Up front, Johnie retained the factory headlights on their original bar. Just behind that, a Deuce shell encloses a Dan Fink Metal-works insert, and Craig Hill fabricated the aluminum hood and sides. While making the hood sides, Hill worked a character line into the metal whose lower, curved section matches the arch of the front fenders.
A blinding, polished-everything, Craig Hillbuilt 350 topped by a polished TPI gets Johnies A down the street. Its bolted to a TH350 built by Golden Gate Transmissions and turns 3.50:1 gears in the Auburn Posiequipped Ford 8-inch rear. Hooker headers feed a pair of Borla mufflers, which flow through a Top of the Hill Performance custom exhaust system.
The dash is a combination of a Model A upper with a Deuce lower panel; it houses a set of Ford Racing SVO gauges. A LeCarra wheel tops an ididit two-way tilt column. The go and whoa pedals are one-off pieces built by Hill.
Check out this trick little modification: After removing the fuel tank from the cowl and filling the hole, Craig Hill fabricated this boss fuel filler in the lower part of the stake pocket. It feeds the 18-gallon fuel tank, which resides under the bed floor behind the diff.
Inside, Miller Upholstery of Livermore, California, stitched tan leather over the custom seat and panels. Johnie likes to drive safely, so he installed a set of S-10 seatbelts. Theres an A/C unit hidden under the dash, and an audio head unit and cutoff switch are mounted on a panel under the front of the seat.
The wheels are American Torq-Thrust IIs with 17x7s up front, wrapped in Goodyear 235/35s, and 17x8s skinned with Goodyear 255/40s bring up the rear. The suspension includes a Heidts Superior IFS with rack-and-pinion and a four-link 8-inch with Koni coilovers. Binders are four-wheel Wilwood discs. Top of the Hill also fabricated the one-off roll pan that hides the fuel tank.
Craig Hill is a master of subtle styling, as evidenced by the details in the pickup bed alone. In addition to moving the entire bed closer to the cab, the headgate (front panel) has had its upper edge radiused to match the arch of the reveal that traverses the back of the cab. The tailgate and stake pockets have been welded and filled. The bed floor is oak with polished stainless strips and was also installed by Hill.
Looks pretty stock, huh? Not even close. Craig Hill filled the roof, shaved the fuel neck from the cowl, flush-fit the doors, molded the visor, and flush-fit the windshield. The amount of work involved in flush-fitting the doors alone is enough to make most builders cringe. Not only did the doors have to be reduced in size to fit into the opening, but the hinges were reworked to relocate the doors a half inch or so closer to the body. All-new jambs had to be created to allow for weatherproofing.
Ever think about the guy who bought your old car when it was new? Do ya think he ever dreamed that it would end up like it did? Were guessing noespecially the guy who bought Johnies truck new. At first glance it appears to be a nicely done, mild Model A truck, but step in closer and the details begin to reveal themselves. This thing has so many subtle, almost invisible, modifications we had to finally ask Johnie to point them all out.
Johnie, who hails from Piedmont, California, always had a thing for Ford pickups and had an image bopping around his brain of a 31 that looked, for the most part, stock. He eventually met Craig Hill of Top of the Hill Performance in Pleasanton, and once Johnie was satisfied that they saw eye-to-eye, the pounding began. After six years of work-on-it-when-you-can, Johnies patience finally paid off. Sure, it took a long time, but the workmanship is nothing short of amazing with a plethora of subtle body mods that would go unnoticed unless they were specifically pointed out. We dug it so much that it garnered a spot on our Best of the Best list in the Rod & Custom 100 Best; the 31 also won its class at the Nationals and was a Top 5 pick at its first Goodguys show.