Oh, and I just looked at your gallery, nice truck! My favorite color.

 

Welcome to the board! Thats a gerat looking truck. I think it makes it that much more interesting that its titled as a 57 and its the 56 body style. Its not suprising though, I'm sure there was always a few stragglers at year model crossover times.

Nothing wrong with a 6cyl. Heck you can build a pretty powerful performer out of the 6, and have the added bonus of not havig just another bellybutton truck. The advice to make it safe and drive it for awhile is a good advice, especially in your case where it won't take alot to make it roadworthy. Drive it, get to know it a bit while you plan out what you want to do to it.

Great looking truck, glad to have you here
Bobby

 

Bryan it sure looks like you have a driver there. The kind of truck you can drive and update at the same time. Be sure you want to "really" take it all the way apart and plan to double the amount of time you think it will be down. Looks mighty presentable from you pictures. By the way our son is an Austin firefighter. Joe

 

Thanks for all the compliments....I had always wanted a 56F but when I started looking around so many of them were really butchered....so I am hesitant to do anything drastic. I just want to make it safe and reliable for now.

The previous owner welded a second exhuast pipe into the manifold so it has
"dual" exhaust but that is the only bad thing ever done to it.

I look forward to trying to hit the F100 Nationals this summer, hope to get some ideas and make some new friends.

 

The VIN # on the doorpost plate will tell you if it was originally sold as a 56 or 57.
Example: F10K6H***** translates to Ford F100 (F10) Kansas assembly plant(K) built in model year 1956 (6) with engine size (H) and was the ***** truck built that year.
If yours has a 7 rather than a 6 it was considered a 57. I know that Ford did carry over the earlier cab in the larger size trucks, didn't know they did it for the F100/250.
Either way it's a nice truck. If the paint is blistering along an edge, it's a likely indication of rust thru from the inside, which will require cutting out the rusted area and patching it with new metal. Just sanding and repainting will show the same results in a year or two. Also check carefully at the bottom corners of the cab and the outer ends of the front hood peak for any similar problems, those are the first places rust thru starts. Run your hand over the outside of these areas and/or examine them with a strong light from the inside for any quickie repairs done by denting in the rusted areas and filling over with bondo. The bondo can usually felt by a slightly wavy surface and temperature/"feel" difference from the surrounding metal. Another test for bondo repairs is to use a flexible plastic refrigerator magnet, the kind businesses give away. They will stick to unmolested metal but will fall off any bondoed area.

 

Thanks Joe!

I am sure you are very proud of your son. Firefighters/EMT's are awesome!

If you get down this way, please look me up!

 

AXracer -

The VIN is F10D6L so it is a 56, but was titled as a 57 in Cali.
Trans 3OD
Axle 4.09
Color R (red)

I found a 2 inch area on the front hood lip that was starting to rust when I stripped the hood. That's been shot w/ DP90 and will have to be welded up
before I do a final paint.

I hit the whole truck with a magnet, there was no bondo anywhere. Really clean. Previous owner was a great guy, it was his baby.

I will put together a plan of attack after I learn more about it and the options available to me.

Thanks again!
Bryan

 

Bryan -

Hopefully, your rust in the front of the hood is not as extensive as mine was, but FWIW, I did an album on my hood repair:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...&albumid=13066

MidFifty also sells a patch panel for the entire front hood lip, if needed. I didn't know that when I did mine, so I made the parts.

 

Does the vin # match the title? It may have been retitled as a 57 due to lost title or salvaged and given a new vin#. Then again Ol' Henry was a noted tightwad, so it wouldn't be out of the relm of possibility that the story you heard was true.
You don't want to just weld up rust spots or holes (unless they are drill holes or such). If there is rust thru the surrounding metal will also have deteriorated. It's best to cut out the area back to solid sound metal, form or buy a replacement patch and weld it in. If done right it will be as good/better than new.

 

I too, just checked out your gallery. You have a very sharp! truck. It looks like you can just gas it up and enjoy it. The wheels are great on it.

 

Thanks AXracer !

The rust was literally a couple pinholes after a thorough media blasting, but will be cut out and patched professionally. The guy doing the work has been featured on "Overhaulin"....did a couple cars, one of the SEMA's and Lance Armstrongs GTO.
As a plus, he knows the effies. He has his own 55F100 w/a full Jag v12 drivetrain w/IRS and IFS. So he knows what he is doing and has a soft spot for them.

I have some bodywork experience myself (grew up in WI rustbelt) restored a 1960 A-Healey 3000 MKI back in '78, frame off. I know first hand how long it can take! I just don't have a decent place to do much bodywork now so I took it to a pro and paid the dough!

I felt like the hood had to be cleaned up due to the scale on the original inside surface and wanted to do it once the right way. Was surprised to find the pinholes, as there was no evidence of a problem, but had read that was a common issue. The driver's side front fender had small bubbles that were small enough to color sand with 2K paper. It helped but but I know there is a problem and they will come back....so that is the next job, pull the fenders, strip and prep for paint.

 

Wayne,

I just looked at your gallery. WOW! Amazing truck!
I would be afraid to take the cover off it, much less pull it out of the garage!
Beautiful!

 

This is my dream truck and totally awesome.