This F-100 Came to Light Even After Disaster

Truck builds don’t always go according to plan, and this classic Ford is a good example of that. The journey started when David Crocker was a kid and his father had a ’56 F-100. Like most of us, David has fond memories of riding around in his dad’s truck. His dad was also the person the family turned to when they needed something fixed. This was especially true with cars, and David remembers numerous weekends spent getting his hand dirty helping to change brakes and clutches and tuning-up older cars.

David was hooked when he was young, and now that he’s an adult with the means to work on his own rides, there was nothing he wanted more than to fix up an old ’56 like the one his dad had. As luck would have it a family friend had one in drivable condition, and David had his eye on it for quite some time.

He even told his dad that if it were ever for sale, he would snatch it up. After a year of waiting, word got out that the owner wanted to get rid of it, so David scooped it up.

The F-100 was in decent shape, but it was nothing spectacular. It ended up sitting for five years at his dad’s house, until David decided to take it home. While searching for a good shop, David came across a local place that put out some great vehicles and seemed reputable; so, he dropped the truck off and many of the pieces were sent out to different specialist vendors.

Everything was moving along until one day when David stopped by to check out the progress. He discovered an eviction notice pinned to the door and no one was around. The F-100’s frame was there, but everything else was gone. When his mother heard about this, she raised her arms and said, “It’s the Crocker Curse,” something she always utters with foreboding when something goes wrong in for the family.

Fortunately David was able to track down all of the truck pieces he’d sent out to various other shops and get them back together. He decided to cut his losses and move forward with the build. He connected with Jim Bassett of Bones Fab in Camarillo, California and brought the truck in so that Jim and his talented team could put it all together. Jim and David discussed a few ideas and a plan was formed to finish the F-100.

Starting with the foundation, the frame was cleaned up, reinforced and powder coated. A Total Cost Involved Mustang II system updates the front suspension. In the back, a custom wishbone 3-link suspension keeps the rearend in place. Providing a smooth ride and the ability to adjust the height come courtesy of the Ride Tech airbags with Bilstein shocks. Wrapping up the suspension is a set of 12-inch Wilwood brakes with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston versions in the rear. A Hydratech hydraulic braking assist system and Classic Performance Products master cylinder to control them were also installed.

“THOUGH THE TRUCK WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE MILD WITH A DECENT TURNAROUND TIME, DAVID WAS ABLE TO SEE THE BUILD THROUGH DESPITE SETBACKSAND CREATE SOMETHING EVEN BETTER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED.”

David wanted something a little more modern to power this truck, so he went with a Windsor 351 that was punched out to 392 ci. Aspiration comes from a Borla TWM fuel-injected throttle body with billet machined air horns for optimum airflow. This system not only gives the appearance of eight-stacked injection, but it provides efficiency and drivability. Exhausted gases then flow through a custom set of ceramiccoated headers to an exhaust that merges and uses a single Flowmaster muffler. Behind the Windsor engine is an automatic overdrive transmission with 2,500-stall torque converter. Rotational force goes to the custom steel driveshaft and on to the Currie 9-inch Ford rearend equipped with 4:10:1 ring-and-pinion gears.

The body of this super clean F-100 was sandblasted clean to provide a good place to start the bodywork. For the front and rear, the bumpers were removed while roll pans were installed. The doors received one-piece glass, and the bed got widened fiberglass fenders. From there, all of the imperfections and distracting objects were removed, and the panels were worked straight with body filler. Then the truck was coated in a custom mix of root beer/copper paint with ghosted flames up front. Completing the look is a set of 20- and 22-inch Bonspeed Quasar billet wheels with satin black powder coated finish.

For the interior, Conejo Upholstery stepped it up with a set of Glide Engineering bucket seats and a custom center console. The headliner and door panels were handmade and covered in leather upholstery. A column from Flaming River with a Con2r custom wheel steers the truck. The vitals of the engine are now monitored with a Dakota Digital VHX gauge system. A Vintage Air system keeps the climate cool on hot summer days. Providing a solid sound track for the road ahead, Phantom Electronics wired up a Pioneer DVD head unit to the new speakers in custom kick panels and Addictive Audio subwoofers behind the seats. One of the most notable features on the inside of the cab is a sparrow painted on the smoothed dash that replicates a tattoo David’s father got in 1951 in honor of his wife Virginia.

Though the truck was only supposed to be mild with a decent turnaround time, David was able to see the build through despite setbacks and create something even better than originally planned. David told us that the greatest part of the process was when his dad stopped by the house to see the completed project. The two of them now share the truck and many more fond memories are being made along the way. ST

---

TRUCK SPECS

OWNERS

David and Robert Crocker
1956 Ford F-100
Newbury Park, CA

ENGINE

• Shops: Bones Fab
• 351 Windsor bored and stroked to 392 ci
• Scat crankshaft and connecting rods
• JE pistons
• Comp Cams camshaft, push rods and rockers
• Edelbrock performer RPM aluminum heads
• ARP hardware
• Billet Fabrication valve covers
• Borla TWM eight-stacked electronic fuel injection with billet air horns
• A.S.T. Ignition
• MSD Pro Billet distributor
• Power Master 140-amp alternator
• Vintage Air Front Runner drive system
• Custom headers and exhaust with ceramic coating
• Flowmaster muffler
• Griffin radiator with SPAL electric fans
• Rick’s stainless steel EFI fuel tank
• Ford automatic overdrive four-speed transmission by CRC transmission
• 2,500-stall Continental torque convertor
• Custom steel driveshaft
• Currie Ford 9-inch rearend
• Eaton Trutrac
• 4:10:1 ring-and-pinion gear

SUSPENSION

• Shop: Bones Fab
• Frame reinforced and powder coated
• Total Cost Involved Mustang II front suspension
• Custom wishbone 3-link rear suspension
• Ride Tech airbags
• Bilstein shocks
• Hydratech hydraulic braking assist system
• Classic Performance Products
• Willwood 12-inch brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers

WHEELS & TIRES

• 20×7 and 22×8-inch Bonspeed Quasar billet wheels with satin black powder-coated finish
• 245/40R20 and 285/35R22 Nitto NT555 tires

BODY & PAINT

• Shop: Bones Fab
• Front and rear roll pans
• One-piece power side windows
• Widened rear fiberglass fenders
• Shaved cowl, firewall, fuel filler and emblems
• Billet LED taillights
• Custom-mixed root beer/copper PPG paint with ghost flames
• Stained oak bed floor

INTERIOR

• Shop: Conejo Upholstery/Phantom Electronics
• Flaming River steering column
• Con2r steering wheel
• Glide Engineering bucket seats
• Custom center console, door panels and headliner
• Leather upholstery
• Clayton Machine Works door handles
• Dakota Digital VHX gauge system
• Vintage Air system
• Custom-painted sparrow on smoothed dash
• Pioneer DVD head unit
• Speakers in custom kick panels
• Addictive Audio Subwoofer
• Scosche wiring and Accumat sound deadener
• Optima Blue-top battery

---