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Steven Bohte wanted to do was replace the brakes on his 1955 F100. The brakes were fine for him, since he had owned the truck for a few years and had used it as a cruiser, but when taking his significant other for a cruise, she wasn't too keen on the truck's safety. The '55 was equipped with disc brakes up front with drums out back. It seems the drum brakes eren't on board with bringing the truck to a halt.
Bohte talked to Dupuy at Rock-lt Hot Rods about adding Wilwood brakes to the truck, and that's when it started snowing. Bohte had working history with Dupuy since Bohte is an aints a lot of vehicles Axalta paint rep, and obviously, Dupuy p at Rock-lt Hot Rods. Bohte asked about adding Wilwood brakes to the '55, but the brakes wouldn't fit inside the truck's existing wheels. Dupuy suggested new wheels, but he figured why stop there? He suggested putting a new chassis under the truck, and if they were going that far, a new drivetrain was in order as well.
Fortunately, Bohte was on board with everything he suggested. The truck had to wait its turn before getting worked on, but Bohte was a regular at the shop to check and receive updates on the build. After a short time spent finishing other projects, Dupuy and the Rock-It Hot Rods staff blew the truck apart to start the project. To get the project off on the right foot, Dupuy added a Scott's Hotrods SuperSlam chassis with an AccuAir CVT airbag system.
When Dupuy and Bohte first talked about the brakes, they determined that the easiest way to accomplish the right brake setup was to get a chassis that already featured Wilwood brakes. Adding the Scott's Hotrods chassis presented an easy way to le that happen. Plus, the Accuair CVT system brought quiet and intelligent operation to deliver the perfect combination of for and function for the truck's suspension. To finish off the chassis wheels and suspension, Bohte went with American Racing eels wrapped in Mickey Thompson treads. Pe'rfo°rrtmheandcreirain, it all starts up front with a Ford Power Module system featuring a Coyote crate DaBrakeJob features an AccuAir CVT air ride system for the ultimate in adjustability.
Sadly, AccuAir is no longer in business, but the CV-I" system was designed to provide quiet operation and infinite adjustability to arrive at the proper settings, whether for street or show. Engine paired with a 6R80 transmission. Previous to the Coyote combination, the truck featured a 460 big-block with a C6 in the tunnel. At that time, the truck also had a Moser 9-inch rear end. The truck had plenty of power, and with a FAST EFI system, the drivability was really good to boot. It had so much power that Bohte almost flipped the truck when he first got it after doing a burnout in front of a buddy's house. The new powertrain is may more civilized than the previous big-block, and more street friendly with the 6R80 behind the Coyote. Next up, the body was modified but in a may that's so subtle you'd be hard-pressed to pick out the changes.
"The only things remaining from the previous build are the cab, the doors and the front fenders," Bohte says. Everything else is new and modified to fit the truck's purpose. There's not a panel on the truck that wasn't body worked, or shaved or smoothed. Everything from the grille to the taillights was modified. The grille was recessed and modified to accept a current Ford oval emblem, which also lights up. Both the front and rear fenders were modified to accept the massive rolling stock, and the running boards were stretched and extended up to the body.
The drip rails were removed, and the bed was smoothed to hide any fasteners. The bed floor features mahogany wood, and it raises to expose the rear end, gas tank and exhaust. s known as As for the paint, the truck's previous iteration wa the "Fat N' Flat," since it had fat fenders and flat paint. Bohte liked the flat paint, but felt that the style could be on its way out and wanted something a little more eye-catching. As such, his i significant other, Ambre Colletti, picked out the color and t was even named after her.
The color is called Ambre' Honey Effect, and it was mixed using Axalta's Hot Hues Beyond Bronze. "We took that color and manipulated it with a little bit of this and a little bit of that," Bohte says. The result is nothing short of eye-popping. The truck's interior was the last part of the build to be completed. That part of the build was sourced to Wesley Cato over at Anything Audio & Upholstery, who took many of the existing interior pieces and recovered them to match the new seat upholstery. The new seats are from a midsize SUV and covered with Carroll Leather distressed hides and a touch of ultra-suede fabric with Krist Kustoms seat medallions.
The Mid-Fifty F100 Parts headliner and door panels were upholstered to match the seats, while Cato constructed the center console from PVC material to house various fuse boxes, the PCM, OBD-II connector and other electronics. The carpet is from a Mercedes, and the interior is finished off with Scott's Hotrods billet door handles.
All told, once Rock-It Hot Rods started on it, DaBrakeJob's build time was roughly a year and a half. Since its completion, DaBrakeJob has won just about every show it's entered, includ-ing Truck of the Year at the 2020 Grand National F100 Show. Bohte now has a truck he is proud to show off. However, there are now talks of adding a supercharger to the Coyote engine. We guess Bohte's burnout days are still ahead of him.
We just hope he equips the truck with a Line-Loc. Burnouts without a Line-Loc wear out the rear brakes real quick, and we don't think DaBrakeJob is ready for another "brake job.
