Builder of Award-Winning Custom 1934 Ford Pickup Relied on eBay for Parts
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Tony Arme, the owner of American Legends Hot Rods and Muscle Cars in Phoenix, prides himself on turning a client’s vision for a dream car into reality. American Legends—which employs a team of five builders working in a 5,600 square foot shot in Phoenix, Ariz.—specializes in 1970s muscle cars. But when Arme and his crew got a request to build a screaming fast, custom 1934 Ford pickup - opens in new window or tab., they didn’t hesitate.
The cab, found on eBay, kicked off the successful build.
Arme’s first task was to find the Ford body parts. He located the cab in Wisconsin via an eBay listing. “eBay has everything,” said Arme. The cab was in good shape, but a previous owner had hacked on it, so the first task was to return to its original shape and fix some damage in the rear. It now sits on a custom chassis with a Kugel Komponents independent suspension - opens in new window or tab..
For power, American Legends selected a fuel-injected Chevy LSX 454 engine - opens in new window or tab. mated to GM’s automatic 4L85E transmission - opens in new window or tab.. The result was a whopping 627-horsepower setup.
After the body work, the bare-metal truck was ready to take on its color.
From a design perspective, the goal was to create one sweeping body line from the truck best through the door and into the engine cowl. That required extensive body modifications include chopping the roof by three-and-a-half inches. Every body modification—from raising and extending the rear window to installing a grille from a 1932 model—was in service to a single unified vision for the truck’s style.
Key components, like these circular headlights using LED projectors, help define the pickup’s unique looks.
Arme found just the right mirrors and headlights on eBay. The headlights were located by searching “F1 headlights” on eBay and combing through the results. You can often find parts on eBay that you can’t find anywhere else. But Arme also said that eBay sellers typically provide better prices.
After two years of work, the unique ’34 pickup debuted at SEMA last year. Since then, it took first place in the pre-1935 “Altered Rod Pickup” class at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, Calif.—and is a finalist for the Goodguys Early Truck of the Year. After the truck fills up its bed with trophies, Arme expects the owner to run it on the real streets, putting its 627-hp powertrain through its paces.
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