49 of the Coolest Classic Trucks That Went From Rust to Riches

Year Modified: 2017 
Designed/Built by: The Ringbrothers
Estimated Value: $58,000* (base model)

The RingBrothers Ford F-100 is a classic creation from the hot rodders The RingBrothers call their creation the Clem 101, and it is a blend of new and old. The technology and design are certainly modern. The frame of the F-100 is built from scratch. RingBrothers installed the frame with modern suspension, including a custom sway bar, four-link rear setup, and RideTech coilovers.

RingBrothers Ford F-100 The Ringbrothers @JustOldTrucks / Facebook.com

The result is a completely transformed Ford F-100. The original model year was 1954, but the cab was changed for a 1956 version. Under the hood of this modified truck is a 5-Liter Coyote V8, with 415 horsepower. 

Year Modified: 2019
Designed/Built by: River City Rods
Estimated Value: $179,000*

Called “Brown Sugar,” River City Rods’ Chevy C30 camper has all the eighties nostalgia of Stranger Things. The camper was built for SEMA in 2019, and River City Rods, which was founded in 2016. It also made the camper modification called “The Mullet.”

1983 Chevy C10 Camper River City Rods @RetroRidesTV / Youtube.com

The Chevy Brown Sugar, as you can see, has a unique outside, but the inside is even better. The sink is created from a vintage Coke cooler. There is custom metalwork, copper detailing, and whisky barrels to hide the subwoofers. Brown Sugar is for sale, and River City has it listed for $179,000. Bidding is currently in the mid-$60,000 range and climbing.

Year Modified: 2010
Designed/Built by: Ray Corn
Estimated Value: $90,000*

Called “Irony Horse,” Ray Corn, the creator of this modified 1951 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck, said that he started thinking about modifying a pickup when a friend he worked with was hot-rodding a ’52 F-1. At the time, Corn thought this friend was silly to put such “time and effort” into an “ugly” truck.

1951 Ford F-1 Pickup Truck Ray Corn @Gateway Classic Cars / Pinterest.com

Then, he changed his mind. Ugly trucks are the ones that could benefit from time, money, and effort. So, he started working on Irony Horse. The body modifications to the Ford F-1 have won six different Best in Show Awards. The finish on Irony Horse is called “PPG Candy Brandywine.”   

Year Modified: 2019
Designed/Built by: Troy Adams
Estimated Value: $40,000*

Troy Adams created this truck modification on a Dodge Pickup from 1935. He finished the build in fourteenth months. The inside is trimmed in White CloudColored Relicate leather, which is far fancier than you may have expected of this shop truck. The truck came from an orchard in Bakersfield.

1935 Dodge Pickup Troy Adams @Stromberg97 / Facebook.com

Adams was convinced that he could modify the truck, despite its age, after seeing an old, yet well-taken-care-of, Ford pull into his father’s body shop, called Herb’s Body Shop. He said that the fenders were the most difficult part of the modification. The tires are 16×5 Rocket Racing solid wheels. Adams  

Year Modified: 2015 
Designed/Built by: Audie Maguire, Shawn & Tony Petta 
Estimated Value: $27,500 (base model price)*

The Patriot looks like something you’d see in Mad Max. It comes from Audie Maguire and his friends, Tony and Shawn Petta, who run The Auto Clinic in Texas. It took them nine months to turn this 1937 Ford pickup into something that could fit a bizarre engine.

The Patriot 1937 Ford Truck Dale Earnhard @ratrodmagazine / Facebook.com

The engine under the hood of this modified Ford is not exactly a V8. It is a twin-turbo diesel engine with Deutz air-cooling. It was used as a generator for a Raytheon missile system called “Patriot” (hence the truck’s name). The chassis was stretched, and an intricate cantilever suspension with a GM 14-bolt axle was put in.

Year Modified: 2016
Designed/Built by: Boneyard Builds
Estimated Value: $10,000*

This truck appeared at the 2019 SEMA Show, which is actually more of a trade event than a car show. Builder Brody Stone has always loved diesel-powered trucks, and he wanted to combine this passion with racing. He modified a 1970 Chevy C10, starting the project after he found a donated LML Duramax engine.

1970 Chevy C10 Boneyard Builds @Taylor Green / Pinterest.com

Boneyard Builds helped with the creation. The chassis of the Chevy C10 became a Roadster Shop. The wheels are 19” Rotiform and the tires Nitto INVO. The engine got an upgrade from Wehrli Fabrication, and the truck was cleaned and the bodywork completed with a racing theme. 

Year Modified: 2016 
Designed/Built by: Vice Unlimited’s Tim Odell
Estimated Value: $50,000*

Built by Tim Odell, the Trophy T gets its name from the Diamond T 1946 404 Sheetmetal surrounding it. All of the panels on this seventy-three-year-old truck have been modified, though the body itself has been preserved reasonably well. The Trophy T is hand-built.

Trophy T Vice Unlimited's Tim Odell @fox / Facebook.com

It has four-wheel drive and it merges both new tech and used parts. Though the Trophy T uses a V8, it’s far from a Ford or Chevy. The LQ4 GM V8 is located behind the cab. There are stainless steel headlights, a JEGs camshaft, PAC Racing Springs, and an MSD Atomic Airforce Intake. The engine gets 650HP.

Year Modified: 2018
Designed/Built by: Premier Street Rods Patron
Estimated Value: $10,000*

Premier Street Rods built “Patron,” a chromed-out, heavily modified 1957 Chevy. Though the backstory of Patron is kind of murky, it still somewhat resembles the 3100 Chevy Pickup on which it is based. In addition to Premier Street Rods, Ron Mangus Interiors made the interior, using United Pacific lighting.

1957 Chevy Premier Street Rods Patron @premierstreetrods / Facebook.com

Patron began as an idea to build a pro-tour truck. Gandrud Chevrolet was responsible for the engine. GSI Machine & Fabrication did the full chassis. Premier Street Rods have carved out a name for itself by remodeling and modifying mid-century GM pickup cabs, as well as other GM sheet metal products.

Year Modified: 2019
Designed/Built by: Mopar
Estimated Value: $12,000*

The Dodge D200 Lowliner was modified by Mopar for SEMA. Though Ram and Dodge split from one another years ago, the two have so much common history that Mopar tends to modify both models. The Dodge D200 was the predecessor for the D250, and, later the Ram 2500 that we all know.

1968 Dodge D200-Series Heavy-Duty Pickup Lowliner Concept Mopar @TopSpeed / Youtube.com

The D200 was set to compete with the Chevy C10 pickup in the late sixties. Flash forward several decades, and the Lowliner is a blast from the past. Mopar boxed it. They custom-designed the wheels to mimic designs from the 1960s. The color of the wheels is “Dairy Cream,” as are both the grille and bumpers.

Year Modified: 2015 
Designed/Built by: Fast Company
Estimated Value: $62,800*

Ed Thomas, with help from Fast Company, modified this 1937 Ford Pickup. The wheelbases on this truck are the first thing you notice; they measure 118 inches. The body shop behind the truck modification first cleaned up the truck, replacing the transmission and upholstery. The truck got a custom-engineered chassis from OZE.

1937 Ford Custom Hot Rod Truck Fast Company @Fuzz Ball / Pinterest.com

The Ford pickup then got a Mustang II front suspension. The pickup got twelve-inch power disc brakes from Wilwood, Budnik Gasser rims, and Air Ride Tech suspension that helped mold the profile. Thomas said that he drives the truck, “not just for show,” as it is “never overheats” and “is reliable.”

Year Modified: 2013 
Designed/Built by: Rock Solid Offroad
Estimated Value: $9,000*

JP Freek called this the “hottest Jeep” to hit SEMA. The bright-orange Willys CJ-2A was outlandish and over-the-top, standing out from even the other over-the-top Jeeps at the trade show. Rock Solid Offroad modified a 1948 Willys CJ-2A for the 2013 SEMA show. Josh Miles was the first to design the concept.

Willys CJ-2A Rock Solid Offroad @CHARIOTZ / Pinterest.com

From a mere drawing, the Jeep became a monster. The frame and body were stretched, and Felipe’s Auto Glass created and installed a custom cage. Under the hood is a 4.3L Chevy Vortec. To finish off the look, 35” Nitto Terra Grapler MTs, mounted on Fuel wheels, were added. 

Year Modified: 2015 
Designed/Built by: Shannon McMahan
Estimated Value: $20,000*

Shannon McMahan is the owner of this shiny gold truck. McMahan’s father, Donnie Joe, bought the truck originally. McMahan said that his love for the modified Ford “runs deep,” as it reminds him of his father. McMahan’s father asked him to modify the truck.

1952 Ford Pickup Shannon McMahan @Алексей Светилов / Facebook.com

McMahan didn’t disappoint, boxing it for strength first. He then C-notched the Ford ten inches out back. He added parts from other vehicles, such as the front IFS clip from a 1991 Crown Vic, headlight buckets from a 1956 Oldsmobile, and bumpers from a 1949 Plymouth. To finish off the vintage look, vintage Cadillac sombrero hubcaps were added.  

Year Modified: 2010
Designed/Built by: Designed by Mike Harrah and built by Tim Spinks and Paul Abram  
Estimated Value: $12 million*

Mike Harrah designed this heavily-modified truck, and the building was done by Paul Abram and Tim Spinks. The 3,424 HP Supercharged 24-Cylinder Peterbilt Semitruck’s twin engines are the first things you see. They are Detroit Diesels, used for industrial purposes, as well as naval vessels.

3,424 HP Supercharged 24-Cylinder Peterbilt Semitruc @TenFourMagazine / Facebook.com

This monster looks like a creation you’d see out of a WarnerBros Mad Max videogame. The truck is 44 feet long and weighs 30,000 pounds. The 1979 Peterbilt cab attaches to a locker-like rear axle. The rear axle has been ground until smooth, filled, and chromed-out. There are twenty-four Autometer gauges in the steering panel. The crew section of the cab comes with a forty-inch flatscreen TV.

Year Modified: 2019
Designed/Built by: Deberti Design 
Estimated Value: $50,410-$55,000 (base model)*

The Ford F-450 is a modified truck and yet another vehicle on this list that looks like it belongs in Mad Max. The F-450 has been the subject of many modifications, as it already has an intimidating frame and a lot of power under the hood. Deberti Design introduced its Mad Max F-450, which one publication called “the most intimidating truck there.”

Mad Max Ford F-450 @Top Gear / Pinterest.com

The Ford Super Duty Platinum Crew Cab was fitted with a Kelderman air ride suspension. The F-450 has tons of LED lights, and it also has 22-inch-wheels, made by American Force. The Mad Max F-450 was introduced at SEMA 2019.