1956 Ford F-100 Big Window Custom Pickup

[msclassiccars]

1956 Ford F-100 Big Window Custom Pickup

Selling on a Bring a Trailer online auction. View the auction here: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1956-ford-f-100-149


**THIS VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY SELLING ON A BRING-A-TRAILER ONLINE AUCTION. THE AUCTION ENDS ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 3RD @ 12:31PM EST. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING PLEASE REGISTER TO BID DIRECTLY WITH BRING-A-TRAILER. IT'S A QUICK AND SIMPLE PROCESS. PLEASE CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS.**

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1956-ford-f-100-149

Known as, “The Black Beauty” – this 1956 Ford F-100 Big Window Custom Pickup is rolling art work with its gorgeous design, color combination and features. The 1956 Ford F-100 is special due to its unique, integrated design with a new wrap-around windshield and a distinct grille, making it the most collectable truck of the 1953-1956 second-generation F-Series line. Only 6,200 F-100 Big Window Pickups were built in 1956 making it rare and highly sought-after. As the VIN number indicates this example was originally built as an F-100 Conventional in Richmond, Virginia. This example was purchased in 2008 by its last caretaker Gerald “Gerry” Stark who lives in Santa Ana, California. Like many people, Gerry has a soft spot for the 1956 Ford F-100 and had a plan of building one of the best examples on planet earth. His vision was to create a much improved version of the original without comprising too much of the factory design. The meticulous frame off restoration was started in 2008 and Gerry had no time limit because he understood the complexity of a high quality restoration. As the general contractor of the build he selected the right people for the job. Gerry also worked on the restoration personally which gave him a great sense of pride in ownership. Gerry's vision came to life seventeen years later in 2025 resulting in a high show quality classic pickup. Gerry developed some health problems and decided to sell the vehicle upon completion. Gerry contacted Marc Schiliro the owner of MS CLASSIC CARS about purchasing the pickup and he jumped on the opportunity. MS CLASSIC CARS purchased it in May of 2025 with 328 miles on the odometer. MS CLASSIC CARS improved on the vehicle in service and detail. September of 2025 is the first and only time it's been offered for sale.

The exterior of this pickup is absolutely striking with its gorgeous design, color combination and features. It didn't earn the nick name “The Black Beauty” for nothing. During the restoration process it was sent to specialist Mark Mahood of Mahood's Hot Rods and Custom Auto Body Center in December of 2008. The original sheet metal was completely stripped. During this process some body modifications were make such as filling in the cowl, rounding the door edges, fabricating a piece for under the sides of the cab to fill in the gap, fill in all holes from gas cap, vents and emblems. Some modifications were also made to the bed such as filling in the stake pockets and fabricating longer wheel tubs. Countless hours were invested making the body laser straight with excellent gap lines throughout. The hood and doors operate extremely nice. The body was refinished in PPG Black paint which dresses the body perfectly. The high quality paint work is ocean deep and was recently detailed by the team at MS CLASSIC CARS. As the invoice from 2008 documents the body work and paint work alone with 35,000.00. In today's market a job of this caliper would easily be 50,000.00. It's one of the best black paint jobs ever offered on a vehicle from the MS CLASSIC CARS Collection. Upon completion of the body and paint all new tinted glass from Kotto Auto Glass was installed throughout. The glass edges were sanded and polished for a high end appearance. Everything on the exterior was restored or replaced new such as the stainless wiper arms, dual Champion chrome mirrors, chrome front grille, chrome headlight bezels, chrome door handles and chrome tail light bezels. The front grille restoration alone was 1,100.00! The stainless steel front bumper and rear bumper are polished on both sides. The rear bumper was fabricated to accommodate a license plate. It's equipped with new LED headlights with daytime running lights that were added by the team at MS CLASSIC CARS. It rolls on Budnik “Hammer” 5-spoke polished wheels that are 18x10 on the front and 20x10 on the rear. The wheels are wrapped with General G-Max tires that are 225-45-18 on the front and 305-35-20 on the rear. The wheels and tires were added in April of 2025. The bed of the truck was also stripped and refinished in PPG Black paint. The longer wheel tubs were fabricated to appear like the rear fenders. It was decorated with stainless steel fasteners, hinges and latch assemblies. Rather than the traditional wood floor panels, it was outfitted with ¾ by 6” billet aluminum bed floor panels which cost a fortunate. A custom cover was made to accommodate the rear end. All of the exterior bolts for fenders, bumpers, running boards and bed are stainless steel.

The interior of this pickup complements the exterior very nicely with its unique colors and features. During the restoration process the entire cabin was stripped and covered with Dynamat Sound Deadening. The dash was fabricated with a custom gauge bezel, smoothed and painted black. It was upholstered by Bills Custom Interior and Upholstery. The one-piece headliner, sun visors, panel under dash, kicker panels, door panels, rear panel, center console and bench seat was trimmed with two-tone Sage soft leather which looks beautiful. Some of the interior custom features include a chrome rear view mirror, Speedhut gauges with V8 logo, billet vents and knobs, Vintage Air Conditioning, Flaming River polished steering column and levers, Billet Specialties Street Lite 14” steering wheel, chrome emergency handle, billet door handles, seat belts and German weave carpeting with molded floor mats. The custom water fall center console is home to the fuse panel, Accuair controller and Specialty power windows. The sound system consists of a Kenwood stereo, 2- JL Audio amplifiers, 2- 6” Focal door speakers with tweeters and 2 – JL Audio rear 13.5” subwoofers. The steering wheel and gauges were added by the team at MS CLASSIC CARS.

The engine compartment is highly detailed throughout with all new parts. It was outfitted a tilt forward hood kit which slides chrome rods. The backside of the hood, smoothed firewall, inner fenders and radiator support was finished in black. It's powered by a fuel-injected 302 V8 crate engine with GT40 aluminum heads. The red engine block was dressed with a Ford Motorsport polished intake, polished water pump, Cook Enterprises machined billet valve covers with 3 black rails, March Performance Style Track billet air cleaner and custom pulleys. The one-of-a-kind valve covers alone were 2,000.00. The Holley Sniper 2 fuel management system and air cleaner was added by the team at MS CLASSIC CARS. Some other upgrades include MSD spark plus wires, Powermaster polished alternator, Specialty wiper motor kit, chrome power steering pump, braided and stainless lines. The engine is cooled by a custom Mattson's aluminum radiator with a dual SPAL electric fans, chrome top hose and billet overfill canister. The engine breathes through ceramic long tube headers and custom dual exhaust system. A section of the exhaust system was wrapped with heat tape. The engine is coupled to a Race Trans C4 automatic transmission with B&M 2500 stall converter. The power is transferred to the Currie Enterprises 9” narrowed rear end with 28 spline axles, 3.25 gears and Chevrolet 5-lug bolt pattern. The rear end was painted high gloss black.

The undercarriage is also highly detailed throughout with many new parts. The underside of the cab was painted black. The frame was stripped, prepped, primed and painted black. It's equipped with a 17-gallon stainless fuel tank with new lines. The suspension system consists of a Ford LTD front suspension, 4-link rear suspension, Strange shocks, custom brackets and full Accuair air ride which is fully adjustable. The air ride was completed by Ponch. The braking system consists of a power four wheel 13” Baer disc brakes with 6-piston calipers and slotted rotors. It's also equipped with a new Optima yellow top battery with a NOCO charging system while the vehicle is being stored.