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1956 Ford F-100 - Building A Better EffieNo Limit Builds The SuperNats Giveaway F-100 From the November, 2005 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By D. Brian Smith Photography by D. Brian Smith
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In the Aug. '05 issue of CUSTOM CLASSIC TRUCKS, we promised to follow along with the construction of the '56 Ford F-100 that No Limit Engineering in San Bernardino, California, is building for the 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals and Ford Family Reunion, to be held May 18 through May 20. Celebrating the '56 Ford F-100's Golden Anniversary, this '56 Effie will be given away to a lucky participant. We've considered temporarily quitting our jobs during the event so we could be in contention to win. But then, how could we make our way to Knoxville, Tennessee? No Limit Engineering will be piloting the hauler as part of the annual State-to-State Cruise leading up to the show. We could stow away in one of the two planned tonneau-covered bed compartments? Now that we've made our devious plans public, we'll try and keep our jobs and be content to document No Limit Engineering's fabrication prowess. Driving his drop-top, fuel-thrifty tire kicker, CCT's feature editor blasted out to No Limit one sweltering August morning. When No Limit's crew pushed the project Effie into view, CCT's scribe recognized something very cool beneath the BeBop's '56 F-100 black gelcoat cab--a foundation that would be the envy of any gearhead. The crew muscled off the BeBop's cab to reveal the undercarriage. Comprised of 1.75-inch, .120-inch-wall round steel tubing, the chassis is 48 inches wide, compared to 34 inches wide for a stock Ford F-100 chassis. Designed by No Limit's founder, it was made by first constructing two hoop sections. Where tubes are welded together, 6-inch-long, 1.5-inch-diameter sleeves were Rosette- and seam-welded for an unbreakable bond. The rear suspension implements both a ladder-bar setup to prevent wheel hop and a racing-inspired triangulated wishbone scheme, enabling the rear axle to articulate from side to side on a center pivot point. Air Ride Technologies Shockwave airbags, tank, compressor, and control, and four-wheel disc brakes complete the over the top undercarriage. Hindsight is 20/20; we wish we were on hand to photograph and document the construction of the one-off rolling work of art. Next time. While the team at No Limit went to work on their various projects, we fired off a multitude of photos of the classy chassis. No Limit owner Rob MacGregor brought us back on task and reviewed what he and his crew hoped to accomplish for the day. Follow along with us as we witness these maestros of fabrication and car/ truck customization build a bodacious bed floor and bedbox for the Golden Anniversary '56 Ford F-100 Giveaway Truck. Beware! Once you see their work you'll be making arrangements to attend the 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals and Ford Family Reunion. You have to attend to have a chance to win the Effie. Don't say we didn't warn ya!  The 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals...  The 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals and Ford Family Reunion will be held May 18-20, 2006. Some lucky participant will win the Golden Anniversary '56 F-100 that No Limit Engineering is building. Find out how No Limit, Dan Carpenter, and Dennis Carpenter created a custom bed and bed floor for the Ford Racing-inspired Effie by reading on.  What a wonderful world it...  What a wonderful world it would be if every high-performance F-100 had a solid-state No Limit Engineering tubular chassis. Can you believe this work of industrial art? Over 100 man-hours went into the construction of the Effie's undercarriage.  A stock-width bed front section...  A stock-width bed front section stands in front of the 3-inch-wider, Dan Carpenter-manufactured bed front. By having a bed 1.5 inches wider on either side, the outward-most reinforcement rib in the back of the cab is on the same plane as the bed front. Though subtle, installing a wider bed enables the builder to improve the proportions of the Effie, a trick the pros at No Limit Engineering learned a long time ago.  In anticipation of cutting...  In anticipation of cutting the square steel tubing pieces for the bed box and floor, No Limit founder Rob MacGregor measured and checked all the length, width, and height measurements several times before cutting --measure many, cut once.  After Rob dialed in the appropriate...  After Rob dialed in the appropriate dimensions, the automated band saw cut the .090-inch-thick square tubing to size.  With a T-square in place to...  With a T-square in place to confirm the TIG welding was not pulling the bed floor/frame pieces out of alignment, Rob tack-welded the pieces together.  Once Rob trial-fit the tack-welded...  Once Rob trial-fit the tack-welded bed frame to the chassis mount locations, he realized the inner bed frame/floor fit well. Meanwhile, he installed the tailgate base behind the chassis' rear-most tube. The aluminum fuel tank is an off-the-shelf 19-gallon No Limit Engineering component.  To enable the chassis to be...  To enable the chassis to be dropped low on its pumpkin and facilitate rear suspension travel, No Limit designed the bed floor to be raised 3 inches from its stock location. Rob measured 3 inches up the bed sides, C-clamped the outer bed frame pieces to the inside of the bed sides, and drilled small holes through the bed sides and bed framerails.  For mock-up purposes, he then...  For mock-up purposes, he then Cleco-clipped the bed framerails in place to the inner bed sides.  After another technician,...  After another technician, Carlos, and Rob Cleco-clipped the front of the bed to the bed sides, they placed the bed and the to-be-completed bed frame on the chassis. Notice the bed frame/floor is comprised of bed rails around the three inner-perimeter walls, in addition to the center section of four pieces that have already been tack-welded together. Before proceeding, Rob made several verification measurements.  Since the tailgate would not...  Since the tailgate would not be attached until later in the build, Rob temporarily tack-welded two braces, one in the horizontal plane and one diagonally, to keep the rear of the bedwalls square.  By measuring both diagona...  By measuring both diagonals...  ...he confirmed he and his...  ...he confirmed he and his crew's handiwork was spot on.  Before removing the mocked-up...  Before removing the mocked-up bed frame from within the bed, Rob tack-welded the outer frame together and the inner frame to the outer frame.  Rob tack- and seam-welded...  Rob tack- and seam-welded the tailgate base to the lower corners of the bed sides.  With the bed frame uninstalled,...  With the bed frame uninstalled, Mike finished welding all the surfaces of the frame.  Upon measuring the BeBop's...  Upon measuring the BeBop's fiberglass '56 F-100 rear cab-mount hole locations, Rob discovered the holes are 3/4 inch less on either side of the stock location. Hence, he wielded the shop's reciprocating saw to remove 3/4 inch on the driver side.  After filing smooth the cut...  After filing smooth the cut pieces, some ingenuity came into play. Because the rear cab mounts on an Effie's chassis are 1/4 inch higher than the frame, Rob created a fixture with the square tubing, which he C-clamped the cab mount platform to 1/4 inch higher before tack-welding the narrowed driver-side mount. To maintain a reference point to measure from, he performed the cutting and tack-welding one side at a time. After repeating the cutting, tack-welding, and measuring on the passenger side Rob laid down a finish-bead TIG weld all around the cab mounts on both sides.  Like Discovery Channel's famous...  Like Discovery Channel's famous Orange County Choppers, No Limit Engineering has an Integrated Flying Bridge 2400, or Flowjet for short, which can cut up to 13-inch-thick metal with ultra-high-pressure water. Rob programmed the Flowjet to cut four gussets for the chassis.  An IBM windows-compatible...  An IBM windows-compatible software program is used to control the Flowjet. Though larger than actual size, the four gussets will look like the image on the screen.  As the Flowjet cuts the gussets,...  As the Flowjet cuts the gussets, a red line outlines the progress being made. Shown actual-size, you can see that the Flowjet has almost completed the cutting procedure. To cut the gussets took a bit less than nine minutes.  After a brief deburring in...  After a brief deburring in the belt sander, Mike tack- and bead-welded the four gussets into the chassis. The gussets would be used to more effectively install the seats in the cab and would better distribute the load on the floor when accelerating or braking.  Rob also programmed the Flowjet...  Rob also programmed the Flowjet to fabricate a seat-belt bracket. A stock '50s Chevy or Ford 1/2-ton truck has four cab mounts. By having more cab mounts, less stress is placed on the cab's sheetmetal or fiberglass floor--an important consideration when building a 600hp custom vintage truck.
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