1956 Ford F100 - Never Good Enuff

Before working on an interior scheme, Hoot and Wayne went ahead and filled the glovebox, ashtray, and fresh air vent. The dash was nice and smooth, but neither Gibson man could stitch a lick. Teaming up with Armando's Custom Upholstery, in San Jacinto, California, Hoot described what he wanted and put his faith in the talented fabricators. A few months later, Hoot was impressed to see light cream leather-covered '96 Cadillac power seats, tan Mercedes square weave carpet, cream leather headliner with CD player, and beautifully-crafted tan leather door and kick panels. A Billet Specialties steering wheel capped off the now-famous ididit tilt column. Vintage Air A/C keeps the cab cool, and Autometer gauges provide the engine's vitals. Speaking of engines, Hoot's Ford doesn't disappoint.

Finding a Ford in a Ford can oftentimes be a difficult task, but when this F-100 has its hood tilted forward, the Blue Oval faithful may just shed a tear. Buying a Ford Racing 351W block, Hoot went ahead and had it bored .030 over and stroked to 392 powerful Ford cubes. In went a Ford Racing Z303 Camzilla camshaft, roller rockers, and high-volume oil pump. Ported and polished aluminum Ford Racing heads were bolted on and fitted with immaculate fuel injection by Imagine Injection. Fitted with chromed S&S headers, a Ron Davis aluminum radiator complete with electric fan, and a Billet Specialties belt drive, Hoot's engine bay is stunning. Capping off the small-block Ford is a one-off air cleaner built by J&J Machine and designed after the lightning bolt and gear badge that came on this era Ford trucks. Backing up to the engine is a polished Ford AOD transmission built by Tony, at Hughes Performance. A Lokar shifter makes gear selection a breeze and an aluminum driveshaft was built by Inland Driveline to join the tranny and the Kugel/Winters quick change rearend. As Hoot told us, "everything that can be polished or chromed, has been." That includes several hundred custom-made washers with a beveled edge to give each bolt a finished look. It's this attention to detail that separates this old Ford from the run of-the-mill F-100.

Calling the decade-long project complete, Hoot and Wayne had built a consistent Best of Show winner. Telling us that his wife Bev would occasionally ask how much more the truck was going to cost, Hoot smiles and says he told her "Just another thousand honey." By the looks of this amazing truck, he told her that many, many times. Can you really put a price tag on one man's dream? Take a look at this final product and then answer that.

Thanking his family, especially Wayne and his son Larry for all of their help on the build, Hoot was quick to pull up a chair, grab a handful of peanut M&Ms and tell us about the story of an old man and his truck. "It all started about 1952..."