I just picked up a '56 short bed project from my father-in-law. He acquired it recently and then realized he neither had the time or money for a second project. The truck sat in a field since '85 but we were able to get it running pretty quickly with a new battery and a little sand paper on the points.
It has the original straight 6 still, it needs a new water pump but I a leaning towards a small block. It looks like it has a Dana rear, is that a decent rear end or should I start looking for a 9"?
It says 'Bultaco is alive and well' Go figure... theres another one on the headliner that says 'Green Power' right next to a roach clip.
If they'll balance out I plan on running the rims that came on the truck. They appear to be old reversed rims. http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=730115
man--that thing is awesome.. I love the color... I'm assuming you are going to try and retain the appearance as gifted by "nature"--I'd say that's a good idea.. Great looking project!
BOWTIE is liking it too. i would drive it a while before changing anything. kool truck & keep it posted .
There's nothing wrong with that Dana rearend except the difficulty of changing gears. It's probably a 3.92. Get the truck going and drive it awhile. Evaluate the gear then-if you can't stand the level of "buzz" (engine R.P.M. at cruise) think about finding a 9" with a more favorable gear. However, if you eventually decide in favor of more motor, consider a 5 speed with O.D 5th at the same time. If you do that the gear that's in it will be fine.
wow if that was "sitting in a field" in these parts it would be a rusty crusty turd! I will never buy another car from around here. My 2 owner F100 came from California and you can use a 3/8 ratchet to get bolts off it!
I concurr. If that was here, the only green you would see around that pickup would be the green grass through the floorboards. Nice pickup!
a 9" from a 57-72 ford truck will bolt right in your 56. keep the stock engine if it runs good,great looking score!
surprisingly the floor boards are in really good shape, but the doors have a lot of rust. I started tearing out the bed the other day as the wood was falling out and the metal runners were completely rusted out.
I may keep the 6 and granny 4 speed for now, but I am going to at the very least throw on a drop axle and flip the rear end over the leafs.
You might want to consider changing the rear end, the '56 is an orphan rear end, it was only used in 1956 so parts are difficult to find.
Look for the correct 57 axle it will give about a 1 1/2'' drop and add reversed eye main spring for a little more. For the rear move the front spring hangers up for about 1 1/2'' drop, extended sprring hangers in rear for another inch. If you put reveresed eyes on the rear flip the front hanger. Mid fifty has some simple tech on this. This will keep the axle in factory location and avoid bottoming out on the frame. I have a 56 where all this has been completed. Not on road yet, but I'm staying simple with it. Have fun.
nice score dude. just drop her in the weeds and drive it. if it were me i would go to a 302 or 351 or something with a 4 or 5 speed just for the fun factor but either way its badass
I would keep it blue oval for sure, say no to bow ties in fords ... on the other hand if you found a caddy 472 or a nail head buick ... that would have kool power going for it Im tired of seeing 350/350 combos in stuff cuz its cheap and for the reaer end here is somthing to chew on a while... http://www.team321.com/truckirs/TEAM321TruckIRSInstall.html
Hey Willy, if you know where mid fifty has that tech on their website Id appreciate it. I found their forum but couldn't locate their rear end tech article.
That's a fine looking truck. Congratulations to you! From the pictures, I'm thinking that's a newer engine than a 56 223. My 223 dipstick is on the passenger side and I notice the valve cover has the bolts on the edge of the cover as opposed to having two bolts through the top. I recall hearing the later engines had the covers and heads that way.
There is a tech section on their site, plus some of it is in the catalog. Check Ford Truck Enthusasits site also. There is a lot of tech there also.
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