It seems like there's an endearing slang name for every model of Ford pickup ever made. The 1953-1956 F-100s are called "Effies;" 1957-1960s are called "Fridge," for their Norge refrigerator-like looks; and "Slick" is short for "Slick '60s," the F-series model run from 1961-1966.

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One close look at the 1965 Ford F-100 featured here and it's not hard to spot a tremendous amount of fanatical detail went into preparing the truck to go into black paint, the hardest color to get the bodywork right. And frankly, there are not a lot people who have the means to finance such an extreme effort, and even less with the ability to perform the work.

The story of how Mossimo Giannulli found himself in a position to undertake such a build began in California on Newport Beach's Balboa Island. The year was 1986 and the young entrepreneur fashion designer began by selling neon volleyball shorts and tank tops branded with Mossimo's distinctive logo on Shoreline Drive from the trunk of his car. By the end of the year Mossimo's counterculture clothing company had grossed over a million dollars.

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Mossimo's intial styling exercise on a truck was a 1956 Ford F-100 Big-Window custom built to his specifications by Bobco of Lake Elsinore, California. Mossimo sold the Bobco 1956 and it wasn't much longer before he bought an original-owner 1956 Ford F-100 Big-Window from a friend of his dad. Mossimo had a change of heart about building the second Big-Window and sold it to the then-editor of Custom Classic Trucks that'd be me.

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It was the look of the 1965 F-100 that grabbed Mossimo's eye, "I've always loved the goofy 'Tonka' truck esthetic of the F-100 stepside. Rather than go full custom I wanted a perfectly stock truck restored better than the factory would have produced back in the day." And that's where Jeff Lilly of Lilly Restorations entered the picture. Jeff's father, Bill, founded the shop in 1957 and Jeff has continued a family tradition of fanatical detail to the vehicles built and painted at the San Antonio, Texas, shop ever since.

Unlike the rust-free, original-owner 1956 Big-Window I bought from Mossimo, the 1965 F-100 that replaced it was a rusted-out hulk sold originally by Harry Holder Ford of Owensboro, Kentucky. After discussing with Jeff Lilly how many hours of labor were poured into repairing heavy rust damage it's hard to say why a better example of a 1965 Ford wasn't found. Nevertheless, Jeff Lilly Restoration's Bob Ives painstakingly TIG-welded the gaps on replacement sheetmetal body parts to satisfy Mossimo's quest for the perfect truck, while Steve Smith fabricated brake lines, master cylinder/booster brackets, A/C lines, stereo components under the seat. etc .

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From bare steel the bodywork progressed into primer using BASF DTM epoxy primer. After a thorough wet-on-wet coating of BASF's direct-to-metal epoxy primer the next product was Evercoat's Slick Sand polyester primer surfacer. Not one area was overlooked. Nat Ramirez and Bob Ives blocked every square inch of the cab, bed, hood, and fenders until they were absolutely straight.

Satisfied the body parts were ready for paint, Bob Ives sprayed BASF's equivalent of Ford's Raven Black for the basecoat and then top-coated it with BASF clear. After the clear cured sufficiently Ramirez proceeded with the tedious process of cutting and buffing the paint. Another 150 to 200 hours went into it, starting with 800-grit wet and dry paper and ending with 3,000-grit, followed by final buffing. Take a close look at the photos and you'll not find one irregularity in the paint; it's perfect.

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The fanaticism didn't stop with the paint- and bodywork. Inside the cab none of the sheetmetal normally exposed in a 1961-1966 interior was covered with upholstery. Instead the same process used to paint the exterior was applied to the interior. Jan Vankooten incorporated a lumbar support into the bench seat and stitched Olive leather to cover it.

The complete assembly and precise fit and finish was performed by Eric Orishak. Black loop Carpet conceals a full dose of Dynamat used to improve the acoustics. Although Mossimo's 1965 F-100 Flareside is as bare bones as a 1965 Ford could have left the factory in 1965, there were a few creature comforts added to the mix. To fight off the inherit heat that comes with a black exterior, air conditioning from Classic Auto Air was installed, and a high-amp alternator recharging an AGM Vintage battery from Antique Auto Battery supplies juice. An additional reason to beef up the electrics, the custom sound system features an Alpine head unit with a USB/Bluetooth/CD player. For the deep bass notes a low-profile JL subwoofer is concealed under the seat, and for mid- and high-range Dynaudio 6-inch mids and Dynaudio 3-inch tweeters are neatly concealed in the kick panels.

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Underhood, Mossimo's 1965 still has its 240ci six-cylinder engine it rolled off the assembly line with, but thanks to Jack Petlewski for organizing the project and rebuilding the mechanical items, including tracking down the best engine components blueprinting the six-banger to better than stock specs was possible. The transmission is a standard-equipment, three-speed stick mated to Currie 9-inch packing 3.70 gears.

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Mossimo expressed to Classic Trucks his true passion is golf and he leads an active, art and design-fueled lifestyle, so don't be surprised the next time you see a bunch of white Rolls-Royce cars parked at a Beverly Hills golf course's parking lot and there's a black 1965 Ford F-100 with a G/FORE golf bag in the back.

1965 Ford F-100 | Mossimo Giannulli

CHASSIS

Frame: Stock

Rearend / Ratio: 9-inch / 3.7

Rear Suspension: Parallel leaf

Rear Brakes: Ford drum

Front Suspension: Twin I-beam

Front Brakes: Disc

Front Wheels: 15-inch steel

Rear Wheels: 15-inch steel

Front Tires: Hankook Optimo P- 235/75/R15

Rear Tires: Hankook Optimo P- 235/75/R15

DRIVETRAIN

Engine: 240-inch inline-six

Head: OHV

Valve Cover: stock

Radiator: Stock copper / brass

Fan: Mechanical

Exhaust / Mufflers: Stock

Transmission: Manual

Shifter: Column

BODY

Style: F-100

Fenders: Stock

Hood: Stock

Grille: Stock

Bed: Flareside

Paint: BASF

Paint Type / Color: Urethane / Raven Black

Headlights / Taillights: Stock / Stock

INTERIOR

Dashboard: Stock

Gauges: Stock

Steering Wheel: Stock

Steering Column: Stock

Seat: Bench

Upholstery by: Jeff Lilly Restorations

Material / Color: Leather / Olive

Carpet / Color: Rubber mat / Black

Air Conditioning: Classic Auto Air