One-of-None – Wade Sutton’s ’56 Ford F600 by Classic Car Studio
Long ago, there was a slogan that told the world, “Less is more.” That’s all fine and dandy but for us hot rod gearheads, more is more. When it comes to Wade Sutton’s ’56 Ford F600 truck, more doors is more.
Sutton owns an asphalt company in Arkansas and is married with five daughters. The old Ford was formerly a grain truck that had never left the farm and Sutton liberated the rust-free rig from its potential grave and got to work plotting its resurrection. He gave the guys at Classic Car Studio in St. Louis, Missouri, a shout, and 8500 hours later the old Ford F600 emerged as the buffed-up, quad-cab showstopper you see here.
Let’s start our walkaround by looking under the hood. The team over D&J Precision Machine built a beautiful, turbocharged, 1000hp 6.7-liter six-cylinder Cummins oil burner with 1800 lb-ft of torque that looks right at home in the engine bay thanks to some incredible detailing and a host of custom-built parts. All that oomph is channeled through a FirePunk 48RE transmission and sent to a narrowed 14-bolt GM rearend. The stout drivetrain sits in a Porterbuilt chassis with air ride suspension, a Detroit Speed steering rack, and GM C3500 brakes, and it all rolls down the road on massive Alcoa 22-inch wheels.
The biggest modification was creating the quad cab body. The Classic Car Studio crew hit it out of the ballpark with the pillarless, suicide rear door transformation and hand fabricated roof skin. It’s so custom it looks stock, but that was just the beginning. Every body panel was altered in one way or another but be sure and check out the big back window, massaged doors and fenders, custom running boards, hand-built bed with curved sides, and the zebrawood bed floor insert. After all that love, the thing was sprayed out from stem to stern in gallons of glassy smooth Glasurit Area 51 blue paint.
Inside, the enlarged cabin was reimagined as well. Most everything from the old farm truck was ash canned and fitted with the best that Classic Car Studio could muster. Dig the handmade metal dash, Dakota Digital gauges, custom console, and cool Sparc Industries steering wheel. From there, the seats and all surfaces are expertly swathed in rich sepia tone leather, wood, and suede.
It’s hard to improve on mid-century Dearborn design and the “more is more” credo can sometimes erase timeless DNA. Critically, Sutton and Classic Car Studio knew exactly when to throttle down and when to mash the pedal. The result is perhaps a fresh credo for modern hot rodding, “Just the right amount of more is more!”
Photos by John Jackson
