Patina'd 1956 F-100 Hides a Nasty Surprise (photos)
This F-100 might look like just another rat rod, but it's packing some modern heat under all that patina.
1. Looks Can Be Deceiving
The word "sleeper" is easily one of the most overused terms in the world of hot rodding, but it's hard to top the feeling you get when you blow away some shiny, high dollar car in your beat up old pickup truck. And now that authentic old car patina is universally cool, those looks you get along the way are going to be more of admiration than disgust. One thing's for sure - the looks we're giving Jon Unick's 1956 F-100 are certainly admirable, maybe even with a twinge of jealousy thrown in, but there's much more to Jon's ride than its rat rod looks.
2. The Beast Within
Under that weather worn hood lies something you definitely wouldn't expect. Amid the smoothed out and nicely painted inner fenders and firewall lies a Ford Performance crate 427ci V8. The big little motor is loaded with goodies too, including a Scat forged steel crank, forged steel H-beam connecting rods, forged Mahle pistons, a hydraulic roller cam, Ford Performance aluminum “X” heads, Edelbrock Performer RPM Air-Gap intake, and Holley Ultra Street Avenger 770 CFM carb. Stainless steel headers carry exhaust fumes out through a 2.5" exhaust and Magnaflow mufflers. You're eyes aren't fooling you either, the engine sits 7 inches further back in the chassis to improve weight distribution because...
3. She's a Handler, Too
While most guys would slap on some shocks and lowering blocks, and call it a day, Jon wanted his '56 to handle just as good as it goes. So he called up No Limit Engineering, and ordered one of their Big 10 chassis setups. Inside you'll find custom front and rear crossmembers and a center X-member designed to eliminate flex. A Currie 9-inch rear end with 4.10 gears puts the power to the pavement. Then, there's a host of top notch No Limit suspension parts including trailing arms, Panhard bar, billet coilover shocks, Wide Ride IFS with tubular upper and lower control arms, and an antisway bar. Bringing all that mass to a halt are huge Wilwood front and rear rotors, and multi piston calipers
4. Retro Comfort
The interior doesn't contain your typical rat rod Mexican blanket upholstery, either. Inside you'll find nothing but fine leather and modern amenities. Dakota Digital gauges help keep an eye on things while directing things with the Budnik steering wheel and right hand on the Lokar shifter. A Vintage Air unit keeps things cool while Jon and passenger kick back in a pair of Glide Engineering bucket seats.
5. Exterior Mods
Jon found his truck sitting under a highway overpass, but despite its homely, authentically beat looks, he didn't leave it 100% stock on the outside. The Forgeline Model RB3C wheels and Toyo Model R888 tires are the most obvious changes. But the truck also has tucked bumpers, an exhaust that exits through the running boards, and rear wheel tubs to make room for those massive meats.
Want to see more and get more details on this truck? Check out the full story on Hot Rod.
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