Occasionally, a project vehicle will appear, leaving opinions torn about whether it should be considered finished or unfinished. That will undoubtedly be the case with this 1956 Ford F100 Stepside. Some will look at the completed work and feel it deserves a fresh coat of paint as a finishing touch. Others will feel leaving it untouched will help it exhibit bags of character and allow it to turn heads. Regardless of which school you subscribe to, you will find it listed here on eBay in Garner, North Carolina. Bidding has raced beyond the reserve and sits at $23,100.
There’s plenty to consider with this F100, not the least of which is its appearance. The 1956 model year was the last for Ford’s Second Generation F-Series. Evolutionary styling changes left the 1956 model with a wrap-around windshield and upright windshield pillars, which was unique for that generation. It is unclear whether this classic’s Raven Black paint is original, although its presence in some of the more inaccessible locations suggests it is. The paint shows its age, and there is plenty of surface corrosion poking through. Some readers would be tempted to prepare the panels for a fresh coat of paint, while others would argue that preservation is the correct course of action. Regardless of where your allegiances fall, you won’t need to break out the grinder and welder. There is no penetrating rust, and the seller stripped and repainted the frame as part of the build process. The bed features fresh stained oak with stainless strips that look fantastic. They added a new rear window, new window rubbers and seals across the entire vehicle, and finished the exterior with a set of vintage-look Cragar SS wheels and a 3″ ride drop to add a more aggressive appearance.
The ride height drop is merely the starting point for the mechanical story of this F100. Lifting its hood reveals a shiny 312ci Y-Block V8 backed by a five-speed T5 manual transmission and a 9″ Posi rear end. As drivetrain combinations go, they don’t come much more bulletproof than this. Provided the new owner continues appropriate maintenance, it should offer many years of trouble-free classic motoring. The seller rebuilt the Y-Block with an upgraded camshaft and four-barrel carburetor to extract additional power. They replaced the shocks on all corners and the entire braking system from the master cylinder to the wheel cylinders, lines, and hoses. All this work has been worth the effort, with the F100 running and driving perfectly. It is a turnkey proposition where the buyer could fly in and drive home.
The Ford’s interior is presentable, with a new rubber mat on the floor and an immaculate steering wheel. The dash wears matte black paint, while the door trims and seat feature custom vinyl trim in red and black vinyl. The door trims look okay, but the seat has rips and splits covered with tape. It is serviceable, but if I were to buy this Pickup, I would make some changes. If the exterior remained untouched, I would refresh the interior painted surfaces and replace the door trims and seat covers. An immaculate interior would make life on the road pleasant and provide a striking contrast to the aging exterior. Your opinion may differ from mine, and that variety makes the classic scene so engaging.
What would be your approach if you found this 1956 Ford F100 in your garage? Would a fresh coat of paint be on the agenda, or do you subscribe more to the ratrod school of thought? Either philosophy would allow it to attract attention, and readers could put forward valid reasons for their opinion. While shiny new paint would make it stunning, I admit I like the character that comes with its current weather-beaten appearance. I would probably refresh the interior and leave the rest of the vehicle untouched. Do you agree?
Nope. No character here. What I see is someone started sanding and priming and decided it was too much. Character is one thing, bodywork half done is another. These trucks with a good paint job really stand out. With the paint exception this is a neat truck.
I think it’s fine as is paint wise. Drive it and enjoy. Take it to home depot. Use it as a truck. No paint jail. I enjoy a beautiful paint job as much as anyone. I can appreciate the character and practicality of leaving the body alone as well.
There is something about the styling of these Ford F100 model trucks that gets me every time. This looks like a fun ride and glad to see it has been equipped with seatbelts.
I bought a ‘53 when I was 17 for $250. And by the time I was 20 I had a show winning chop top 390 C6 cruiser and it was so much fun! This truck would be so much fun too but I would have to paint it.
Would look good with out 3in drop, would look even better with 3 in .front lift.
Have to agree with some others…give it a nice Diamond Lustre Black paint job, like I had on my ’57 Fairlane, raise it back to stock height and redo the interior. Make it a daily driver with a show cleanup every now and then. Still undecided about that $23,000 price tag, though, even with all the other mechanicals being done.
Side view makes it look like the frame is broken in half. No thanks.
That’s not patina, that’s rust. Patina comes from age and neglect, and from paint being worn thin by weather and use. Thin paint usually happens on the more horizontal surfaces, not on the side of the door like that. I can’t figure out if the owner was trying to create patina by sanding, or just got tired. Trucks are cool and 56 Fords are hot, but the bidding has gone too high for what this truck needs IMO..
Guy ruined what was a nice original.
Many have been ruined like this one.
A Y block 312 is on the rise with buyers, as well as the good old flatheads.
SBC are cheap drop ins and have turned into a turn off.
Just saying.
My boo boo,
Does have the Y block,
I should have looked harder, so used to seeing cheap sbc engine swaps
Good truck to pick up on.
From the Dept. of Redundanct Department: “56 Ford F100 Stepside Pickup”
No kidding ? A stepside ? 🤔
I’m just glad the owner put a Ford engine in it. There’s nothing more sickening than seeing a 40’s or 50’s Ford truck or car, with those POS Chevy 350’s stuffed in them. And, the dummies sit there at car shows, with the Ford badges on their cars, with the hood open. Might as well put a sign on the thing: “I’m cheap and lazy!”
The idea of car shows, sitting on a sweltering slab of pavement, everyone has the hood up …. kill me now. This is what hell looks like. A lot of car guys need a new way of looking at what to do with their old vehicles.
Not disagreeing about your comment on car shows being sometimes long and hot, but I’m not sure about what you mean by “a new way of what to do with their old vehicles”. People put a lot of $ and effort into their vehicle and like to display them. I personally prefer the local cruise-ins where people get together and talk cars and other things, and you can leave when you want to.