Our first encounter with Larry Wolny’s F-100 occurred on I-65 heading north to Louisville, Kentucky. There is no better test for a truck than to view it at speed, and this truck obviously had the right look and it also demonstrated it was a great driver. We followed the truck for the last hour of our trip to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals vowing to find the truck for a closer look when we got there.
We managed to locate the bright red 1966 among the almost 10,000 hot rods in attendance and found the truck was even better looking up close. “The look” is achieved by using the inherent fine styling of the 1966 Ford truck, enhanced by a proper hot rod rake and the use of House of Kolor Kosmos Red paint. It’s a winning combination..
To achieve the aforementioned hot rod rake Larry Wolny changed the entire suspension. Up front the much-maligned Ford twin I-beam suspension was replaced with a Mustang II-style front suspension from Fatman Fabrications. This provided independent suspension, power disc brakes, and rack-and-pinion steering, while bringing the truck down to hot rod height. Out back, a set of coilover shocks provide suspension, while a four-bar arrangement locates the axle. Stock drum brakes are still in service out back. To facilitate the new lower stance the rear framerails were C-notched and boxed for axle clearance. Chip Wolny handled the chassis modifications on the truck.
Of course a proper stance can only be achieved with the right wheel and tire combination; in this case the wheels are a set of 18- and 20-inchers from Budnik. Goodyear rubber wraps the billet wheels.
With the suspension out of the way Larry installed a 2006 347ci stroker motor that produces 450 horsepower. An Edelbrock intake and carburetor feed the Ford, while Sanderson headers exit the spent gases through MagnaFlow mufflers. Dress-up items from Ford Racing add polish to the engine bay. Larry is a traditional trucker who likes to mix his own gears, so a T-5 tranny was coupled to the motor with a McLeod clutch and a Hurst shifter. Power is then passed to the rear via a custom driveshaft from Inland Empire Driveline.
The bodywork portion of the build was turned over to Mike Cesare and was limited to bringing every panel back to better-than-new form. With the fit and finish perfected, Cesare sprayed the House of Kolor Kosmos Red paint. The outside mirrors are from Smooth Parts.
Moving inside, the truck was completely rewired using a Ron Francis Wiring kit and a Kenwood sound system was integrated into the cab. Cabin comfort is controlled by Custom Classic Air and the entire cab was lined with Dynamat before the LMC Truck carpet set was installed. The original seat was modified and upholstered by Millennium Upholstery and a Budnik steering wheel tops the ididit column.
If this entire process seems fairly straightforward that’s because it is. By selecting quality parts and choosing modifications wisely, Larry Wolny has created a hot rod truck with maximum attitude through minimal external modifications. At the end of the day, having a bright red truck with 450 horsepower and a five-speed rolling on big ‘n’ bigger billet wheels adds up to one very timeless hot rod hauler.
