Livin' The Dream
In 1969 Marvin Coats, of Lancaster, CA, came across a '56 Ford F-100 pickup in a farmer's field. Although it was his dream truck, he ultimately had to let it go. Though he may have let the Ford go, he didn't let his dream go. Five years ago he purchased this '55 Ford from a farmer in Nevada. Even though Marvin has been disabled and lives in great pain, he still managed to restore the truck by working on it these past four years. The truck was pretty beat, so he had to restore it from the ground up. First, Marvin restored the entire undercarriage back to stock specifications, due to the fact he wanted a perfectly restored pickup. When he bought the truck the original 223ci straight six still ran, but he wanted it brand-new like the rest of the truck. So he took the engine to Adams Metalizing, where they rebuilt the Ford motor and put it back to stock, including decking it out with original-style decals.
Marvin even left the straight-axle, drum brakes, and four-speed tranny in the truck for authenticity. The interior was done at Bill Dunn One Stop Upholstery Shop in Huntington Beach, CA. The seat and door panels were recovered in black and red leather, and the headliner in black wool. While at the shop, Chip Foose happened to drop in one day and notice the truck. To Marvin's surprise he not only signed the glove compartment door and took a picture with the truck, but he also helped adjust the hinges on the hood so it would close properly. Lastly, the truck was painted President Red, a '59 Edsel factory color. The truck rides on Coker whitewalls with stock hubcaps. The truck only has 312 miles on it since the restoration. This is partly due to the pain the truck inflicts when Marvin jumps behind the wheel. For that reason, as much as Marvin hates to admit it, he is going to have to throw an automatic tranny and power steering in the truck so he can log more hours on the road. Well, we hope to see ya out there soon Marvin!