Semper F1 1949 Ford

Would you trust Hammerfab to build a custom truck or car for you if you had never done it before?  Lots of people want to know "what does it take to build my car, how long will it take, and how much will it cost?"  Well, that depends on a lot of factors.  Aaron Skinner came to us with all these questions and this was his first custom hot rod build.  Though he had an ongoing friendship with Hammerfab owner, Levi Green (played in the worship team at church together), he had no idea what it would take to build his dream truck.  Honestly, he didn't really even know what direction to take it in.  That's exactly why he trusted us to help him with is dream. 

In order for Hammerfab to build you something cool you must meet certain criteria.  One of those criteria is we don't work on customer projects that will be flipped or slapped together for a quick resale.  If you want a Hammerfab build you must realize that we have painstakingly developed a "look" and "vibe" to our builds that stand apart from all others. We have tried very hard and put lots of time and energy into gathering expert skilled craftsmen who actually know what they are doing and deserve to get paid well for thier craft.   In otherwords, trust the professionals at Hammerfab to make you look good and feel good all while enjoying your classic ride.  That's just what Aaron did.  He knew a few things he wanted incororated into his build such as a 5.0L Coyote crate engine with 6 speed automatic transmission, matte blue paint job (Devil Dog Blue), and that's about it.  He trusted our judgement for much of the rest. 

It all started like many projects do, by dragging a beat up old truck out of a field and onto a trailer.  We dumped it off at the shop in Liberty Hill, TX and began disassembling the truck, yes Aaron did some of the tear down himself.  The good news is this truck has some family history and Aaron decided to keep it in the family and burry it's roots even deeper with some sentimental flare.  What we mean by that is Aaron served in the U.S. Marine Corp and also as a Police officer on the S.W.A.T team in the area.  Backing the blue was always part of the plan and that color ties in well with both of these honorable forms of service.  We robbed the color from the local CAF (Commemorative Air Force) B25 Bomber called "Devil Dog".  "The color of this plane would look great on this truck", said Hammerfab owner Levi Green.  So that's what Violet Crown Refinishing matched the Valspar Epoxy Blue primer to then did a top coat suede clear by Squeeg's Kustoms.  Colors and final finishes are a major part of what makes a Hammerfab build stand out.  These things are discussed and many of them are nailed down from early on in the build such as the wheel color, the diamonback whitewall tires, the smoothie chrome hub caps, and whether or not we shave the handles or leave it pretty stock appearing. 

The chassis started as a stock unit with fully boxed rails, custom step notch out back, and Mustang 2 style IFS with air ride all the way around.  It has a 9" ford rear with Gear FX Drive Line third member, a Dan's Driveline custom made in Las Vegas, and full custom stainless steel exhaust TIG welded to perfection by the crew at Hammerfab. It's sitting on 18" and 20" Detroit Steel Artillery Wheels with powder coating by High Point Powder Coat in Liberty Hill, Texas. 

The body is completely stock!  We replaced all the normal rotten areas these truck have but overall the truck was very solid to begin with.  The inside of the bed did receive a custom raised bed floor. 

Resto Mod air conditioning keeps the inside cool while a C&R radiator keeps the engine cool.  The Dakota Digital Gauges are just COOL!  We are sure Aaron will select the blue glow for both day and night settings. 

By now you can probaly tell that this build is super cool but not built to the highest level we at Hammerfab are capable of.  Aaron plans to do some of the work himself and might even bring it back for a really nice paint job in the not so distant future when we get our paint shop up and running, wink, wink.  Until then, he is ripping up the streets in a killer truck that is driveable, clean, dependable, and most importantly represents him well as a serviceman, a veteran, a hard working businessman, and a friend. 

Photography by: John Jackson (Not Stock Photography)