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Bodie Stroud seriously updates the 1956 Ford F-100 into the BSI X-100

If you thought pickups could use a lot more love in the resto-mod world, then Bodie Stroud – he of "The Real Thing" Mustang – has something for you: the BSI X-100. His team starts with the body of a 1956 Ford F-100, but the sheetmetal is about all the nostalgia you're going to get; the body, tweaked with a chopped hood and a larger rear window on the cab, sits on a custom steel ladder-frame chassis. Out back is a one-piece, tubbed bed, and behind that are taillights from a 1948 (gasp!) Chevrolet. Under that hood is either a 412-horsepower, 5.0-liter Ford Racing Coyote crate engine, or a supercharged, 6.0-liter, 630-hp Ford Racing Aluminator motor, shifting through a Ford 4R70W four-speed automatic. Inside, the dash is reworked to fit gauges from a Ford F-150 King Ranch Edition, and the bench is swapped out for buckets from a Mustang GT. The independent front and four-link rear suspension are adjustable, helping to make room for staggered wheels - 19 inches in front, 20 inches in back, and larger can be accommodated. Six-piston Wilwood brakes handle the stopping. There's a lot of fabrication and hand-work involved, and it doesn't come cheap: BSI says the turnkey package starts at $180,000. If you've got it, this is an exceptional way to flaunt it. The press release below has all the details. THE BSI 1956 X-100: TIMELESS LINES, MODERN TECH New pickup from Bodie Stroud Industries melds the iconic style of the 1956 F-100 with a cutting-edge chassis and drivetrain to create a hand-built, all-new truck with the performance and reliability of a modern sports car. Sun Valley, Calif. (March, 2015) – In an era when anyone can walk into a dealership with good credit and a yearning to go fast and drive out in a 500+ horsepower sports car, owning and driving something truly unique has become a challenge. With that in mind, the craftsmen at Los Angeles-based Bodie Stroud Industries (BSI) have come up with something truly special – a brand new line of hand-built, turn-key pickups with the looks and sheet metal of an American icon, subtly massaged and fitted to a modern chassis and powered by the latest engine, transmission and electronics from Detroit. The result is the world's first all-new, turn-key 1956 Pickup: the BSI X-100. "When most people think about classic trucks, what comes to mind is usually the 1956 F-100, it's one of the most timeless designs of all time," says BSI founder Bodie Stroud.

NHTSA closes Ford F-Series Super Duty steering probe without recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation into 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups, which was originally opened last year, has now ended without a recall. NHTSA was looking into steering failures on some 336,000 trucks.
The issue rested with the steering gear - NHTSA received five complaints of failures - which was redesigned in 2005. According to the report on the matter, investigators "found evidence of broken sector shaft gear teeth and piston damage consistent with incidents of single event overload."
NHTSA investigators, however, "found no evidence of fatigue or material property defects in any of the fractures. Analysis of complaint rates by vehicle build month showed no patterns indicating potential manufacturing quality issues and no difference before and after Ford introduced design changes to the input shaft and sector shaft seals in July 2007 to address potential leak concerns," according to the report, obtained by The Detroit News.

Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid and EV Buyer's Guide: Which one do you want?

If you're shopping for a new vehicle these days, there's a litany of acronyms, buzzwords, and technobabble to further complicate an already difficult decision. But if you're looking at a green powertrain, you have three basic choices to compare: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and "EV" or, electric vehicle. So what are they and which one — if any — is right for you? Research your next new vehicle using Autoblog's Car Finder. Gasoline-Electric Hybrids By now, most people are familiar with the concept of a hybrid car. Thank Toyota's Prius for that. At its most basic, a hybrid vehicle has two powertrains, one gasoline and one electric, which work together for maximum efficiency. At low speeds, the engine can shut off entirely, relying solely on the battery for propulsion. The battery is either charged as you drive by converting kinetic energy into potential energy via a complex regenerative braking system, or directly off of the gas motor. This is a very hands-off, behind-the-scenes system as all the driver has to is put in gas and drive as normal. Hybrids come in all shapes and sizes and, according to the EPA, range in fuel economy from 58 mpg for the Hyundai Ioniq Blue all the way down to 13 mpg for the Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta. Best For: Anyone who want to see their fuel consumption go down without many sacrifices. You can easily find a hybrid sedan, hatchback, crossover, SUV or even a pickup truck (i f you can find one). Best of all, a hybrid requires no special equipment to be installed at home, or added work for the driver. Hybrids do cost more than traditionally-powered competitors, so make sure to compare projected fuel savings with how much extra a hybrid will cost – it may take a surprisingly long time to break even. The EPA provides a handy calculator for this very purpose. Our Favorite Hybrids: 2017 Toyota Prius 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid Plug-In Hybrids Sometimes referred to as a PHEV, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, this is a baby-step towards full electrification. Armed with a much larger battery pack than a hybrid, PHEVs can go between 12 ( Mercedes-Benz GLE550e) and 97 ( BMW i3 w/Range Extender) miles on electricity alone depending on the model and your driving style. Like a normal hybrid, the driver is largely unaware of which power source is currently in use, even as they switch over — either because the battery is drained, or the driving circumstances require more power.