We hope you've liked what OFF-ROAD magazine has turned into in the past year. In early 2008 (the February 2008 issue to be exact), we took OFF-ROAD and gave it a much more specific direction than it has ever had. We've tried a few different things here and there, but our core direction should have come through loud and clear. If you weren't listening, then let us spell it out for you: we cover fullsize trucks, go-fast off-road vehicles, side-x-sides, daily-driven off-roaders, and the high-performance side of the off-road industry.
Last month the OFF-ROAD staff sat down and deliberated for hours to find the four trucks of 2008 that best represented what we intend this magazine to cover. Well, maybe that's not completely true: we really just found the coolest trucks that we liked the most in the last 12 issues of the magazine. It just happens that they are perfect representations of everything we've been trying to make this magazine represent.
We hope you'll agree with us that these four beauties were worthy of taking a second look at.
Rodd's Hot Rod 1965 Ford F-100
How could anyone possibly deny the cool factor of a classic truck with a well-working suspension and a reliable powertrain? We didn't even have to ask ourselves that, as it was already picked as a favorite by the majority of our staff. Rodd Fantelli's amalgamation of some after-hours time and left-over parts came into one sick package that zoomed across our June 2008 cover. Rodd spent about $9,000 and a lot of time putting together one of the coolest retro runners we've ever seen. There was nothing high-zoot in Rodd's build, but everything was legit and built with proven parts that came together to make one really fun package. A well-developed and often-used long-travel I-beam design was utilized in front with some nice coilovers, while the rear was left leaf-sprung with custom packs made for some other truck but left in the corner of Rodd's shop.
It was side project for Rodd to build while he ran his fab shop, but the little F-100 turned into one of the nicest head-turners to date. And nothing can really replace the cool factor of some old-school truck haulin' ass across the desert.
| Vehicle: | 1965 Ford F100 |
| Owner: | Rodd Fantelli of Ramona, California |
| Chassis: | Full OEM chassis, 'caged front to rear. |
| Engine: | Old take-out 351ci V-8 from van |
| Drivetrain: | C6 tranny, Custom Dana 60 rear axle with 4.11 gears and a spool |
| Front Suspension: | Long travel I-beam suspension, 14-inch Bilstein 9100s with dual-rate coils |
| Rear Suspension: | National leaf packs with 17-inch Bilstein 9100s |
| Steering: | Rear Y-link factory-style supension |
| Brakes: | Disc brakes, front and rear |
| Tires/wheels: | 35x12.50R15 Goodyear MTR Kevlar race tires on 17-inch Alcoa wheels |
| Interior: | Beard seats, Auto Meter gauges, Art Carr Shifter |
| Other Parts: | Autofab fiberglass front and rear, Pro Comp 130 auxiliary lights on upper light cage, Fantelli Motorsports rollcage |