History 1956 Ford Thunderbird find, eventually buy, and get most of way home!!

Unless it was more than 100mi from home, You would have been VERY happy to have had a AAA Premier membership! It has paid for itself many times over for me, especially when I was commuting 90mi each way to work, & cheap insurance now that I'm retired!! This is NOT A SPONSORED AD, just another "tool in the box" that takes the worry out of being on the road!

 

Great story, Al. Fine looking Little Bird!

 

The AAA Premier I have is good for up to 200 miles, upgraded a few years ago

 

Who noticed that it lost the wide whites in the time between us finding it and leaving with it?
We THINK it still had the wide whites on it when we looked at it a few days after we found it but don't think she would have put new tires on it AFTER we agreed on a price!
We took some pictures on our first visit but none with tires showing.
These pictures were taken after the test drives.


I was told by the rodder that had a 55 that the original carburetors gave much trouble.
He said he replaced his with a small Edelbrock... sounds like a new opportunity!
Going online looking for deals... any other suggestions regarding the carb?
Thanks.

 

I can tell you I ditched my 56 Ford teapot in favor of a later model carburetor via a 57 intake and different distributor. And, now that you mention your problems, that does remind me of when my teapot used to overflow flooding it to death where it wouldn't restart.

 

That's a gorgeous car, but what happened to the "wide white walls". Seems kinda shady to me...

 

Dind't this car have a "toilet bowl "Holley? I don't know if it's easy to get parts, but those were pretty well respected, back in the day, and were used on Ford and International engines through the fifties and sixties. Pretty reliable..ds

 

The coil is a good shot, but the condenser is also a prime suspect. Like everyone else Yblock owners have a problem finding quality condensers.
Properly rebuilt the t pots are ok. Remember if you change the carb you have to change to a later model distributor, then there’s the tach drive, etc. and you’ll need an adapter to get anything modern on that manifold. But that’s for the future after its home.

I’ve got a similar story from 20 years ago when I bought my 55, but it’s your thread.

oops, Guthrie types faster than me.

 

I know here in Pa AAA is the only one who can transfer an the Antique plate from one car to another. It will take a few hours, which is amazing if you've ever dealt with them before.. AAA has all the correct paper work and they make it happen like no one else can..

 

Your very first pic of it under a tarp has WW and the pics at the gas station have thin line. Somebody changed the tires on you although I prefer the thin lines to the WW on this car.

Nice looking Bird by the way.

 

What did you do with the hard top? They are very hard to come by and expensive.

 

From the photos, I would say the left side has wide whites and the right side has thins.

 

It didn't break down, It failed to proceed !!!

 

....Good catch, Phil.

 

The car remained at the gas station until later in the afternoon. When I got there this note was on the car.
I texted a picture of the note to my son-in-law and daughter and told them I get a very good offer for the car and we would look for another one for him!
I quickly added that I was kidding! It is a good story you will have to admit.
Anyway, I brought the trailer but no help to get it loaded. I hoped it would start and I would just drive it on the trailer. I set the trailer up and recruited a nice young mother that was pumping gas and on her way to soccer practice to watch me while I drove on. She promptly got dead center in front of the trailer! I waved her over to the side and told her to take off if things went wrong.

It started right up and we were underway! I looped the parking lot to line it up and drove right on the trailer with help from my new assistant. Happy time for me!!

Tied down and ready to go but folks kept stopping and asking to take pictures... all wished it was theirs.

Have to include the kind fella that managed the place and readily offered his help in pushing the car to a holding spot and assured me it was fine to leave it there until we could get it. He, too, would have been happy to "store" it for me.

 

I towed it home without incident and picked up a new battery and coil on the way home.
It started right up and I drove it off the trailer and parked it here for my son-in-law to see when he got home from a full day of well related service calls.
He was VERY happy when he got home.
We replaced the ignition resistor and coil before calling it an evening. I'm sure he will continue to clean it into the night.
Dang thing looks like a winner to me!
Time will tell.

 

Man that is pretty.

 

Looks like a winner to me. I've been wanting a baby 'bird. 1956 is the best of the three babies.

 

Dang....should have made an offer the first time it broke down !

 

...........Now both sides are "thins"!..I'm very confused.............Glad you got it safely home, Al.

 

What a beauty. Great story Al.
My wife would die for that one.
Car running well now?

 

Gr8 car, story & folks who helped. Thanks for "the ride" ?

 

Very nice car! Recently I broke down with my 56 F100 (fuel pump) and had to be towed w / tow rope back home thru town. We towed it along the shoulder of road about 20 mph. A guy came along side in a mini van and stayed there, soon down came his passenger window and he yelled "you wanta sell it?". NO, I yelled back and he took off. I thought that was odd, but I also have left notes on cars before, never did hear from any of them though...

 

Beautiful car!
And a great story!

P.S. To help ease the crowding, if you need me to store that ol’ cabriolet for you, I’ll be right up.

 

^^ Which cabriolet? The 32 or the 36 that I drove to LARS in 2016?
A kind offer indeed! So far, with the 32 sedan delivery gone to CA; I'm doing okay... unless I can convince son-in-law he won't like the Tbird!!

 

Love the two seat T-Birds! Congratulations on this score.

 

this

 

I completed a review of past service work on the car and seems like most of the normal key issues were addressed in 2017 and 2018. Brakes and all related parts in the system. New fuel tank and all related parts including rebuilding carb and new fuel pump. Ignition system including new points, rotor, condensor, and coil. I'm still suspicious of the carburetor and still think there is something haywire in the electrical system that comes and goes!
Opportunities!
Next we gotta get top back off so can properly "profile!" If it will start!!

 

In my similar experience, I would suspect the carburetor and/or condensor. Both have bitten me on separate occasions on my y-block. First, the recently rebuilt carburetor would overflow flooding itself. Then, when I swapped it out for a 3x2, the condensor in a remanufactured distributor bit me making me think my three Holley 94's were the issue...weak spark that came and went...

 

See if it has a inline resistor line I once did a cross motor swap of a Pontiac motor into a 67 Elco, the Pontiac wring was spliced into the the Chevy and I had the same problem of running then getting warm, then dieing. It took a parts house clerk to mention that he had a Pontiac and they had a resistor, they are a factory circuit breaker. I found the sucker right before the distributor....
If not I will come out and relive you of your troubles,,, I am nice that way,l,,,
Great car, keep up the reports!!!