1956 Ford F-100 - Contradictory

Much of life is a division of two different viewpoints: introvert vs. extrovert, liberal vs. conservative, risk-avoider vs. risk-taker, etc. To fully understand the whole, we have to experience these contradictory situations. This can also be said about the classic truck hobby. Some of us are fascinated by technology, the latest go-fast goodies: others, by the truck's unique capacity to speak to them through its aesthetics. In the classic truck hobby, it's rare to find a truck that has blended the extreme end of each into something that can appeal to many.

When it comes to old trucks there's a certain hierarchy, and the '53-56 F-100s are right up at the top. Of those four years, the '56 with its wraparound glass is king. They're so popular that there's a been-there-done-that sense about them. So many have been built that one has to really put forth the effort to come up with a build plan that hasn't been seen before.

One look at the '56 pictured on these pages and it's obvious that somebody thinks a little differently than most of us. Ron Ebert is no stranger to radical vehicles. He built several trikes back in the '70s (one with a Roman chariot body and an injected Chevy small-block). So when he decided to tackle a classic truck project, he knew he had to do something wild.

Ron found the '56 as a driver that had been treated as an amateur restoration years earlier. He paid the seller $2,500, drove it home, and immediately started removing the parts that weren't part of his plan. By the time he was done, he sold all the cast-off parts for $4,700 more than he paid for the truck. Not a bad start.

A key element to the project was visual impact. Although stuffing a de-tuned 500ci Top Fuel Dodge Hemi between the fenders would most likely do it, topping it with a 14-71 blower with an Enderle injection unit drove home the point that this wasn't going to be just another hot rod. Ron designed and built a custom priming system that allows him to start the Hemi without bottle-feeding the injection.

With an estimated 1,100 hp, Ron was going to need more than just a reworked stock frame for the foundation. Ron constructed a full tube frame that would withstand the Hemi's torque, shortening the wheelbase and moving the front and rear suspension forward in the process.

When it came time for the exterior mods, Ron wanted to make sure the huge Hemi wouldn't lose any of its impact by being dwarfed by the bulbous sheetmetal. To fully appreciate the work that went into the metalworking, you almost have to park the truck next to a stocker. Then you can see that it has been downsized to about 3/4-scale. Besides the more obvious top chop, the windshield overhang and driprails have been removed and the door corners rounded. The running boards were stripped off, and the doors and rockers were extended down to take their place. The fenders were downsized and the wheel arches moved forward. By the time he was done, every body panel had been altered in some way.

The interior plan called for a more refined approach. The original dash was retained, but the stock gauges and hump were removed and replaced with a '34 Plymouth insert restored and converted with VDO internals. All switches and knobs are out of sight thanks to a power-retracting hidden panel.

The truck was finished just in time to make the 2003 Grand National Roadster Show where it picked up the Sweepstakes and Best Engineered Car or Truck awards, and then repeated that at the Sacramento Autorama. Ron's future plans for the F-100 are undecided. The building process gives him the most enjoyment, so the truck will most likely wind up in someone else's garage to make room for the next project. If it's anything like this, we're sure it'll push the envelope of style and technology. For more detailed photos of this article, visit www.classictrucksweb.com.