Well i finally got it home. My new build. 1956 Vicky 2 dr hrdtop. I bought it a while back when it was -30 and was hard to check everything out in detail. There was no power train or dash and interior, rockers are toast and some body rust. As it turns out i had some nice surprises and disappointments. Disappointments are the pumpin in the rear was missing, some hard to get moldings are missing. Good news is the front xmember looks good, the floor pan is excellent as is the frame and all the glass. A lot of factory white paint inside and some underneath. Side body moldings are almost perfect. So here we go again. This time thou i'm not getting to dirty and farming out the cleaning which eats up months of dirty filthy work which i just don't have the patience for anymore and i'm getting to old for that kind of bull work. Going to the wet blaster and comming home in primer so that should speed the process up up 5 fold. Car was a hotrod long before i got it. I see traces of sbc, modified trans xmember, Auto stick from what looks like a mid sixtys gm of some sort. Butchered steering column with a gm wheel on it and some tattooing on the firewall. But overall i'm happy with it so far. I have some custom plans for it and will be a cruiser.
Check out the 60 dodge tail lights turned sideways. I hope i don't find any uglys under the paint on the back panel as they don't make them yet to my knowledge. I've already found a complete dash and a possible frt bumper mod off a 60 t-bird may find it's way on the car
Glad you started this thread tedley, I will be following along with interest and might learn a thing or two and possibly contribute to it. Good Luck and thanks for sharing.
Nope, i can see stockers anywhere. Would cost a fortune to locate every thing. Basicly i just have a body. Perfect for hot rodding. I like the ford barn but i hang here.
I learn as i go with new cars i've never had before. I' ve been finding out it's the ride not the destination. So please feel free to add some input as i go. This is just another adventure
Nice touch on those tail lights. When I had my 56 I used 64 Fairlane SW tail lights. Bolts right in and a great sunken tail light look.
Neat project. I had a '55 Vic in the late '60s early '70s that I just loved. I'll tell you what style wise you just cannot beat a tri 5 Ford. Hands down they have way more style the Chevy of the time and I am mostly a Chevy man as a rule. Anyway neat project.
I was doing a 55 a few years back and put 60 Doge taillights on it but had the peak on top like they were on the 60 dodge, I felt they matched the backup light shape pretty good. Beside the Merc wagon and Dodge, I have seen a few with 59 and 60 Buick. I'd love to get a 56 Victoria or Crown in as good as shape as yours to build into a mild custom.
Is there anyone out there that has a pic of a stock 56 rear end? The carrier is missing so all i have to go by is the housing and axles. I have suspitions the rear end in my 56 Vick has been changed. It looks like a 9 inch to me. I can't seem to find a identifing pic of a stock rear to compare. Here's what i have. It looks big for one and it has a smooth back with a slight band down the center with a dimple on each side. Axle has 2 dimples as well on thee ends.
Back in 1960 I put those '60 Dodge tail lamps on my '55 Fairlane. I installed them upright, loved the look plus they look fantastic at night and are a perfect fit. Nothing not to like IMO. Good luck with your build.
A gasket may tell the story but not easy to find around here. What i've come across so far is the stocker is smooth with no dimples as is the 57 9 inch. Apparently the 58 did have dimples. I have access to a 9 inch carrier with 300's from a 70 torino but have to take a trip to get it. So the bolt pattern will be different? I think both are 28 spline.
One of my favs to. That's why i couldn't help myself and drag it home. Finally solved the rear end mystery. I got a 9 in with 300 gears and slid right in there. HUGE bonus points. I was debating going with a 302 but now i have a 9 inch in the back i'm probably going 351 cleavland which i have in stock with 6000 miles on it with a mild cam. Just need a c-6 now. No billet crap thou. Cleaned up the grease and dirt inside the floor plan and for once i'm starting with a real good base. I'm amased at the shape of the floor from front to back.Tore the car down getting ready for blasting. What a treat it going to be starting with a clean body but it will cost me.
Wow! Must be a prairies' car. I've wanted one since I was about 12 years old (in '68) but settled for a '56 Meteor Rideau h/t. A little more rust than yours courtesy of our rain forrest climate. I do have a few spare parts so PM me if your desperate.
One of the most solid cars i've ever started with. I'm collecting parts myself right now. The only thing i might have is a grille in the end if i go with the t-bird frt bumper.
Forgot to mention my 56 was a Meteor Rideau CV. Loved that car. I was a bit out of place driving that car in 68 with everyone driving factory muscle cars on the streets of Detroit back then. Had to sell it when I got drafted in 69. Tedley, good luck on finding Merc SW tail lights. Has to be one of the best tail light conversions out there. There was a pair on ebay and even though I don't own a 56 I was gonna bid on them till the bidding got crazy. I think 56Custom on here has a pair for sale.
I have a 1956 Victoria I drove to high school. Replaced the 312 with a Cleveland in 1973. Very easy transplant. A friend in South Carolina, Charles Kinard, back in the early 70s, drove a 56 fitted with a 1958 T-Bird front bumper/grill. Looked killer. BTW, check out your front crossmember. They are a weak point on 56 Fords and will rust out. Ask me how I know. Someone here on the HAMB makes a replacement. Nice project, good luck.
First thing i checked was the front x member and what i can see it's solid. I think what saved this car is the fact it wasn't stored on grass or dirt which can rust out a car in no time. Condition reminds me of what i call arizona type rust.
Sorry about adding stupid pics. But i'm so tickled about this car so far. I striped the fenders and doors tonight and after scraping the undercoating of the inside of the fenders i couldn't believe the original paint under it. Frt of the fenders are rusted out but the lower inners are solid. Hard to find a car like this around here
I don't know if I would call those stupid pics, there are a lot of folks on here who may have never seen that nice a set of '56 front fenders. Keep on postin'.
Both of the ones I had, had the fresh air tubes rotted completely off. You made a nice score, tedley. '56 hardtops are one of my favorite cars, hands down.
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