1956 Mercury Custom Pickup

After World War II, collecting old cars & trucks became a huge passion of thousands of folks across the nation, as the economy was booming and people had the extra money needed for this new hobby. They wanted to create something to express themselves, however, this group didn't want just any old collectable car. They wanted something special, something that was one-of-a-kind, and something that no one else had. Thus, the ‘Kustom Car’ was born. Some of these vehicles were only slightly modified, while others went to the extreme, but all offer a different look at our American automotive history.

‘Red Hills Rods & Classics’ is very happy to offer you this beautiful 1956 Mercury Kustom Pickup, a true throw-back to the golden era of Kustom cars & trucks. Designed and built by Kyle Lauman @ Night Shift Kustoms here in St. George, Utah, w/ the assistance of Travis Deeter, this truck had been in Kyle’s mind since he was seven years old, when he first fell in love w/ the 1956 Ford pickup. Once the process of designing & building this pickup started, Kyle had a laser focus and worked on it non-stop, completing the truck in a mere four months after he began. As you can see by the photos, he truly created a one-of-a-kind pickup. It all started w/ a 1956 F-100 Ford Custom Cab pickup, that quickly became a ’56 Mercury M-100 recreation. A big window was a must, so a new ‘big window’ back cab was added, which looks excellent and really changed the look of the truck. A one-off custom-made grille was added up front, w/ a highly-unique three-headlight design, and 1950 Mercury taillights were installed in back. The common theme of ‘three’ is obviously apparent, w/ the three headlights, three notches in the front bumper, three antennas in back, and the three coves on the seat. The steel bed was hand built by Travis Deeter, using Alder wood that was stained and coated in polyurethane. The truck was then lathered in correct 1956 Mercury ‘Saffron Yellow’ paint, which really pops and was the perfect color for this truck. Getting the perfect stance was also extremely important, so the stock suspension was removed, and reversed eye mono leaf-springs were installed on the front & rear, along w/ a 4” drop I-Beam up front. This lowered the truck a total of 7” up front and 4” on the rear, which created just the right fixed stance, w/out having to use air-bags. She sits on 40’s-era 15 x 6 steel wheels, wrapped w/ 7.00 x 15 BF Goodrich Silvertown wide-whitewall tires. You can walk around this truck a hundred times and it looks perfect from every angle.

Open the driver’s door and you fill find a custom yellow & black interior that was done by local hot-rodders Ruben Garnica & Fred Torres. Features include: yellow vinyl seat w/ black mesh-type inserts, matching door panels w/ Buick door trim & 1969 Nova grab-handles, painted dash w/ Classic Instruments 6-in-one gauge-package, original 1956 Ford steering column w/ original 1956 Ford steering wheel & turn-signal assembly, original manual steering shift lever w/ yellow-swirl shift knob, and black prestige carpeting throughout. Simple, clean, and absolutely perfect for this truck.

Powering this badass pickup is a 1956 Ford 312ci Y-block motor from a ’56 Thunderbird, dressed up in Saffron Yellow paint, and completely rebuilt by Glen Snow @ Snow Performance & Machine, including a fresh bore and fully reconditioned block & heads. Other features include: F600 cast-iron intake manifold (which matches the 312 ports and accepts the Quick Fuel 450cfm 4-barrel carburetor), vintage Dempsey Wilson camshaft (rare!), original Y-block Ram-Horn exhaust manifolds, PowerGen alternator, DCB electronic distributor & coil, Ton’s Performance spark plug wires, and new heavy-duty aluminum radiator. The 312ci motor is linked to a Borg-Warner T5 5-speed manual transmission (1992 Chevrolet S10), which feeds power to the stock rear end w/ 3.73 gear ratio. The stock steering and drum brakes are also still in place. The custom exhaust system features Smithy’s Glasspack mufflers, which sound awesome w/ that old-school sound! She fires right up w/ a turn of the wrist, and she runs & drives great! The week that Kyle finished the truck, he and his wife took it on its maiden voyage, driving from St. George, Utah to Albuquerque, New Mexico and back (over 1,300 miles) w/out a single issue, besides a broken exhaust strap. This truck is an absolute blast to drive and gets all of the attention that you would expect. She is titled as a 1956 Ford F100 pickup, so registration and insurance are no problem whatsoever.

If you have been searching for a one-of-a-kind pickup that can win ‘First Place’ awards at any car event, but one that can also be driven and enjoyed to the fullest, you will want to take a very close look at this gorgeous 1956 Mercury Kustom Pickup!