Hey Gang,

I have located a complete 56 F600 minus the doors in a junkyard. The price seems right. I may try to pick it up Next week. Having always had slant cab a "stalk" cab would be something new. SO if you had it do over what would you do different with your 56'?

Would you have moved the gas tank or left it?
WOuld you use the stock seat or go another route?
Would you have rounded the doors?
What about the firewall
My favorite AC. Would you install or go 265ish? Would you use Indash or mount one underdash? Vintage, Hot ROD AIR, Classic, or Hypercool?
Would you have left vent window or removed it?
Would you run the stock gauges or differently go aftermarket

I am leaning toward getting this truck and selling off the rolling frame. Might hold onto the front fender. The hood while good across the front edge has dents across the top. Maybe I could trade and the frame for a regular F100 frame. Thanks for any lessons learned or input guys. Donald

 

Hi, Well this 56 is my third and a keeper. I have rounded door corners, moved the tank to the rear with a top fill. This is the only thing I would change should have went with a side fill. It gets a little tiresome dropping the tailgate ( I'm not the tallest guy in the neighborhood ) just to put fuel in the tank.

Stock seat lowered 3/4 of a inch, love the vent windows ( carry over from my smoking days ), Auto meter gauges and Vintage Air. You know I just lied I would not install a tilt column again I seem to never move the darn thing and the column as everyone knows is not cheap. I filled the unwanted holes and fixed the rust in the firewall. This one is build as a most everyday driver ( not in Mi ) so most any part I can buy at a local shop.

Chuck

 

Tacson-

The first 56 I had was a fairly straight forward version with the following mods:
Volare IFS/8" Ford rear
302 V8/C4 tranny
Mustang gas tank under the bed with in bed fill (wouldn't have in bed fill again)
Used a 2000 Buick 60/40 seat (too big for the cab front to back)
All the door edges were unmodified
Left the firewall alone except for filling some unneeded holes
Used Vintage Air AC/Heat/Defrost
Removed the vent windows
Used Autometer gauges in a panel within the original gauge panel surround

On the one I have in progress now:
Corvette IFS/IRS suspension
2000 Ford Lightning engine/tranny
Gas tank - not sure on this at the moment but I'm going to investigate the possibility of a side tank along the frame rail, perhaps an S-10 or ? I don't like the rear tank unless you are running your exhaust out on the side. I've had good luck using a Magnaflow 2-in/2-out muffler. I definitely won't put the fill in the bed.
I plan to round the door corners and possibly do the "Foose Chop" like fatfenders56
Probably also modify the running boards at the fenders
Seats will probably be buckets with a console/floor shift
Going to try to use the Lightning gauge panel so the dash will be modified
Will use one piece side glass again
Will have AC, either Vintage Air or Hypercool

I would like to add 3" to the cab front to back (through the doors) but I doubt I will be that gun-ho after doing the rest.

 

I'm a Stock look person with modern guts under the metal. I loved my 56, but I bought it restored and there were a few things I would have done differently.

First, I had a 351 Cleveland motor with a C4 in it. I would have installed a 351W with a C6 or four speed.

I like wind wings, sometimes they are just the right amount of air flow.

A/C is always nice if you use it and are in a spot where you need to use it.

I have always had stock seats in my three trucks but lifted them up off the sliders a bit because I'm a little shorter on one end than most of you.

If I were building it or doing a frame off I would definately change it out to a 9" rear, MII type IFS (or another type if you like it better), and strip tyhe wiring out and rewire from scratch. But I LIKE to rewire cars! Yes I know a very sick individual!

I had no problem withthe tank behind the seat. As a matter of fact in my 55 I actually installed a SECOND gas tank - a 56 tank behind the seat to add to the stock tank under the running board. I was doing a fair bit of long distance driving at the time.

I like the stock gauges and on the 56 always made an effort to get rid of the oil and battery idiot lights and build-up/install gaugesd for them. I liek old stuff and nestalgia in the look of the truck.

 

'56 F-600, now thats my kinda truck

I plan on restoring mine this year, the dumb snow is finally melting enough where I can go get it and work on it.

To be honest, I have no answers to any of your questions as I am still figuring them all out myself, ha.

I'm not a huge fan of having the gas tank in the cab, but if I where to move it outside I probably wouldn't put it in the tail end of the bed just because it's a work truck and I'd hate to have a ton of steel on top of my lid that I have to move to fill up. Could always mod it so it was behind the cab, but still had the cab lid.

Taking out the vent window looks a bit more clean, but in my experience sometimes a vent window can be a life savor when your outside door handle stops working for some stupid reason or another.

I guess it all depends what you want the project to be in the end. If all the gauges work, why drop $600 for a new set? Unless you're making a show truck.

 

You just need to give me about 50K for my truck and then all your questions would be answered. He He.

The ac issue I would not do it again but if I did I would go for the resto under dash unit, you will need the room.

Move the tank out back and go with poly or alum / SS.

Hard to beat the looks and function of a stock seat but that isn't going to get you that F100 of the year.

I love the looks of a smooth firewall.

Aftermarket gauges are great new and they work / resto look available.

Rounded door I guess okay.

I really wished I had vent windows back.

Fat girls beside you are really cool evens out weak springs (that was just wrong)

 

Rodney I will my WIFE you asked about her. LOL.
Thanks everybody for the great responses. Donald

 

Donald-
When I installed the underbed 20 gal. Mustang tank I also used the Mustang fuel pickup/sender unit that fits into an opening in the front side of the Mustang tank because I didn't want to seal up that hole and cut another. The Mustang sender was not compatible with the Autometer fuel gauge and gave me false readings. I called Autometer to complain and the tech volunteered to tweek the gauge if i would send it back to them. I did, he did, and when I re=installed it the readings were improved but not totally accurate. I wouldn't go that route again. I would try to use the sender furnished by Autometer. Other than that the gauges were fine.

 

Hello Donald, We met and talked at the show at the Geneva motel in Chimney Rock 2007.
I drive my 56 every day. I have a Volare ifs and I love the way it rides and drives. I would like to raise it an inch or inch and a half in the front. I'm running a 472 Caddy and 400 trans. I love it. The 68 or 69 dodge car rearend with 3.25 gears will be replaced with a 9 inch Ford with 2.75 gears in the very near future. The only body mods I like on 53-56 F100s is a reverse opening hood , which mine will have soon. I like the vent windows. I don't have a problem with the stock gas tank. I have noticed something about the stock guages in a 56 and wondered if anyone else has noticed. Because the glass is vertical , a lot of the time when I look at the guages all I see is my reflection and the back side of the steering wheel. I hope to drive my truck to Pigeon Forge in June.I hope you will be there.

 

Which sender did you use? Sometimes these can be adjusted, it was a problem that came up on Vintage Mustang Forums. I can't remember it clearly right now (which of course makes me little help), but I remember that sometimes the voltage was off or the wrong sender was used causing the gauge to read wrong. I still have to fix mine, mine says I have no gas left when I have half a tank...

 

Stephen67-
I assume the Mustang sender I used was an aftermarket reproduction unit and I didn't get any info (that I recall) regarding the ohms readings that it used. I think the pre 87 Fords used a 16ohms reading at empty and 158ohms reading at full. If you want accurate readings the ohms range needs to be the same for both the sender and the gauge. I found this out the hard way, as usual.

 

I like the new speedo Autometer has out that has the tach in bottom. That way you can have a tach along with other guages in a 56 Cluster without having to "notch" the dash.