¦ February 1, 2011
SAM SCHMIDT ACCESSIBLE FORD PANEL TRUCK
Project Update

  For the past few years, during the very short off-season from his annual racing schedule, Sam Schmidt has been working on a project to rebuild a cool classic Ford panel truck to suit his needs as a person in a wheelchair. 

To view photos of the finished vehicle, click here.

Sam says, “We had an incredible debut in the HRIA (Hot Rod Industry Alliance) booth at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show in Las Vegas last November.  I have applied for the “THERAPY” vanity plate and we will start using it in the spring for car shows.”

This year, look for a photo layout of the accessible truck in Hot Rod magazine.

When asked why he had embarked on such a daunting project, Sam replied, “After being ‘confined’ to a boring conversion van for several years, I decided to design something more in line with my taste.  Being 58 inches tall in my chair, the options were limited.  I looked at everything from old Suburbans to milk trucks to school buses and finally decided on the 1954 Ford F100 Panel truck because of its cool style and high roof.  The drama was still being able to get inside as the stock height is only 45 inches.  To solve the problem, the only option was to convert a 50 year old vehicle into a front wheel drive platform.”  The project involved merging a Cadillac chassis with a Ford body, then adding modern options like air conditioning and accessibility requirements like a ramp with controls. 

To read a previous article, click here.  To view the “before” photos and progress photos, click here.