Event Coverage 1963 F-100 XL

This 1963 F-100XL recreation pickup will go up for sale on Barrett Jackson soon.

Just a great looking truck. HRP

If you're going to mimic a piece of drag racing history, why not go with the unusual choice of recreating a unibody version of Ford's F-100 XL truck that a Dearborn supplier originally built in 1963? With a 532-cu-in V-8, you'll turn heads fast.

 

You know I like it !

 

Love it! Huge fan of the unibodies. That's probably the only dragster I've ever lusted over.
Jeremy


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Probably the most interesting Ford truck of all time and undoubtedly the most successful FX Truck. It was undefeated in head to head. In the NHRA final in 63 it won the first pass and had a minor problem and was disqualified from running the second due to time.
Ford had a few of these built but this was the one that actually raced. I do not know if the others ever saw the track. ly Supposedly the XL F-100 custom shop option was available for the 64 model year just like the Fairlane Thunderbolt. It is unknown if any 64XL100s were built, likely not but technically it was possible.

Another option for a builder is a 64 Styleside and technically it would be more correct.

The dealer who sold this truck to the present owner lost his Ford dealership. It was a violation of contract as the truck was leased to a Delaware dealer as display only. He sold the truck while it was owned by Ford Motor Company. All the other FX trucks were destroyed by Ford. Another interesting note, the truck started out as a regular 223 truck.

 

I see now this is a clone truck, should have paid more attention to the OP.

 

Those trucks were built by Dearborn Steel Tubing aka DST, they also built the Ford Thunderbolts. They still exist today and pump out show cars for the auto manufacturers, their last big hurrah was building a 15 mustang to go on top of the Empire State Building. They built a mock elevator in the shop and took the mustang and built it in sections. They also built abeautiful 61 t bird with a a starliner roof back in the day.

 

Self correcting,sometimes we all get caught up in a post and due to the fact that we are knowledgeable on the subject at hand we miss little things like clone/recreation.

No harm,no foul and I learned something also. HRP

 

A cool truck nonetheless.

 

I thought all B/FX race cars were small block powered with A/FX being big block powered. Am I wrong on this? Wouldn't a 289 Hi-Po be the correct engine?

 

That's a real nice clone truck, but i saw the original in Delaware a few months ago. A older man had it, claimed to be the original owner, and said he was the one who raced it back then. I saw this truck race at Atco raceway in NJ back when it was new!

 

pretty sure it was weight to horsepower with no concern over big or small block

 

Here is when it was a true barn find.

 

Resurrecting an old thread.
I’ve read Ford commissioned more than one of these. A member mentions in this thread they were destroyed except possibly for one.
If that’s correct, are there any pictures of the others?
Just wondering as this came up today and I’ve wondered about the other possible 2-3 other trucks.
At one time I kicked around building a uni in this style and was trying to find some more pics.

 

This article is from the pages Hemmings Motor News by Matt Litwin


Ford's direct assault on the NASCAR and NHRA circuits was just one arm of the division's Total Performance effort of 1963. Lightweight body panels, 400-plus-cubic-inch engines and sleek fastback roof treatments were no accident; they were a necessity in order to improve foot traffic in dealerships. Yet the Total Performance effort wasn't limited to passenger cars--it was extended to Ford F-series trucks, too.

A contemporary magazine reported that in the spring of 1963, two executives within Ford's truck advertising division had the brilliant idea of creating an experimental pickup, which was quickly approved by the truck division. In fact, the effort actually began in 1961, when Dearborn Steel Tubing was given the task of converting a standard F-100 for racing purposes, including installing a high-performance V-8. Only one was assembled that year, and another in '62, that one powered by a 406-cu.in. powerplant. A third was commissioned for '63, resulting in the truck you see here; at least one other hi-po truck was built in 1964.

Dearborn Steel separated the body from the frame, making the task of removing the stock six-cylinder engine, transmission and select suspension components easier. Beginning with the latter, the front springs were replaced by a new set of leafs rated for 1,100 pounds, complemented by 90/10 Up Lok weight-transfer shocks. At the opposite end were new 1,650-pound leaf springs and 50/50 heavy-duty shocks. Rear leaf springs were clipped, and engineers fabricated special traction bars fitted with tie-rod end connections. A Pow-R-Lok differential containing a 4.86:1 gearset was also installed, while a custom 14-gallon fuel tank was positioned aft of the rear axles. Chromed steel wheels shod with 6.70x15 (front) and 9.00x15 H&H Racermaster slicks (rear) were added. A heavy-duty driveshaft linked the differential to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission and its 1.50-inch drag clutch assembly, which was bolted against Ford's proven 425hp dual-quad 427-cu.in. V-8, more commonly found in Galaxies.


Newly painted beige, the "unibody" cab and bed were reunited with the chassis. Red pinstripes, red trim (and a black vinyl top, added after the initial conversion) finished off its exterior appearance, with the final touch of a black vinyl tonneau cover. Inside, a pair of red vinyl bucket seats and a short center console from a Ford Falcon were installed. Floor carpet, padded dash, belts, chromed instrument panel and a Falcon deep-dish steering wheel completed the interior. All told, and with a full tank of fuel, the pickup weighed in at 3,825 pounds.

Now officially named and lettered as the F-100 XL, the pickup was delivered to Stu Wilson Ford in Dearborn. Destined to campaign in the B/FX class, the pickup debuted at Michigan's now-defunct Onondaga Dragway in early June; it won its class, reportedly with ease. It was entered in 10 more events up and down the East Coast, including stops in Maryland and Georgia, claiming class wins each time; although its average ET was 12.85 seconds, it ran a best of 12.72 at 108 MPH at Detroit Dragway in June. Match-race wins and Street Eliminator titles were also added to its résumé before it was towed to Indy for the NHRA Nationals. At that race, the F-100 XL won its heat but suffered a part failure in the process that could not be rectified in time for the finals. After repairs, it was sold to Jack Whitby of Friendly Ford in Wilmington, Delaware, who continued to enter it in B/FX races.

Meanwhile, Ford offered copies of the F-100 XL through its dealership network via Dearborn Steel; the conversion cost was $3,400 on top of the base F-100 pickup. Despite the offer, no others were built that year. Whitby ultimately sold the F-100 XL to Bill Naubain later in '63; Bill had the transmission converted to a B&M hydro (automatic), since he suffered from polio and had some shifting difficulties. He successfully campaigned the Ford into the early Seventies--at one point with a Cammer 427--before stowing it in his barn until 2005. Still owned by Bill, the F-100 XL is now displayed in its as-raced, unrestored condition, with assistance from Delaware's John Morri

 

Yep. Just read that.
I’ve seen the 427 truck and the repro posted with the 352. Hemings mentioned a 406 version
Were these all one truck or different trucks and if so, I was looking for pics of the others.
I’ve always been a little confused on the history of facts for these trucks.

 

Great history lesson…thanks!

 

I was under the impression the truck with the black top with the 427 was a 64 truck the original was a 63. HRP

 

I guess this part is what has always confused me

 

The owner, Bill Naudain, passed recently. There will be an auction of his estate this Saturday on his farm in De. I have known him for years. The truck was street drive for a short period. Bill became involved in tractor pulls destroyed the original engine back then. It has a 390 & C6 in it at this time. Bill traded a Thunder bolt back to the dealer for the truck.

 

You should check out the F-100 model kits that Mobius has...
And they are all 1/25 scale kits..

 

That's a pretty "piss-poor" attempt at a clone when you can't even get the lettering font/style correct

 

That’s kinda what I was asking about possible other versions.
It’s a “tribute” at best

 

Yeah, but it still looks good.....

 

Possible that they wanted to make sure it could not be claimed to be the original???

 

But is it really Barrett Jackson material?
It reminds me of all the "General Lee" clones out there that DON'T have a Confederate flag on the roof...because it's politically incorrect Close, but no cigar.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Auction was in 2015.

 

Sonofabitch...got sucked into ANOTHER old thread...again.

 

At 532 cubes I don't believe it would be an FE. Sounds more like a 60 over 4.3 stroker 460.