ill start with a little background. my father gave me this truck 25 years ago. he lives in california and i live in wisconsin. i just recentily got the truck to me in wisconsin and i need a few questions answered. 1 i have been told that this truck is extremeily rare and i should not do anything but a factory restoration. this is not my intention. it is a 1956 f100 shortbed custom cab. is it true that it is more rare than the standard 56 and if so should i concider the idea of not making a street rod type vehicle out of it.andthe secound is the roof is rusted along the driprail almost all the way across the front of the cab. is there any good way to repair this? or are new roof panels available through the aftermarket or should i look for a good used one. nad if so does anyone have this roof and is it specific to the custom cab with the small back window?? any and all help is appreciated

 

First thing to remember about a build; it's yours.

Do what you want with it. If it's the rarest truck in the world and worth a billion dollars and you want to modify the crap out it, then do it. Life is too short to limit your dreams to other peoples ideals. I would however give it some time and some real thought before any strong modifications. You can un-do them but it's at least ten times as much work and often not worth it. In my experience a whole bunch of mod ideas will come at first that would be awesome, but the more you spend time with it, the more you will like the 50s feel. And some things just take the 50s feel away. But again, it's all about what you want from it.

To my knowledge the custom cab didn't have a whole bunch of rare, or rather super desirable differences that would make thinking about leaving it as was a main concern. Original big windows tend to be the big ticket item, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.


For the record, people will complain no matter what you do with your build, so expect it, ha. If you make it completely original some guy will go "would have made a cooler hot rod" if you hot rod it out people will go "should have kept it original". Just remember, it's yours. Not theirs. They see it once, you own it. Build it like you're the last person on earth and no one is going to have any input about it. Regret is a horrible thing to have on a dream that takes so much time, energy, and money.


As far as the dip rails go, I'm sure a few other members will chime in. I got lucky and didn't need to fix mine.


Welcome aboard

 

only thing I can add is not to cut up or throw away the stock parts as you can resell them to hot rodders. things that are wanted:
stock front brake setup with backing plates, hubs drums
stock column with steering box and pitman arm
stock steel wheels 16" are better then 15"

 

unfortunately, no-one sells replacement roofs or drip rails for the 56. it would be a killer part as a high percentage of the 56's have this problem. this is a lot of work to fix properly.

I just sold my 56 custom cab small window truck after I got the 56 big window.
the roof was in very good condition.

Sam

 

Truck worth is very relative. It would take a lot of money to get me to sale my truck, but it's not worth much at all. Your truck is really worth nothing unless you want to sell it. If you have a desire to sell it, then it might be worth checking out what you can get for it to fund the project you want.

Otherwise, do what you like with your truck to make you happy.

Here is a good thread on removing the drip rail. Way beyond my skill level, but cool stuff.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...l-removal.html

By the way, welcome to FTE and we love pictures.

 

Stephen67 said it best. As far as the drip rails go there is 3 layers of metal there, roof skin/drip rail/ and window frame that is all spot welded together. If you decide to hot rod and not stick to a stock build you may want to decide if you want to keep the drip rail. If you decide to illiminate the rail Randy Jack has a good gallery to check out. As far as repairing the rust out do it in small sections to maintain the shape. I had to replace a section to my 56 panel and making the patches was not too difficult, just take your time. Feel free to post pictures of your truck.

 

Welcome to the forum! Stephen has some great advice. There's really nothing about these trucks that is so rare that only a stock, original restoration will suffice. Hundreds of thousands of them were built, in all shapes and flavors. So build it how it'll suit you best.

That rust repair is a tough spot. And if it's all the way across the front, that's pretty bad. There's bound to be a better cab waiting for you, somewhere, that will save you a lot of time and effort, which many times equals lots of money, to help with your project. Have patience and keep your eyes open. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

 

I am planning to do the hot rod. i would like to thank everyone for the advice. also i would never sell this truck it has been a dream of mine for over 20 years. my father gave it to me when i was a kid and it is the reason that i am not only a ford guy but also a car guy. it would be like selling a piece of myself. i did put pics of it on this site but im not sure if they are public or not so if you guys cant look at them let me know and i will do whatever i have to do. i want ppl to see it so i can get more ideas and help. thanks again to everyone who posted !!! you guys are great

 

I look forward to seeing what you do with this truck.
Even though you will be changing it, it will still be the truck your dad gave you. You can't put a price on that.

Here are a couple of the pictures for you computer challenged truck **** addicts.

 

Mid-Fifty now sells a fiberglass replacement roof for the 56. Part # 6528-56 @ $350

 

Great looking truck! looks like it already has a few changes to it.

Might post some close ups on the drip rails, might not be as bad as you think or someone could have a great idea to fix it (always worth a shot).

If you do plan on chopping the top you need to be aware of some special issues on the '56 or anything with a wrap around windshield. It is a lot more difficult than a slant cab.

 

ya the truck has a 9" rearend and the wheels and tires and a 302 w a c4 or c6 not real sure yet. its coming out next week so if anyone wants a smallblock with a automatic and near milwaukee wisconsin its yours just come pick it up. i have a 4.6l ohc motor and overdrive automatic from a 97 crown vic cop car goin in it tryin to use the entire wiring harness ecu and body control from the cop car. we will see what happens. should be driving it next summer !!!