Frame Off Built F100 Pickup 5.0L EFI Coyote V8 4R70W 4 Speed Auto PS A/C Leather

1956 Ford F100 Pickup Truck Description

SUMMARY

Featured in the May, 2016 edition of Classic TRUCKS Magazine
5.0 liter Ford Performance Coyote V8 / 420 horsepower
Ford 4R70W 4-speed automatic transmission / Simple Shift Control
Custom leather interior / Heated & massaging seats
Vintage Air conditioning
Boxed and powder-coated frame / Upgraded suspension
Heidts power rack-and-pinion steering / 4-wheel power disc brakes
9-inch rear axle / 3.25 gears
Modern audio system / rearview camera
PPG Seafoam Green paint

If you're like most of us gearheads, you go to countless car shows and take in hundreds of cool classics with the plan of building one head-turning custom that you can REALLY be proud of. Naturally, yours will have all the cool tricks you've seen on other builds rolled into one awesome package. And it'll feature the perfect stance, a top-notch powerplant, a stylish interior and imaginative paint that lets everyone know you've arrived. The problem is: haven't you been saying this very same thing for the past five years... ten years... has it already been twenty years?! It seems like you're a little long on planning and WAY overdue for some octane-fueled fun. At RK Motors Charlotte, we believe classics are built to be enjoyed, not planned to be enjoyed. And this magazine-featured F100 is a complete 'smart buy' that'll fulfill your dreams faster than any custom you've spent years idealizing!

BODYWORK/TRIM

When the owner of this red-hot Effie began planning a cross-country road trip in a vintage pickup, he had every intention of sourcing a nice, reliable cruiser. And he did just that by purchasing this solid, Seafoam Green Ford. But, as happens with so many of these projects, hobby turned into obsession and minor restoration turned into an opportunity to create something incredible. And eventually, with the intent of taking the truck "to a level that no one else had accomplished", he kicked off a professional, high-dollar transformation. Since beginning its career as a show queen, this squeaky clean Ford has logged only selective road time, keeping its PPG 2-stage virtually flawless. Its custom graphics, which can easily be removed, are timeless and well done. And, naturally, fit and panel alignments remain about as close to perfect as such a thing can be.

Since we're talking aesthetics, I'll go ahead and point out notable details resulting from both this Ford's original restoration and two subsequent years of fine-tuning. Up front, an original grille hangs a traditional "V8" emblem and modern tri-bar headlights above a chromed and tucked bumper. Behind that grille, a shaved, forward-tilt hood snugs at like-new glass, which incorporates a sliding window opposite small wipers and an electric cowl vent. At the sides of that hood, original front fenders lead stylish mirrors, traditional door handles, a power antenna and a nostalgic fuel filler. Below those fenders, Ford-branded running boards flow to a lighted Oak bed that's framed in stainless skid strips and a locking Gaylord tonneau. And at the back of the truck, a smoothed tailgate rides between a small, functional rearview camera, aftermarket taillights, and a second chromed and tucked bumper.

ENGINE

Prior to its aforementioned tuning, this fun loving Ford sported a '70s Lincoln motor. And while that mill certainly provided adequate power, 'adequate' just isn't up to "a level that no one else had accomplished". Tilt the trick hood and you'll find a fresh, 5.0 liter Ford Performance 'mod motor' that twists stout 11 to 1 compression into 420 horsepower and 390 lb./ft. of tire-melting torque! Officially named Coyote, and not far removed from the engine that powers the current Mustang GT, this state-of-the-art rocket features a forged crank, forged rods, hypereutectic pistons and all-aluminum, 4-valve construction. At the top of block, custom, TIG-welded stainless pipes air from remote Spectre filters to an 80mm, single-bore throttle body and tuned, composite intake manifold. At the sides of that intake, "POWERED BY FORD" cam covers bridge the gap between Ford Performance headers and a Mustang GT engine shroud. At the front of that shroud, a Ford serpentine system spins an assortment of smooth ancillaries. In front of those ancillaries, a polished Artic Chill radiator, which rides between a custom support and large SPAL puller fans, provides plenty of cooling capacity. And everything communicates thanks to $1,500 worth of Ford Performance engine control. The svelte powerplant is extremely tidy, with sculpted plastic concealing most of its factory silver casting. And the truck's "V8" branded engine bay is detailed with thoughtful accessories like a Wilwood brake booster, F.A.S.T fuel components, custom inner fenders and an array of stainless hardware.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

As you can probably tell most of the truck's latest freshening, completed by Trophy Ride Customs of Wilmington, North Carolina, involved vastly improved mechanicals. Head bottom-side and you'll find a boxed and powder-coated frame that centers fresh, Satin Black floors on a roster of top-notch components. Behind the Coyote, a Simple Shift Controller utilizes a Performance Automatic-supplied 4R70W 4-speed to twist a 9-inch axle around friendly, 3.25 gears. That proven drivetrain rolls on polished Heidts control arms, adjustable coil-over-shocks and a polished Heidts rear clip. That modern suspension is augmented with Heidts power rack-and-pinion steering. Braking is equally class, with Hydratech hydraulics controlling standard front discs and inboard rear discs. The aforementioned headers dump spent gases in to 3-inch pipes, which follow Mustang GT mufflers with polished Ford Racing tips. There's a 20-gallon fuel tank that, despite the truck's nostalgic filler, makes good use of a fender-mounted port. Detail items, like an 8-quart oil pan, a diamond plate battery box, a beefy transmission cooler and a Powermaster XS Torque starter, ensure function matches form. And power meets the pavement through painted steel wheels, which twist white walled 215/75R15 BF Goodrich Silvertown Radials around stainless trim rings and polished, "FORD" branded hubcaps.

INTERIOR

Inside the truck, a custom cockpit sits primed for either open road tripping or parking lot posing. Front and center, a smoothed and body-matched dash frames classy Auto Meter gauges in an engine-turned instrument panel. Opposite that dash, plush RV seats mix modern heaters with adjustable massagers. At the bottom of those seats, premium carpet anchors a small Lokar shifter behind a stylish Lokar accelerator pedal. At the edges of that carpet, electronically locked doors integrate perfectly placed "V8" emblems beneath chrome handles, power-operated windows and custom pulls that we're repurposed from a Mustang luggage rack. Opposite those doors, a 2-tier Escalade console stacks Vintage Air climate control under Kenwood Excelon audio. That audio projects CD, DVD, Navigation, Bluetooth and satellite radio through two JL Audio amps, an 8-inch subwoofer and numerous JL Audio speakers. And the driver stays connected to the road through a tilting Ford column that spins a sweet Billet Specialties banjo-style wheel.

AWARDS/FEATURES

Featured in the May, 2016 edition of Classic TRUCKS Magazine

Whether it's simple nostalgia or their long list of extremely useful design virtues, one thing is certain: trucks NEVER go out of style. And it's becoming increasingly rare to see one of these '50s show stoppers sit in our RK Motors Charlotte showroom for very long. If you're in the market for something that's every bit as fun as it is cool, this awesome Ford is exactly what you've been looking for!