The United States of Automobile has gifted the world with many lavish offerings over the years. Still, none has risen to ‘Most American Vehicle in The World’ status like the pick-up truck. While Ford and Chevrolet are probably the best-known makers of the famous platform, their rivalry ended with the F600 K10 454 anomaly. Since neither FoMoCo nor General Motors have rubbed shoulders into a joint effort, this hero-of-zero mongrel presented below is the work of a privateer.
It’s almost 2024, and people clinch keyboards over the Cybertruck hype, but as far as proper trucks go, things have always been on the brink of hot war between Chevy and Ford. Granted, neither made the first pick-up truck – that honor went to International Harvester in 1907 – but they’ve made it red-hot popular.
Ford and its F-series trucks have since become the absolute ruler of the niche in the U.S. Still, Chevrolet fans have always stood by their preferred bowtie alternatives. The question I can’t find a definitive answer to is to which category did the builder of this monstrosity belong? Please share your two cents’ worth of knowledge, opinion, preference, guess, or hope.
Right, so we have the case of a crossbreed between the two rival families that ruled over Detroit with cast iron fists: Ford and Chevrolet. In short, this is a cab sourced from a 1960 F600 medium-duty truck grafted to a chassis from a 1979 K10 pick-up. And this is only the beginning: since any respectable truck needs a bed, a 1959 Ford (model unspecified) was deemed the perfect donor.
Photo: bringatrailer.com
Here comes the moment of complete abomination: the Chevrord / Fordrolet all-wheel drive truck is powered by a 454 V8 from a 1981 Chevrolet RV. An NP205 dual-range transfer case sends power to the 14-bolt rear and the Dana 44 front differential. Alright, given that it wears the Ford badge on the Ford cab, it will look aggravatingly unnatural to all Ford fans out there. The pumpkin gear assembly on the front axle is on the drinker’s side, not in line with the driver, and this detail might trigger some allergies among Ford gearheads. And, to cap it off, the Frankentruck is painted in Toyota Army Green.
However, this truck is way too cool to simply pass along without giving its creator the deserved credit (albeit we don’t know who came up with the idea, the money, the build, and the nerve to put this into metal). This truck is not meant for church trips, so a gun rack sits above the vinyl bench seat. I’m not sure that’s for large game or to fend off the offended bystanders and onlookers who might want to maul the driver of this Chevrolet F600 truck.
The engine in this ‘assembled vehicle’ (as per the Oregon-issued title) is a 454-cubic-incher V8 (an all-to-befitting 7.5-liter behemoth) that probably came out of a 178-inch-wheelbase Chevy motor home. The engine was standard on that year's big bowtie Recreational Vehicles, with a 4,521-mm distance between axles. It has a Holley carburetor, and the four-into-one headers terminate in the dual exhaust pipes - you can listen to them in the second video below.
Photo: bringatrailer.com
A General Motors four-speed manual transmission (model or year unspecified) puts the go in this out-of-wedlock lovechild of Ford and Chevrolet. As if this one-from-many blend of mechanical ideas wasn’t overly strident, it received a three-inch (76.2 millimeters) suspension lift, manually-locking Mile Marker front hubs, 18″ Ultra Motorsports wheels, and 37″ Toyo tires.
As a BBC (Big-Block Chevy) from the early 80s, don’t expect the massive 454 V8 to be a powerhouse – around 210 hp, most probably. The transfer case is a part-time, manual-shift, gear-driven reduction unit with a 1:1 high and 1.96:1 low ratios. It was available in driver- and passenger-side mountings for various GM, Ford, Dodge, and International Harvester applications. Its hunky cast iron case and bullet-proof internals put its dry weight at around 140 lbs (64 kilos). That may not sound like much, but consider the 7.4-liter big-block's 700-lb heft, and we’re looking at nearly half a ton of powertrain.
The multi-origin truck is offered for sale after it’s been purchased by a dealership in November 2023, following its build (completed in 2022, after several years in the making). The front bumper is custom-made and houses an X-Bull electric winch and a roller fairlead. A receiver hitch and mud flaps sit on the tail end.
Photo: bringatrailer.com
The bed (also modified to fit the K10 frame) sports a UWS headache rack and a toolbox. Roof marker lamps, dual radio antennas, and custom side steps complete the ‘one-off-ization’ package on this beefy chunk of Ford-Chevy halfbreed. The F600 Chevy-hearted truck has power steering, front disc brakes, and finned drums on the rear, but the parking brake doesn’t work.
As far as comfort goes, the bench inside the cabin is foldable, and the occupants can enjoy the TRR AM/FM/CD stereo and Uniden CB radio. Besides this, a cabin heater, roll-up windows, and black carpets are just about everything this mechanical anomaly has in store as creature comforts.
The odometer indicates nearly 90k miles (145,000 kilometers). Still, the total mileage is unknown (with so many parts from so many parents, it’s almost irrelevant). However, the oil pan gasket was replaced earlier this year, and the big V8 has been treated to fresh motor oil. Also, the timing was adjusted, and the bench was reupholstered - with new foam padding added.
The title does not back the truck’s full VIN; hence, the ‘1979 assembled vehicle’ designation considers the chassis from the K10 Chevrolet truck. This Chevrolet Ford one-out-of-four is currently auctioned at no reserve, and a high bid of $9,000 is the current offer for this So-Wrong-It’s-Right F600 K10 454 V8 pick-up truck.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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