A Slammed, Slick and Smooth ’56 Effie Eight Years in the Making

For every gearhead there is one vehicle in their town that stands out, the vehicle they pass by day in and day out. Whether it’s sitting in a driveway, behind a fence, tucked behind an old barn or rusting away in a field, they want it. Sometimes someone put it out to pasture or rode it hard and put it away wet for too many years, and it deserves a new lease on life. If only that old metal could talk, the tales it would tell. Across the country on back roads and main drags alike, old cars and trucks that once carried traveling salesman and hauled milk and farm equipment remind us of our past and are just waiting for a chance to be rescued, rebuilt and returned to their glory days. 

Bill Sandefer of Mustang, Oklahoma, always liked the lines and style of the early F-100s, and when the ’56 small-window spread across these pages came up for sale in his hometown, let’s just say he took the same route to work every day to keep an eye on it. After watching the price drop, Bill finally picked up the phone and struck a deal. Coincidentally, it turns out he knew the seller, and when Bill offered his price, the former owner told him to “come and get it.”

After Bill got the truck home and realized the shaky condition of the suspension, brakes and drivetrain, he decided to update the underpinnings and power plant, and the build was off and running. Originally, he planned a full rat-rod build, but once he saw Chip Foose’s all black ’56 debut, the project quickly went in a different direction.

Once the sheet metal was separated from the chassis, the rolling skeleton was delivered to Reno Rod & Custom (RR&C) in Oklahoma City. The crew at RR&C installed a Heidt’s front cross member, spindles and tubular A-arms teamed with airbags plumbed with stainless lines to get the leading edge low and under control.

A Wilwood master cylinder and 11-inch brakes from Speedway bring the Effie to a safe forward stop. The frame rails were boxed for strength and rigidity and to provide a solid mounting point for the updated suspension.

Out back, a Ford 9-inch rearend filled with a 3.50:1 gear ratio by Gary’s Differential was installed to update the transfer of power. A custom 4-link is mounted to the fresh 9-inch bordered by notched and boxed rear frame rails with custom ’bag mounts and raised shock towers. Stainless steel tubing feeds the rear air springs, while 11-inch rear brakes complement the stopping performance of the fronts.

“Critter” at RR&C tossed the majority of the sparks in fabricating the Effie’s updated bones. After the chassis and suspension work were complete, Satin Black powder coat was used to bring the fresh underside updates to life.

For the perfect staggered hot rod big-and-little look, Bill chose 18-inch front and 20-inch rear American Racing Hopsters clothed in BF Goodrich G-Force T/A P245/40ZR18 front and P295/40ZR20 rear tires.

For power, Bill bleeds Blue Oval blue, so he went with a 1978 Ford 351 Windsor fit with a few go-fast goodies that he and his friend Eddie Kyle assembled in Bill’s home shop. Stock Ford chamfered cast-iron heads do the breathing, while a Lunati bump stick produces the requisite cruising rumble. Fuel and air are inhaled via an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake topped by an Edelbrock Thunder 650-cfm carburetor. A Mallory Uni-lite HEI distributor ensures the proper spark, while Ford Racing headers feed into a custom-built 2.5-inch exhaust system with an X-pipe and Magnaflow SS mufflers with matching tips produce the perfect tones for street cruising or highway throttling. A March Performance serpentine pulley system keeps the rotating assembly in line with cool air flowing into the classic cab.

For Overtime’s envelope, Bill opted to keep the look clean and simple by shaving off the unnecessary badges and emblems and installing 3-inch wider fiberglass rear fenders and front and rear roll pans from Obsolete Ford in Oklahoma City. The body modifications didn’t stop there. Bill raised and shortened the running boards, reconfigured the front fender openings, filled all of the seams and built a handmade firewall and transmission tunnel. Out back, the original bed was retired in favor of a brand-new box from Mar-K. Bill also fabricated a hinged bed floor topped with homemade wood and stainless strips that lift to expose the custom rear chassis and suspension work. Once all of the metal work was ground smooth and the body was worked to perfection, Bill constructed a makeshift home spray booth next to his garage and laid down the single-stage SEM Hot Rod Black paint to give the Effie its sinister look.

Inside the cruising chamber, the simple and clean theme continued with a ’90 GMC bench seat covered in black vinyl with ostrich accents stitched by Skip Rowland. Black vinyl door panels flow with the seat, and Bill tacked black carpet to the floorboards. The stock uncut dash hosts Dakota Digital VHX gauges, and a tilt GM column topped with a Billet Specialties steering wheel handles navigation chores. For additional in-cab comfort and utility, Bill installed vintage smoked glass complete with power windows. A Gennie shifter takes care of gear commands, while a Haywire wiring harness connects all of the electrical dots.

Bill Sandefer, after many years of overtime with afterhours and weekend help and support from several friends, has created this slammed and sinister custom F-100. Teamwork from buddies Greg Glenn and Eddie Kyle, son Josh and wife Sandra, along with the expert fab work from Reno Rod & Custom made it all possible. Since completion, this truck has proven to be a real head-turner. What will Bill find on the streets of his hometown next? Only time and an alternate route to work will tell. ST

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TRUCK SPECS

Owners

Bill & Sandra Sandefer
1956 Ford F-100
Mustang, OK

Engine

• 1978 Ford 351 Windsor
• Bored .030 over
• Stock chamfered Ford iron cylinder heads
• Lunati Bracket Master II camshaft (488 lift, 284 duration)
• Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake
• Edelbrock Thunder 650-cfm carburetor
• Mallory Uni-Lite HEI distributor
• Ford Racing stainless headers
• Magnaflow custom 2.5-inch stainless exhaust
• Ford Racing valve covers
• March Performance serpentine pulley system
• Engine assembly by owner and Eddie Kyle
• Ford AOD transmission with shift kit by Master Tech, OKC
• 1967 Mustang fuel tank

Chassis & Suspension

• Stock F-100 frame boxed and clipped
• Heidt’s dropped X-member, tubular A-arms, drop spindles and airbags
• Rack-and-pinion steering system
• Front suspension track width relocated forward
• Ford 9-inch with 3.50:1 gears by Gary’s Differential, OKC
• Custom 4-link, bridge notch, raised shock towers, airbags, air tanks in frame rails and stainless air lines
• Monroe shocks
• 11-inch disc brakes at all four corners
• Wilwood master cylinder
• Frame and chassis fabrication by “Critter” at Reno Rod & Custom, OKC
• Powder coating by TOPPS, Moore, OK

Wheels & Tires

• 18×8.5 -and 20×10-inch American Racing Hopster
• 245/40ZR18 front and 295/40ZR20 rear BFG G-Force T/A

Body & Paint

• Body and paint by owner
• SEM Hot Rod Black paint
• Obsolete Ford front and rear roll pans
• Fairlane fiberglass 3-inch wider rear fenders
• Raised and shortened running boards
• Custom front fenders with modified openings to accommodate relocated front suspension
• Filled seams
• Custom-hinged bed floor with homemade wood and stainless strips
• Handmade firewall and transmission tunnel
• Mar-K bedsides and tailgate
• Tri-Bar headlights and trailer taillights
• 3-inch peep mirrors

Interior & Stereo

• 1990 GMC bench seat upholstered in black vinyl by Skip Rowland
• Ostrich accents
• Custom door panels in black vinyl, ostrich accents
• Dakota VHX gauges
• Billet Specialties Hopster steering wheel
• GM tilt column
• Gennie floor shifter
• Power windows
• Haywire wiring system

Special Thanks the From Owner: “Wife Sandra, son Josh, friends Greg Glenn and Eddie Kyle, Reno Rod & Custom, “Critter”
from RR&C, Gary’s Differential OKC and Skip Rowland for the trick stitch work.”

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