From Ranch To Street Rod - 1956 Ford F-100 - Feature

by CAE, Jun 01, 2007

And talk about an eye-catching setup. The entire rack lights up from beneath and is covered with a sheet of glass to protect everything from the elements. "Not that I ever drive it in the rain," Rugani laughs, "but in case I ever get caught."

Of course, the rack serves a practical purpose too. Rather than cramming everything into the cab, the bed arrangement gave Rugani the room to spread out his components for a cleaner install. Also, by placing the amps and subs in the center of the bed, he was able to tuck all of the wiring and his 1.5-farad capacitor down and out of sight, adding to the truck's clean, professional look.

Fun fact: The subwoofer box was actually built around the original seat from the cab of the F-100, with the subs mounted in the middle of the two seats.

Outside The Truck BoxIn addition to the audio system, the install team also reworked the truck's exterior, adding a tilted pro stock hood, new side pipes, running boards and a custom rear spoiler to give it a true street rod look. Wide racing tires were installed on the truck, and the Ruganis even updated every inch of the drivetrain and engine with new, high-performance components.

Over the last few years, Rugani has taken the truck to street rod shows and audio showcases all over Southern California, even making several appearances at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Everywhere it goes it never fails to turn heads.

But, even with this success, Rugani isn't ready to call his F-100 finished just yet. "I've always had the drag racing look," he says, "but it's had that same look for almost five years. So my next venture is to kind of give it more of a road racing look - a little bit smaller scoop, a little bit wider tires in the front, maybe a little bit lower overall. The idea is to think more in terms of what a '56 Ford pickup would look like if Carroll Shelby built it."

1956 ford f-100

WheelsCustom 15 x 4" front, 15 x 15" rear by Stockton Wheel

IntakeIntake: Edelbrock Performer RPM

TiresFront: Goodyear Eagles P205-65R15Rear: Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro 31x16.5-15LT

Carburetor750 Holly carburetor* Ford Racing Performance Parts headers and camshaft