Readers Rig: Tim Fritz’s ’59 F-350 Fummins

Once again, the 4-Wheel Jamboree didn’t disappoint. Until now, I have never been to this show, or even on this side of the country for any event for that matter, so the opportunities were endless when it comes to new never-before-seen things like this classic Ford. One thing I’ve noticed about this show, in particular, is that the people here aren’t scared to use crossbreed engines by different manufacturers. Case in point, Tim Fritz’s ’59 Ford F-350 with a Cummins engine.

I just finished talking to another truck owner and as I was walking away, I stopped dead in my tracks when I laid my eyes on this truck. This super-rad Ford caught my eye instantaneously. It was tall, it was wide, and it was long. Like, unusually long.

classic Ford

I approached the truck, and Mr. Fritz was getting his classic Ford cleaned up for a full day of showing and he was excited to share the build information with us. What you see here is a 1959 Ford F-350. At a glance, I had no idea what was under the hood. It was up but I wasn’t close enough to tell. Regardless, I wanted to see it.

classic Ford

At first glance, does this truck seem off to you? Does it seem longer than normal?

My eyes lit up when I saw that Fritz had stuffed a Cummins engine between these frame rails. “The truck is a 1959 Ford F-350. The bed, however, is off of a 1958 F-350 and it is nine feet long,” Fritz said. “Believe it or not, this is a factory option back then to have the nine-foot beds.” I couldn’t believe that because it really was different.

You get so used to seeing the standard-size beds on pickup trucks, that something like this really sticks out. Pun intended. Underneath all of this real-steel body is a Dana 60 Kingpin frontend, a Sterling rear axle out of a 1992 F-230, and a chassis from a ’76 High-Boy truck. “Everything on this classic Ford just works together. I feel like it was meant to be. When I tried to mock something up, it literally just fell into place,” Fritz says. “I actually have a show truck and this is just my daily driver.”

For treads, Fritz uses a set of 39.5-inch Super Swampers that wrap 16.5-inch Centerline wheels on all four corners.

For a daily driver, this thing is seriously cool. As I said, underneath the hood is a Cummins engine. It is a 12-valve out of a 1993 Dodge Ram with a few adjustments made for more power. “We did a few things to it to make it run a little better. We did the fuel pin, governer spring, turned the injection pump up, and added an Hx35 turbo to it,” he says.

classic Ford

Once you peek under the hood, it isn’t anything spectacular as far as looks. It’s the fact that what is there that makes it awesome.

As for the interior, nothing to really see here except the Dodge Dakota front seats and a few gauges that have been configured into the factory dash. Plain and simple, this is downright cool. What are your thoughts on Fritz’s classic Ford? What would you do differently? Let us know in the comments below! For more information about the 4-Wheel Jamboree events, head on over to their website here. For more truck features and event coverage, stay tuned to DieselArmy.com.

 

About the author

Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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