CHECK OUT THE COVER SHOOT VIDEO OF THIS TRUCK, WITH HEATHER RAE! CLICK HERE!
Farmer John * Yuma, Arizona
'64 Ford
This issue of Sport Truck is all about avoiding the law at any cost. The Man likes to keep all of us fun-loving, truck-modifying freaks from exercising our right to cut, modify, and drive our rigs, so we put together a bunch of stories to help everyone avoid brushes with the law. We needed a rig with the perfect blend of speed, style, muscle, and attitude to photograph for the cover and this '64 Ford fit the bill nicely. Who can argue with a 'bagged, blown, and body-dropped vintage ride that screams "Catch me if you can!"? This truck has been so popular over the years that it's been sold twice, photographed in numerous magazines, and then sold again the same day we snapped these photos of it in our studio. In between, it's been flogged hard, pitched sideways often, and burned through several layers of 15-inch-wide radial tires. In short, this truck belongs on the cover as much as the flashing red and blues belong in its rearview mirror.
At the time of our photo shoot, the truck was in the possession of a man known to his friends as "Farmer John." John purchased the truck two years earlier, adding it to his collection of vintage hot rods and hot boats. John didn't take credit for any part of the build, but he did lay claim to ripping the four-link out from under the custom chassis during a burnout that would've made John Force wince. With the exception of that little incident, which required the bed to be reworked after the rear axle flew out from beneath it, John took amazing care of the Ford during its tenure under his ownership. You'd be hard-pressed to find evidence that this truck was customized over seven years ago.
The man responsible for the amazingly low '64 is Troy Sutton, who resides in John's hometown of Yuma, Arizona. Troy purchased the truck before he even had a driver's license. By the time he was of legit driving age, he'd chopped the top 10 inches, swapped in a V-8, and primered the truck with the help of his father. With the keys to this badass Ford in his pocket, he was the coolest kid in school, bar none. Troy's talents grew from there and it wasn't long before he opened up his own shop, The Chop Shop, and set the truck aside while he built street machines for his customers. In 2000, Troy decided the truck deserved to be finished off properly.
The stock chassis had received a bunch of mods over the years, none of which would work with his new plans. So, Troy relieved the body of its perch and built a new 2x4-inch chassis from rectangular tubing that would allow the body to sit flush with the asphalt using a set of airbags for the suspension, and tuck Pro Street-style meats under the bed. The frontend received an IFS with tubular Mustang II-style A-arms and drop spindles, while the rearend was treated to a Ford 9-inch axle, which pivoted via a four-link. Firestone airbags provided the lift and the ability to lay the truck on the tarmac at will. When the Ford is laid out, the roof measures a scant four feet from the ground, which does make detailing the truck a bit easier, in case you were wondering.
Thanks to a blown small-block poking out from the hood that's as tall as the roof, Troy could have painted this thing shit brown and it would still knock people's socks off. It looks so hard and menacing that the shaved exterior and traditional flames over a deep black base are almost unnecessary. This truck would get looks from gearheads and the cops no matter what. Still, we dig the narrowed front bumper, smoothed drip rails, and sanitary leather interior. Troy showed the truck, enjoyed the accolades it garnered, and then sold it to Farmer John, who mobbed it for the next few years, pissing off the locals with city-block-long burnouts.
After the last photo was snapped, the smoking hot model was paid for her services, and the truck was loaded into its enclosed trailer, Farmer John shook our hands and took off north. He had a date with a man who wanted to trade him a '55 shoebox Chevy for the Ford. From the details we got, the trade seemed fair on both ends, although we think no shoebox is going to garner the attention from both sides of the law that the Ford will. For a second, we thought maybe John was slowing down in life, but then he relayed a story to us about getting pulled over by the California Highway Patrol while doing 85 mph with the car hauler in tow on his way back to Yuma. We guess he's not slowing down at all. He'll probably need some of the tips in this mag.