By Ron Ceridono – Images Courtesy of Izzy’s Metal Fab
F-100 rust repair can be more challenging than most vehicles. For classic truck connoisseurs, rust is the dirtiest word in the English language. The scourge of all things metal, rust can do considerable damage to a vintage vehicle over time. That damage often leads to a common dilemma: how much rust is too much to fix? For Sam Castronova, the decision was easy enough; he wanted this F-100 fixed, so he turned to Izzy Pullings of Izzy’s Metal Fab in Phoenix to reverse the ravages of rust.
Castronova’s 1959 F-100 is a third-generation F-series truck (the first generation was produced from 1948-52, the second series from 1953-56). Introduced in 1957, the third-gen F-Series was produced through 1960. These trucks were “modernized” with a wider cab, front fenders, and a hood that blended into the body. For the first time, two types of pickup boxes were available: the “Flareside“ with separate fenders, or the smooth “Styleside” bed. While the F-100 cabs remained virtually the same during the series production run, there were some styling changes to the front end. 57 F-100s had dual headlights and a plain hood with its centrally located Ford badge; quad headlights and a new hood appeared in 1958; in 1959 there was another new hood with a front air intake that housed Ford lettering; finally for 1960 there was yet another new hood with slots on both sides of the front edge and a mid-mounted Ford emblem along with a redesigned grille and relocated parking lights.
While Castronova’s F-100 was in desperate need of rust repair, the F-100 did have some redeeming qualities. It was equipped with the desirable “big” back window option, the chassis had been updated with an independent front suspension with four bars and airbags in the rear. Under the hood is a small-block Chevy with triple two-barrel carburetors backed by a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. Then there was the truck’s unique history—it had once been an Oklahoma Highway Patrol vehicle of some sort. With all those factors considered, along with Castronova’s appreciation for unusual vehicles, the truck was deemed too cool not to be saved. Luckily, this was not Pullings’ attempt at F-100 rust repair. It was time to bring the truck back from the brink of extinction.
Much of what you see here is common in the world of vintage F-100 rust repair. After a quick inspection it was determined that both door posts required repair, the front cab supports would have to be replaced and a new floor would be needed. While the truck was in need of some major repairs Pullings isn’t easily discouraged and could visualize its potential. An extremely talented craftsman with decades of experience, Pullings took on the project and replaced the corroded sheetmetal with a combination of custom patches and stamped replacements from EMS Automotive. Known for quality sheetmetal components, EMS offers a variety of replacement pieces for third-generation F-100s, all precision-stamped in 18-gauge steel.
As the truck’s front cab supports were completely destroyed, the body shell had to be held up with a pair of tall stands and a beam through the door openings while repairs were made. To repair the two-piece door post on the left side, Pullings used an inner replacement panel from EMS that extends from the step plate (the running board inside the cab) to just below the upper hinge pocket. The EMS main door post replacement (the front side of the door post) is also a full-length panel. However, because the decision was made to save as much of the original sheetmetal as possible, Pullings elected to shorten the new panel and only replace the lower portion of the damaged door post. In addition, the step plate (the running board hidden by the door) and the step plate riser (the panel that extends from the step plate to the cab floor) needed repair. Again, Pullings used portions of the EMS replacement panels to repair the damaged parts rather than replace them entirely. Fortunately, the rust on the right side wasn’t as severe, with only the main door post requiring repair.
While replacing the damaged sheetmetal was unavoidable, the goal was to make the truck look as though none of the repairs were ever made. To that end, Pullings masterfully blended the new sheetmetal with the old, even in places it would never be seen. Castronova wanted a safe, reliable driver that looked like just what it is, a cool old survivor truck with a colorful past, and that’s just what he got. Dilemma solved.
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