This ’72 Ford Crew Cab Looks Vintage, but Drives Like a '22 Super Duty Because...Godzilla

The crew cab pickup truck market has always been niche, but when you stumble across a ‘72 Ford F250 crew cab buried in a Wyoming field with nothing but the roofline showing, you know you’ve found something special. That’s exactly what happened to Jack and his team at Jack’d Up Trucks, and what they did with this discovery is absolutely brilliant.

Picture this: you’re driving through Burns, Wyoming, and all you can see is a sliver of truck cab poking through the dirt and weeds. Most people would keep driving, but Jack and his crew grabbed some binoculars, climbed up on their trailer, and scoped out what turned out to be a legitimate barn find.

The truck they eventually hauled out after a year of negotiations wasn’t just any old crew cab. This bumpside beauty had been sitting in that field for decades, but Wyoming’s dry climate worked some serious magic. Oil cans had broken open inside the cab, creating a natural preservation system that kept rust at bay. The wind and sand created a patina finish that money can’t buy. The bed tells its own story too, with perfectly rounded dents from drill pipe the rancher used to haul across it.

What makes this build special isn’t just the body though. Jack’s team at Jack’d Up Trucks specializes in full chassis swaps, and they dropped this vintage crew cab onto a complete ‘22 F350 Super Duty frame. We’re talking about the 7.3L Godzilla V8 paired with Ford’s 10R140 10 speed transmission. This isn’t some half-measure engine swap where you’re constantly fighting gremlins. Every single system is factory Ford, right down to the ECU that clips in exactly like it would in a brand new truck.

The beauty of this approach becomes obvious when you consider maintenance. You can roll this thing into any Ford dealership and they’ll work on it without batting an eye (well…maybe). The chassis has all the factory mounting points, the electronics are OEM, and the drivetrain is exactly what Ford’s engineers intended. Jack’s business partner Danny proved the point by driving it to Oregon and back, setting the cruise at 85 mph and running problem-free for 15 hours each way.

Building something like this takes about three months, and the biggest challenge isn’t mechanical work. The electronics fight you every step of the way. Jack learned this lesson when the truck ran rich after installing a cold air intake. Changing the intake volume threw off the MAF sensor readings, creating a fuel-air mixture problem that took serious troubleshooting to solve. The fix involved going back to factory tubing specifications while keeping the performance intake setup.

The interior work represents what Jack’d Up Trucks calls their base build. The original dash stays put, but they integrate modern HVAC controls and wiring for the Super Duty’s climate system. The seats get reupholstered, and they always install Super Cab rear seats that fold flat. This creates way more legroom than the original setup, where the fuel tank placement forced the seats forward.

That vintage eBay Alpine stereo from is a perfect touch. It gives you modern functionality while maintaining the period-correct aesthetic. The original gauges and switches stay functional, but you lose the touchscreen complexity that makes newer trucks feel like smartphones on wheels.

The wheelbase matching is crucial for these swaps. Rather than modifying frames, Jack sources donor chassis that already match the body’s original dimensions. This keeps everything factory-spec and maintains proper weight distribution. The result drives exactly like a new Super Duty because mechanically, it is one.

Testing this setup on Nevada’s off-road trails proves the concept works beyond pavement. The modern suspension geometry handles rough terrain while the vintage body style turns heads everywhere it goes. You get bulletproof reliability with classic truck styling that simply doesn’t exist in Ford’s current lineup.

Patina Pete, as they call this particular build, represents everything right about the restomod approach. Instead of fighting 50 year-old electrical systems and worn-out drivetrains, you get modern performance wrapped in authentic vintage sheetmetal. The weathered finish tells the story of decades hauling equipment across Wyoming ranches, while the Godzilla V8 provides power that would make those old 390s weep.

The fact that this truck is for sale makes it even more interesting. Finding a legitimate ‘72 crew cab is tough enough, but getting one with this level of professional chassis work is practically impossible. You can follow their builds on Instagram and see exactly what goes into these conversions.