Fabricator and custom car designer Bryan Fuller teamed with OTC Tools again on a one-of-a-kind vehicle. Paying homage to the original OTC Tools trucks, which drove the nation selling the OTC brand to mechanics and technicians, the truck will make its debut at SEMA 2016. The donor is a 1930's Ford delivery coupe.
Custom Ford delivery truck for OTC Tools by Bryan Fuller
Paying homage to the 91-year history of OTC, Bryan Fuller went in search of a 1930s era Ford delivery truck, eventually finding one in Mechanicsville, Va. (yep you can’t make that up!). Willy Glass a Bonneville 200mph record holder, used it to promote his welding supply business. Seems it was built in the late 70s or early 80s by a very capable team.
Once back in the Fuller Moto garage, Bryan and his team had the unenvious task of finding all the surprises that arise from disassembling an 80-year-old vehicle. They discovered a gem, in every sense of the word. The truck was rust-free, and believe it or not, dent-free too! The wood was perfect and everything came apart easily!
“Remember not only is this truck 80-some-odd years old, but these were commercial vehicles…they were beat on,” said Fuller. “Lead work on this vehicle was so good, we didn’t even remove it. That’s a first in my career.”
Fuller and crew had all of the paint stripped, and luckily it came off easily. Loose parts were powder coated in prep for bodywork and OTC blue paint. A few minor metalworking tricks were done to clean the body up including filling some seams and removing cowl lights.
The interior? Another story. Tuck-and-roll velvet lined the inside of the truck, a throwback to an update in the 1980s. Thankfully Fuller didn’t have to dispose of shag carpeting, though they did find some interesting thatch-like covering under the roof.
A well-running 302 Ford powered the delivery to speeds not thought of when it rolled off the assembly line, mated to a C-4 automatic transmission.
The truck will make its debut at SEMA 2016 in the OTC booth, # 10171 in North Hall. Stop by to see the truck and Fuller, with plenty of before and after photos and a unique tribute to OTC, one of America’s great tool companies.
