Not your typical Lamb but John Lamb’s Award-Winning 1961 Ford Pickup

A Drool-Worthy Unibody Fit for the Industry’s Top Accolades

Don’t worry, we’re drooling too!
There’s really no better way to describe this truck than “WOW!” Fully custom from grille to tailgate, this 1961 Ford is precisely the type of vehicle you’d see on the floor of some of the industry’s greatest shows. In fact, in the last couple of months since its debut, that’s exactly what this truck has been doing—appearing in some of the most notable car shows in the country, including the Grand National Roadster Show and the Chicago World of Wheels. 

Built by 81-year-old retired crane operator John Lamb of Seneca, Illinois, with the help of his son Jeff and a few other very talented folks over a 15-year period, this 1961 Ford pickup is the epitome of classic styling, modern performance, and a plethora of custom components all combined into one build. But you don’t have to take our word for it—just take a peek at the spec list for a quick insight into just how custom this Ford really is!

Unibody or Bust

John has always loved unibody trucks ever since his dad owned one back in the day. Having seen this very truck at a local car show (in more of a factory form, mind you), John approached the owner asking that he be notified and given the chance to purchase it if the gentleman ever decided to sell. A few years later, he was given that chance and brought the truck home to start the ultimate build.

Though the unibody of the truck remains intact, it has been completely restyled, incorporating modern Ford Lightning attributes in addition to classic styling cues. Up front, the truck’s original hood was reworked to feature a center hood skin shaped from scratch and pie cut left and right corners. The factory grille was maintained but bolstered by secondary grille pieces for a wrap-around effect. Custom airfoil tube grille bars and lower flange complete the truck’s face, along with Speedway Motors headlights sunken into the front grille.

Out back, the factory bed was replaced with new metal, featuring a kickup over the axle and suspension. The tailgate was smoothed and fitted with a wing detail, the drip rails were removed,and a radiused bead detail was incorporated into the body lines. Other unique features include modified fenders and custom wheel wells on all four corners, a custom roll pan with a Frenched license plate featuring a formed radius on the lower edge, and modified and narrowed factory bumpers. All of this greatness is topped off with Mercedes Mountain Gray Metallic paint, accented by Porsche Carbon Steel Gray Metallic with matte clear on both the grille and all four wheels. All of the body and paint work on the truck was done by The Refinery by Adam Krause of Manteno, Illinois.

Inside, the truck is just as uniquely styled, featuring Maserati Rame-colored European leather upholstery over a reworked and re-foamed factory bench seat frame, matching custom door panels, a suede headliner with an accenting plaid insert, which matches the insert behind the seat, and charcoal German square weave carpeting. Just like the body of the truck, the dash’s metal has been reworked and smoothed, incorporating a custom gauge cluster insert and body color-matched Classic Instruments Velocity gauges.

Giving classic vibes with modern luxuries are components like an Ididit tilt steering column, Billet Specialties Vintec steering wheel, and Vintage Air air conditioning. And check out that amazingly organized wiring hub hidden behind access panels behind the seat!

All of this was designed and executed by Schober’s Custom Hot Rod Interiors of Newark, Illinois.

The Heart of the Beast

John’s unique style continues through to the engine of the truck. Inspired by a local builder who was using Triton engines to power his builds, John started looking for one for his own build, but with even bigger plans in mind. He eventually found one that would fit the bill and salvaged it from a commercial vehicle that had been in a fire. Once acquired, the 2003 Ford Triton V10 went off for the full rebuild treatment, compliments of Jasiek Motor Rebuilding of Oglesby, Illinois .

An impressive cast iron powerhouse in its own right, the Triton was just the base of John’s plans for his ‘61 . This bad boy has been fully blueprinted and balanced, as well as sleeved, stroked, and bored .020 over, giving it a displacement of 420ci. It has  also been outfitted with twin 55mm Work turbochargers!

The V-10 was fully massaged and equipped with some of the finest components the industry has to offer, including Manley Performance forged connecting rods and pistons, aluminum heads with spark wire inserts and ARP head bolts, a Powermaster alternator tied to two OPTIMA batteries, and Granatelli Motor Sports ignition coil and plug wires. Custom components on the Triton include aluminum valve covers, a fully fabricated intake manifold with plenum grafted into the original aluminum intake, modified aftermarket headers, and a custom 2 ½-inch stainless steel exhaust system with custom mufflers, all designed and fabricated by Brian Limberg, owner of Tin Man’s Garage of Sycamore, Illinois.

Twin SPAL 14-inch fans and an AFCO Racing crossflow radiator help keep the Triton cool, while a custom No Limit Engineering 16-gallon aluminum fuel tank feeds the V10 by way of  Kinsler Fuel Injection fuel rails and a Mopar Hellcat fuel pump. Keeping the powerhouse in check is a Haltech engine management system.

All said and done, the Triton boasts 450 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque!

Behind the fully massaged V-10 you’ll find a 2003 Ford 4-speed AODE transmission built by TransPro, which is fitted with a triple disc torque converter featuring a 2,800rpm stall, with an AFCO Racing cooler in line. The AODE pushes the Triton’s 450 horses to the rear wheels through a Tin Man’s Garage-fabricated Ford 9-inch rear end, complete with a Detroit locker and 3.91 gears, spinning Strange Engineering 31-spline axles.

The shoes selected for this incredible build are  Michelin 245/45ZR18 and 295/45ZR20 tires in the front and rear respectively, wrapped around 18×8-inch front and 20×10-inch rear Billet Specialties Vintec Dish wheels. Stopping power for the truck comes in the form of 13-inch front and 12-inch rear Wilwood disc brakes, fed by a Wilwood tandem 7/8-inch bore master cylinder.

While the engine and drivetrain for this truck are quite impressive, so too is the metalwork that surrounds the V-10 beast and AODE transmission. This includes everything from a custom firewall, transmission tunnel and floor boards, to custom panels fully encasing the Triton and camouflaging all of the engine’s custom plumbing and wiring also done by Tin Man’s Garage. Other notable components include a faux intake tube on one of the turbos for symmetry, and air intakes for the turbos routed directly through rectangular filters in the core support leading to custom tubes welded into the frame.

Underneath the truck, you’ll find a plethora of superior suspension and chassis components,fit for a build of this caliber, including a custom X-frame engineered and fabricated by Jeff Lamb, a Fatman Fabrications Mustang II front suspension system, No Limit Engineering Fatbar parallel 4-link rear suspension, Atomic Fabrication front and rear shocks, as well as rear coilover springs. Other notable components include custom control arms, adjustable spring hats, and a custom fabricated panhard bar, all built by Tin Man’s Garage. Topping it off, is MAVAL Industries rack and pinion steering and a Fatman Fabrications steering stabilizer.

Truly one of a kind, John’s ‘61 Ford is purely a work of art, from the styling cues to the performance components. We can’t wait to see just how many trophies and accolades this freshly-built truck brings home this show season!

TRUCK SPECS

 Owner
John Lamb

• Seneca, IL
• 1961 Ford Unibody Pickup

Chassis & Suspension

• Fatman Fabrications front crossmember
• Custom X-frame, engineered and fabricated by Jeff Lamb
• Fatman Fabrications Mustang II front suspension system
• Custom control arms and adjustable spring hats by Brian Limberg of Tin Man’s Garage of Sycamore, IL
• Wilwood 2-inch front drop spindles
• Fatman Fabrications front sway bar, modified by Tin Man’s Garage
• No Limit Engineering Fatbar parallel 4-link rear suspension
• Heidts rear sway bar
• Atomic Fabrication front and rear shocks
• Atomic Fabrication rear coilover springs
• Custom fabricated panhard bar by Tin Man’s Garage
• Frame and suspension modifications done by John and Jeff Lamb, and Tin Man’s Garage
• MAVAL Industries rack and pinion steering
• Fatman Fabrications steering stabilizer

Wheels & Tires

• 18×8-inch front and 20×10-inch rear Billet Specialties Vintec Dish wheels
• Michelin 245/45ZR18 front and 295/45ZR20 rear tires
• V10 center hub caps machined by Datum Tool & Manufacturing of South Elgin, IL

Engine & Drivetrain

• Fully balanced and blueprinted 2003 Ford Triton 329ci V10 engine bored and stroked to 420ci, machined and assembled by Jasiek Motor Rebuilding of Oglesby, IL
• Cast iron block sleeved and bored .020 inches over
• Twin 55mm Work turbochargers
• Manley Performance forged connecting rods and pistons
• Custom plumbing and wiring
• ARP head bolts
• Aluminum heads with spark wire inserts
• Smoothed factory aluminum water pump
• Twin electric SPAL 14-inch fans
• AFCO Racing crossflow radiator
• Powermaster alternator
• Two OPTIMA batteries mounted behind the seatsBottom end custom built to handle the turbos
• Custom aluminum valve covers designed and fabricated by Tin Man’s Garage
• Custom fabricated intake manifold with plenum grafted into the original aluminum intake by Tin Man’s Garage
• Kinsler Fuel Injection fuel rails
• Mopar Hellcat fuel pump
• Custom No Limit Engineering 16-gallon aluminum fuel tank
• Modified aftermarket headers by Tin Man’s Garage
• Custom 2 ½-inch stainless steel exhaust system with custom mufflers, exiting in front of the rear tires, built by Tin Man’s Garage
• Granatelli Motor Sports ignition coil and plug wires
• Haltech engine management system
• 425 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque
• Engine painted Toyota Golden Umber Pearl with matte clear
• TransPro Transmissions & Automotive 2003 Ford 4-speed AODE transmission
• Triple disc torque converter with a 2,800 stall
• AFCO Racing transmission cooler
• Custom motor mounts and transmission mounts
• Tin Man’s Garage-fabricated Ford 9-inch rear end
• Detroit locking differential with 3.91 rear end gears
• Strange Engineering 31-spline axles
• 13-inch front and 12-inch rear Wilwood disc brakes
• Wilwood tandem 7/8-inch bore master cylinder

Body & Paint

• Smoothed tailgate with incorporated wing
• Custom roll pan with Frenched license plate, featuring a formed radius on the lower edge
• Vent windows removed and one-piece side glass installed
• Drip rails removed and radiused bead detail incorporated into rear body line
• Reworked original hood featuring a center hood skin shaped from scratch, and pie cut left and right corners
• Factory grille with headlights sunk in, secondary grille pieces added for wrap-around effect
• Custom airfoil tube grille bars and lower flange
• Speedway Motors headlights
• Factory bed replaced with new metal and kickup over the axle and suspension
• Modified OEM style fenders
• Fully custom engine compartment
• Factory bumper modified, narrowed, and the center section removed, flush fit with fenders
• Factory taillight lenses fitted to body with hammer-formed sheet metal for improved fitment
• Custom wheel wells
• Custom black hearts cloth wrapped tonneau cover
• Painted Mercedes Mountain Grey Metallic
• Wheels and grille painted Porsche Carbon Steel Grey Metallic with matte clear
• All paint and body work done by The Refinery by Adam Krause of Manteno, IL

Interior & Stereo

• Customized stock seat frame with new foam and cover
• Maserati Rame-colored European leather upholstery
• Custom matching door panels
• Suede headliner with accenting plaid insert, matching insert behind the seat
• Juliano’s Hot Rod Parts three-point seat belts
• Charcoal German square weave carpeting
• Smoothed original dash with custom gauge cluster insert
• Custom flush-mounted, body color-matched Classic Instruments Velocity gauges
• Relocated ignition switch and all knobs
• Custom machined shift knob and hazard knobs to match dash knobs
• Flush-mounted heat vent on top of the dash
• Ididit column shift steering column
• Billet Specialties Vintec steering wheel
• Vintage Air air conditioning
• Wiring hub behind the seat with access panels for easy access
• All upholstery and interior cab design done by Schober’s Custom Hot Rod Interiors of Newark,IL

Photo Credit: Corey Decker