David Tumino’s 1960 Ford F-250

What could be better than living in sunny Southern California and owning a classic vehicle for cruising to the beach? Pacific Coast Highway might as well be the official thoroughfare to Heaven—except for the occasional traffic backup caused by slow-moving out-of-town looky-loos. A little traffic or not, any day is a good day to jump behind the wheel of a custom vintage pickup and hit the road with nothing but endless seaside miles and beach turnouts on the horizon.

David Tumino of Oceanside, California, knows all about this glorious coastal lifestyle—and how to make the absolute most of it. He loves the fresh scent of saltwater, as well as the sweet aromatic infusion of freshly spent gasoline. David has spent most of his adult life building custom cars, and he recently found himself in an advantageous situation of needing a new project vehicle to bring back to life. What he decided to work on next was a 1960 Ford F-250 crew cab that would be perfect for loading up friends and family for joyrides to the surf.

When David first found this truck, it only had 20K original miles on record. It was an ex-government pickup, as were all these old Ford crews. It had put in years of service with the Marine Corps in San Diego County where David resides, so hauling the truck home presented no issue at all. Once he had the truck in his garage, David wasted no time ripping into it.

The first thing David wanted to do was separate the crew cab and bed from the chassis. Instead of attempting to salvage the F-250’s original frame, the entire thing was scrapped. Replacing it would be a completely one-off chassis designed and built entirely by David’s own two hands (as well as those of his son, Rajan). The full tube creation the two concocted soon featured a Mustang II front end and Wilwood drop spindles up front, a 4-link setup at the rear, and Viking coilovers at each corner. A staggered set of 20-inch Detroit Steel smoothie wheels and fresh Mickey Thompson rubber were added to spice up the rolling chassis, and to bring it all to a controlled halt, Wilwood braking components were gathered and assembled.

While the factory-equipped engine that came with the truck didn’t have a whole lot of miles, they were still old miles, and David wanted the F250 to be as fresh as could be. To guarantee the Ford had a lot more pep in its step, a much newer 2010 Mustang Shelby GT500 5.4L engine (along with a 3.3L Eaton supercharger) and a Ford 6R80 transmission were soon assigned to each other. Of course, there are plenty more additions to take note of underneath the hood than that such as the one-off motor mounts to facilitate the GT500 mill, new headers and custom radiator, a smoothed out the firewall, new inner fenders, and a custom set of valve covers to sit as the cherries on top.

Even though David scored huge with simply finding one of these old crew cab Ford models, he had much grander plans for its appearance. For starters, the rear fenders were shrunken down, the roof was pancaked ¾-inch, and the drip rails were shaved to enhance the impact of the F-250’s sharp features. Next, David further altered the truck’s looks by smoothing out the surface underneath the hood, and then adding metal on the front of the hood and on each side to make a nice, clean gap where the hood and grille meet. From there, he kept the ball rolling by installing a back window into the cab, welding the tailgate to the bed, smoothing the inside of the bed, and fabricating CNC lettering for the tailgate. The center pillar was frenched into the cab to make the rear doors suicide to give the old Ford truck a sophisticated Lincoln Continental vibe. Custom tails further deepen the F-250’s visual appeal, but not as much as the two-tone teal and off-white paintjob that David laid down on his own. This guy can really do it all!

Next, David turned to transforming the F-250’s interior, which has taken on rather immaculate condition. A set of 2009 Dodge Ram seats were secured and reupholstered in teal-colored leather and cloth material to keep the classic old-school aesthetic flowing inside the cab as well. Dakota Digital gauges soon followed, as well as a RetroSound stereo and aftermarket speakers, an Old Air Products climate system (even though SoCal temps are near perfect year-round), new carpeting, door panels, center console, and a whole lot more. This is the type of cabin anyone would love to spend a summer afternoon in while driving along the California shoreline.

Not a day goes by without David feeling the temptation to ignore all pressing responsibilities in order to take his ’60 out for a spin. We can’t really blame him. With some of the most iconic stretches of scenic ocean views basically in his backyard, and plenty of room for a small crowd inside his F-250, it’s hard to imagine him wanting to take a day off from cruising.

Truck Specs

Kyle Delfel

David Tumino
1960 Ford F-250
Oceanside, CA

Engine & Drivetrain

2010 Ford Mustang 5.4L V-8
1 7/8-inch headers
3-inch exhaust
Custom radiator, firewall and inner fender walls
Power By the Hour wiring harness
2014 Ford 6R80 transmission
Spec-Rite torque converter
Spicer U-joints
Mustang II front drive axle

Chassis & Suspension

Full custom chassis built in-house by owner
146-inch wheelbase
Viking front and rear coilovers
Skid plates
Custom fuel cell
Rack-and-pinion steering

Wheels, Tires & Brakes

20×8 and 20×14 Detroit Steel DTown smoothie wheels
Mickey Thompson tires
Wilwood brakes
2010 GT500 master cylinder

Body & Paint

Teal and white paint by owner
Rear fenders shrunken down
Roof pancaked ¾-inch
Shaved drip rails
Back window into the cab
Welded tailgate
CNC letters made for tailgate
Custom taillights

Interior & Stereo

2009 Dodge Ram seats
Leather and cloth upholstery by owner
Custom headliner
Dakota Digital gauges
Glove box and ashtray removed from dashboard
RetroSound stereo