Found a running '56 Ford 4dr Customline in great shape for $1500 (maybe even less). Its dark primer grey with a blue interior and no rust, great underneath and the interior is all original and intact (headliner has some issues). Ive seen alot of old pictures of people racing 4dr sedans in the '50s. How would this car be with black steelies and WW bias plys, and a 4spd 4x2 283 mill? Think this would be something worth getting involved in or am I just pulling ideas out of my ***? Anyone have any related pics? Thanks, -Dean
MrExotica runs a '56 four door with a very healthy 351, flat black, black steelies. Maybe he'll pop in with a pic.... And check out sean's 57 four door. One of the baddest 4 doors I've ever seen.
Back in my high school days, the mid to late '60s, a bunch of us rodded 4 doors. Here in Ohio salt country, we tended to build what was solid and cheap. In fact, my first car was a '55 Ford Customline moredoor and was shaping up right nicely until a drunk plowed into it... So I'd say go for it, except I'd p*** on the 283. '55-'56 Fords kinda like FE's or Y Blocks best... Jan
here ya go for my once-in-a-blue-moon post by the way, the Windsor was a small pain in the ***, even with adaptor motor & trans mounts, I still had to re-work the firewall. At least it ain't a SBC! (The guy who lost at the strip has a SBC...)
Hell yes, this would be an awesome car. No SBC, though. I could dig a 500 Cad or something, though, Fordor Fordillac.
Wish I had taken more pictures at what used to be Podolak's (spelling??) old yard in Elbridge. Way way in the back there was a 55 or 56 Ford 2-door sedan. It had been repainted red on a green interior and presumably was green outside originally. To this they added a pair of white stripes down the p***enger side of the hood, roof and deck a-la 60's road race and sports cars. It wasn't in bad shape (although sitting flat on the ground the frame was probably shot by then), it looked like no one had really touched it since it got stuck back there. Some rocker arms were out of the engine, I think. My guess is it had been a '60's high school ride of some sort. I don't remember any body mods to it, but I think it had had a small number on it as well, also in white. 68 maybe. Maybe I should take digitals of the prints I do have and post them sometime. Nash (who bought it from the widow) crushed most of the old stuff out around 1995-ish. I always have wondered where the solid, no front clip '55 Ford panel went to. And the two 50's Stude 2-door wagons - one like a '57, the other a 55 maybe. I should have took the fender with Dennis The Menace and I forget what was written in Spanish below it, off a '57 Chevy 4-door hulk, too. Anyways, thats another idea for you. Rod it if you like the car a lot, because it will be hard to sell if you change your mind later (or convert it to a 2-door as in some other posts). If the stock motor works, run that; if you want to change it how about a 352 or a 430 Lincoln? Or you could take the core 390 my buddy has out of a '65 Merc and build that for it.
A few years back a guy in our neighborhood had a 56 Ford 4 door as his only family car. He painted it two tone purple and white, lowered it about 3 inches, put on some chrome wheels and gl*** packs. A very simple and eye catching car without breaking the budget. It was the car that changed my mind about 4 doors. I'd say go for it.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120 It's not that hard, way easier than fixing a rusty two door sedan.
I will see if i can get some pics for you. Its like a resto rod. He is going to put it up for sale and build a roadster after it sells.
I would run with it.............nice 4 door near the house but the guy won't part with it...........can't really blame him........his grandfather bought it new........
Four doors . . . . let me think. Better to be a participant than a spectator. If four doors get you to the party, come on.
My first custom was a 1953 Ford Customline 4dr. I'm a believer in building what you can with what you got.
I like the idea of a 4dr better! But it's gotta run strong. Set it up so that you can easily crush the status quo. IMO a 283 wont get it done, go for the beef and slide a 430 Lincoln or a 460 Ford in there. I'll never forget one day at the drags when a guy showed up with a ratty looking `71 "snubnose" Econoline that people were smiling and pointing at till it made a p***. Seems the dude managed to pack a 460 under the doghouse and he was partying in the high 12's! That thing was fast enough to trailer a large percentage of the street driven vehicles that were there. That vehicle was bad***!
Drop in a hu****us 'ol MEL 430 or 462 with 6x2s and no one will even notice how many doors ya got, besides they won't even be able to count 'em through all that tire smoke! Rod? Hell yes, more so than any old wimpy small-block 2 door could ever be.
Hmm, indeed. I'm seeing it flat black with a white firewall and no hood, the insides of all the carb scoops painted red, nose down with wide whites on black steelies with chrome lugs. 100% bad***. Just leave the rear doorhandles on to rub their noses in it when you beat the snot out of their car light-to-light.
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