Old pickup deserves its modern modifications
Spectacles like the 54th annual World of Wheels car show are all about going big. The event was held last weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and boasts numerous over-the-top displays, showcasing some of the finest and wildest four-wheeled creations to ever roll into the suburbs.
Getting noticed sure takes a lot. Splashy displays, catchy paint jobs and mind-blowing fabrications are surefire winners to turn heads.
Jack Sorich had all those going for him with his 1956 Ford F-100. However, he had one other impressive element few others could match: a nearly five-decade period of ownership.
The Louisville, Kentucky, resident purchased the Ford hauler in 1968 and the funny thing is, he didn't even want it.
“I wasn't looking for a truck,” Sorich said. “But after seeing a friend's and liking it so much, I wanted one of my own.”
He discovered his still-stock F-100 parked in the dusty weeds behind a used car dealership in Van Nuys, California. It had been parked so long, the staff had forgotten they even had it. It took Sorich nearly a week to claim and retrieve his newly purchased prize.
“I took off all four tires and had them inflated. I also changed the oil and added new points and plugs,” Sorich said.
The little bit of elbow grease and basic maintenance paid off. The truck was soon running and turned out to be quite a find. It was rust-free and the body was arrow-straight.
The sole blemish was in the bed where the wooden floor planks had warped. Yet this wasn't something that would keep Sorich from using his hardworking and honest hauler. For the following 15 years, he commuted from his home in Sherman Oaks, California, to his office at the Universal Studios lot, located just outside of Los Angeles.
After being pulled from regular use, the Ford was then stored in Sorich's home's two-car garage until the late 1990s. Sorich was attending the L.A. Roadster Show when he got the itch to customize his bone-stock ride. What started with some front-end suspension work and a reworked engine turned into a nearly six-year, full-blown overhaul.
The factory-installed 272-cubic-inch V-8 engine was swapped for a supercharged 350-c.i. V-8. Other add-ons include an air suspension, handmade floating center console and disc brakes. A new floor pan was installed but, other than that, the rest of the vehicle is still factory steel.
That doesn't mean the body hasn't been heavily worked over. More than 100 different modifications were made including widening the rear fenders several inches, chopping the roof 2 inches and fabricating custom front and rear roll pans.
The project wrapped in 2005 and maybe even more surprising than the truck's stunning looks is how often it's driven. Sorich, joined by his wife Kiriko, average more than 10,000 miles a year cruising. Frequently they attend national F-100 meets and other shows, driving throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
Sorich said it still surprises him how long he's hung onto this Ford pickup, but he couldn't be happier with the rebuild's final result.
“I had a vision for it,” he said, “and that's just what we accomplished.”
• Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.