Kyle “Frankie” Osborn’s fascination with customs began way back in the fourth grade. His interest was peaked after flipping through a classic issue if Truckin’ mag that his father had. For Frankie, it was love at first sight. Immediately he became fascinated with minitrucks. His interests grew and expanded to include classics and customs along the way. More than a decade later, Frankie’s 1994 Toyota Pickup, “Straight to Hell”, was featured on Mini Truckin’s cover. Frankie’s broad repertoire of customs and builds has included classic VWs, several minitrucks, and a handful of motorcycles, among others.
In 2010, Frankie sold his 1965 Cadillac dubbed “Bloody Mary” and his original plan for a replacement was a 1950 Mercury, commonly referred to as the ultimate lead sled. Unable to find a sled in decent condition for the right price, Frankie shifted his focus. The 1951 Ford Shoebox caught his attention and he found this particular Ford in the hands of a fellow minitrucker, Ron Coleman. The car had already been put on air ride and brought back to life with a 302 motor. Over the course of five years, Frankie and handful of talented friends brought his vision to life.
Words: Michael Phillips | Photos: Sean “Solo” French & Joshua Robinson
Underpinning the Shoebox is a is a modified subframe from a Chevy S10. Outback the Ford uses a custom 4-link. The Chevy subframe get’s a helping hand from a custom cross member and tubular control arms. The Ford’s frame has been “Z’d” to accommodate. Slam Specialties airbags in both the front and rear keep the Ford afloat.
Frankie’s 1951 is the epitome of classic styling with a custom twist. Staying true to form, it keeps the original 15-inch chrome wheels. The rollers are iconic with the solid structure and stylized spoke fluting. The relief areas are finned with concentric circles. The center caps stretch to almost half of the radius and mirror the fluting and rife areas. They are finished with a double domed center catching the golden reflection of the Ford. The classic wheels are paired with white wall BF Goodrich tires for a timeless flair. Mounted behind the front wheels are S10 disc brakes for some updated stopping power.
Underneath the gleaming hood sits a 302 V8. The OHC motor shakes a little extra pepper thanks to a mild camshaft and roller rockers. On top sits an Edelbrock carb. The air cleaner sports polished fins with paint-matched reliefs. The highlights match the custom valve covers as well. The perfect muscle car motor makes its presence known with a custom stainless exhaust ending in twin glass packs. Power makes its way through a C4 5-speed tranny, along a custom driveshaft, and through a Ford 9-inch rear end.
The Shoebox body has been shaved down to a golden, buttery perfection. Frankie removed the door handles, key locks, and antenna. He also deleted the rear trim, taillight spears, and mirrors. Finally, he smoothed the body seams, splash aprons, and quarter panel moldings. After removing the badges, side trim, and trunk trim, he adapted ’49 Ford chrome for the sides and Cadillac trim on the trunk. The rear taillights have been replaced with frenched units from a ’49. The bumpers likewise have been trimmed, frenched, and smoothed. Two of the most integral modifications of the build are the inner fenders and windshield. Frankie raised the inner fenders for additional clearance, which helps accommodate the Slam’d stance. The windshield is a custom one-piece unit, cut to fit the altered roofline. These two changes easily fly under the radar upon first glance but are vital to the finished look.
The Ford strikes a unique balance of menacing and elegant. It does this by making the most of its dramatic roof chop and striking signature color. The chop was one of the more interesting points of the build process as right after Frankie purchased the ford from Coleman, it was sent straight to the chopping block. The initial cut, however, was too deep for his taste. Frankie tracked down a second car to transplant the roof. In total, about four inches were removed. The entire roof was shifted the same distance forward. The final line captured by the chop is exactly what Frankie had envisioned.
One of the most unique features of Frankie’s shoebox are the automatic windows. No one believed it would be possible to pull off automatic windows with a chopped roof and raised fenders. Nevertheless, Frankie and his good friend Shawn Arcidino worked relentlessly to make it happen. After the completion of the painstaking body modifications, the Shoebox was shot down with its patented gold finish. The roof features beautiful hand-laid accents. The stripes and lace patterns are a combination of Root Beer and Gold Kandy for a sublet contrast. The original gold color and roof graphics were a team effort between John Wiggins and Nick Rodriguez.
The glimmering exterior color stretches through the interior, trunk, and under the hood. The upper dash is coated with the same gold color but makes use of some hefty flake. Stock gauges and hand-made pin striping keep the flaky gold classic. The factory head unit remains in place but sends tunes through a Rockford Fosgate amplifiers and speakers. The Ford steering wheel was replaced by a Hudson unit, painted and marbled to complement the white-on-gold interior scheme. Bob Sipes reupholstered the original seating in a pearly white ultra-leather. The pleated pattern covers the door panels and trunk space as well. Gold loop carpet coats the floors. The seats were lightly modified to clear the widened transmission tunnel. 49’ Ford door handles and Hummer door strikers provides understated upgrades. The icing on the interior’s cake is the polished Genie Shifter topped by the Los Creepos monster head knob. The little touch of wild mixed in with the elegant color scheme helps ties the build’s theme altogether. A second monster head creation occupies the trunk space.
Frankie’s masterpiece is a true classic hot rod through and through. At first glance, it could pass for a mostly-stock 51’ that been dramatically lowered. Upon further inspection, the details shine through. This understated approach is a long-standing tradition in the community. The summary of the parts is greater than the individual customizations. Building a car in such a way that reimagines what the car might have been, demonstrates the excellence of the work involved.
Frankie likes to call this is his retirement build. People often see the 51’ and assume it belongs to a real old-timer. He loves the look on their face when a thirty-something hop’s in, hits the switches, and cruises into the sunset.
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