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1956 Ford F-100

America's Most Beautiful F-100
By Bob Carpenter
Photography by Bob Carpenter, Scott Killeen
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Frank and Linda Gorin's '56 Ford F-100 truck, built by Hot Rods & Custom Stuff, is stunning in every regard. Frank plans to take the pickup to major shows for a year, and then drive the truck. Yes, he's actually going to drive this beauty!
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The elegant interior is the work of Ron "The Stitcher" Mangus. Wool carpeting complements the leather. Hot Rods & Custom Stuff fabricated the steering column drop.
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Yes, those are louvers underneath the bed where no one would usually see them, except that this bed tilts up and reveals them, as well as the Currie rear end.
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The custom bed cover was sunk down about four inches from the bend in the bed sides. It's tinted to bring out the purple highlights in the flames.
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A polished Richmond five-speed transmission sends the 800hp to the rear end. The engine block was smoothed and then painted the same as the oil pan.
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The behemoth 502 Chevy big-block with an 8-71 Weiand blower is overkill--but then again, so is the rest of this truck. Notice how the flames reflect on the highly-polished valve covers. Those are true ghost flames! Jim Waggaman is responsible for all the flames on the truck.
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The Ford is totally black from the outside, but under the hood, purple flames dance like wildfire. Alex Olivera handled the pinstriping.
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A rear view of the F-100 reveals the custom bed sides, non-opening tailgate, monster meats, and mirror finish. Jack White applied the PPG black.
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Here's just a sampling of some of the handbuilt items created at Hot Rods & Custom Stuff. There's a lot of hours sitting on this table.
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Of course you wouldn't build an 800hp engine and then not include power brakes. The frame is all custom-built, too.
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The underside of the bed is another secret flame area. It's this kind of subtle detailing that separates the true champions from the nice show trucks.
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