I welcome any advice to my daughter that is just beginning to restore the truck that she got in her inheritance from her dad.  She is only 11 years old, but determined that she wants a hot rod by the time she is 16. It looks like rust bucket to me, but I have looked at alot that started out that way.  
It is a 1956 Ford F-100, stepside. Kinda looks like the tow truck in the new cars movie!ha ha
Will she keep at this, or will I waste money to eventually buy that latest Honda anyway??  

If there is one year that stands out the most in the truck world it is the 56.  A well done truck is always worth it.


Willy  

The 1956 ford f100 is the king of all trucks they just had a fiftieth anniversary in Knoxville no one else can touch us.
If your thinking money start simple; go online and get performance parts for your y block and rebuild it; and then get the body work done drive it for a wile and catch a few truck and car shows and you will get a real clue witch way to go.  

In my opinion, you should start with the steering and brake rebuilding and/or upgrades and get the truck safe. Next, I would say, would be to make it reliable and fun to drive with a rebuilt motor or motor swap. Then, the bells and whistles, cosmetics, chrome, paint, etc. I've had my '56 since I was 15 (34 now) at the time when it seemed that everyone else was buying/building lowrider mini trucks. No offense to that genre of vehicles but it's just not me. I'm absolutely in love with my old Ford still. I'm currently in the middle of an extensive complete rebuild with many modifications and fabrication. My wife thinks I'm crazy but I call it therapy. It's hard to say if your daughter will have the same feelings toward her truck especially when she is closer to getting her license but I think it would be a great project to share together. Having 2 kids (both girls) of my own, I only hope that at least one of them will approach me someday with an interest in an old Ford car or truck and want to hang out with their dad once in a while! Good luck!  

wow, that's really awsome. That would be a great bonding project and it would give a lot of experience for both of you. Just remember to take good care of it and it should do you fine by the time she's ready to drive it.  

I drive a 1956 F100 Daily and I'll probally never sell it.  I actually put a International Scout II
4 x 4 under it and I just put a 345 International Bus enigne in it. It has a 118 wheel base. This truck actually might have been a F250 at one time.

I just wanted to share that story because you are not limted to just a stock or 2 wheel drive.  be safe be patience but most of all try to work on it as you can and sooner or later you will get it done.

I plowed thru mine in 5 weeks just to get it done.
Not at all perfect just safe and driveble  

Charles
classic-chevy-truck.com  

First of all is there any body rust in the cab, I was told that when you go to paint if you don't check that out throughly it could come back to bite you, If it is a big window you might want to think about keeping it and putting the money in it, but if your on a budget and your not going to spend at least 30K, let me know and I might buy it  

I agree with Jerry about the rust two key points are the drip rail on top of the cab and the bottom corners of the cab. the best way of finding out is to have it blasted. i don't know where you live but around So. Cal. there are several places that do it. If it was me I would have them use walnut shells I know that sounds strange but there ground up and don't cut like sand and after you have it done you will have to treat the the metal right away because it rust up again and try not to touch it with your hands intill you do  

Wow, you're a lucky man. It's not often that an eleven year old shows an interest in trucks. All I can say is, cultivate it. Before any work is started (except for safety stuff), drive it. Take your daughter for a lot of rides. Go to cruise-ins, car shows, and the races. Take her to as many things as she is interested in. Allways point out that it is her truck, and we (you and her) can do just about anything to her truck that she wants to do. When her dreams go over the top, bring her back gently. The more she rides in her old truck, the more she will appreciate it, and in time she will love it. Make it one of her child hood dreams that she will tell her children (your grand children) about, and give them rides in. Then maybe, just maybe, she'll grow up to work for Ford on their design team, and design the new 2020 F150.