There's a lot to be said for classic truck owners who live the dream on a daily basis by devoting an endless stream of late nights and lost weekends to working on their ultimate masterpiece. Once they open the garage door, fire it up for the first time, and drive it out into the sunlight, that's when it all becomes real. It's at that point when the assemblage of parts comes together with its owner to hit the road for the first of many miles to be logged onto the odometer.

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Now imagine the level of dedication required to make this scenario come together while living outside this country. For Mikael Bjork of Ankarsvik, Sweden, wanting to build a custom 1928 Ford hot rod pickup meant having to deal with sourcing a buildable base, locating parts, a driveline, and every single nut and bolt . . . stuff we often take for granted since it's all readily available at our fingertips. For Mikael, it meant that once everything was located it needed to be shipped to his location at not only a great financial cost, but one also of time as well, which could affect the build.

Growing up in Sundsvall, Mikael was lucky enough to get his daily dose of American Muscle thanks to a number of neighborhood friends who owned a 1969 Dodge Charger and 1969 Mustang Mach1. The roar of mighty V-8s brought the many kit models he built over the years to life, as well as the pages of any hot rodding publication he could find. By the time he was 10 he experienced the iconic movie American Graffiti for the first time. It was easy to become obsessed with John Milner's yellow coupe and from that point on his passion for hot rodding took over. As the years passed he built and owned a number of hopped-up European models, with the hopes of someday owning a hot rod with a roaring V-8.

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Finally it was time to make the big commitment and begin the search for a base to start building the hot rod of his dreams. Canvassing leads from the web, his exhaustive efforts finally led him to a bone-stock 1928 Ford pickup being offered for sale in Long Beach, California. The truck was rock-solid and offered at a fair price so a deal was made and the little hauler was shipped back to Sweden to commence its rebirth. The fact that the truck was solid and complete put Mikael miles ahead since he wouldn't have to source things that could have been missing. Once the truck was delivered to his home shop he studied it and decided to keep it in stock body configuration retaining its roofline and fenders for its overall balance.

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When it came time to making a decision on power for the truck, Mikael wanted to stay traditional and keep a Ford in a Ford. He contacted Tuff Dawg Engines in Phoenix to build a stout 302ci V-8 that would have plenty of go and dependability for the long haul. A 1968 block was machined and filled with a freshened stock crank and rods with Keith Black 10:1 slugs riding shotgun. For plenty of attitude a stick from COMP Cams sets the beat while a pair of warmed-over stock heads make plenty of power. Up top an Edelbrock Performer intake wears a matching 600-cfm carb while an MSD ignition sparks it all to life. Cooling moves through an Edelbrock water pump and a Walker radiator while spent gases dump out of Patriot headers to stainless exhaust setting the tone via MagnaFlow mufflers. A Ford AOD trans reworked by Phoenix Transmission pushes the goods rearward through a custom driveshaft.

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Starting with rust-free sheetmetal has its advantages, as you can focus on the custom fabrication you want to take on and not lose any time to labor-intensive repairs. Mikael got busy, starting with reversing the factory firewall and followed by adding a custom-fabricated steel roof insert to the cab. With that accomplished he then crafted a custom rear roll pan, followed by completely metal-finishing the body and bed while also setting all the gaps. He then laid down a lustrous coating of Standox dark brown metallic with cognac bringing the project to life. Inside the stock dash was filled with gauges from Mooneyes to monitor the vitals while Vintage Air adds plenty of cool to the cab for the long haul. Steering moves through a Budnik steering wheel on a Flaming River column to a Vega box to navigate the road. A custom bench was fitted by Hanngrens and covered in light brown leather with accenting door and kick panels with complementing fawn plush carpeting.

The final magic of the story is that last year Mikael and great friend Martin Lundqvist of Stockholm (owner of a wicked 1932 Ford coupe) both shipped their cars to the U.S. for well-planned trip to take in as many hot rod shows and sights as possible over a five-week period. Talk about living the dream. The pair crisscrossed the country, amazing over 6,000 miles on their rides while seeing the sights and making friends in every state along the way. This is what hot rodding is all about and we're here to say this duo really nailed it with their commitment to hot rodding in bringing their builds here to take in the sights and excitement firsthand. Great job, guys!

Michael Bjork

1928 Ford Pickup

CHASSIS

Frame: Stock

Modifications: Boxed, smoothed

Rearend / Ratio: Ford 9-inch / 4.11:1

Rear Suspension: Custom four-link with Bilstein coilover shocks and Panhard bar

Rear Brakes: GM 11-inch disc and calipers



Front Brakes: GM 11-inch disc and calipers

Steering Box: Vega

Front Wheels: 15x5 Wheel Vintiques Smoothie

Rear Wheels: 15x8 Wheel Vintiques Smoothie

Front Tires: BFGoodrich

Rear Tires: Firestone/Coker

Gas Tank: Stainless by owner

DRIVETRAIN

Engine: 1968 Ford 302ci V-8

Heads: Warmed-over stock

Valve Covers: Chrome

Manifold / Induction: Edelbrock Performer / Edelbrock 600 cfm

Ignition: MSD

Headers: Patriot

Exhaust / Mufflers: 2-1/2-inch stainless / MagnaFlow

Transmission: Ford AOD

Modifications: Shift kit

Shifter: Lokar

BODY

Style: Pickup

Modifications: Custom roll pan, roof insert, and firewall

Fenders Front / Rear: Stock

Hood: Stock top with louvered sides

Grille: Stock, chrome

Bed: Stock with custom bedwood

Bodywork and Paint by: Owner

Paint Type / Color: Standox / Dark brown metallic with cognac

Headlights / Taillights: Stock / 1940 Ford

Outside Mirrors: Swan-neck style

Bumpers: Stock front, chrome

INTERIOR

Dashboard: Stock

Gauges: Mooneyes insert with matching gauges

Air Conditioning: Vintage Air

Stereo Speakers: Kenwood

Steering Wheel: Budnik

Steering Column: Flaming River

Seats: Custom

Upholstery by: Hanngrens

Material / Color: Leather / Light brown

Carpet: Fawn plush