Marcs 56 F100 project

[m67gl]

So I was not getting the use out of my 67 Fastback as I couldnt fit the boards in the back when I would take the kids surfing. I started to look around, Valiant Safari wagons..XP falcon wagon, but then I spied Hevens Effie build on another forum. Had a rush of blood to the head and started searching, and before I realised what I had done I ended up with a 1956 F100 in my backyard. Bit rough on first glance, but enough good bits to stop me jumping off a cliff.


In my temporary state of shock I didnt take a pic of the inside, a couple of rough buckets, no heater and a very unique hand operated wiper. Took some effort to get it running with various electrical oddities, helped out from a friend who has mid 50's vics and fairlanes. But it runs and drives well now, but damn noisy on the inside with no trim or sound deadener.

Not too sure what the plan is yet? A small tidy up has been done, replaced the seats with a bench and 3 point belts. Changed the poxy bit of square front bumper with an old original, swapped the LHR guard for one without the spare cutout and removed the wheel tubs and replaced the truck bed. Next is the brakes. Only has a single MC, so thinking dual MC with Booster and Proportioning Valve. Like this one http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BRAKE-BOOSTE ... 1454wt_943
Also bought a set of those LED bolt numberplate lights for the rear plate. Later I want to fix the wipers properly (maybe cable) I have a set of arms and linkages but no motor. Also looking at an underdash A/C heater combo, but also need the demisting ducts that fit under the dash (are these 56 F100 specific ?) A digital dash might be good to, and I want to replace the B&M shifter with a Truck specific one. Plus interior plus re-upholster plus blah blah...what have I done!

[m67gl]

Back tray with tubs removed (these are now for sale if someone wants them) they served no purpose in my truck. A sheet of formply and alloy d-strips, with a CP brass I/O plumbing fitting hiding the gas cap (summit cell 11 galon)

Interior with bench and no headrests. Still lots to be done in here.

Thinking about a RHD conversion later down the track, maybe.? A polish, new (old) bumper, and paint on the emblems.

[scott66stang]

Good one, i had that effee bookmarked on ebay or gumtree cant remember which one. Nice Pickup!! pardon the pun.

[hybrid]

I have sworn off doing another project, but both the Mrs and I love these things, so if I was going to build another car, this would be it.

[ozbilt]

I converted Hev's cab to RHD & did any rust I found also.

That tray is (of course) a US tray as the Aussie ones were wider with cut down rear wheel arches & inner arches installed. In my view the Aussie tray is a lot better looking as it is in more proportion to the truck.

However if you want to go a bit more radical.....

[m67gl]

That truck is not a 'bit' radical, I would call that INSANELY radical (in a good way) too much so for me and would attract way too much attention. Plus I couldnt let the kids climb all over it with boards, sand, water and mud.

You may have to come out of retirement should I decide to go full resto RHD, as you have now outed yourself as an F100 specialist as well as Mustang Guru (that silver one you posted is one of your creations ?) Rust wise mine isnt bad, a bit of scale around the roof join, and bottom rear inner corners of the cab, plus the ford door rust. I'll get onto that in the next couple of weeks.

[ND69]

Here's a vid of the nasty truck..

7X0J1-VxqFc

[m67gl]

Not much progress yet, but have been formulating a plan after speaking with some other 56 F100 owners. The 2v 351C runs sweeet and as its been re-built close to stock (with intake, headers, pertonix, march pulleys etc) I am inclined to keep it. The 5.0 EFI seems like too much for not alot of gain at this stage.
What to change/replace ?? What am I going to use this truck for ? Its to be a cruiser, mostly 80-100 km/h driving on country roads, definately not a drag racer. Going to stay LHD. There is a holley 650dp on it now which needs a little work but will change it for a Rotchester or similar. Some wont agree with that but the holley overdoes it for what I want. With a 9" diff 3.50 gears the C4 is not ideal. A better option is the 4R70W aode (from a V6 mustang I think - same sbf bellhousing and 2 bolt starter) Need to find someone in SthEast QLD who is familiar with these as I dont want to be someones R&D bank. Any recommendations ? Before that is a full rewire with new harness (check the pic at the bottom) and the Dakota Digital unit, as the only thing working there now are the indicator lights which are 2 orange trailer lamps where some gauges were. Thats the big ticket items. But first is to take care of any rust (begins Monday) Fix wipers (got a motor) Sort demister (bought 2 vents on ebay).
Still need to sort the brakes, but they work well ATM. I know I have to put in a tandem MC but do I need to use a booster as well? You can see the Wilwood pedal setup in the pic below, but only have the single Composite MC. What are the options to update this ? The booster setup in the original post will need too much work to set up.

[ozbilt]

Here's a vid of the nasty truck..

7X0J1-VxqFc

That was done after they took off the 1471 & Buzzard. It now has the hood (bonnet) filled in.

Now cannot wait to do a 53-5 F100 as I have some insane ideas that will rock the truck world again. This time it would be basically a road racing truck underneath & capable of winning the Silver State Classic in the truck division. So it would need to be capable of running at around 160 mph 0n a road course.

Trying to talk hybrid into buying one so I can play.....

The 56 I did (above) won the Sweepstakes Award at the 2003 Grand National Roadster Show in San Francisco & had done the same at the Sacramento Autorama same year.

Yes, the silver Mustang in my avatar was one of my creations, finished in 2007.

Built a really nice 66 Shelby clone back in 97/8 that won the Steam Boat Springs National Show back in 98. Car was throttle bodied injected 302 5 speed that was also a road racing car.

I love building quick stuff.

[jas24zzk]

2v with 650 Holley on it? sounds like it already has a 4v manifold on it.

Rolling with your ambition of it being a cruiser.........

a healthy 351. no change needed.
The 650...prolly overfuelling it, esp in stock config.
4 barrel manifold already fitted....
I'd seriously consider converting to bbq fuel, tossing on a 600 holley squarebore baseplate and impco 425 mixer. These things are the bomb!.
But..........it also depends on what manifold is on the engine. If you have the spreadbore (which i doubt) then your options become limited without a manifold change.

5.0 Option..not worth the hassle!!!!!!!!!!!


RHD conversion.. The 56 lends itself well to this, as the toe boards are bolt in. not sure if you can simply switch them from one side to the other, but aussie RHD toeboards bolt straight in. They were produced in RHD, so parts/advice is ready to hand.

Brake upgrade.
not hard. its a '56, its all been done before. Sure there are kits available, you can go throw 2k at a box of parts, or you can spend your drinking time on the we researching. Many people before you have re-invented the wheel....go read then spend less than they did.

Wiring...
COUGH!!!

Personally, i'd be re-wiring it totally, but that is based on the fact I have the ability to do that myself. For now, I'd be looking to tidy up what you have and getting all systems operational to get a start point. Doing this much might also give you the practice to learn how thing work, which would give you the groundwork to tackle a rewire yourself.
I'd steer clear of a Painless wiring kit, because unless you understand the fundamentals, then it won't be painless!.

Trans.
Whats wrong with a solid built C4? the AOD-E would be nice for the overdrive, but you are dealing with a vehicle that driveline wise is fundamentally different from a mustang in design purpose. The AOD-E would require a fair amount of electrickery to combine with your existing set-up, that it would take many miles of fuel burn to pay for the modificatioins.

That 351 of yours, if correctly built, a solid c4 equates to a solid workhorse, happily coasting down the road sounding good, to fully loaded laughing at the steep climbs.

I do a lot of towing, and if i had the money I would have bought this truck, as i have a soft spot for the 56 (first vehicle i ever restored). It's a very good start point this one.

Jas

[jas24zzk]

hmm
just on the brakes,

it has a wilwood setup, just noticed in the pic it also has the wilood firewal brace. it might be worth researching, but it probably is also running a willwood master cylinder. They probably also make a dual circuit master to suit your application, possibly also with a booster option.

[m67gl]

Just checked the manifold, Edelbrock Performer LB 351-2V. So square bore. I thought I could bolt on a 1" square to spread bore adaptor ? to take a Rotchester.

Wiring..what can I say. Everything actually works (externally) , but its messy and there are gremlins everywhere. Had a problem yesterday, broke down. Turned out being a dirty connection going to the coil. And if I'm going to add more electrics (dash/gearbox controller/heater/ac/stereo) then I should start fresh. I intend outsourcing that to a professional.

I was thinking AODE (stronger than AOD and wider ratio) as my wife and son cant hear a thing in the cab with the motor spinning at 3000 revs. I swear it is noisier inside the cab than outside ! Also it feels like I'm only getting two gears on the C4. It starts in 3rd and stays there. Need to look at that. Found these for the AODE http://www.becontrols.com/products/tcs.htm but finding someone who has done a swap in SE Qld is the next challenge. Everything I've read about this swap (mostly USA) is positive. Looks like I have minimum 2" around the old c4 and body just have to check clearance with the sanderson shortys.

On brakes, yep, it has the wilwood single composite MC. I have seen an adaptor bracket for single to tandem using my pedal http://www.wilwood.com/Pedals/PedalProd ... o=340-1290
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WIL-250-3677/
and can always put in a remote booster later, but is a booster essential ? if the brakes pass a stop test. How do I know what bore MC I have now ? they come in 3/4, 7/8 and 1" cant find a part number on the MC.

I think you guys have this mixed up with another truck. It was not advertised anywhere here as far as I know.

As for towing, the only thing thats going to get towed is my family if they dont stop winging about the noise in the cab ! I'm going to bunnings to get some earplugs now.

[jusTANG]

Be careful going to bunnings

One of my mates sent me this scam warning and I thought it pertinent to place it online, in the hope that I can warn as many of you as possible!

Scam Against Older Men
Women often receive warnings about protecting themselves at shopping centres and in dark car parks etc. This is the first warning I have seen for men. I wanted to pass it on in case you haven't heard about it.

It’s a warning for those men who may be regular customers at Bunnings, Mitre 10, or even Aldi. This one caught me totally by surprise.

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam whilst out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends. Here's how the scam works:

Two nice-looking, university-aged girls will come over to your car or van as you are packing your purchases into your vehicle. They both start wiping your windscreen with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. (It's impossible not to look). When you thank them and offer them some money, they say 'No' but instead ask for a ride to McDonald's.

You agree and they climb into the vehicle. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen November 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th, & 29th. Also December 1st & 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th & 27th, and very likely again this upcoming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful. What a horrible way to take advantage of us older men. Warn your friends to be vigilant.

Coles has wallets on sale for $3.50 each. I found even cheaper ones for $1.50 at Crazy Clarks and bought them out in three of their stores. Also, you never get to eat at McDonald's. I've already lost 11 pounds just running back and forth from Bunnings, Mitre Ten, etc.

So please, send this on to all the older men that you know and warn them to be on the lookout for this scam. (The best times are just before lunch and around 4:30 in the afternoon.)

[S[_]SPECT]

For the 4R70.. speak to Chris, 68PONY on here and MOCA forum..
He's done it already

[69candy]

I converted Hev's cab to RHD & did any rust I found also.

That tray is (of course) a US tray as the Aussie ones were wider with cut down rear wheel arches & inner arches installed. In my view the Aussie tray is a lot better looking as it is in more proportion to the truck.

However if you want to go a bit more radical.....

I love that ffee. Have you got any build pics of it Kerry?? would love to see them. Always had a hard spot for the 56's. Thinking I might build one one day!! or a 55 T bird. I have some insane ideas for one of them!!