Whatever you envision, we’ll bet that it didn’t start life as a 1949 Ford F5 dump truck. That’s where your vision of a hot rod differs from builder Mitch Allread, whose F5 truck-based street rod is about the coolest thing we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Under the hood lurks a “mildly chipped” Ford PowerStroke diesel V-8, pulled from a 1997 Ford F350. Allread figures it puts out in the neighborhood of 400 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque, which explains why he retained the dually wheels at the back end.
Look in the cabin, and the first thing to grab your attention will likely be the sling style seats, which look like they were pulled from an early fighter aircraft. In fact, Allread built them up himself as the opening salvo of the truck’s interior, which is probably best described as “retro post-apocalyptic.”
If it’s patina you’re after, it doesn’t get much better than this. Those stencils on the door were original to the truck, which was last registered (to a paving contractor) in 1985. That rust you see is earned from years of exposure to the elements, not from a quick sanding and a spray with a garden hose.
Even the screen on the back window is a remnant of the trucks industrial days, when it was necessary to keep gravel from shattering the rear window. After the zombie apocalypse, it will serve equally well in keeping the undead out of the cab.
This is the debut show for Mike Musto’s “Big Muscle” on YouTube’s drive channel, and you can expect to see good things from him in the coming months. We can’t wait to see what else “Mr. Angry” himself has in store for us.