Features Needed a family car so bought a 56 ford

The wife and I had another daughter 3 months ago and we can't fit all 4 of us in either of the f-1's so I picked this up and put it on the road this weekend. It is rough around the edges and will take some work to be nice but it will replace the green f-1 as the primary family ride once I put seat belts and a quieter exhaust on it.

I friend of mine let me know about it last week and I though the price seemed reasonable....it is odd for me to buy a car that runs when I bought it but this will save me from rushing to finish my other projects and taking shortcuts on them.

 

Good looking car. My 56 works well to haul my family of 6 around.

 

That is a darn nice Ford,,congratulations. HRP

 

Good looking car- 56 is one of my favorite years

 

Looks great.

 

Man that looks awesome. I'm trying to talk my wife into a timidly car like that.

 

A Victoria, Nice!

 

Nice Pennsylvania find ...




Jim

 

Thats great. My family and I get a lot of use out of my 55 Victoria. The trunk is big and holds a big stroller. Enjoy.

 

Check the VIN to see if it is M6EV139445. If it is, I'll show you how it looked when I owned it: continental kit, cruiser skirts, etc.

 

Great looking car, I love 56 Fords. I owned a baby blue and white hardtop like yours many years ago and wish I had it back.

What people forget is that these were really good daily driver cars in their day. Dependable, nice looking ,comfortable, roomy, and easy to keep alive. Makes perfect sense to have one for your family car today, and it will never depreciate.

Good score.

Don

 

Nice!

 

That is a darn nice Ford,,congratulations

 

Nice hardtop. Looks like you will have room for a few more. Check out this group1952-59 Ford Social Group

 

Damn nice Victoria.
My first car I bought was with money earned before I had a license, it was a 55 Town Sedan.

I really like that a lot, enjoy it!

 

Beautiful!
When you have your other projects on the road and you no longer need it as a family hauler, let me know and I can give it a home in Australia! What motor is it running? I used to love listening to the Y-block in my Customline.
Good luck, Drew

 

Ha. I don't think this car us worth shipping accross the ocean!

It looks pretty good but has a lot of old rust repairs using pop rivets, brazing and lead and bondo.

It is pretty much a driver that looks good from 20 feet.

The drivetrain is a 66 289 c4 and 8 inch.


Thanks for the compliments everyone. I am liking the car more and more as I drive it.

 

I've been running the car a good bit am liking it more and more.

So far I:

I converted it to dual pot master cylinder.
Fixed the trunk popper.
Replaced brake and tranny lines.
Fixed some of the wiring and rewired some of the high load stuff.
Rebuilt the carb.
Tuned it up and changed fluids.
Repaired the ebrake.
Re keyed it all on the same key.
Flushed the cooling system and replaced the thermostat and some of the bad hoses.
Got the wipers working.
Put on new tires.
All new exhaust.
Plus did a bunch of cosmetic stuff.

It runs a tad warm on hot days so I have a new rad on the way
And the seatbelts haven't showed up yet so it hasn't taken over full time family duty yet.

 

That is a very nice car and a very nice find! I love it the way it is. Congrats on that find and buy!

 

Looks good and judging by the work you've done to it already, that will be a great family ride.

 

Nice looking 56 John.
GranDad had a 55 brand new, had it for about 12 years. Lots of good memories in that car.
Enjoy.

 

I'd rather have a Victoria hardtop like yours than a Crown Vic. I always thought the hardtops were much more attractive than the Crown Vics, especially the '56 style roof more so than '55. My mother's youngest sister used to have a '56 Victoria 4 door hardtop, buckskin and white 2 tone, would love to have that car now. I have a '55 Fairlane 4 door that my parents bought new, work in progress.

 

The only other all white '56 Vicky I have seen is Neal East's. I know they're out there, but single color Vicky's are rare (most seem to have been 2-tone). That's a nice family car you have there!

 

Great '56 Ford you have.....I'd be smiling nonstop driving her around!

 

Nice family car. I had a blue & white Vicky when I got married back in 1969 and I bought a red & white one in 05. I know you'll come to love it.

 

That looks like a sweet ride. Paint the wheels red and drive them off it.

 

The seatbelts came in and I installed them so the kids got there first ride.

The new rad is supposed to come in tomorow. So I will then be able to run it on hot days.

 

I got the new rad in today and fixed few more minor things. I drove around for an hour and a half and it now stays around 180. But when idling in gear for a few minutes it creeps up to 200 or so but goes back down quick when moving.

I am thinking I may add a helper electric fan to it for heavy traffic days.

I also picked up 2 sets of 56 hubcaps. Full covers and dog dishes. The full covers make the car look like an old mans car so i dont plan on running them. The dog dishes look decent but I am torn about just leaving them off.

I will post up some pics tomorow in the daylight.

Next agenda is a tranny kick down and clean things up under the hood a bit

 

Nice car. I love the '56's. My first 1/25th model was an AMT '56 Ford. had te '56 Meteor grill for a custom look. When I was about 10 I saw a '56 Meteor Rideau hard top. Later when my father in law gave me a '56 Meteor four door rust bucket I went looking for the one I saw when I was ten. Found it in the same backyard hidden by blackberry bushes. I still haven't started it yet but I have one! Meteors could be single, two, or three tone paint schemes and could be ordered with Ford or Mercury colours. So never get rid of yours and enjoy. The Ford van coils springs apparently lower the fron a bit plus a better ride. And apparently Torino spindles (or was it Granada?) can get you dics brakes for a reasonable cost.

 

Nice find! I miss the '56 Vic I had 25 years ago. I will have another!
Eric