Bobbi W.s’ late husband Bill is the reason she has such an exceptional ‘56 Ford F100 pickup. Bill was a car afficionado who always wanted his cars perfect. He had had Hopper’s Hot Rods build a ‘31 Ford cabriolet street rod that was as near to perfect as possible. Bobbi refers to it as a “look at me, don’t touch me” car. Bill would have her start it occasionally to keep it in running condition, but she never dared drive it. Not only that, it was too small to take on any long runs with the Roamin Angels. After a few years, Bill sold it at the auction at Hot August Nights in Reno in 2007. While there, he saw the ‘56 Ford up for sale. He looked it over and deemed it a “perfect truck,” needing nothing. Everything had been redone by the previous owner, including paint and upholstery, and it looked and ran great. It had a 350 CID Chevy engine mated to a Turbo 350 auto trans with air conditioning, power steering and power brakes. He bought it for Bobbi. But Bill was a true perfectionist. First he decided that the truck should be rewired. While it was being done, he decided that new gauges and a new AM/FM/CD would be an improvement. Then Bill decided a new tilt column would be nice. It had air conditioning, but it could be better, so B&F Auto Air put in a new unit. Of course, redoing the upholstery would just finish off the whole effort. But that left a few things on the exterior. The gas tank behind the seat would be better under the bed. The bed itself would be much more usable if secured by a tonneau cover. A solid, hydraulically-operated one would be best. Then the Ford would be much cleaner if the antenna were hidden and the hole filled. All these improvements required some repainting. He even considering replacing the engine so that the Ford truck would have a Ford engine, but decided to wait on that. The result was worth the effort, as shown by a trip with Roamin Angels to a car show in Quincy where it won an award before being finished. The Ford also has gone with the club to Carmel and South Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe trip in October of 2009 was the last Bobbi made with Bill, who passed away about a week later. Bobbi is still a Roamin Angel and plans to take her truck on many runs with the club. Every time she does, she will think of the man who loved cars so much that “perfect” was never perfect.

The 1956 step-side short bed, big (rear) window is arguably the most popular Ford truck ever made among rodders. Bobbi’s has been lowered to give a meaner look and better handling.

The 350 engine nestles easily in the Ford’s spacious engine compartment. Everything is neat and tidy. Of course, Bill probably had many ideas to improve it.

Bill retained the Ford’s clean dash, keeping clutter to a minimum. Even the speakers are hidden in the kick panels. Aesthetically, it could be termed “perfect.”

Ron Cherry © 2010