1952-59 Ford 1956 FORD VICTORIA (NEW TO ME)

Hello there H.A.M.B. members!

Here is my recently purchased 1956 Victoria. I'm a younger guy, and this is my first purchase into the 50's era for cars.
It's 100% stock with:
292 Y-block
3 speed with overdrive
Power steering
Manual drum brakes

This thing loves to cruise, but it could use a couple of upgrades.
Looking for advice on:
Power disc brake kit
Radial WWW tires
Any other popular upgrades for these Fords
Late 50's custom touches

Looking for:
57 exhaust manifolds
-B intake
55-56 Merc Wagon taillights
57 Lincoln Premier hub caps

I appreciate any direction you could point me in. Until then, here are a couple of shots of the car!

 

And T-Bird valve covers.

 

Wow! Great find!

For the disc brakes check Stop 'Em and Drop 'Em. I believe he's an Alliance member here so be sure to mention you're a Hamber. For the wide white radials look at Diamondback Tires. Unlike the other major wide white supplier, Diamondback buys real tires and applies their own proprietary white to them. You can drive on them with confidence. The other stuff may take a bit of sleuthing to find. I don't think anybody repops Lincoln hubcaps.

 

Welcome, very nice car and colors. When I got mine it had a 312 w/overdrive. You'll find more and more little things to change the longer you own it.

 

Nice ride. Get in touch with Nascar Dave here on this group about the brakes. I know a guy that may have the y block goodies. PM me and I can forward you his info.

 

Add a 57 and later distributor to your list. You will need it if you use the B manifold and a later carb. Be leery of the re-manufactored ones from the parts stores - some were bogus as to length.

 

Nice buy, 57 exhausts are getting harder to find but they used thru 62. Drop n stop in California has stopped due to illness so I installed Wilwood disc brake kit and am very happy. A little pricey to some but everything worked as designed.
If you go to to a 57 “B” manifold consider a Summit 5-6 or 700 cfm carb. Considered to be one of the best for a Ford yblocks. Ted Eaton of Eaton balancing in Leona Texas has tested everything you can think of on a yblock. Tim McMaster in Hanford California is another yblock expert here on the HAMB and is great to talk to. He has helped many of us,
Also a Blue Thunder or Mummert aluminum intakes Beware of 57-up distributors being sold; many are converted later Fords and have caused problems to some.
I had Diamond Back wide white before changing to different wheels and tires. They are very good.
Consider joining the Crown Victoria****ociation. You don’t need a Crown just a 54-56 Ford/Merc. Also the yblocksforever website for information. They are more specific to our year Ford problems. Heating, trans, rears, etc.
good luck and have fun with your “new” Ford
PS..Merc taillights and Lincoln caps will cost you more than you paid for the car. Consider Lee tailight lenses. A early 60’s custom add on and only $40.

 

Beautiful car!

 

How much has your car been lowered from stock? Looking to get mine down a little, but don't really know how low to go!

 

Mine just has the Aerostar springs in the front and 2” blocks in the rear. Here is a better pic showing stance without a couple 200+ lb guys and a trunk full of junk like in my avatar.

 

That is a killer stance! So with those springs, you'd say that's an all around 2" drop? What size tire can you run with that? Have any problems with scraping with a few people driving around?

 

Thanks! Yea, probably about 2” front and rear and that is with the original rear springs that have likely sagged some in the last 65 years. I have run both 205/75/15’s and now radial (bias-look) 670-15’s. The 6.70-15’s are taller than the previous tires which helped with ground clearance some. I used to drag mufflers sometimes hauling my wife and 4 kids, but also put shallower mufflers on it to resolve that problem. The only thing I otherwise have had any clearance issue with is the driveshaft to the tunnel. When completely loaded, the driveshaft has touched the tunnel a few times although not enough to hurt anything. It took a pretty decent bump to make that happen, but I like to drive my junk and have been driving it this way for almost 20k miles now.

 

Its got 7.10x15 on it now if I remember right. I'm planning on sticking with the WWW bias-look tires. Just wasn't sure what size I could run if it was lowered. But if you're doing fine with 6.70x15, I might have to go with that! Thanks for the help!

 

I have Aerostars and 2" blocks on my wagon. With 6.70x15's I've never had any issues with rubbing or bottoming out. This winter I'm going to put in 3" blocks and take out the 1/2" coil spring spacers. I dont think with another 1" drop there will be any problem at all with tire clearance.

 

Aerostar’s on the front. To make perfect level there is a 1/4” spacer on the top on one side and a 3/8” on the other. Rear is an 8.8 no blocks. 15-6” wheels 205-75 in front and 215-75 on the rear. Tires clear everything. I’m not a guy who wants it too low; just a nice forward rake with no worries about speed bumps, driveways, etc.. I can run the freeways @ 70-75 on the radials and everything fine. Have fun working on your Ford, take your time. I’ve had mine coming on 10 years and am not looking for another.. at 77 this is my last one.

 

Do the Aerostars drop the car 2'', or is that also with the Granada spindle swap?
I'm talking to NASCAR Dave, and he has kits for 1.5" OR 2.5" drop spindles. I'm sticking with the stock spring. I like the look of the 2'' drop you guys have, but can't decide if 2.5'' would be too much?

 

With the drop, the tire size comes into play. I have 215/75-15 radials up front and the tires scrape the fender well on tight turns. The disc kit shoots the tires out a little too. I tried the Aerostars and it was too low, I ended up taking a full coil off my stock '59 springs. Guys with a '55 to '56 may be more helpful, whether 14" or 15" tires worked or didn't.

 

It was an either or for me. Not both, it is over 4” and here and on the Yblocksforever site guys have had to remove one as undrivable for them. There is another way. Removing the lower A arms, removing rivets and adding as spacer after installing the Grenada’s. It keeps the stock spring. The AeroStars are compound wounded change the ride.
Factory Grenada’s are best. Grenada’s out there now are Chinese for the most part.

 

Very cool 56 you have! Love the colors. Our 56 has 1 1/2 coils cut in the front..rear is sagged from factory so no lowering required! The 302 and C4 is the perfect combination for us all these years. We've put on close to 80,000 miles criss crossing Canada and the US. with the old hotrod.

 

I wonder why the Aerostars work for some and not for others? I have them on my wagon with Versailles spindles that offer a additional 1" of lowering and I could go more without any trouble.

 

To be honest, had I known about the Aerostar coils when we lowered our 56, we may have went that route for sure. I cut the coils because social media was just starting then, so I really didn't know about them, and the older fellas around here did it the cut factory coil way! I would encourage any method that works for sure!

 

AeroStars give a softer street ride but do not give a good ride at all times since they are compound wound. Back in 1960 I had a coil and 1/2 cut off the stock coil and still after all this time think it was a better ride.
There are a few freeways I drive where the bridges connect back to the pavement and feel that the ball joints are going to break.

 

Versailles/Granada spindles are not all reamed the same to give the same drop. I believe the range is 1 to 2 1/2 drop depending on how low the spindle sits on the ball joint stud. If your's are 1" drop, it's less than most have optioned for with the 2 1/2.

 

I also wonder how long your Aerostar springs have been in. Mine have been in about 10 years now and I bet they settled a good inch or more over time. I could go lower with not much issue, but I do bottom out my a-frames on the stops that I cut in half fairly regular. I suppose spindles would get me more without affecting that. But, I want a slight tail dragger stance, so really just need the back down a little more.

 

They have been in about 5 years now.

 

The Versailles spindles fit the ball joint without needing any reaming. The Granada are not a direct fit and require the taper to be opened up a bit to fit the ball joints. Everything I have found in my research and from personal experience they only drop the front 1".

 

Finally ordered my power disc brake kit set up with the 2.5in drop! On top of that I found a pair of the elusive 55-56 Merc wagon taillights! It's been a good week for the Victoria!

 

Nice score!

 

Back from deployment, and the first drive in 8 months! Drove like a champ! Great reminder of why I love this car.
Excited to tear into the Drop'Em and Stop'Em power disc brake kit! Thanks to Dave for making and sending such a great, complete kit.
Found a little surprise when I started in on the brakes! I'll update as I go.

 

The Drop n Stop shop in So Cal has stopped doing business if it’s where you received your parts because of health reasons. They had great parts kits.

Looks like you had some free riders.…

After you have completed the front and if your going to keep the stock rear drums they can be converted to self adjusters for later model big Fords with the 11” drums.