time by being a short order cook but then the call came. He had finally gotten a factory ride with Mazda in the IMSA Camel GT series and soon after introduced himself to the winner's circle. In 1996 he made the move to the Bonneville program with Ford and challenge himself once more. Later in the series, John took a 2003 Mustang Cobra packed with a 5.0 Cammer motor and set a C/P class record speed of 178 miles an hour.  

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It was found where?!

So where does the '55 F-100 come into play? Well, that was found in an old chicken coop and was at first destined to be a shop truck for RPM Ranch, John's shop in Georgia. Ford heard about the vintage truck and approached John about displaying it at the SEMA show and that's when the truck's fate changed. In the span of 18 months, the pickup went from chicken coop homebody to Best in Show, winning hi-po vintage monster. The goal of the build was to keep the original look of the truck while hiding the performance mods for the sake of modesty.

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Gotta fix that frame

"The only thing not original is the opening up front for the intercooler and the exhaust out the back." The sheet metal of the body, steel fenders, and the bed are all property of Ford with the powertrain being the same that put the 03 Mustang in the record books. John sent the truck to Randy Powell of Powell Paint and Body in Georgia to make the truck like new with repaired cab corners, fenders, running boards, and bed from Dennis Carpenter. Afterwards, fabricator Graeme "Rabbit" Bartils from North Georgia Fabrications began updating the chassis by boxing the original 55's frame rails and welding in cross bracing. 

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A laundry list of fun

Next, the reworked rails were fitted with a Heidt's Mustang II front end, stabilized by Pro Shocks and Eibach Springs. Going back to his Mustang roots, John chose the independent rear end from a '03 Cobra and adapted easily to the vintage chassis. New lower control arms were fabricated to hold the Pro Shock coilovers and rear Eibach springs. The brakes were upgraded thanks to '03 Mustang Cobra disks in the front and 11-1/2-inch Cobra disks in the rear. The steering column and wheel is from Flaming River that controls a Mustang power rack and pinion unit. The wheels on the truck are some very classy yet aggressive 18x8-inch BBS forged one-piece wheels with a six-layer Diamond Graphite painted finish. The rubber wrapped around those wheels are sticky BFGoodrich Comp T/A radials that accentuate the low profile look and give lots of grip for the truck. The cherry on top was a Lexan floor bed that gives spectators a great view of the underpinnings.

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Supercharged super truck

From the title, you already know what's under the hood of this 1955 Blue Oval. John went with a 4.6-liter Cammer engine that was bored and stroked from 261ci to 306ci. Also lending a hand in the name of performance is '03 Cobra Eaton supercharger that was ported and polished for massive gulps of airflow and fitted with Metco under-drive pulleys. A MAF from a Lightning truck, Accufab 100mm throttle-body, and a carbon-fiber air induction system from the good folks at Razors Edge to increase the velocity of the air. 

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The power mods continue

Keeping things cool is a Fluidyne intercooler with an OEM Bosch pump and Autorad high-efficiency radiator. There are also Bosch 55 pound injectors to ensure that plenty of the proper mix of air/fuel and the OEM ignition from the 4.6-liter Cammer creates the necessary precisely timed explosions for function. The final step in the performance sector is the Bassani headers with 2-1/2 inch ceramic coated exhaust and Borla mufflers. The duty of engine building went to Tim Matherly of MV Performance in Statham, Georgia using a Diablo tuner to get the truck to 510 horsepower to the wheels. The transmission was beefed up to T-56 Tremec six-speed transmission paired with an old-school Hurst shifter that kicks so much you know what. 

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.A cabin to live in

For the interior of the truck, John had the Mustang love carried over by using a complete Cobra instrument panel that blends almost seamlessly with the classic dash and fitted with Auto Meter instruments. The OE through the floor pedals of the '55 now works with a Cobra Hydra-Boost braking system and a new hydraulic clutch. Swathed in beautiful red leather, the interior was patterned after a vintage Bently with carefully wrapped hides and very few seams. The door panels of the truck were also done in a manner to match. For more modern radio there is a Sony CD player with 6x9 speakers behind the seats and are assisted by Quiet Ride Solutions sound-deadening equipment. The cabin is kept cool by use of Vintage Air with electronically actuated drop-down air vents. 

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Performance done right

So how does the truck perform? Well, the old pickup turned in a time of 133 mph at the Monster Mile at Maxton, North Carolina, which is the East Coast's version of the Salt Flats. John wants to add a roll cage to the truck since that would allow him to push the truck harder and reach somewhere in the mid-170s. The independent rear is fitted with 3.55 gears and allows the truck to outperform many vehicles that were designed for autocross. In fact, the truck posted the fastest time in the hot-rod class at the Goodguys show in Nashville and was only 0.7 seconds slower than the overall winner: a twin-turbo Camaro. 

John daily drives the truck and it has served him repeatedly as an amazing tow truck that chauffers his Bonneville Mustang to and from the Salt Flats. Even with its mundane duties, the truck makes appearances on the show circuit and usually walks away with the top prize.

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