A Hot Rodded Build to Honor his Father’s Ford F-100 pickup
By Rob Fortier – Photography by John Jackson
Whenever I’m writing a feature, I always stress to the owners/builders how important it is to have as much background information as possible in order to help facilitate the best feature possible. Oftentimes, I get volumes of info; others, well, let’s just say it takes a bit of creative juice to get the story flowing! When it came to Terry Selbert, the builder of this customized 1955 Ford F100 had this to say about him:
“No interesting story … Terry is a very successful owner of a collision center.” And on top of that, the first-series Effie wasn’t built for him in the first place (it was built for a gentleman by the name of Bill Wheeler back in 2021). That said, how about we just talk about this beautiful Ford F100, shall we?!
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Back in 2019, Wheeler had approached Brad Starks Customs in Oakdale, Kentucky, to build him a Hot Rod F100–a “hot-rodded” version of his father’s 1955 F100. Starks and his crew agreed, and over the course of the following two years, did just that: took an otherwise-stock truck and built one helluvan eye-catching hot rod hauler Ford pickup.
Along with modern updating to a full, custom TCI chassis, which included a full complement of Ridetech ShockWaves and Wilwood brakes proudly perched behind 20-/22-inch U.S. Mags Bandit Extremes, the double-nickel was given a well-deserved 5.0 Coyote engine (and TREMEC six-speed) transplant as well. In other words, a 180-degree difference from Wheeler’s father’s Ford Y-block–powered, solid axle–suspended, drum brake–equipped stocker!
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Atop that hot-rodded foundation is a beautifully redone—and fairly modified—1955 Ford F100 cab and bed. Resplendent in Axalta’s smoke gray metallic, the Flareside features an installed No Limit Engineering reversed hood hinge (flip-forward) kit, along with shaved/tucked bumpers, 3-inch-widened rear fenders, and a gorgeous hardwood bed floor oiled by Wheeler’s father himself.
Inside, things get even more modern—and elegant—with a full Cheyenne Stirrup leather trim job (with square-weave carpet) by Speed & Design in Nashville. Starks customized the dash accordingly before adding Dakota Digital and Vintage Air—with a double-DIN Pioneer receiver mounted in a custom center console directly below. The color-matched tilt ididit steering column is paired with a Billet Specialties leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel.
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So, where exactly does Terry Selbert enter the picture? Well, while Starks and Wheeler were showing off the two-year build at Goodguys Columbus in 2021, Terry, who at the time had a truck project “on the backburner for years” (according to Starks), fell in love with the ’55 and refused to leave without it … so a deal was struck and here we are today!
Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Coyote-Swapped 1955 Ford F100.
