Short Story
Quick Specs
Short Story
Chip Foose’s personal 1956 Ford F-100 is more than a truck, it’s a member of the family. Originally his father Sam’s shop truck, Chip bought the vehicle at the age of 13. He spent the next 3 years rebuilding and restyling the pickup, settling on a root beer brown paint color. It became his daily driver throughout high school and his early college years.
Quick Specs
Owner & Vehicle
- Chip Foose
- 1956 Ford F-100
Engine
- Make: Roush Aluminum Sideoiler
- Displacement: 451 cubic inches
Build Specifications
Owner: Chip Foose
Vehicle: 1956 Ford F-100
Chassis
- Frame / Manufacturer: Stock Ford / Modified
- Wheelbase: 116″
- Rearend / Ratio: Ford 9″ by DiffWorks / 3.73:1
- Rear Suspension: Ford 4 Link
- Rear Brakes: Baer Extreme Plus, 6 Piston Caliper w/ 14″ Cross Drilled Rotors
- Rear Shocks: Coilover
- Front Suspension: Corvette C5 Subframe
- Front Brakes: Baer Extreme Plus, 6 Piston Caliper, 14″ Cross Drilled Rotors
- Front Shocks: Corvette Coilover
- Master Cylinder: Corvette C6
- Steering: Custom, Corvette Rack and Pinion
- Front Wheel Make, Size: Foose Custom, 19″ x 10″
- Rear Wheel Make, Size: Foose Custom, 20″ x 10″
- Front Tire Make, Size: Pirelli, 255/40/ZR19
- Rear Tire Make, Size: Pirelli, 285/30/ZR20
- Gas Tank: Custom Aluminum
Engine
- Make: Roush Aluminum Sideoiler
- Displacement: 451 ci
Transmission
- Make: Ford C6 Custom by Bowler
- Shifter: Stock Ford
Body
- Body Style / Material: 1956 Ford F-100, Modified / Steel
- Body Manufacturer: Ford
- Body Mods: 2″ cut on cowl, roof tilted forward, pie-cut hood, front fenders moved forward, running boards raised, rear fenders widened
- Hood: Pie-cut modification
- Grille: Stock
- Bodywork: Sam Foose, Charlie Hutton, Dennis Graff, Dave Wiley, Andrew Peterson
- Paint type / Color: BASF Single Stage / Black
- Painter: Charlie Hutton
- Headlights / Taillights: Stock Bezel with Halogen Bulb / Custom LED
- Bumpers: Stock, smoothed and modified
- Other Body Items: One-off custom stamped tailgate, front axles moved forward, bed posts resculpted
Interior
- Dashboard: Stock, customized, ashtray & radio holes filled
- Insert / Gauges: Stock, customized by Redline
- Air Conditioning: Vintage Air
- Wiring: Painless Wiring Kit supplied by Summit Racing
- Steering wheel: ’40 Ford
- Steering column: ididit
- Seats: Stock, customized
- Upholsterer: Bill Dunn
- Material / Color: Leather / Keystone Bros. Black & Charcoal with Orange Accent
- Carpet: Black Aircraft
Chip Foose’s personal 1956 Ford F-100 is more than a truck, it’s a member of the family. Originally his father Sam’s shop truck, Chip bought the vehicle at the age of 13. He spent the next 3 years rebuilding and restyling the pickup, settling on a root beer brown paint color. It became his daily driver throughout high school and his early college years.
After years of use and storage, the vehicle eventually made its way to the front lot of the Foose Design shop where it sat for a few years. But the truck was never out of Chip’s thoughts. He drew sketches and concepts of how he would like to customize to the vehicle, if his hectic schedule ever afforded him the time.
In 2005, as part of the show Overhaulin’, which featured Chip as co-host and lead designer, the truck was “stolen” from the Foose Design lot. Unbeknownst to Chip, his dad Sam led a team of builders and designers in reforming the ’56 into the truck it is today. They were able to use Chip’s drawings as their design template.
Nearly every panel was reshaped, reformed or cut. The cowl was sectioned, the hood was pie-cut, the front wheels were moved forward, the rear fenders were widened and raised up, the cab was section cut 3 inches at the rear window and the front fender wheel opening was moved up. A Roush NASCAR racing motor, serial number 1, was installed and one-off wheels were cut.
When the completed truck was unveiled at the 2005 SEMA show in Las Vegas by Jack Roush, Chip’s emotions overwhelmed him. The Ford is again one of Chip’s daily drivers and he looks forward to the day when his son Brock will inherit this family heirloom.
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