A Winter RPU

There’s a little taqueria next to the gas station with an Astroturf lawn right by my office. It’s a simple place: terracotta tile floors, heavy wooden tables, murals of desert scenery and a big sign on the outside wall that advertises TACOS, BURRITOS, COMBINATION PLATES. I think of that sign as I place my order and make my way up the well-worn staircase to the dining room. I survey the area. As far as I can tell, I’m the only one there.

I choose a bench by the window that overlooks the street. The sun went down hours ago; it’s been raining since I woke up this morning. Water droplets bead on the glass, obstructing my view of whatever’s on the other side. My mind wanders. Winter. This is what winter looks like nowadays. The rain continues to fall. I think back to a long-distance phone call I made earlier in the day. “It’s going to be nine degrees here,” the voice on the other end told me. The voice was coming from the Midwest: Indiana to be specific. Indiana. Indy-anna…

 FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Here’s a local example of a good-looking roadster pickup with all the right cues. It left the factory as a workhorse and now it’s hauler suited for show and go. This transformation was the handiwork of Herm Rost, a young man from Indiana who has studied rodding publications for years to figure out how to build his ideal street roadster.

His truck blends the line between jaunty and sporty, thanks to its lengthened 1929 Model A frame, unchopped top and abbreviated pickup bed. Although the channeled body is an A Model, the grille shell is of the 1932 Ford variety.

The pickup’s power comes from a fully dressed 296-cid ’48 Ford flathead topped by a 3×2 intake. Note how exhaust gasses travel through lakes pipes into a system that runs underneath the rig and reappears on both sides of the bed. With an abundance of chrome, polish and detail paint, there’s more to this little truck than meets the eye. Take a look at the following photos and prepare to be impressed with Mr. Rost’s “Blueprint for a Pickup.”

There’s no doubt that it’s a top-notch truck—but I’m sure it’d still be a chilly to cruise the streets of Fort Wayne this winter. Guess you better grab your coat and start layering up!

—Joey Ukrop

 Photos by Jack Clark, Hot Rod Magazine, November 1958