Boxwood Green Beauty: A 1970 F-100 Reimagined

An F-100 That Makes Us Green with Envy

Ryan Vicklund has a thing for the old school aesthetic, but he also appreciates the wonders of modern technology. As a car, err… truck guy, he loves old rides with modern amenities, and who can blame him? Look, we all love the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of a carburetor, but there’s something to be said for the reliability of today’s fuel injection systems and computer-controlled transmissions. Sure, it’s fun to tinker around under the hood, but not at the expense of quality time spent behind the steering wheel.

There’s no denying that classic trucks, and everything about them, just look better. Hell, some people even dress up their modern engines to look vintage! But let’s get back to Ryan and his latest build, this 1970 F-100.

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Ryan bought the truck from the original owner, who had purchased the truck brand new off the lot at the local Ford dealership in Red Bluff, California. As you can imagine, the F-100 was in great original condition when Ryan scooped it up, with just the perfect amount of patina on its Boxwood Green finish to show its age. He even found old hunting licenses from the ’70s and ’80s in the glovebox, with the matching gun rack still mounted by the rear glass!

With a clear vision of what he wanted, the perfect combination of old and new,Ryan took his ideas to NorCal Paint & Bodyworks—a shop he had already teamed up with on past projects.

“He wanted something he could daily drive and enjoy,” shared shop owner Jesse Lindberg, who took over as lead of the build.

That didn’t mean that the truck would be mundane, however. In fact, it’s anything but. And when you start off a truck on a Roadster Shop SPEC Slammed coilover chassis, boring just isn’t in the cards!

Pairing the new stance with a wicked set of Billet Specialties Prism wheels in 19×10 and 20×12 sizing with Nitto INVO rubber was a stroke of genius, providing a double staggered setup that provides plenty of grip while maintaining a civil ride quality. Baer disc brakes, which were optioned when ordering the Roadster Shop chassis, sit at each corner to allow the truck to stop as quickly as possible when needed.

Now, you may have noticed that we said the truck was a longbed when new, but that era of its life was over once Ryan got a hold of it. With the new chassis built to a shortbed truck’s wheelbase, it was easy enough to also order up a brand new aftermarket Styleside bed and bolt it on after raising its floor. After all, it’d be a shame to cut down original Henry II sheetmetal when there are quality reproductions available. Not as easy, however, was matching the new bed’s paint to the cab. We were blown away when we found out that the truck wasn’t born with this bed, but that’s exactly the case here—talk about attention to detail!

That same level of detail was continued under the hood, where Slosh Tubz wheel tubs keep most of the elements out of the engine bay. And holy hell, there’s a Vortech supercharged Gen 2 Coyote in there too! Nice, nice. Anyway, Ryan didn’t want to do any unnecessary shifting, so a Bowler Performance 4R70W automatic was bolted up to keep things nice and easy on those daily drives through those winding northern California roads.

With all that madness going on underneath its green skin, you might expect the interior to be some completely custom job, and you’d be right for assuming it. Ryan decided to stay as stock as possible though. The only noticeable changes are the Vintage Air A/C setup and the Dakota Digital gauges, both of which tie in nicely with the Ford’s original design.

After picking up the truck from NorCal Paint & Bodyworks in early 2024, Ryan has been busy racking up miles and catching smiles from everyone who sees the truck. While he didn’t share much about future plans for the truck, we can’t imagine any needed improvements and hope that Ryan enjoys his F-100 for years to come!

TRUCK Specs

Ryan Vicklund

Redding, CA
1970 Ford F-100

Suspension & Chassis

Roadster Shop SPEC Slammed coilover chassis
Baer disc brakes front and rear

Wheels & Tires

19×10 and 20×12 Billet Specialties Prism wheels
275/35ZR19 and 315/30ZR20 Nitto INVO tires

Engine & Drivetrain

Gen 2 Ford Coyote engine
Vortech supercharger
Air-to-air intercooler
Custom Borla 3-inch exhaust
4R70W transmission from Bowler Performance

Body & Paint

Work by NorCal Paint & Bodyworks
Aftermarket bed, raised bed floor
Bed painted to match original Boxwood Green patina cab
Slosh Tubz front inner fenders
Holley RetroBright LED headlights