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By: Bud Brutsman, Overhaulin' Executive Producer
Sidebars & Captions by Sue Elliot-Sink
Photography: Courtesy of Overhaulin'
Reprint from OVERHAULIN' The Magazine, July 2006
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verhaulin' was built around the concept of getting deserving people something they would really
appreciate. Finding those people is one of the hardest things we do, usually. But in the 4½ years
I've known Chip Foose, I've never seen him do something for himself. He thrives on doing good things
for other people, and he never says no. Out of all the people I know he's the most deserving. So the
idea of doing something for Chip had been around as long as the show had. But I always shied away from
it because it would be so difficult. He knows all my tricks. He knows all the signs.Then a close friend of Chip's named Gary Fulkerson approached me and said he had a shop in Detroit where we could build a vehicle for Chip, someplace it wouldn't be discovered. If |
we were going to do one of Chip's vehicles, it had to be his '56 Ford F-100. The first day I met
Chip, he showed me all these drawings of his truck to explain how subtle lines work and how they
don't. So I knew those drawings existed, which meant we could actually set it up so he had designed
his own Overhaulin' truck. In addition, this truck is part of the Foose family history. Chip's dad, Sam Foose, owned it first. He taught Chip how to drive on this truck. Then Chip bought the truck, and he plans to give it to his son, Brock, some day. So the decision was made. We were going to do it. I started doing the internal workings, telling people it's a secret show and we don't want word of it around because they'll slip up. Chip is really crafty; he'll pull it out of people. Then the place in Detroit fell through. But I'm really determined so I went to |
the two people who helped me start Overhaulin' in the first place, Tony Genty and Dave Leonard
of Original Parts Group Inc. (OPGI). They sponsored the first show. So I told them this idea, and they
had the same reaction as everyone else. You know you're doing something magical when every single
person you tell about it says, "That's f—in' cool." And I'm not saying that just
'cause I want to use the word f—. It's just what every person said. Anyway, Tony and Dave decided they were going to rent a 30,000-square-foot warehouse for us to do the build. They rented a secret location, and it was two blocks from where we were building an Overhaulin' car and 2 miles from Chip's shop in Huntington Beach, California. We se the plan in motion, and I knew it was going to be very difficult |
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because Chip knows all the signs. So we really plotted this out. Co-Host Chris Jacobs and I had to
have an alibi, so we drove down to San Diego on a Friday night, planning to steal a truck from a
Navy SEAL the next morning. We had a late dinner with the crew. We finished dinner around midnight
or 1 a.m. Chris didn't even know what we were going to do. We got in the car and drove from San
Diego back up to Huntington Beach, where we met some Huntington Beach police who were in on the
gag. Meanwhile, we got a group of guys we'd never seen before to steal Chip's truck. He's got security cameras all over the place. So these guys pulled up with a flatbed. One guy gets out and jumps over the top of the gate. Two guys get out with battery-operated Sawzalls and cut the gate in half because they couldn't cut the lock. They pushed the truck onto the flatbed and then stole the Foose sign off the side of the building, like it was some crazy fans doing this. With a police escort, we got from Foose Design back over to the warehouse and dropped off the truck. Then Chris and I drove back to San Diego to steal the Navy SEAL's vehicle the next morning, which was about two hours later. So when Chip called me that morning, I was in the back of a surveillance vehicle getting ready to steal this other truck, and nobody else around me knew. Nobody. Chip called and asked if he was being Overhauled. And I said, "I don't know, I'm in San |
Diego trying to steal this Navy SEAL's truck." And he said, "My truck's gone." And I said, "Which truck?" Then he proceeded to tell me how they stole the truck and the sign. Then he called the cops, who were working for us at the time, and I had those officers go over to take the report—legitimate cops. Later that day I met with the build crew, which was led by Chip's father and some of the best metal guys around. A week prior to that, I had broken into Chip's office and stolen all the drawings he had for this truck. He had drawn the plans for the modification of this truck 10 years earlier, when he used to work at Boyd Coddington's hot rod shop. The last project he was ramping up to work on at Boyd's was his truck. And it involved some major modifications—chopping and channeling and wedging and whatever. So I had Craig Chaffers, Overhaulin's project manager, make color copies of the drawings and blow them up to put on the wall of the warehouse. And then I took the originals and put them right back where they belonged, since I knew Chip would look for them. So we had the master's truck and his plans on how to do it. It was weeks and weeks and weeks of setup to get him. And then it was just a succession of lies and hoping people wouldn't trip up and say something. And the whole time we were building this truck within a half |
mile of him. Craig took a beating. He had to be in two places at once and lie to Chip, and he's a terrible liar. He was managing the regular Overhaulin' builds, and at the same time he was managing this. And this project went on far longer than a regular Overhaul: We stole the truck July 18 and didn't give it back until November 1. Craig was a mess. It wasn't easy for anyone, really. Chip was just devastated that his truck was gone. He'd pull over on the side of the road sometimes and just cry. It was tough keeping up the pretense, but we were all committed to doing this for him. Before we stole the truck, a friend of mine from Roush Racing, Lane Breck, came over to Chip's shop and said he was coming out with a brand-new FE motor. And Chip, not knowing that I was going to steal his truck, pointed at it and said, "I would love to put one of those motors in my truck." So not only did they send us a motor for his truck, they sent us the very first one. It's No. 00001 of their side-oiler motors. Then Jack Roush came up with the idea for the reveal. Roush Performance Products was going to unveil its new motor at the '05 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show for the street-rod community, and who better to unveil it than Chip Foose? So we'd let Chip unveil his own truck—and the plan to pay back the master Overhauler was complete. |
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> After taking 2 inches out of the cowl to drop the front of the cab, Sam Foose and Trent Trimble finalized the modifications to the hood so it would match the new angle of the roof. > The team moved the front wheel openings forward and adjusted the angle slightly to go with the newly sloped roof and hood. Then they had to modify the frame to move the wheels forward. |
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> Sam and the A-Team constantly referred to Chip's drawings for the truck, trying to interpret statements like "Drop [the hood] 'till it's emotional." 
> Back in Wyoming, master cabinetmakers Paul Brutsman {Bud's brother} and Dan Stoops of Woodworker's Supply created an incredibly beautiful clear walnut wood kit for the bed. |
Charley's Words of Wisdom When it was time to put the truck's body back together, Charley Hutton said, "The biggest thing is you don't want to tighten anything until everything is together. So just get all the hardware in. Leave it fairly loose until you get the ... fenders set into place. Once the fenders align where you need them, you can start tightening things up." So align the fenders first, then position the rest of the body panels to match. 
> With the engine in place and the suspension hung, Charley Hutton and Andreas Somogyi installed the front clip. |
> Dennis Rickless pinstriped the painted section of
the dash and doors in orange, |
> The Foose logo set into the seat contributes to the "as if it came from the factory that way" look that's so important to Chip. |
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Code Name Overlord I gave this project the code name Overlord, which has real significance. I'm a very big military buff and Operation Overlord was the invasion of Europe in World War II. It was one of the most top-secret military operations ever, one of the largest, and one of the most successful. I chose the name for our project because it was a good reflection of the secrecy heeded, and this was the biggest operation we were going to pull off. —Bud Brustman 
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| BODY The A-Team did some serious chopping and sectioning. The builders took 2 inches out of
the cowl and tipped the roof forward, plus they pie-cut the hood, pulled the front fender
openings forward, and raised the running boards. They also shaved the locks. And more.
TAILGATE Quality Metalcraft stamped the Foose Design logo into this unique tailgate, and Shawn
Hengstebeck spent at least 60 hours on body and prep to make it perfect for paint. Then
Dennis Rickless of DR Design painstakingly lettered the logo.
WINDOWS Even with all the body mods, the team was able to install stock window glass form Mid
Fifty F-100 Parts, and they replaced the truck's stock small rear window with a big one.
PAINT Charley Hutton squirted three coats of Carizzma ... From BASF single-stage black paint
(no clear) in the booth at Classic Traditions Kustom Paintshop. BASF also provided the CMC
Charcoal Silver Metallic used on the rims and suspension.
BED The team got a new reproduction bed from Mid Fifty, then proceeded to shorten it and
change the stake pockets to ones off a '36 Ford.
WHEELS Al Velour from MHT Wheels took measurements to ensure the truck's rims would fit the
frame and clear the massive
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brakes. Then MHT supplied the material so Aaron Youngerman, co-owner of A&M Machine
Works, could craft a set of one-off wheels designed to take Chip's breath away. They're
19x10s front, 20x10s rear.
TIRES BFGoodrich supplied the low-profile g-Force T/A KDW tires, which provide great traction
and control. They're Y-speed rated (good for up to 186 mph).
BRAKES Baer provided Extreme-Plus disc brakes for the front and rear, with six-piston MonoBlock
calipers and 13-inch slotted, cross-drilled, and zinc-plated rotors. As a really cool bonus,
Baer engraved the Foose logo on the calipers.
FRAME Art Morrison supplied a rear subframe, as well as a C5 Corvette subframe to give the
frontend independent suspension. The team located it to work with the fender openings. Once
everything was finalized, Gemtech powdercoated the frame.
SUSPENSION Rydell Chevrolet contributed the Corvette suspension parts, including A-arms, spindles,
and coilovers.
BRIGHTWORK Mid Fifty provided repro trim pieces and new bumpers, which the Overhaulin' team
reshaped and tucked closer to the body. Then Artistic Silver Plating rechromed and polished
the bumpers.
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THE REVEAL Many of the marks on Overhaulin' are stunned at "the reveal"—when they
see their transformed vehicle for the first time. But no mark has been more surprised at an
Overhaulin' reveal than the show's own Overhauler extraordinaire, Chip Foose. It took a serious industry wide conspiracy to trick the trickster, and the reveal was no exception. Chip believed he was headed over to the Roush booth at the '05 SEMA Show in Las Vegas to help unveil a brand-new engine, a 451-cube FE based on the 427 slide oiler. Chip did indeed unveil the engine, but he soon found it in an unexpected place. As he cut the ribbon, the curtain behind him lifted to reveal his Overhauled truck. It took a few seconds for the truth of the situation to sink in. Then Chip looked at the Foose Design logo on the tailgate and turned to his dad, Sam Foose. He said tearfully, "Is this mine?" |
 > Chip was trilled to meet one of his heroes, Jack Roush, at what he thought was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Roush's new engine. |
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> Chip's tears flowed freely as Jack Roush showed him where a team of his friends had stashed the new 451R FE engine. |
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> Dennis, aka The Prince of Pinstriping, carefully applied the orange paint to the Foose logos on the brake rotors and the wheels' center caps. |
> For sentimental reasons, the team kept the flip-up gas cap from when Sam Foose owned the truck. |
| ENGINE Roush Performance Products' brand-new 451ci crate motor is based on a 427 side
oiler. The 451R FE puts out 455 hp and 525 lb-ft of torque. It starts with a Pond
aluminum block and features a Roush-tuned Holley carburetor, a dual-plane intake,
Edelbrock aluminum heads, forged pistons, a nodular iron crankshaft, a hydraulic
flattappet camshaft, Harlan Sharp shaft-mount roller rockers, and MSD billet
distributor with wires, a Melling high-volume oil pump, and a powdercoated Canton
road race-style oil pan.
ENGINE DRESS-UP The Roush-logo aluminum valve covers and air cleaner came with the 451R FE,
but the Overhaulin' team painted them to match the interior color scheme.
Dennis Rickless then meticulously lettered them.
EXHAUST Magna Flow build a one-off stainless steel exhaust system on-site to fit Chip's
truck, including 21/2-inch mandrel-bent tubing and 4x9x14 offset-center 11/2-inch
mufflers.
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INSTALLATION ACCESSORIES Summit Racing supplied the Painless wiring harness, Russell fuel fittings, and
Power Master starter and alternator.
BATTERY The Optima YellowTop SpiralCell battery is in the stock location, under the
passenger-side floorboard. It's made to handle abuse, high heat, and extreme
performance—not that Chip would ever abuse this truck.
TRANSMISSION Bowler Performance Transmissions custom-built a C6 to match the engine's
performance, including a shift-improver kit and a custom-built 2,300-stall
converter. The Bowler crew mated it to a Gear Vendors overdrive for 0.78:1 gearing,
good for highway cruising and fuel efficiency. Bowler also smoothed, polished, and
painted the combo to match the detailing on the truck.
REAREND Diff Works supplied the Ford 9-inch rearend, which was narrowed to accommodate
the wider wheels and fitted with Currie 3.73:1 gears from Summit.
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SO HOW DID IT FEEL? At the reveal, Chip Foose kept saying, "You guys aren't supposed to do this to
me."" So we had to ask, how did it feel to get Overlauded? "That's my
favorite episode so far," says Chip. 'it felt great. [The] best thing about that
build was that my dad was involved.
"One of the coolest things was who the team was. You know, all these people came from out of town that are some of my best friends, and I didn't even know they were right down the street from me." And what about the truck? Is it what he'd envisioned? "I love it. I wouldn't change a thing," Chip says. "I'm gonna enjoy that truck for the rest of my life." |
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The Jewelry-Box Effect |
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A&M MACHINE WORKS Pomona, CA 909/594-9700 ARTISTIC SILVER PLATING Signal Hill, CA 877/427-0113 www.artisticsilverplating.com ART MORRISON ENTERPRISES Fife, WA 800/929-7188 www.artmorisson.com BAER BRAKE SYSTEMS Phoenix, AZ 602/233-1411 www.baer.com BFGOODRICH Greenville, SC 877/788-8899 www.bfgoodrichtires.com BILL DUNN ONE STOP SHOP Huntington Beach, CA 714/848-3985 www.bill-dunn.com BOWLER PERFORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS Lawrenceville, IL 618/943-4856 www.bowlertransmissions.com CARIZZMA ... FROM BASF 800/825-3000 www.carizzmacolors.com CENTURY TOWING West Hills, CA 818/993-7555 |
CLASSIC TRADITIONS KUSTOM PAINTSHOP Garden Grove, CA 562/673-7180 www.classictraditions.net DIFF WORKS Riverside, CA 951/549-6780 www.diffworks.net DR DESIGN Murrieta, CA 951/600-9493 DRIVELINES INC. Irvine, CA 800/963-7483 www.drivelinesinc.com DYNAMAT Hamilton, OH 513/860-5094 www.dynamat.com FIVE STAR GAS AND GEAR Los Nietos, CA 888/885-STAR www.fivestargas.com GEAR VENDORS El Cajon, CA 800/999-9555 www.gearvendors.com GEMTECH POWDER COATING Huntington Beach, CA 714/848-2517 www.gemtechpowder.com |
IDIDIT Tecumseh, MI 517/424-0577 www.ididit.com IRON CLAD GLOVES El Segundo, CA 888/314-3197 www.ironclad.com KAESER COMPRESSORS Fredericksburg, VA 540/898-5550 us.kaesser.com KEYSTON BROS. Roswell, GA 770/587-2555 www.keystonbros.com LINCOLN ELECTRIC Cleveland, OH 216/481-8100 www.lincolnelectric.com Welding equipment MAC TOOLS Westerville, OH 800/MAC-TOOLS www.mactools.com MAGNAFLOW PERFORMANCE EXHAUST Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 800/824-8664 www.magnaflow.com MHT WHEELS La Palma, CA 800/378-0007 www.mhtwheels.com |
MID FIFTY F-100 PARTS Golden Valley, AZ 800/252-1956 www.midfifty.com MOTHERS POLISHES • WAXES • CLEANERS Huntington Beach, CA 714/891-3364 www.mothers.com OAKLEY Foothill Ranch, CA 800/403-7449 www.oakley.com Safety glasses OPTIMA BATTERIES Aurora, CO 888/8-OPTIMA www.optimabatteries.com ORIGINAL PARTS GROUP INC. (OPGI) Huntington Beach, CA 800/243-8355 www.opgi.com QUALITY METALCRAFT Livonia, MI 734/261-6700 www.qualitymetalcraft.com REDLINE GAUGE WORKS Santa Clarita, CA 661/259-8891 www.redlinegaugeworks.com |
ROUSH PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS Livonia, MI 800/59-ROUSH www.roushperf.com ROYAL PURPLE Portex, TX 281/354-8600 www.royalpurple.com Synthetic lubricants RYDELL CHEVROLET www.rydellchev.com SATA Spring Valley, MN 507/346-7102 www.satausa.com Spray equipment (primer and paint guns) SHORELINE MOTORING Huntington Beach, CA 714/698-1373 www.shorelinemotoring.com Mounting and balancing tires SUMMIT RACING Akron, OH 800/230-3030 www.summitracing.com VINTAGE AIR San Antonio, TX 800/TO-COOL-U www.vintageair.com WOODWORKER'S SUPPLY Casper, WY 307/237-5528 www.woodworker.com |