If someone wanted to upgrade or restore, this might be a great one to do. Rare 4 door hardtop, looks like with factory A/C, Pwr Strng, padded dash. . and a $400 starting bid. Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-...18c90ce56&item=281531174486&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
Looks like a 4 door Fairlane to me,,where is the crown trim over the top? I can't say I have ever seen a 4 door Victoria,but that's not to say they never existed. HRP
There's no padded dash nor was there ever one in it. The A/C compressor is missing too. What a sad mess. It has a 3 on the tree, wonder if it has o/d.
I wouldn't mind having it... they are a very nice car. A real enjoyable ride during the summer with all windows down. A fella over on Alexandria, VA had one - Bob Eucker by name.
re: "crown trim over the top"... I agree, it's not a CV (I think they were only tudors). My brother is currently restoring a '56 Fairlane Victoria 4dr hardtop. Dash looked like it was padded at first glance, but you're correct. Missing ash tray too I guess that's kind-of what lead me to think it was padded.....they're different between pad & not. Yup a mess but still, if the price doesn't go to ludicrous might make a nice resto project. QUESTION - what is that knob at right side of the lighter socket that's pulled out? My '56 doesn't have that one. I don't have A/C or O/D in mine. Just wondering.
that right knob is an aftermarket choke cable. 56 Fords did not have manual chokes, only automatic chokes from the factory. The carb should have been an ECG 6 if it was originally a 2 barrel. Hard to believe though this car had A/C and power steering and still only had a 2 barrel on it. There were quite a few 292's back then in 56 that came with a 4 barrel teapot. Who knows, maybe someone changed the intake and carb at a later date.
Was the extra trim around the gauge cluster found on the higher trim models? The 56 dash I put in my 55 does not have the trim but the dash in my dad's '56 Victoria does.
My Fairlane does not have that 'eyebrow' trim on above the instruments (I thought it did but I was thinking of the parts car I have - it has a padded dash and those moldings). I'm not sure if 272s were factory engines in the Fairlanes. The fender emblem (Thunderbird) - if original on this car, was used only for the 292s and 312s. 272s had a V8 emblem that was different, and I think they also had the top/front crossover "arm burner" exhaust pipe.
My Fairlane doesn't have that trim either but it was built on Oct 21, 1955 so it could have been used later in production. Yes, the 272 cars would have had a different V8 emblem on the fender than what's on this one and yes they would have had the cross-over pipe. BTW, the ad photos of this car are over 4 years old. I imagine it's in worse shape now.
For what it is worth Ford made 32,111 Fordor Victorias in 1956. And the P at the front of the serial number says it originally was a 312, although with the 2 barrel on it now there is no telling what the engine might be. Depending on what all is left of the A/C components plus the power steering makes it at worst an excellent parts car. Especially if it does have an OD. As high optioned as this car is it would be a reasonable bet it at least left the factory with one.
I liked those 4-door Victorias; they had nice proportions. They're pretty much extinct now, though; I haven't seen one in the last 40 years. It would be a nice & unusual car if restored, but that's way more work than I'd be interested in.
This is a pic of the '56 Fordor Hardtop Victoria that my brother bought a year or so ago. The seller started to rat it; my brother is bringing it back to near-stock. It's a very solid southern car but had earlier crash damage to the left rear 1/4 panel - and lots of bondo! Being replaced with good sheet metal from the donor car I had. All of the stainless and chrome will be reinstalled.
I think the car had a padded dash. That is what the trim is over the cluster. In '66 I took the padding off my '56 Victoria because it was in such bad shape. The padding stopped under the trim.
Yup, non-padded dash cars did not have the trim. Even if the car is deteriorated to the point it is only good for parts it still was a decent price.
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