My name is Brycen Smith, I have spent my adult life building my career as a professional hotrod builder, but I have a passion for old ford trucks and, more specifically, 1967 - 1972 "Bump-side" Fords. This truck is my second personal bump-side build, and it is the product of years of professional knowledge and skill but built after hours and in my home garage. "Penny" is a 1967 F250 that I purchased from Doug's four-wheelers in Pella, Iowa. I named the truck after finding a 1967 penny under the truck's seat as I proceeded to tear it down for the rebuild. I converted the truck from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive and proceeded to spend 22 months rebuilding the truck and making it into what it is now. The chassis is its original 1967 F250 2wd frame rails with 1973 F250 4x4 cross members and suspension mounted to it.
I had the chassis fully sandblasted, then painted with POR-15 rust preventative and topcoat paint and completely rebuilt with all new suspension parts, axles, and hardware. It has a completely rebuilt NP205 transfer case and freshened NP435 transmission and a 352FE engine. I did fix some rust in the cab; it got cab mounts, floor pans, and cab corners. I proceeded to repaint the firewall, bottom of the floor, and Interior. I added a new right-side inner fender and core support paired with the original left-side inner fender and had them powder coated. I wired the truck with American Auto Wire 67-72 Ford truck harness, installed Vintage Air sure fit for '67 Ford pickup trucks, Dakota Digital VHX gauges for 67-72 Ford pickup trucks. It has electric power steering, Wilwood master cylinder, with all new brake lines and brakes to stop the fully rebuilt Dana 44 front and Dana 60 axles. The engine is the 352FE in the truck when I bought it, along with the NP435 transmission and Dana 60 rear axle. The NP205 transfer case and Dana 44 front axle are from the 1973 donor chassis. Peny has 3:73 gears, new limited-slip differentials, and rides on 255/85/16 Toyo Open Country M/T tires with powder coated Ford 16x7 steelies. The truck has a full stainless steel exhaust custom with Borla mufflers that I built myself. Everything on the truck was gone through, every nut and bolt removed and either replaced or freshened up.
The seat cover is from SMS Auto Fabrics to replace the original pattern that was in the truck. The carpet is from LMC, as well as the dash pad and other various interior parts. I've used LMC on past builds and will continue to use them in the future. I got the core support, passenger side inner fender, front-end hardware for the fenders, and sheet metal from LMC. I decided to swap the truck to 4-wheel drive because I wanted a "highboy" Ford when I was looking for a truck, but when I found Penny, I loved the truck and the way it looked so much that I decided it was the one I wanted to buy, and I would make it 4x4 myself. The patina on the truck is the original paint for the truck, and it used to belong to the Iowa Realty Company. On the bed above the body line, it says the "Iowa Realty Co. Inc." and on the door, it says the "Farm & Ranch Department" and "Des Moines." It has some local history to where I live, which was part of what made me fall in love with the patina of the truck. Finding a solid truck in Iowa with all the body panels still matching without having significant rot through a lot of the panels was a rare thing, so I wanted to bring it back to roadworthy condition. My main goal with the truck was to keep the original flare to maintain that originality aspect while making it have some creature comforts and making it into a 4-wheel drive truck. Everything but the exterior paint job has been redone, refinished, or reworked.
Driving Penny is a unique experience for a couple of reasons. Because of the patina, I think the truck is more relatable and approachable for people. I get lots of waves and people that compliment it. But then, when I pop the hood and open the doors, people are speechless. Penny truly is one of a kind.
Please visit my Instagram @fabrycatedmetal to see more photos and reach out to me via email Brycen@prddesign.com
www.prddesign.com