Rod & Custom Feature Car
Scott Roberts
Moorpark, California
1941 Ford Pickup
Scott took it upon himself—literally—to transform his ’41 Ford’s foundation from old to new. He acquired all the necessities from Total Cost Involved, which included a complete frame, stainless suspension, and RideTech components, assembled everything to the best of his limited knowledge, and then proceeded to incorporate all the original tin onto the modern platform.
Untypical of a first-timer, Scott elected to not take the easy road by throwing a crate SBC into the mix, rather, a gorgeous Flathead circa-’50 Ford from none other than renowned flat motor guru Earl Floyd (Battle Ground, WA). The 276ci mill consists of a 4-inch Merc crank, Ross pistons on stock rods, and Isky Max 3/4-race cam internally; polished Edelbrock heads, Offenhauser intake sporting dual 97s, and Vertex magneto externally (majority of which supplied by Flathead Jack’s). Further complementing the Flatty are a polished PowerGen alternator, Edmunds air cleaners, and beehive finned oil filter. Scott took the auto route by mating a C-4 by way of a Flat-O-Matic adapter, ultimately connecting everything with a Currie 9-inch rearend courtesy of a Wenco Industries driveshaft.
Body-color painted Wheelsmith OG-style steelies in 15x6 front and rear are traditionally wrapped in bias Firestone whitewalls (560 and 820, respectively) from Coker Tire and wear ’47 Ford caps and stainless trim rings.
Beneath that beautiful bronze coating lies mostly original FoMoCo steel, some of which has been subjected to subtle customizing (such as the molded hood, reworked bed rails, and shaved door handles, to name but a few). Hot Rods & Custom Stuff in Escondido, CA, handled all the major work/rework, including the application of the PPG environment-compliant (Envirobase) paint with traditional pinstriping by Robert Gagnon added appropriately. Many of the truck’s exterior hard parts are Bob Drake items, like the grille, bumpers, and headlights, while the bed wood (including stainless strips) are from Bruce Horkey.
Inside, the cab is finished in the same faultless fashion as the outside. Bone-colored leather and vinyl upholstery with gold piping and burnt gold carpet by Armando’s (San Jacinto, CA) is concours quality yet truly traditional. The stock dash features an original instrument cluster rebuilt by Red-Line Gauge Works, hidden Secretaudio and air ride controls. A LimeWorks drop supports a Flaming River column topped by a Juliano’s repop ’37 Ford banjo wheel.