1956 Ford Thunderbird

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Manual

P6FH229352

Clear

Gasoline

This is a great little car. I have owned it for8 years, and have driven it less than 3000 miles. It is licensed as a historic vehicle which means I drive it in parades and to and from shows and events. I must admit there are those special Sunday afternoon drives now and again as well. Odometer shows about 52000 but I have no way of knowing whether that is actual. About 3 weeks ago the cable popped off, but it is now inside for the winter so I am not adding miles to it, anyway. The title, when I got it came from Florida meaning to us in Michigan – no rust. It has a 312 V-8 with a 3 speed stick on the floor and a wonderful working overdrive. Get it up to 45 in 3rd, momentarily take your foot off the gas and you will feel it gently ease in. The difference? At 60 mph instead of cranking 3000 RPMs you will be cranking 2000 and it will be almost whisper quiet. No engine, clutch, transmission, or drive train problems that I am aware of. Electric windows work but wipers are pretty lame. The car seems really solid and has always been garaged while I have owned it and would appear to have been garaged for most if not all its life. During my ownership I have been gradually taking care of things that do not show but needed doing so I have put in a goodly sum of money without it “showing”: New brakes and associated parts, struts, front wheel bearings, and much new wiring. A new pedestal for the battery (the old one was mostly eaten through.) New weather stripping for both tops. “Fishscale” plates welded to a slightly sagging frame (common in older vehicles, particularly convertibles) to restore correct posture. 32-way adjustment of the convertible top, so that it actually opens and closes, replacement of a number of chrome pieces that looked pretty bad including the rear view mirror, getting the overdrive and parking brake to work properly. None of these “show” but they should help the car last and be drivable for another 54 years, I hope. The only major restoration project (there are always minor ones) left as far as I know would be that some day in the next 5 or 10 or so years, depending on how much you drive it, the body should be lifted to replace the rubber mounts between body and frame. They just deteriorate with time. This is another project to increase very-long-term longevity but which is clearly not needed at this time. (The car does not rattle or sag or anything like that.) None of the many things I have done will make her win big shows with serious competition. I personally like that so I don’t have to worry about getting a small chip if I want to take it for a spin and it always leaves something to do, like replace the clock and the radio. (Parts are readily available from several specialty stores, most which will take at least some of the old parts in trade to be rebuilt.) Both the hard and convertible top are in good shape but there was not a perfect fit at the windshield line so I added some extra weather stripping to get an appropriately tight fit. What I don’t like: With the hard top on, the top is so low that I have to almost sit on the edge of the door sill and duck to get in. There is not power steering so it is difficult to turn the wheel unless you are underway. It’s like… well… driving an old car!!!! I thought I would be bothered by the fact that there is no heater but I don’t drive it in cold weather anyway so no problem. I am not sure if the heater was removed at some point or if, as a Florida car, it was ordered without one, as was possible in those days Unexpected things that have impressed me: 1) You have to pump the gas pedal if the engine is cold and let it crank. That’s not what impressed me, though, but the fact that it has always started even when it has been parked in a garage for an entire (Michigan) winter!!! 2) The availability of parts. When I got it I had no idea it would be as easy to get parts as it turned out to be and that the prices would be reasonable, at least it seems to me they are not bad compared to new car parts. Of course the looks and head turning when you cruise the main drag on Friday or Saturday night do NOT surprise me. They are partly why I bought it. I just have too many toys and not enough time. Someone that will drive this car more (even if just a little more) needs to own it. The body does have a number of small dings and, at some time would benefit from a good stripping and paint job. As I have said, my idea of a car to drive has been to keep it that way so I did not have to worry so much about the finish that the fun quotient would be lost. I have additional pictures and can take any other views you particularly want. I have a couple of manuals and parts catalogs around that go with it John A. Haskin