1492 was a 1995 Ford F-150 originally powered by a 300 CID inline-6 with a T-5 manual transmission. In 2003, I built this truck to race in Southern California’s Mojave Desert. As the build evolved and races were completed, I began swapping out the I-6 and T-5 for a 460 CID V-8 with a C6 transmission.
In 2007, I moved to Texas and lost the ability to race, but not the desire to modify my toy. Over the next few years, I completed the motor swap, painted the truck, rewired the entire vehicle, restored the interior, modified the back half, and handled numerous other minor maintenance items.
In 2020, I sold the truck. Thankfully, it stayed local to me. A year later, I was contacted by a friend who had found my truck at an insurance auto auction in Fort Worth. I was devastated to see the condition of my first build. Eventually, I was able to contact the auction, and six months later I finally had the opportunity to see the truck in person with the idea of buying it back and rebuilding it again (photos below).
At the exact same time — literally the same week — I found a 1973 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Long Bed for sale just 20 miles from me. Needless to say, I only had room for one build at the time, and the 1973 “CrewBus” won.