Rick and Matt Love had so much fun updating a ’56 Ford they did it twice … but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
For a lot of veteran street rodders it’s difficult to understand the interest kids have in cars with little engines and big tailpipes, but there are still some young’uns who go to the old school of thought when it comes to a cool ride. Rick Love’s son, Matt, is a great example.
Matt and Rick started to build this ’56 Ford as a father/son project. Equipped with a small-block Chevy, the Victoria needed lots of work, but it was off to a good start.
Rick has been involved with cars most of his life as an enthusiast and by profession as vice president of Vintage Air. As he explains it, “Matt had not been the prototypical car kid up to this point. He grew up with Hot Wheels and rides to school in my well-worn ’39 Ford, but he never really had the urge to be out in the garage working on cars. To be fair, he has always been pretty heavily involved in basketball and other sports, so he hasn’t had unlimited free time.
“I’ll admit I was surprised when we started discussing possible car options. As his 16th birthday approached and he got his driver’s permit, Matt decided that he wanted an old car to drive rather than a pickup or late-model like most of his friends. He had spent some time on the Internet and looking through magazines, and really like the styling of ’50s cars, specifically ’56-57 Chevys.” Unfortunately most of the Chevys fell outside Matt’s budget, but while searching the Internet he came across some pictures of ’55-56 Fords, and decided he liked them as much as the Chevys.
Before ripping the car apart, Matt took measurements to establish tire clearance with the stock brakes.
As luck would have it, Rick and a friend had a ’56 Ford Victoria project car that was purchased a few years back. It was a good solid car, but it was basically a shell with a motor that needed just about everything. Bolstered by youthful enthusiasm, the decision was made to build the Ford and it wasn’t long before it was in the Loves’ garage as a father and son project. Together Rick and Matt installed Fatman Fabrications’ new 3-inch dropped spindles, disc brakes with Granada rotors and GM single-piston calipers, a new Mustang II disc/drum master cylinder and proportioning block from Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation, and a power steering gearbox from Borgeson.
To accommodate the new Fatman spindles, the stock turning stops had to be removed. One of the toughest tasks, it took a sharp drill, chisel, and a big hammer.
Although the project was progressing nicely, Rick could see the handwriting on the shop wall. It was going to take a while to get this car on the road for Matt to enjoy, so he decided to follow his own advice. Rick always tells people to get the absolute best car they can afford for their first hot rod. As luck would have it a friend decided to sell a ’56 Victoria he had restored and owned for over 20 years. A quick look confirmed this was a great car with nice paint, excellent chrome, and a good reproduction interior. Even better, it was running and driving and the time and parts savings would really pay off down the road, not to mention the fact it would have Matt driving and enjoying his first hot rod a lot sooner.
Another necessary modification was trimming the bracket that mounts the bumpstop. The black line on a piece of masking take indicates the amount of material to be removed.
As soon as the second Vicky arrived at its new home Matt was able to take it for a ride—and we all know how exciting driving your first car can be. But proving the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree, it wasn’t long before Fords were side by side in the garage and Matt and Rick began turning a stock restoration into what they both describe as a cool and dependable first hot rod. Here’s how they did it, twice.
