This is a classic story of a boy who falls in love with his father’s pickup as a child and then wants one of his own as an adult – except the boy, now a full grown adult named John, gets cosmic and wants to take it to a whole other level. That’s when TMG got the call.
What started as a childhood love for his father’s pickup turned into an extraordinary custom build when John set out to create a truck like no other. With a vision in mind, he partnered with his son and the expert craftsmen at TMG to bring it to life. Featuring a twin-turbo Triton V-10, a fully reworked chassis, and a seamless blend of classic and modern design, this Ford pickup is a true masterpiece. From intricate body modifications to a luxurious interior and show-quality paint, every detail has been meticulously executed—resulting in an award-winning truck that turns heads wherever it goes.
This is a classic story of a boy who falls in love with his father’s pickup as a child and then wants one of his own as an adult—except the boy, now a full-grown adult named John, gets cosmic and wants to take it to a whole other level. That’s when TMG got the call.
With concept sketch and renderings in hand, John teamed up with his son Jeff Lamb to tackle the running gear. This included the twin-turbo version of a Triton V-10 that Jeff was quite familiar with. This required a new crossmember, independent front suspension, and custom oil pan. Then it was time to get Brian and the rest of the crew at TMG involved to tackle the floor and firewall. After the front of the truck was set, focus was then on the rear four-link suspension, fabricated 9” housing, and truck’s stance. The wheel and tire combination was determined during this phase of construction.
With the short block and transmission in a good place, sheet metal fabrication began on the bed floor, working our way back to the custom tailgate that included a small wing inspired by the original rear roof design from the back of the cab. The now smooth one-piece tailgate was armed with hidden hinges, and its handle was moved to the inside. At the same time, a new roll pan was made to fit below the tailgate, complete with a frenched-in license plate. The taillight housings were removed and straightened, and a hammer form was created to make the original taillight lenses fit more precisely. These newly formed sheet metal pieces were blended into the original taillight housing sheet metal/bed corners. To better clean up the bed area, a custom aluminum flush-mounted tonneau cover was fabricated, also allowing room for storage in the bed. The cover was eventually wrapped in black hearts cloth for a more elegant look.
When tackling the cab, there were predictable roof repairs that needed to be made along the drip rails that are commonly found in these old Ford trucks. This is when we decided to radius the drip rails and blend them into the existing body line that runs up the top of the B-pillar. While we were at it, the door handles were shaved, vent windows deleted, and the A-pillar area on the door was reformed to fit the new glass run channels. Then we gapped the doors and made new lower rocker filler strips to correct the lower door gaps and make the bottom edge of the truck one straight line from front to rear.
The interior was also cleaned up by smoothing the dash and building a custom gauge cluster that was welded in and recessed the custom Classic Instrument gauges. The inside of the cab was painted with a satin Maserati Rame color with luxurious maroon Italian leather and suede to match. Rounding out the interior is a matching headliner and bench seat flanked by some gray-toned plaid fabrics with a maroon accent. Hidden is the wiring and all the electronics engineered to mount behind the bench seat. Here you’ll find the two batteries, engine management, fuse panel, ground distribution blocks, relays, etc. Some easily removable panels were fabricated to gain quick and easy access.
The bodywork and paint on this pickup is over the top. The body panels have been worked over thoroughly together as a whole to get the truck straight. The goal was to make the truck’s body appear as if it were cut out of one piece of granite stone and then polished. The deep metallic Mercedes Grau paint has been color-sanded and buffed to perfection, making this truck look like a wet mirror. The cherry on top is the custom V10 logos that were machined into the hub caps and the steering wheel’s horn button.
Now that John’s truck is complete, he is enjoying driving it and taking it to car shows, where he regularly receives appreciative comments as well as wins awards wherever he goes.
