Under the Hood of 'Jim' the F100

Without a cloudy fleck or wrinkle, this blue Ford F100 looks like it cruised out of the clear blue sky.

Built by Barry Winter, this super clean, super pleasant-to-look-at 1956 Ford F100 has been flying down the streets of Swift Current. Fitted with white wall tire covers and a full complement of chrome badges, even the minor details are kept clear as day.

Winter started building this truck after taking over the build from a friend who had lost interest in 2018.

Barry Winter stands together with his Ford F100 'Jim'.

"He was losing his storage and he really lost interest in it because he started on this thing 30 years ago," said Winter. "He wanted somebody to take this project over, not somebody that was just going to flip it for a dollar."

Instead of flipping it for a dollar, Winter has invested an estimated $50-60,000 in this truck. That includes rebuilding the panels, installing and rebuilding the engine and transmission, ordering the badging, painting it, and so much more. This labour of love has meaning for Winter, as the truck has earned the name 'Jim', named for his Uncle Jim. 

'Jim' keeps a clean face, with a massive chrome bumper and grill.  

"When I was young, that was the influence that I had," said Winter. "My Uncle Jim had a truck identical to that. That's why I probably like them old trucks."

While Uncle Jim's truck was black, the idea behind the baby blue 'Jim' has been painted came from Mrs. Winter. Winter had originally wanted to restore it to the original Meadow Green, which Mrs. Winter found less than ideal. 

'Jim' is a shade lighter than the sky on a good sunny day. 

"My wife says, you know what, there's no way that truck would look good green," recalled Winter. "She says here's the colour I want you to paint it. She picked out this old blue, which is the colour that it is, and she says this is the colour you should paint it. And you know, a wise man listens."

Mrs. Winter had plenty of input with 'Jim', going out of her way to purchase all of the badging that adorns the truck. While Winter had intended for it to be clean of any chrome or labels, she went ahead and purchased the bag, and he installed them according to her advice. 

The badges lend 'Jim' a bit more detail for the eye to grab onto, helping secure attention after the initial sparkle wears off. 

"For Christmas, a year ago, she bought me all those new badges," said Winter. "Me and Ron Schultz drilled out the body drilled out all that bodywork and put these badges back on, and my wife's happy again."

Her final bit of input was to install airconditioning, in order to ensure comfortable travel to car shows during the summer. 

The interior has been styled to watch the exterior, with chrome highlights surrounded by the signature blue paint. 

Under the hood, the motor came out of a car, a 1971 or 1972 Mercury, that Winter had previously junked in the town of Webb. He was reminded about the Ford 429 after years of searching for a 428 turned up no leads. 

This engine was not a stock option for this year of F100. 

"Chris Jensen says 'Hey, years ago, you dragged a car out here. It has a 429 Ford in it. Why don't you use that?'," remembered Winter. "And I said that's an excellent idea. I forgot all about that car, so we pulled the powertrain out of that."

The transmission is a Ford C6, while the rear axle it is delivering to is a Ford Nine Inch. 

The rear window is a custom piece, made specifically for this truck by Winter. 

"The previous builder actually changed the rear end out," said Winter. "I think it came out of a 1957 Ranchero." 

The front-end suspension is from a 1981 Grand Marquis. If he were to redo it, Winter says a split axle front end would be his next choice. 

While the truck is currently up and running, Winter plans to take it out as often as he can. 

Winter thanked Mrs. Winter for her input, helping make the truck what it is today from the paint to the badges. 

"I work in the oil field, so I work eight days on and six days off," said Winter. "I actually have no holidays, so any of the days that I'm not working, I'm out doing whatever's going on that week."

If you see him around town or at a car show, feel free to stop and chat with Witner about 'Jim' and the stories behind the build.