Southern California’s Galpin Motors, home to some of the world’s leading automotive brands and the world-famous Galpin Auto Sports (GAS), announced today that it has found the famed and long lost Ed “Big Daddy” Roth custom 1956 Ford F-100 Pickup.
The ’56 Ford is the first noteworthy custom truck ever done by the famous Rat Fink designer. In its heyday, it was used as advertising for Roth’s pin-striping business and featured a Packard V-8 engine, Roth’s signature red flame pinstripes, a mural on the tonneau cover and chrome-plated parts. Before the previous owner contacted Galpin, the truck had been stored in a barn in Oklahoma for more than 30 years.
While the Southern California custom shop plans to completely restore the truck much like it does with other builds, the ’56 Ford can currently be seen in the condition it was found for a limited time at Galpin. Eventually, GAS’ team of craftsmen, led by Dave Shuten, will fully restore the truck using new old stock and period-correct parts and equipment and the intention is to debut it at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2017.
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| Truck as it was originally designed by Ed Roth |
The team at Galpin retrieved the vehicle over an epic three-day road trip and brought it back to be prepped for restoration. The truck will be restored by the same team at GAS that has been responsible for so many other iconic and unusual restorations such as Roth’s Orbitron, Mysterion, “Tweedy Pie” and Dan Woods’ Ice Truck.
“We pride ourselves on finding orphan rods, the ones that seem lost forever,” said Beau Boeckmann, President of Galpin Motors. “There’s something so incredibly special about bringing a major piece of automotive history back to life and we couldn’t be more thrilled to restore the Roth truck like we have done with so many others. For now, we invite enthusiasts to come down to Galpin Auto Sports and check it out as is – it’s truly a legendary sight to see!”
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