By Brandon Burrell – Images by the Author
When it comes to building cool vehicles, Terron “TC” Carver from Clermont, Georgia, the owner of TC’s Place, is no stranger. TC has had his hands in a ton of over-the-top vehicles for the past several decades. He started building hot rods and custom trucks around 1990. Before that, he was a fabricator for the Bill Elliott NASCAR Race Team. So, making metal into rolling art that can perform as well as it looks is second nature to him. With multiple builds under his belt for not only himself but also customers, TC knew his latest project would have to be something he could enjoy for years to come while having enough detail in it to stand out in a sea of custom trucks. For this, TC picked up a 1956 Ford F-100 that had seen better days and needed a ton of TLC. This truck was started as a budget build, but still had to be something with a “wow” factor, so plans had to be set from early in the project.
Getting the truck to sit the way TC wanted, the factory frame was boxed in from bumper to bumper to give it a ton more support than Ford ever did. Then some Pro Shock coilovers were mounted on all four corners to make sure it would ride well. This allowed not only for the truck to handle perfectly while driving but allowed TC to get the truck to sit at the exact height he envisioned when he started the build. The factory wheelbase was also stretched 1.75 inches from factory length to get the wheels perfectly centered in the wheelwells. A Jaguar K-member was converted to fit the coilovers while the NASCAR rear trailing arms with Panhard bar and custom adjustable crossmember make it all work together nicely. Little touches like that ensure any of TC’s builds flow perfectly, and this build was no exception. Jaguar front brakes and an 8-inch dual brake booster and dual master cylinder were mounted to the chassis.
A 1957 Ford 9-inch rearend was used with a limited slip and factory drum brakes in the rear. Now that the chassis was together, a set of 17×7 front and 17×9 rear Wheel Vintiques steel wheels were bolted on to make it a roller. To make the wheels different from any other basic steel wheel, a set of 1930s model big rig center caps were modified to screw onto custom-machined brackets and give the wheel a flush look. To move this roller down the road when mated to the body, TC used a 1990 Ford 302 and some custom motor mounts to attach it to the frame.
The engine was in good condition, so the internals were left stock while a new Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor were added to wake it up some; a Concept One pulley system with Vintage Air was added as well. Mustang headers feed the spent gases from the engine through the custom stainless steel 2-1/2-inch X-pipe and piping. The Ford automatic overdrive transmission puts the power to the ground nicely.
Now that TC had the entire drivetrain and chassis complete, it was time to get the body dialed in to look its best. Other than the typical work to clean up the body and remove years of rust and damage, he also made a few other changes to the sheetmetal to make the lines better. Louvers were added to the hood and running boards, custom driprails were built as well as a custom tailgate latch.
The bed floor had steel welded in to give it a modern look before the colormatched bedliner was sprayed, while the door corners were radiused. The inner fenders and firewall were also modified. For color, TC painted it single-stage Dove Gray and polished it to perfection. The bumpers are stainless steel reproduction pieces while the stock grille was rechromed.
Inside is where this truck stands out from all others in the show field. TC opted to do a full sheetmetal interior. Not just some bolted-in filler panels but full-out, welded-in and bodyworked panels on the floor, headliner, and behind the seat. The entire interior was painted a satin tan color to give it a good contrast to the gray exterior while the factory seat was sent to Danny Reese Interiors in Cleveland, Georgia, to get recovered in a buckskin color leather.
Once TC finished the truck, it became a regular vehicle in his driver rotation and has been to numerous shows in the southeast, including Turkey Run Daytona and F-100 Super Nationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Building a cool truck you can actually enjoy is what it’s all about and TC can be seen behind the wheel of this clean 1956 Ford on a regular basis.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
