Dreams. For most automotive enthusiasts the desire to warm the garage floor with a certain set of sheet metal curves is what motivates and inspires. While most people dream of trips to Europe and zip-lining in Hawaii, gearheads use the bulk of their head space to craft the ultimate low-slung, rumbling and tire-smoking stunner that will erase all of their stress the minute the key hits the ignition.
For Bob Reinfried the classic lines of the ‘56 Ford F-100 have danced in his noggin for more than five decades. Make no mistake, Bob did not spend the bulk of his life without a hot rod. In 1951, he joined the NHRA and enjoyed the early years of tire-smoking glory when scantily clad women ran the starting lines and guys went down the quarter-mile with a ring-and-pinion grenade under their manhood and a supercharged bomb in front of their open-face helmet. Bob’s early addiction to speed, horsepower and hot-rodding culture led to the ownership of several hot rods. He also operated his own body shop where he got to transform his hobby into his craft. A string of rumbling transportation followed, including three ’32 Fords, two ’50 Mercs, two ’55 T-Birds and a ’56 Chevy.
In 2010, Bob decided it was finally time to create the ’56 Ford pickup he had been dreaming about all these years. A solid small window ’56 located at Stellar Autoplex, the build was put in full throttle mode and completed within one year.
To kick things off the truck was delivered to Bobco Auto in Lake Elsinore, California. The stock frame was fit with a Gibbons front X-member, Volare torsion bar front suspension, a 3.92:1-geared 9-inch, disc brakes and a custom fuel cell under the bed. Finished off in black powder coating, the 57-year-old Ford bones rest on 17 x 8-inch American Eagle chrome five-spoke alloys mounted on P215/60R17 front and P225/60R17 rear Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires.
For power, Bob bleeds Blue so it was Ford all the way with a 1996 Ford Cobra four-cam 4.6L, 32-valve V-8 to roast the tires reliably. Randy Ritchey at Performance Associates in Ontario, California, assembled the mill and it roars through a custom exhaust backed by a Magnaflow Muffler installed by Mesa Muffler in Costa Mesa, California. The engine polished goodies for show stature and pulls nicely through the power band with a Ford AOD-E transmission built by California Performance Transmissions in Huntington Beach. A 2200-2400 stall speed converter gets the power to the ground and brings out the true grunt of the raspy 4.6.
For the sheet metal landscape good old Henry Ford knew what he was doing because there’s little that needs to be done to a stock ’56 to turn heads. Bob agreed and kept alterations to a minimum with fresh chrome and stainless bolted up against the deep and rich PPG Hugger Orange paint applied by Specialty Bodyworks in Costa Mesa, California. No Limit Automotive Lifestyles worked on getting the truck arrow straight before the color was blasted on. Finishing touches include one-piece side glass, bat eye blue dot taillights, chrome Ford step plates on the running boards and a Golden Oak stained wood bed floor with fresh polished strips. Even the tilt hood mechanism was chromed for an extra dose of detail in the doghouse.
Between the doors Bob wanted a simple and clean custom interior that would provide comfort for long distance cruising. A blend of tan leather with ostrich inserts in the doors provides the class, while Dakota Digital instruments, a LeCarra steering wheel and a tilt column provide the function. Chrome and billet accents throughout only add to the cruising experience. Bob and Brenda sink into the six-way power bucket seats and enjoy miles of asphalt with a Select Audio head unit, 10-disc CD changer, and two 6-inch midrange speakers backed by a 105- watt amplifier. A Vintage Air climate control system keeps cockpit temps in check for those hot summer adventures.
Since the truck’s completion in, the Reinfrieds have been showing it off frequently, picking up six Best of Show awards, nine first-place trophies and five more for Best Modified Truck and People’s Choice honors. Bob says his “greatest pleasure is driving the Orange Hugger on sunny days to car shows to share it with show visitors.” We couldn’t agree more, Bob, that the fun is behind the wheel.
Bob would like to thank Ed (father) and Jeff (son) Van Klaveren, Randy Ritchey and Blake Smith for all of their dedication and help on the project, and his wife Brenda for her support and encouragement in realizing this sheet metal dream. Also a special thanks to Bobco Auto, Randy Ritchey of Performance Associates, the crew at Mesa Muffler, Art Carr from California Performance Transmission, No Limit Automotive Lifestyles, Specialty Bodyworks, D&S Custom Plating in Garden Grove, California, and South Bay Chrome in Santa Ana, California. With the garage finally filled with Bob’s 50-year dream we wonder what other classic metal curves he won’t be able to resist. ST
BOB & BRENDA REINFRIED
1956 FORD F-100
TUSTIN, CA
ENGINE
SUSPENSION
WHEELS & TIRES
BODY
INTERIOR
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