Sometimes it’s just not fair for Ford fans. The 1955 and 1956 Fords were, by anyone’s standards, beautiful cars, especially the Victoria hardtops and Sunliner convertibles. Of course, Chevrolet had to come along with their Tri-Fives and steal the spotlight for the next seventy years. Don’t let that get you down, Ford people; there’s nothing wrong with being in the Chevy’s shadow, because it would be hard to imagine a solid Bel Air hardtop selling for the same $17,100 asking price as this 1956 Victoria. First-class Barn Finder T.J. found it on craigslist in Los Gatos, California, and while it’s certainly cheaper than a comparable Chevy, it’s definitely not a get-in-and-go purchase.
I love when a seller includes a door tag or a data plate. It’s immediately clear that this Victoria sends up no red flags in terms of equipment.
Let’s start with the serial number:
- M: 202-horsepower 292 “Thunderbird” V8
- 6: 1956 model year
- U: Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant
- V: Victoria hardtop bodystyle
The second line tells us some more:
- 64C: Fairlane Victoria
- GE: Two-tone “Meadowmist Green” and “Colonial White”
- C: Light Green Vinyl and Medium Green Cloth interior trim
- 28-K: Scheduled October 28th (1955, I assume) build date
Here’s the 292, a member of Ford’s “Y-Block” engine family, their first overhead-valve V8. The seller says the following: The “engine runs well, doesn’t smoke but has loud valve tick,” and the “car runs but it would benefit from a carburetor rebuild.” All signs point to a car that’s been sitting for a long time, and Y-Blocks were known to gum up their oiling passages. The loud valve tick is not a sticking hydraulic lifter; all Y-Blocks have solid lifters. Therefore, you could be dealing with anything from a stuck valve to a bent pushrod to who knows what. Regardless, it would be a good idea to remove both rocker arm assemblies for a good cleaning and check for stuck valves before going any further. Then, you can worry about the carburetor, which should be the Holley “Teapot” four-barrel. Maybe Y-Block experts can chime in here, but I believe that if you upgrade the carburetor to a more modern unit, you also have to change the distributor to one from a post-1956 Ford.
The interior is in “great shape” according to the seller, but they do include a picture of the headliner, which is probably going to need replacing. You might eventually want to add a carpet to the list as well, although it’s not a rush.
The text in the advertisement mentions that the car has 95 percent of its original paint, but it certainly looks as if this area has been repainted.
As has the hood. Maybe the seller is just pointing out areas that have been touched up, but being cynical, I’d imagine that the car has had a quick paint job in its original colors at some point in its life. Other minor issues: a cracked driver’s window (easily cut by a glass shop) and old tires.
OK, so it’s a project. Nevertheless, it’s a 96,400-mile project with almost no rust. I’m having a hard time deciding whether this Victoria is priced in the right ball park or not. Cars of the ’50s have certainly taken a hit in value over the last decade, but this is a desirable model in a desirable ’50s color scheme, and it’s not in bad shape; it just needs a lot of “car that’s been parked for decades” stuff. What do you think?
Great write up Aaron. I have a soft spot for ’55 and ’56 Fords. My Dads first car was a ’55 Crown Vic. ( Pink and white continental kit, 272 2 barrel……. It was the 50’s, What can I say???) This one certainly deserves some attention, straighten the dings out strip it down and a good quality paint job. I remember my Dad saying how that the ’57 Ford outsold the ’57 Chevys, and yet, look at what mostly wound up in the junkyards ( his words not mine), but Aaron reinforced that point in his opening statement ( granted I moved the needle to the ’57 models as well). Ford had some beautiful lines and color combos on their Fairlanes and Crown Vics, and the two tone truly accents it. One big difference between the ’56 and ’55 is Ford did away with the see thru speedometer. I remember my father saying that at times it was hard to see. The ’56 Dash fixed that. I hope this gets restored to stock conditon. It will look absolutely stunning.
The first thing I thought of when I saw the leading pic was a neighbor and my dads mechanic who had same pink and white 55/56s. I also had a second cousin that had a tan and white one.
These cars looked good with the skirts and Continental kits.
I personally think that what you said makes an absolute amount of sense even though I have only owned 2 Fords in my life and I am 72. I have driven Chevys since 1978. Bad experience with a T Bird in 78. I am currently driving for fun a 2000 C5 Corvette, plus a 1 year old Chevy Blazer. I agree with you that any car that has a little use in it should be restored!! Thanks for listening!!
That is a fine looking Ford at a fair price. My first memory of these was when my dad brought home a 56 two door sedan in red and white, loved it. Looking at this one I’m conflicted, if this is original paint I’d be tempted to do some touch up and blending rather than repaint to keep it as original as possible.
Before either of us was old enough for a driver’s license, a buddy of mine was gifted a 1956 Customline 2 door sedan from a cousin. The two of us spent a bunch of time wrenching on it and learning some of the basics so that’s why I’ve always had a soft spot for the ’55 and ’56 Fords. In those days I dreamed about owning a ’56 Crown Vic.
Beautiful car! Good 1955 1956 Ford were absolutely stunning for a forward, especially. I truly like this color combination of green and white in the matching interior. And this one has an automatic transmission which makes in a modern automobile. Two door hard tops are my favorite. This Ford set up right and could hold six people, had a huge trunk and a V-8. This is an American automobile that the masses bot. We need to see this again today.
The valve ticking is probably due to the Rocker Arm assy. not getting oil, as mentioned oil galleries were prone to clogging, back in the day there was a bypass kit that fed oil thru the valve cover hold down studs.
My 1956 Ford had noisy lifters; it was suffering from a failure common to the y-blocks, one of the cam bearings spun and blocked off the oil passage to the rocker shafts, Outside oil lines got things working, but I saw the workaround every time I opened the hood.
had a friend back in the late sixties that had a 55 Crown Vic, painted Ford Cand apple red looked stunning, with a cobra jet 428 and a C6 trans it was fast and reliable, my opinion much better looking than any of the tri-Chevrolets.
17k with an unknown engine noise. i don’t think so. either fix it or drop your price. buyer could be looking at an engine o/h
Naw, I bet not. Not a complete overhaul.. It’s something simple. Just something in the valve train.
I’m surprised it was only rated at 202 HP. My folks had a new ’56 wagon with a “T- bird”engine; I think it was 225 HP.
I may be wrong; I was 11.
I think it was the 312’s that were advertised at 225 HP.
Had a ’55 Crown Vic in High School (1965). All white with white/blue interior. 312, stick and overdrive. It was cool! Solid lifters require occasional adjustment unlike hydraulic lifters.They can get noisy when that’s needed. In the 60’s many small block Chevy hi performance engines had solid lifters and were high winding engines (remember those hot 327s?). Because of this it was common practice to adjust the lifters a bit loose because they seemed to run better at high RPM. But they could be a bit noisy at idle. It was well known that if such a car pulled up to a stoplight next to you and if you could hear those lifters it was better to not risk being embarrassed when the light turned green. :-) Terry J
I’m not a guy who can do rust repair so I’m bothered most by the rust around the sill plate and the behind the headliner that’s pictured. I might describe it as “minimal visible rust” but I would be afraid there’s more. I’ve had a ’55 Crown Vic, a ’56 convertible and a ’56 Victoria coupe like this one, all of them had a few hidden issues. Looks-wise, I think the Crown Vics and coupes (including the ’56 Customline HT) from these 2 years were nicer than any of the other lower-priced competition. This car is really good-looking, but I think the seller should take $15K and be happy.
These are some of my favourite Fords (as well as the charming Canadian variant, the Meteor). We used to see lots of these Canadian cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and I miss them! Pontiacs with Chevrolet tail lights. Dodge noses with Plymouth tails. Fun stuff!
That data plate has me wondering! It sure looks brand spanking new with no rust or corrosion around the edges or in the rivets.
I agree with Greg, the condition of the body plate looks unusual. Take the black part, no scratches or anything, and then the alloy showing has not weathered at all. Look at how the door sill alloy plates look. Also look at the body paint around the body plate, it’s all weather with signs of paint blister etc. I’m sure I’ve seen that you can get new body plates stamped up somewhere in the US, nothing wrong with that at all, but if the seller has done this he show advise so.
if it was a simple fix why is not fixed then??
As a teenager around 1970, I drove a nearly identical ’56 Ford hardtop as shown. Solid black, it didn’t have the pizazz as a two-tone and in southeast summers the replacement black vinyl interior seat inserts and metal trim everywhere, made it difficult to sit in much less hold that giant steering wheel with no power steering. The one pictured has an interesting radio delete. My radio never worked so I guess it was the same. Moving up from a 55 Customline, it was a more reliable car with the much improved 12V system.
The Y-blocks tend to get bad press, deserved or not. Nonetheless, they had a 10 year run and did their job. But, mine ran fine especially after I replaced that horrible Holley 4-bbl with a Rochester from a 52 Oldsmobile. Bolted right to the intake. Yes, it really worked great and delivered around 18 mpg. Mechanics back then knew the tricks. Even so, we rebuilt the engine at 114,000 miles after the rear seal failed. Upon inspection it was decided not to bore the cylinders or grind the original crankshaft. There was however at least an inch of sludge in the oil pan. Another down side was the worn out steering box with no room left for adjustment. There was at least a 1/4 turn of play in the wheel. Luckily we found a good used one in the junk yard (where you had to get all your old car parts in the day) The left front exhaust manifold was prone to cracking at the front bolt. And rust was just beginning behind the wheels. For a 14 year old car, though, it held its own and the ’56 was the best looking Ford of the 1950s IMO.