55’ Ford F100 Pickup
This was our second shot at a complete top to bottom custom car interior (both being pickups) and I couldn’t be happier with how it come up. A stunning mix of classic car and modern custom. Now we’re stoked to say there’s 2 badass custom pickups on the Gold Coast with custom interiors from us. Each with their own style and touches that hold their own at a show. Take some time over a coffee and read about the process of the build below.
Design Brief
Alan come to me with a bare F100 interior that needed every square inch of it built into a stylish resto-mod showcase. He wanted all the creature comforts of a new car (power windows, adjustable seats, new foams) whilst still holding style true to the era in which it came. Right up my alley.. Theres nothing we love more than restoring a classic car whilst incorporating the advances in technology into a beautifully executed final product that screams custom car interior but also elegantly pieced together so it’s not overbearing or in your face.
Alan had a few ideas on accessories and other pieces he’d wanted integrated (like plenty of storage and the light beige colour tone throughout) but for the most part was allowing me creative freedom on the look and style throughout. I took these ideas and general discussion, mixed them with my own and began putting my spin on this truck to paper. Here’s just a few grabs of the sketches
The Build Begins
Once I got the green light from Alan I began on the custom seats. More often than not when aiming for comfort i’ve turned to 4x4 truck seats. Always super plush to begin with and great shape, also this model had some cover trims for the sides as another nice touch. Though I only really needed them for a base, it’s always best to start with a good overall conditioned seat and build from there.
As per usual on a build like this we chopped all 4 bolsters off each seat and began on building the shape i’d wanted for them. The design I wanted also called for a beef up through the centre for not only aesthetics but another layer of comfort.
From there, because what you have now is more of a Frankenstein seat foam than it is a factory seat, the next step is to form your own patterns to suit the foam. Meticulous but so rewarding when the results come up as good as they did.
The Floating Roof
Once the custom seats were all buttoned up I moved onto the roof. Because there was never a roof in it when it arrived we had to try our hand at a style of roof we’d never attempted before. I call it a floating roof, simply because there are no fasteners or supports seen what so ever.. simply a floating panel in the centre.
After lots of days scratching my head and a huge pile of scrunched up sketches, I landed on my design and finally how we were going to achieve it. Lots of little fiddly bits and lots of cursewords later.. We had it complete.. our first (and surely not my last) floating roof. This was something i’d wanted to try for ages and think it really screams custom car interior without being an eye sore.
The Rear Wall
After completing the roof I moved onto the rear wall. This was quite the tricky one. Though it was fairly straight forward it had a few different angles to integrate (both behind the panel and the panel itself) aswell as several speakers subs and the small storage pocket I wanted to include.
After configuring the subbox where it needed to sit, aswell as the speakers at either end, I began fabricating the panels to house them aswell as the top wall piece. I really wanted to have this rear wall conform to the natural shape to the cab so in the corners at either side I fibreglassed a curve into and otherwise flat panel. This gave it a more refined and improved finish to the whole rear area.
The Custom Centre Console
Now getting back to the storage side of Alan’s requests for this build, I knew I could make good use of the space between the seats for storage aswell as some other creature comforts. By the end of it I had used every bit of that space I could. The final product was finished with some specialty classic car power window switches, a massive centre console space, a small storage pocket out front and 2 cupholders tucked out of the way but still easily in reach of both passenger and driver. Not to mention the ability to use the console lid as a nice armrest as you cruise along.
Flooring, Kickpanels & Miscellaneous Touches
With the car really starting to show a tonne of character now, I moved onto the floors and the other pieces that followed. Sticking true to the modern classic interior I envisaged, I decided to go with a German Square Weave Carpet. Easily one of my favourite touches to any interior, this carpet oozes luxury both in its look and feel whilst still being hard wearing.
As you can see also, I made up a small floor boot and surround for the shifter. Again, nothing over the top of overbearing.. simple and elegant. From there I moved onto the kickpanels. Ordinarily i’d like to continue on the door panel design into the kickpanels but having to integrate a speaker, a tweeter and also the aircon vent the panel was bound to be busy enough already so I opted not to draw too much attention to the area.
Though if you were to look close enough you’ll spot these accessories, I did my best to conceal these modern touches as I feel it draws away from the era specific tone of the whole interior.
Custom Door Cards
Once the parts I needed arrived I could finally move onto the doors. I really enjoyed these doors as i’d recently begun to expand my router skills and apply them in certain areas to give more depth to otherwise flat and boring panels. Though only a small detail, I truly believe enough of these smaller touches makes for a more refined finish on the entire job.
Final Assembly
With all the bigger pieces together I turned my sights to a few other final pieces for assembly. Though this truck will eventually get a slick fit tonneau and visors (on back order due to COVID-19) I seized the opportunity to get some photos as this was the first time the whole truck had been together. I was blown away by the presence it brought to the truck. It was a true reflection of a luxury spec of this truck, transported from the 50’s, laced with some new components and presented in a timeless fashion for years of future use. I couldn’t be happier with the result. Looking back on my sketches and seeing the finish come as close as it has is a really satisfying feeling.
Here she is in all her glory, the complete custom interior on the ‘55 Ford F100.
I hope you enjoy the photos a much as I enjoyed building it!
-Jamason
Owner/Trimmer