Ed’s 1956 Ford F100 Black Beauty Build
Written and Submitted by Ed Krebs
The truck was purchased in March of 2007. The truck barely made it home after a one block voyage. My wife talked me into getting this truck because she loved the old classic style of the trucks and her father had one. The truck was pretty much a frame up project (didn’t have a choice). This is some of things I’ve done thus far.
- Engine: 289 Ford
- Edelbrock intake and carb
- Mallory distributor with Pertronix ignition.
- Milling cam/ Jackson gear drive
- Sanderson headers
- Motorsport oil pan, billet valve covers.
- Transmission:
- C4 Ford transmission. 2800 stall converter, Transgo shift kit. B&M quick silver shifter.
- Brakes:
- All new brake lines were run. Corvette dual disc master cylinder.
- Front: CPP disc conversion.
- Rear: 9 inch disc brake conversion.
- Rear end:
- 9 inch Ford w 3.50 gearing.
- Suspension:
- I kept the original straight axle front end but replaced it with a MoDrop 3 inch drop axle. Reverse eye leaf springs and a steering stablizer shock.
- The rear has the hangers raised and a few leaf removed to drop the stance.
- Interior:
- Originally, the truck had Porsche seats in it. The wiring was pretty much on the floor with what you could call carpet.
- I left the interior more towards stock. It has the original bench seat, power windows, a BMW steering column, Stewart Warner gauges, Sony CD player and original black carpeting with the heel and toe pads. The headliner is a Roddoors ABS headliner which was covered with black suede.
- Body:
- All emblems were shaved for a cleaner look. Rear fenders were stretched 1.5 inches to accomodate a wider tire for the rear. Both front and rear bumpers were replaced and tucked in to the body. Bed has new wood which was coated and stained with stainless strips. The gas tank was moved from the interior and a CPP 19 Gallon aluminum tank located under the bed in the rear.
- Wheels/tires:
- Fronts: Boyd Coddington 17X7 Smoothie II’s with 225/50/17 Kumho tires.
- Rears: Boyd Coddington 17X10 Smoothie II’s with 255/55/17 Kumho tires.
Karma:
The best way I found to doing a project is take your time. Start at one area, for example, the frame and suspension, then move to the engine and engine compartment, interior, etc.
Buy yourself quality tools, it makes the job so much easier.
Search the web and find websites were others chat and provide help to questions you don’t know.
Save your money. Its not cheap! I sold old parts that I took off and bought new ones with the cash I got from the old parts.
Get plenty of bandaids, cold beverages and your favorite tunes. After all that! Go for it and have fun. The payoff is when you roll it out of the garage and go for that first cruise.
Thanks Ed for sharing your build!
Tim
Written and Submitted by Ed Krebs
The truck was purchased in March of 2007. The truck barely made it home after a one block voyage. My wife talked me into getting this truck because she loved the old classic style of the trucks and her father had one. The truck was pretty much a frame up project (didn’t have a choice). This is some of things I’ve done thus far.
- Engine: 289 Ford
- Edelbrock intake and carb
- Mallory distributor with Pertronix ignition.
- Milling cam/ Jackson gear drive
- Sanderson headers
- Motorsport oil pan, billet valve covers.
- Transmission:
- C4 Ford transmission. 2800 stall converter, Transgo shift kit. B&M quick silver shifter.
- Brakes:
- All new brake lines were run. Corvette dual disc master cylinder.
- Front: CPP disc conversion.
- Rear: 9 inch disc brake conversion.
- Rear end:
- 9 inch Ford w 3.50 gearing.
- Suspension:
- I kept the original straight axle front end but replaced it with a MoDrop 3 inch drop axle. Reverse eye leaf springs and a steering stablizer shock.
- The rear has the hangers raised and a few leaf removed to drop the stance.
- Interior:
- Originally, the truck had Porsche seats in it. The wiring was pretty much on the floor with what you could call carpet.
- I left the interior more towards stock. It has the original bench seat, power windows, a BMW steering column, Stewart Warner gauges, Sony CD player and original black carpeting with the heel and toe pads. The headliner is a Roddoors ABS headliner which was covered with black suede.
- Body:
- All emblems were shaved for a cleaner look. Rear fenders were stretched 1.5 inches to accomodate a wider tire for the rear. Both front and rear bumpers were replaced and tucked in to the body. Bed has new wood which was coated and stained with stainless strips. The gas tank was moved from the interior and a CPP 19 Gallon aluminum tank located under the bed in the rear.
- Wheels/tires:
- Fronts: Boyd Coddington 17X7 Smoothie II’s with 225/50/17 Kumho tires.
- Rears: Boyd Coddington 17X10 Smoothie II’s with 255/55/17 Kumho tires.
Karma:
The best way I found to doing a project is take your time. Start at one area, for example, the frame and suspension, then move to the engine and engine compartment, interior, etc.
Buy yourself quality tools, it makes the job so much easier.
Search the web and find websites were others chat and provide help to questions you don’t know.
Save your money. Its not cheap! I sold old parts that I took off and bought new ones with the cash I got from the old parts.
Get plenty of bandaids, cold beverages and your favorite tunes. After all that! Go for it and have fun. The payoff is when you roll it out of the garage and go for that first cruise.
Thanks Ed for sharing your build!
Tim


(21 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5)







6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Tom Murphy
Nice truck Ed! I like the before and after. Great job on your project. It’s good to see guys out there doing their own work on their projects.
Feb 1st, 2008
mauricio
That truck is beautiful! Gave me some good ideas for my project.
Feb 4th, 2008
cruzzer
Great job! Hard work paid off. Nice truck!
Feb 6th, 2008
oldtymer
I’ve always loved the look of these truck. And you’ve done a nice job with this one.
Feb 8th, 2008
Barbara Z
My husband had a 53 F100. Not as nice as yours, but it was fun. Luv your truck.
Feb 12th, 2008
richard tledo
I have the same truck with many of the same mods however, I have the mustang II front end. I am looking to put headers on the 289. I have the c-4 trans. do you have a part number for the sanderson header. did they clear everything and what was their cost.
Mar 2nd, 2008
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