First off I want to say hello and see if some of y'all can help out a guy about to start on his first 56 f100. I just bought my shell and I'm having sent from California to me in Alabama (notice the Y'all above) and wanted to see what regrets difficulties or knowledge I need going into this build. I've been on here for about three months now reading and doing my homework before I bought my truck but after working on my daily driver and modding it there are always a few things you wish you had done differently when you get finished. I have a rust free 56 shell with a good frame and 302 in it that doesn't run, my question is what would you do with it. I want to keep it traditional so no chopped tops or body mods also those things cut into my budget of 35k to get it done completely. Some of my questions are should I rebuild the 302 or would a chevy 350 be better. Also how much power can I get before boxing the original frame won't work and I need to go with an after market frame. And what is the best IFS for a sooth ride, mustang II looks good but compared to a volare IFS which is smoother.
Thanks in advance for any help,

 

lately most doing suspension change would not do the volare. I have one in my 55, but am removing one in my 56 for a MII..(it was installed wrong so this is a tactical fix, not a planned change)..
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post10054310

both a 302 and a 350 can make the same power for roughly the same money.. but to fix em up and make em look good, is a little more pricey on the 302 side.

I am toying with the idea of removing the 351W in the 56 for a 350 EFI engine, only cause I have one, and think it would give a little better mileage and maybe be a little less finicky down the road. it will also be easier to doll up..

I have a 460 in my 55.

for both these trucks I have only boxed the front section, not the entire chassis.
typically the decision point is.. if stock, leave unboxed let the chassis flex, if moded box, let the suspension flex.

we have another custom truck in build and we have boxed the frame all the way and putting in a custom central support xmember, with a MII front end and a triangulated 4 bar rear 9in.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ml#post7609267

Grizz is also putting an MII under his..
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ml#post9795401'

SVT is doing an MII suspension as well.. very nice looking
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post10137914

 

Thanks for the info, and I really like that 55 you have. I was leaning toward the MKII since I'd read somewhere that you needed to add drop spindles with a volare because adjusting tie rods led to having some wonder in the steering. I think I'm going to keep what I got with the 302 and stroke it out since IHC (intake, heads and cam) is what really make the power and add a five speed tran with a posi.

 

Both my MII's will have dropped spindles.. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy the volare dropped spindles.. highway robbery..
and if I do it, I will do bigger wilwood brakes.. then have to redo the rears to match, and of course the parking brake cables.. (pull one thread and the whole thing crumbles!, 10 yrs in and still fiddling)..

an explorer 8.8 rear with disc brakes and a posi is very reasonable.
I have the 8.8 in the 55. (from an 87 lincoln Mrk7) I rebuilt the posi with an extra clutch surface to help hold up to the 460 and the 20in wheels.
I am running a 3.55 gear ratio. course the 460 gets 5mpg (hopefully!).. so it doesn't really matter what the gear ratio is..

MII, 302, posi, and a stick sounds killer!..

but welcome to FTE, and keep talking us thru your build.. lots of folks on here have amazing skills in every area.. they sure help me out a lot!..

Sam

 

Both my MII's will have dropped spindles.. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy the volare dropped spindles.. highway robbery.



Yeah that's why I figured any money saved doing the volare will go into those spindles and for about the same cash I'd rather have the MKII. I plan on this being a weekend warrior local cruiser & shows truck so the stroked 302 is for decent gas mileage but you gotta be able to drop the hammer every now and then. I'm more of the shade tree mechanic but I had rather build it than buy it. Thanks for the talk and I'll be back on in the next few weeks when I get things going and have more questions.

 

Welcome aboard Dozer - Lot's of questions - good to spend time up front planning. A 302 engine is a good starting point - then decide how much horsepower/torque you want from it to determine how to rebuild it. There are a lot of choices for a Mustang II front end - I went with a Wide Ride from No Limit - Approx. $3K but I really like the one Mountain Doc put in that is all bolt on - I'd probably go that route if I was doing the work all myself. I spent a lot of my budget battling rusted out metal in the cab & under the bed - sounds like you may have a better starting point. Have fun - there a lot of good guys on here - enjoy.

Ben in Austin

 

Thanks Ben,
Yes I have a good shell but the shipping from cali to alabama is steep. It was either use a southern truck and have half my budget go for patch panels or have a solid truck shipped in so I went the shipped in rout. Yeah a lot of good folks with a lot of knowledge on here is why I finally just broke down and joined after the last 3 months of using FTE for my research. A little research now save a lot of heartache later. As stated above I'd rather build it than buy it even if it means waiting to get exactly what I want. No restoration shop can see what I see in it so that is why I'm doing the whole thing except for the 302 rebuild.

 

Hey Dozer,
I can guarantee you that fixing the cab corners, the cab floor, the firewall, the running boards, et al cost me a lot more than the freight in to Alabama cost you. That's money well spent starting with a solid cab & frame. Think of all the nights grinding & welding that you missed. After seeing it done - I'd plan to farm out the soda blasting as well - truly horrendous. Take your time.

Ben in Austin

 

Yeah, that's why I've done my homework and jumped on this shell even though it'll be three more weeks till I get it shipped here. I've got to make room for it first but this is one of those deals that is too good to pass up on. I don't know how to attach pics to this site or I'd let you take a look at how clean the fenders, running board and cab corners are. I'd rather spend my money and time on things to upgrade it not patching and grinding panels.

 

Welcome redneck' I live 45 miles from LA [lower alabama] We are few and far between here on fte. You are in the right place for help with about anything on these old trucks. I vote on the 302 . If ya going to use a 350 buy a chevy. Keep it real !!! I used the M11 IFS /289/aod in OLD YELLER . Drives great and with the 4 wheel 11'' disk it stops on a dime. What part of ala. you from ? If you become a supporter it makes it easy to post pics. Plus you get a t-shirt IF YOU LUCKY. good luck with the truck.

 

With your budget I'd think a MII IFS would be the obvious choice. Question is how fancy? - coil overs or air bags? how much chrome. My budget is under $5000. $1500 for the truck, $100 for an 350 sbc, free 700 R4, truck came with a donor Cordoba and I fabed the cross member, and I have about $1500 in parts and materials into it so far. And last week I found a gallon of acrylic enamel in an acceptable color for free.

 

Thanks for the support guys, Arrowhead I live in Gadsden half way between Huntsville and Birmingham on the eastern side of the state and yep if you live here you got some red in you regardless. I added some pics of my daily driver as well as my 56 shell. I plan on going all ford and keeping this thing as classic as possible but I know that Chevy engines are cheaper and have no problem with finding parts if you need them. Also as I am told the first guys to turn these trucks into rods used the 350 chevy for these same reasons. The only problem is when you have a Chrysler front end(volare) a Chevy engine and a ford shell to make sure that everything fits without having to customize everything.

Das I'm going coil overs with wildwood four wheel disc brakes and MKII front end. I'm not into the chroming out to much, I want to keep it clean and simple but I do want the stainless around the window seals and chrome around the headlights and front and rear bumpers.

 

hello welcome.with your budget I would buy a 56 already restored and stil have money for another one!!!

 

Well there are several ways you can go. With your budget I can build a all new 56 from the frame up so now the question is how much work do you want to do. Either way you will work but 1 way is alot easier than another. You can go buy a complete rolling chassis with everything you want for 8k, just add wheels and thats done, add a turn key crate motor for another 4k and you now have a complete new drivetrain thats new for 12k. So again its really up to you, sometimes I wish I would have done it that route and then at other times I'm glad I went the way I did because I can say I did all that stuff to my truck and not just assembled it...

 

Tardster,
So your saying rather than keep my original frame and boxing in the front you had rather go with an after market frame. I was thinking about using a Fatman fabrications frame with a few bells and whistles added to it, but that is why I'm asking everyone what they did and if they would change. I want to spend my cash in the best way possible and get the most out of it. That's why I didn't just buy a finished 56 and repaint it to my liking, because why spend 26-28k on a truck with a 2-3 yr old paint and interior just to have it all redone because I don't like it. I work hard for my cash so I want to stretch it as far as possible and anything on this truck needs to be well though out in advance.
Thanks for the info guys keep it going.