Pro-Tourish 1956 Ford Shop Truck (Fat Max)

[Dr G]

Hello,

I've been reading here for a while now and thought I might make an intro.

I've got a 1956 Ford F100 pickup that has undergone what might be called a Pro Touring type build. Most of the heavy lifting was done by a second party, and now I'm continuing on.

Here is a picture, then a basic description, and some more pics:



Reinforced frame with truck arms and custom front IFS w/ cross-over bar
Front axles moved forward 4 inches with reworked fender openings
Fronts shocks = 20”Bilstein ASN – custom digressive valving
Rear shocks = Bilstein
Springs = 300lbs/in front, 200lbs/in rear
Speedway Engineering tubular front anti-roll bar (1.25” OD)
Brakes = Wilwood, 14” rotors up front w/ 6 piston SLR6 calipers, Wilwood under-hung pedal cluster with two Tilton master cylinders and balance bar
Engine = Ford Racing S347JR (350hp, 400ftlbs)
Transmission = reworked C4
Rear End = Ford 12” with Speedway Engineering lightweight housing and Truetrac limited slip
Rear fenders widened by 1.5 inches
Wheels = Wheelsmith Aluminum Smoothies. 17”x8” front (20.5lbs), and 17”x9.5” rear (21.5lbs)
Tires = Diamond Back Whitewalls = 255/60-17 front and 275/60-17 rear
Steering = Flaming River quick ratio power rack with KRC PS pump and remote reservoir







I really like the shop truck look, but wanted something lightweight that would handle and get out of it's own way so to speak. The wheels and tires were a big concession to ultimate handling (though the wheels are quite light). I was very tempted to go with modern forged 5 spoke wheels and lower profile tires, but decided to stick with a more authentic shop truck look for now.

The interior is currently a bench seat, but I've got some modified Kirkey vintage buckets being upholstered with Eric Thorsen in Agoura Hills. For the interior I plan to follow a WWII aircraft theme. I got the gauges and bezels from Moal which are pretty cool, and the seats will be mounted on an aluminum frame skinned in riveted aluminum panels. We'll see as time goes on.

The engine was mounted such that the #1 cylinder is behind the front axle centerline, and the C4 was chosen for light weight. Down the road a Coyote with 6-speed automatic would be cool, maybe even turbocharged with Motec controller or similar (I did such a project, sans turbo, on a 1988 E30 M3 I used to own).

When I bought the truck it had a 460 from a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis with iron heads and intake. The truck weighed 3600+ pounds when I had it weighed for registration. When I got it back from the builder it weighed 2960 lbs per his scales, though without a bed floor or rear bumper. I've since added a bed floor and frame (so it can be removed, and because I had to raise the floor to clear the center section of the rear axle under full bump). That added about 120 lbs. I also installed larger Magnaflow mufflers and an exhaust that exits out the back. So that added some weight too. Maybe I'm at 3200 lbs now, but better balanced.

The truck needs to be rewired badly, and I'm designing a new harness which I plan to build. The body also needs to be aligned and straightened out a bit, though I have no plans at this point to make it anywhere near perfect.

I had a lot of trouble trying to tune the carb when I first got it. I finally gave up and brought it to Bob Jenkins dyno in North Hills (San Fernando Valley). He recurved the distributor and did God knows what to the carb, but it runs perfectly now, the guy's a magician in my book.

The racing alternator that was installed did not seem to be able to keep the battery charged against the load of the cooling fan in hot weather. So I'm fabricating some brackets to install a Power Master 279261 which should be better.

I have a roll pan for the rear, and would like to get some "stock looking" bumpers made that weigh less than the current boat anchors.

I'll update progess as things move along...

Gustave

P.S. Almost forgot. I call the truck Fat Max. This is because it is "fat fendered" and was inspired by Max, a 10 lb Chihuahua who lives next door (aka Fat-Max):



That is Max with his sister Mia. He's half the height of my dog, Rico, but weighs the same. We call him our earthquake survival kit!

Gustave