1955 Ford Mainline Makeover

It's always something special when a car that old is kept in the family !
You are really good at what you are doing . Great job & well done ! I have also heard from many people to " Just pay someone to do the headliner " !
You will be making your Dad very happy when he gets to see the car all finished .
Does he have any idea that it will be done soon ?
I have a 55 Fairlane fordor and I am going to remove all the trim . What I really would like is the trim from a Customline . The trim is a straight piece down the side of the car only and doesn't go over the the top of the front fender like a Vicky .

Keep up the great work and keep the pictures coming too !

 

Really like what your doing with the 55. When in high school I was luckey enough to get my first brand new car,a 55 fairlane std shift with 292 4bb motor. That was hot stuff in those days.Always enjoy seeing you younger guys get involved with the older cars and you have done one hell of a job with your project. When totaly done please post some pictures of it and thanks for all postings to date

 

Nice work< I love those 55 post cars. Plain jane is the look for that year Ford. love the color too

 

I know you like the trim but i had a mainline cpe without, and it looked *****in , raked, ww slicks, little hubcaps and wheel rings. you won,t find many original no trim mainlines.

 

Nice transformation man, the car looks pretty solid. In the end it will all be worth the time you have put into this puppy, keep up the good work.

 

I think the '55 Customline straight spear would look better than the '56 Fairlane, especially since your car's such a "stripper" with virtually no options, but that's my opinion. I remember a Seafoam Green '55 Customline tudor that floated around my home town for years and lusted after it.

As for the data plate codes, I'd wager the 'A' following the 'G' is for the interior code, because 'A' would have been Black (my '55 Vicky was a tutone AE for black lower body and white roof). the '3A' is probably the date code for January 3 '55. KL would be the sales district if I am interpreting correctly from what I know about '55 codes, which I'd have to verify: if so, the 3006 would indicate it was the 3006th unit ordered in/shipped to that particular district, while B indicates type of production order? Again, more digging needed - have info in factory service bulletins but I don't keep those at work.

 

You're really doing a beautiful job. I think you're right to add some side trim; the Mainline is just too plain.

I, too, like the '55 Customline trim best (note picture below) but it's very hard to find. Your car will look great with the '56 Fairlane bling too.

 

The car is historical! At least in the family. If it was going to get a 427 Cammer engine and tubbed yadda yadda for me the drilling of the holes and adding non-stock side trim is no big deal, but come on, what a cream puff stocker!

Cars like that should be left as originally equipped, this one is a total stripper, that is what in my view makes it different from the others that have been tarted up with Pep Boys or Summit Chinese ****.

Carry on.


A Mainline with no foo-foo is a great time capsule machine. Try going to a Ford dealer today and buying a car without power everything, much less a "no radio" car.

 

Great work in a short ammount of time! Lookin good, can't wait to see the finished product!

 

You guys are killin' me! I want to do it for my dad - he wants to bling it up. It's not that big a deal to come back in a few years and remove the trim and re-spray it all green. I'm a paint and body guy anyway. I admit it's cool that's in such original condition, but for a parade car (what he wants) it's just not much to look at.

 

I know, I know, it's your car, but damn it, when you put up all them cool pics it makes me think back to seeing oldies like this on the road, plain Jane, reminds me also of a bootleg car.

Here's an idea --- vinyl trim or painted on trim! No drill bits involved.

 

I couldn't agree more. It would have taken me MONTHS (maybe even a year or 2) to do what youve done in WEEKS! Great job, and for all it's worth...I like the trim. I've got a 57 chevy 150 and the first thing I did was rip the trim off , "E-bayed" it , and started buying Bel Air trim....

 

waaaay to cheesy - I'll be looking into double sided molding tape......

 

Be it a rare 71 Hemi Cuda or a cool old Ford like this Mainline, there's something truly special about a "NBFW" car.


I love this old Ford!

Fill that damn trunk up with jugs... (yeah I know a bootlegger would be a V8)

 

I did buy an old crate of milk bottles to put in the trunk:



Full of bottles like these:

 

my kid would do it my way too, so do it!. no better reason, was just my 2 cents in case youse was on the fence. Fact he had a 55 chev utility sedan an it looked much like the Mainline, [dark blu], he wants another one, but I,m telling him to get a Mainline, I really liked mine. oh now I read he said do it your way! oh well jus keep doin it!

 

Sorry for the picture overload but I'm a picture ***** like Wes!

Got the headliner cleaned yesterday and installed the og dome light:


Painted the inside trim yesterday and installed most of it today:

 

My H.S. graduation present was a well used 55 ford customline two-door [straight strip of stainless all the way down the side] in that same green with an off-white top. Had a 272, 2 bbl and an overdrive. I loved that car even if it had the rear main seal out of it. I replaced the seal and it began leaking 15 mintues later...the main bearings were just plain shot.
I drove it that way up to my departure date to go into the army....by now it had chrome reverse wheels and cheater slicks on the back. I drove it to the bus station and stopped at a used car lot next door to the station....gave me 35 bucks for my car...
I've always wanted another one and I actually found a black 55 fairlane 2 door sedan for 2500 bucks....272, 3 speed runs great..no rust etc etc but I'm hip deep in my 34 ford coupe project...can't tolerate any diversions from it. It's still fun to dream of how I'd do my old 55 now that I have a little $$$ to play with.

 

Here's hoping you find your car someday!!

 

Man thats a bang-up job.
Your Dad will be so proud and the best part will be being able to say
"It wasnt too late"!

 

That car is drop dead gorgeous in that color and it's simplicity!! Great job you did and for all the right reasons!!! Your work and work ethic is an inspiration!!!!

gaspumpchas

" Hey, John, can I drop by the shop with my Mopar so you can tack weld the bumper brackets?" Tony Nancy doing a cameo in AG with Milner behind the gas station....

 

I just noticed this: in this pic you can see where the key chain had been banging the dash back in the day! I love that it has the original keys (and key chain) and that the dash my dad will be looking at is the same one his grandpa looked at. It's just rich man.

 

Very Cool... The pic of your mom and pop the day you picked it up is priceless man... put a copy of it in the glove box for memories always..

It's gonna look sweet...

 

This one is looking great! I think you have a great understanding of the emotion that most of us attach to our cars, like your dad, so many of the rest of the population just don't get it..
They have their art, antiques and stick & ball sports, which is really the same as we are with our rides, but they tell us we're crazy for loving cars???

Question, where did you get the weather stripping that goes around the door opening that attaches to the body? all I can seem to find is the black rubber that attaches to the door it self

 

Just way too cool, the car and the story. Good luck, great job.

 

The windlace($90) is from this guy:
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Auto-Headliner-Mart__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

Finished almost all interior today.

Replaced p***enger side gl***es - install rear shelf behind back seat - installed seats and seat skirts - made new kick panels and carpeted them - made new fill panels for the trunk.

 

Wow, great job. Really great!

 

excellent work man . good for you

 

Got the car in it's first coat of primer today. I'll dry block it over the weekend and the be ready for a second prime coat. I should be ready to wet sand and prep it for paint from there. The plan is to be in the paint booth next weekend. That will leave me 2 weeks to finish ***embly.