If it wasn't for a little influence from Jamey Jordan's dad at a young age, this truck might never have been built. As Jamey got older, his interest in the automotive industry grew, and he decided that he wanted to learn how to do things right the first time. So, he packed his bags, gave his mama a kiss, and headed for Wyoming to attend Wyo-Tech. Once he was done at Wyo-Tech, he headed off to Jacksonville, Florida, to Tulsa Welding School to get another degree in welding before returning home to Mississippi to work at his family's embroidery business, Fred Bear Designs.
Jamey didn't waste any time before he put his schooling to use and set out to find a '77 Ford F-150, because it was the first truck he can remember riding in. He searched everywhere, in the local papers and Truck Trader, asked all of his friends, and wouldn't you know it, he found one on eBay. The previous owner had recently passed away, and the family sent the truck to auction to be sold. From the look of the pictures online, the pickup seemed to be in good shape, so Jamey called, asked a few questions, and realized that he had to have it. Jamey spent the next couple of days on the road to Atlanta to pick up his newly acquired project.
After driving the truck around and thinking about what he wanted to do, Jamey headed over to Ballistic Metal Works to pull it apart and get the truck to a respectable new low. The team reconstructed the factory I-beams and relocated the radius arm mounts to drop the front of the truck 6 inches, before building custom airbag and shock mounts. Out back, they step-notched the rear framerails, and a Pete & Jake's four-link replaced the 30-year-old leaf springs. Jamey and Big John finished up plumbing the air system, chucked the stock rollers back on, which he later replaced with a set of Center Lines, and went cruisin' down the back roads of Louisiana.
Jamey left the outside of the truck fairly stock, except for a couple of modifications that have been done to the truck by Jamey and Don Braken to accommodate the truck's suspension. The front fenderwells were cut out and were replaced with a set of custom fenderwells. Jamey really didn't want to cut a hole in the bed, so the entire floor was raised 6 inches to accommodate the step-notch and raised rear suspension. While they were at it, the stake pockets and the exterior mirrors were shaved to give it a little cleaner look before they blocked out all of the sheetmetal. DuPont Hot Hues Indigo Tan and Molten Bronze were poured into the gun and sprayed to mimic the original two-tone finish. Before reinstalling all of the factory trim, Jamey took on the tedious task of applying a hand-brushed finish. Rounding out the truck's exterior, Randy at Nu Era hosed in a nice color-matched bedliner.
Jamey travels to shows all over the South and beyond, so he decided it would be a good idea to freshen up the internals of the 30-year-old powerplant. The guys at Mac's stripped the motor down and bored the block 0.040 over, before replacing all of the bearings, ring valves, springs, and pistons. Once the motor was back together, it was treated with a couple coats of paint, giving the engine compartment that old vintage look of Ford.
Huffmasters Custom Trim of Meridian, Mississippi, was responsible for transforming the '70s-style Partridge family dcor into a more modern ensemble. The ancient OEM floor covering was switched out for wheat-colored wool carpet that smelled a little less like formaldehyde. The door panel inserts and the bench seat were wrapped in butter suede, and before the suede headliner was installed, it was embroidered with a pair of full-figured trucker chicks and an NC club logo. Jamey installed an old-school Sony head unit-we're talking before pull-out decks-and dusted off the '77 Ford factory speakers before reinstalling the speaker grilles to finish up the interior of the truck. Recreating a style of an era before his time, Jamey has a truck that reaches both sides of the fence and crosses generation gaps, which most of us should hope to achieve.
The 411
Owner/hometown:
Jamey Jordan / Meridian, Mississippi
Year/Make/Model:
'77 Ford F-150
Engine/Drivetrain:
6.6L Cleveland V-8 400-cid / punched the block 0.040 over / new bearings, rings, pistons, valves, seats, and springs / Ford C6 transmission
BY: Mac's Truck Service
Rims:
Front & Rear: Center Line smoothie 20x8-inch
Tires:
Front & Rear: Hankook 275/40R20
Suspension:
Front: Modified DJM I-beam drop beams for a 6-inch drop / relocated radius arms / Firestone 2600 air springs / four 3/8-inch E-Air valves
Rear: Firestone 2600 air springs / four3/8-inch E-Air valves / Pete & Jake's four-link
Accessories: Oasis 3000-Series Air Compressor / 3/8-Inch Copper Lines
Chassis: Step-Notch
By: Big John Akkins / Jamey Jordan / Ballistic Metal Works of Memphis, Tennessee
Body Mods:
Shaved stake pockets, antenna, and mirrors / custom-made front fenderwells / bed floor raised 6 inches / hand-brushed trim pieces
By: Big and Little Don Braken at Innovative Customs and Jamey Jordan
Custom Paint:
Hot Hues stock Indigo Tan and Molten Bronze
By: Big and Little Don Braken at Innovative Customs / Jamey Jordan
Interior:
Wheat-colored wool carpet / door panel inserts and bench seat wrapped in butter suede / suede headliner embroidered with a pair of full figured trucker chicks and NC club logo
By: Russel Woods
Audio/Video:
Old Sony CD player / '77 Ford factory speakers
By: Jamey Jordan
Club:
Negative Camber
Special Thanks:
Big and Little Don Braken, Big John, Big Casey, Russell, Duck, Randy at Nu Era, his mom, and "all the fools" in Negative Camber