By Fuelish Media
There’s nothing more timeless than a family-based truck build. The combination of ideas, effort, and hard work that goes into the execution pays out in invaluable gratification every step of the way. We recently met with David Baba of San Clemente, California, who just wrapped up the restoration of his 1977 Ford F-150 that he purchased back in March 2021. David’s son, Matt, was a big part of the project as well, and between the two Baba men, they made promising initial progress, though they soon realized they might be approaching a major project pitfall.
“I bought the truck to build it into an off-road race truck,” David says. “It needed to be completely stripped and taken down to bare metal. The engine needed an overhaul, and a lot of necessary modifications and upgrades had to roll out to get the truck where I wanted it to be.” Now, you might be wondering, with all those pressing issues, what was the truck’s redeeming quality? What swayed David into taking this project on? “The shortbed was the determining factor to invest in the truck,” he answers. “Matt and I reached a point where we both agreed that we needed extra help and love to keep the progress rolling.”
Enter Ray Noel of Full Throttle Restoration & Repair in Santa Ana, California! Noel’s shop is an established automotive business that specializes in providing the exact type of relief David and Matt needed. Noel assessed the truck’s condition and called for the existing Ford 335 series 400-cid engine to be plucked and sent to nearby Engine Component & Machine (ECM) to conduct a proper rebuild and upgrade session. True to the nature of hot rodding, this plan was soon diverted when it was found the original block was already over bored beyond the point for an additional rebuild. This required ECM to source a block that had never been rebuilt and to start fresh.
Once back at Full Throttle, the block was deburred, the oil system was optimized, and the Edelbrock Cleveland heads were modified for the now 408-cid short block. To increase the engine’s power output and overall reliability, the engine received Keith Black 0.040 over pistons, an Isky hydraulic roller lifter cam, Johnson link bar roller lifters, Scorpion roller rockers, and an Edelbrock single-plane 2V intake manifold to top it off. Induction and exhaust are handled by a Holley sniper EFI and 1.75-inch Doug’s headers with a custom-built, equal-length 304 stainless 2.5-inch JMD tube mandrel-bent exhaust tubing. In the end, this combination spits out 525 hp with 490 lb-ft of torque! Backing it up is a Ford C6 transmission that was made more efficient with a Tru-Cool 40K trans cooler to appropriately harnesses all that energy.
When it came time to dig into the F-150’s 4WD suspension, Noel at Full Throttle made some alterations in the way of adding front drop radius arms, crossover steering, Bilstein M 7100 shocks with reservoirs at the front and rear, along with fresh urethane bushings where needed. The truck’s braking system was then outfitted with a hydroboost-assisted Wilwood master cylinder and Wilwood disc brakes with four-piston calipers at all corners. An E-Stopp parking brake assembly with a simple and hidden push button brings ease of use and security. Once that was handled, a fresh set of 17-inch Eagle Alloy wheels paired with 35×12.5-17 Mickey Thompson Baja EXP tires were mounted to complete the straightforward yet impressive suspension overhaul.
Next, the Ford underwent a round of necessary bodywork, along with some extracurricular touches, including the shaving of the bedpost pockets. An AMD hood was ordered and treated before the Full Throttle crew painted the F-150’s surface with clean and classy two-stage Wimbledon White paint. Color-matched Line-X liner was sprayed inside of the bed, a Dennis Carpenter grille was bolted into place, and LED headlights were installed to update the truck’s forward illumination.
The truck was quickly improving while at Full Throttle, and to keep it moving, Noel outsourced the interior work to Bill Dunn at One Stop Shop in Huntington Beach, California. While there, the factory bench seat was slightly customized and covered in saddle leather, and to create a cohesive cruising environment the same leather was used to wrap the dash, door panels, sunvisors, and headliner. To further better the confines of the cab, Dakota Digital RTX gauges were installed, a Vintage Air climate system was brought in, and a full sound system, including a RetroSound stereo, a Kicker subwoofer, and Hertz speakers, was wired up to round out the truck’s impressive roster of in-cab amenities.
“[Noel] has been a great partner to have on this journey,” David reports. “Full Throttle was there to rescue us from potentially giving up on this build.” For their first attempt at an all-encompassing truck rehab, it’s clear to see that the F-150 is an undeniable success story. Recognizing when to hand off a build to someone with the right skill set can be the most critical step in attaining an enjoyable experience with a heavily customized vehicle. We can positively confirm that David and Matt are now reaping the benefits of their most valuable decision.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
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