Hot rod culture is filled with traditional elements, from chopped roofs to slammed suspensions, but one thing remains true –traditional is in the eye of the beholder. Such is the case with this 1935 Ford truck that many might call a rat rod. To it’s owner, Mike Nelson of Windsor, Colorado, however, it is nothing more than his take on a traditional rod. But no matter if it falls to the more traditional end in your eyes or not, there’s no denying the true uniqueness and appeal of this little black and blue beauty. Lucky for us, we got to spend an afternoon hearing all about the build during our most recent Rod Showcase feature shoot.

The Back Story

Like with many enthusiasts, Nelson’s passion for cars started early in his life with a tie-in among family. “My older brothers Larry and Bob were into drag racing and hot rods through the 50s, 60s and 70s, so I was hooked,” Nelson told us. “I wanted to be just like them, I just happened to sidetrack a little.”

Growing up with a passion for cars quickly turned into the opportunity for Nelson to own some classic American muscle cars of his own, especially of the Chevy variety. From Chevelles and Novas, Nelson had an eye for the classic era of Americana. But owning the cars that he did wasn’t always fun.

“I have always had nice cars – Chevelles and Novas with great paint and upholstery; spotless,” Nelson said. “I was almost afraid to drive them or get them dirty. It just wasn’t much fun.”

That’s how the idea to build this little black and blue truck came to be. With the help of an artist rendering Nelson found online, “Pass With Care,” as Nelson named the project (aptly for the Pass with Care road sign that now makes up the bed of the truck that we’ll get to in a bit), came about over four years of hard work. Ultimately the truck was the answer to steering away from just owning “garage queens,” as Nelson put it. With this build, he could drive the project whenever and wherever he wanted without worry.

“For this build, I decided it was time for something I could put my own interpretation and imagination into,” Nelson told us. “Something that was fun, something I could drive anywhere in any weather, something that I could jump into and cruise to any event.”

The result was this shoestring budget Ford with just enough cruising power to get Nelson where he wants to go.

Power Isn’t Just About Ponies

Powering Nelson’s rod is a Ford Flathead engine from a 1951 Ford 1½-ton farm truck complete with an Offenhauser intake manifold, Holley 94 carburetors, Pertronix/MSD ignition and a new Speedway water pump. This is attached to a shortened S-10 driveshaft by way of a T5 S-10 transmission shifted by a custom, near roof-height 1951 Ford truck shifter.

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While this isn’t a bad setup, you might be wondering where the real power comes from. As Nelson told us, it comes not from the ponies of the engine but the enjoyment of the ride. When really asked how fast the truck is, Nelson laughingly told us, “Well, you’ve got enough time to go to the bathroom and back before I get to the end of the track.” For those of you looking for numbers, that’s about a 22-second quarter mile time. “It may be slow but it has curb appeal,” Nelson jokingly said.

Adding to the character of the truck is a fully custom exhaust system that Nelson admittedly built from some small-block Chevy headers he found discarded in a dumpster. He cut them up, pieced them back together and fitted them to 2-inch pipes and Flowmaster mufflers out back for just the right look and sound to improve his truck. After all, if you don’t have speed on your side, you might as well have looks and a good exhaust note.

Handling Power

Nelson’s truck may not be throwing down dragster numbers but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t perform. Underneath the truck, you’ll find a narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend with 4.11 gears, cut axles, and a uniquely formulated suspension system.

Rather than Z’ing the frame or using air ride components like many rodders do, Nelson cut and moved the front spring perch up 2 inches and installed a 4-inch drop axle up front with Posie front springs and home-built hair pins.

For the rear, Nelson V-cut and flattened the stock spring perch to move it up about 4½ inches before installing Posie rear springs, custom-built ladder bars, a panhard bar, and a 2003 Lincoln LS sway bar for optimal cornering capabilities. The truck’s suspension also features Speedway Motors shocks on all four corners and a Vega gear box, just to keep things interesting.

The suspension is tied to 16 and 17-inch 30s style wheels that had a little improving done by Nelson. To make the rear wheels wider, Nelson bent and welded a 2-inch piece of metal all the way around the inside of the rims, consequently giving the Firestone rubber gluing the truck to the ground a fatter appearance. Braking power for the rod comes from 1961 Buick drums with 1939 Ford repop backing plates in the front and stock Ford 9-inch brakes in the rear.

All About That Body

Following the customization of the engine, suspension, wheels and brakes, the body of Nelson’s truck has also had plenty done to it. Sitting atop a fully boxed frame, which Nelson shortened by 8 inches at the back of the cab and 4 inches at the back of the frame for cab-to-bed proportions sake, sits two 1935 Ford truck cabs made into one and a shortened truck bed from a 1937 Ford truck.

The roof on the cab has been chopped 6 inches, while the cab itself has been channeled 6 inches in the front and 3 inches in the back.

The truck also features a chopped rear window with a lowered bottom half for a wider view, a chopped grille from a 1939 Plymouth, BLC-682 swapmeet-find headlights, hidden door handles and spindles turned headlight stands. Other features of the truck may surprise you even further.

Adding an even more creative edge to his truck, Nelson used all kinds of wrenches for his own personal badging. This includes the airplane “hood” ornament and emblem on the tailgate. “I call them my gimmicks,” Nelson said. “They catch people’s eyes, all the wrenches I incorporated into the build. Some are hidden and hard to find. No one has found them all at one time.” These “gimmicks” are Nelson’s favorite part of the truck.

 “The one on the grille is called the Flying Wrench; you know, the one you throw in the garage when you get mad. I just put wings on it so it would go further,” Nelson added. “The one on the tailgate is my family crest because I’ve been an automotive mechanic for 30 years now. I’ve earned it.”

Many of the wrenches are complimented by custom pin striping done by Bill Peratt of Pinkee’s Rod Shop.

In the back of the truck you’ll find another “gimmick”- a Pass With Care road sign making up the bottom of the bed. “The bed sign was not stolen,” Nelson told us with a grin. “I went into a small scrap place in my home town with measurements in hand looking for metal for the bed when I spotted a stack of aluminum signs. This one caught my eye and had the right measurements and said ‘Pass with Care.’ It was just the right statement for a rat rod build.”

Thirty-eight dollars later and Nelson had the perfect piece of metal to finish off the truck bed.

Going along with the shoestring budget Nelson had in place for the build (and yes, he even once had a shoestring tied to the truck to convey that), the rod is finished in John Deer Blitz Black paint. Then the whole exterior is accented with bits and pieces painted in GM Sea Foam Green, a color Nelson fell in love with on a previous build.

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A Bit of This and a Bit of That

The interior of Nelson’s truck is just as unique as the exterior. Laced with crosses expressing Nelson’s faith (including one that makes up the top of the shifter), the interior features seats from a ‘67 Mustang, the dash from a ‘51 Ford truck, stock and custom gauges mounted above the windshield, a stereo system hidden in the glove box and an E-brake from a salvaged Volvo.

Of course there’s no missing the sparkly steering wheel prominently displayed on a Speedway steering column with quick-disconnect, which Nelson explained was a lot cheaper than some of the wheels he was looking at and just kind of fit the build in the long run.

Having fitted everything snuggly into the cab, Nelson doesn’t have much leg room when rolling in his rod, but he doesn’t mind too much. “They say, you have to suffer for your art,” Nelson told us. Although, this would be the one thing he might change if he had to do the build over again.

Nelson’s Pass With Care truck is simply one of the coolest rods we’ve run into and had the pleasure of shooting. Taking things into his own hands, Nelson made a lot of his own parts and came up with some very creative ideas on a shoestring budget that sets this build apart from the rest in a subtle yet interesting way. Of course, that came with the help and support of his wife Margie, kids Bryant and Dana, and close friend Andrew Tayrault.

Thanks goes out to Nelson for sharing his awesome ride with us. Without creative builders like him, even hot rod culture wouldn’t be as interesting. And it goes to show that you don’t have to spend uber amounts of money to have a fun and unique rod of your own. Check out more of this truck in the GALLERY below: