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1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan "Lemonade" Style-Tone Two-Tone ME-code Goldenglow Yellow & Colonial White. Std Thunderbird V-8 292-cid 202-hp eng. Car price $2,555 Wash. D.C. ($2,434.80 L.A. Calif.). Opt Fordomatic Dr +$192, Body Mount Mirrors, & modern Radial White Sidewall Tires. Photo Chuck Gardiner. (See photo below.)
Example VIN decoded: * M 6 F T 332131 * 70C ME L 13 G 493
SERIAL NO.:
M ENGINE TYPE - 292 CID Thunderbird V-8
6 PRODUCTION YEAR - 1956
F ASSEMBLY PLANT - Dearborn, Michigan
T BODY STYLE - Fairlane Tudor (2-dr Club Sedan) & Fairlane Fordor (4-dr Town Sedan)
332131 CONSECUTIVE UNIT NO. (sequence of assembly no. starting at 100001) - the 232,131st of all 1956 Ford vehicle models assembled at Dearborn
70C BODY (TYPE) - Fairlane Club Sedan (2-dr)
ME COLOR (EXTERIOR PAINT) - M-code Goldenglow Yellow (lower & roof) & E-code Colonial White Paint (upper)
L TRIM (INTERIOR COLOR SCHEME) - Dark Gray & Medium Gray (random dot Silver Lurex glittering metallic thread) Nylon Cloth Upholstery, Dark Gray Metallic Paint
PRODUCTION CODE:
13 DAY OF THE MONTH (vehicle completed) - 13th (a Friday)
G MONTH (vehicle assembled) - July
493 - SCHEDULED ITEM NO. (assigned to the body by the Dearborn plant) - the 493rd of all vehicle models scheduled for assembly on Friday, July 13, 1956
(See photo above.) Added opt Front Fender Ornaments, Rocker Panel Trim, Rear Fender Shields, & aftermarket 1962-62 Thunderbird Wire Wheels. Photo Chuck Gardiner.
Data Plate decoder links:1956 Ford & 1953-1959 Ford, VINmagic.com Classic Car VIN Decoder
CVA Teck Talk 1955-56 Ford VIN Plate, Credit Joe Shields, Chief Judge, CVA
Crown Victoria Association (CVA)
1956 Ford Color Codes - Ford Paint Cross-Reference PaintRef.com
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NOTE A letter following the Production Code Scheduled Item No. usually denotes a variation of some sort from normal production— a possible "special order" car.
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1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan Top trim. L-code Dark Gray nylon cloth & Medium Gray nylon cloth (w/ random dot silver Lurex metallic thread) upholstery. Dark Gray vinyl & Light Gray quilted vinyl door panels. Dark Gray Metallic seat side shields, garnish moldings, steering wheel & column, & upper & lower instrument panel. Platinum Gray mid instrument panel. Photo Chuck Gardiner.
Technical Service Bulletin #366, Aug 6, 1956, D-2
312 Cubic inch eight cylinder engines - 1956 Fairlane, Customline, and Mainline Models
We have been advised that approximately sixty-five [65] 312 cubic inch engines with automatic transmissions and four hundred and fifty-five [455] 312 cubic inch engines with standard transmissions have been used in 1956 Fairlane, Customline, and Mainline models in place of the 292 cubic inch ["M" code] engine with the four barrel carburetor.
Since these engines were shipped with the regular passenger car decals ["Thunderbird V-8"] on the rocker covers [and not the 312 cubic inch "P" code "Thunderbird Special V-8" decals] it will not be possible to identify them by this means. The identification of such units with these [312 cubic inch] engines in this case is made by the letter "S" [instead of "P," as the first letter] in the vehicle serial number and a daub of yellow heat resisting paint about two inches square on the forward portion of the engine.
312 Cubic inch eight cylinder engines - 1956 Fairlane, Customline, and Mainline Models
We have been advised that approximately sixty-five [65] 312 cubic inch engines with automatic transmissions and four hundred and fifty-five [455] 312 cubic inch engines with standard transmissions have been used in 1956 Fairlane, Customline, and Mainline models in place of the 292 cubic inch ["M" code] engine with the four barrel carburetor.
Since these engines were shipped with the regular passenger car decals ["Thunderbird V-8"] on the rocker covers [and not the 312 cubic inch "P" code "Thunderbird Special V-8" decals] it will not be possible to identify them by this means. The identification of such units with these [312 cubic inch] engines in this case is made by the letter "S" [instead of "P," as the first letter] in the vehicle serial number and a daub of yellow heat resisting paint about two inches square on the forward portion of the engine.
Mainline Tudor Business Sedan (2 dr, 3 pass, Base trim)
Mainline Tudor Sedan (2 dr, 6 pass, Base trim)
Mainline Fordor Sedan (4 dr, 6 pass, Base trim)
Customline Tudor Sedan (2 dr, 6 pass, Mid trim)
Customline Fordor Sedan (4 dr, 6 pass, Mid trim)
Customline Victoria (2 dr, 6 pass, Mid trim, "open air" hardtop)
Fairlane Club Sedan (2 dr, 6 pass, Top trim))
Fairlane Town Sedan (4 dr, 6 pass, Top trim)
Fairlane Victoria (2 dr, 6 pass, Top trim, "open air" hardtop)
Fairlane Fordor Victoria Brochure (4 dr, 6 pass, Top trim, "open air" hardtop)
Fairlane Crown Victoria (2 dr, 6 pass, Top trim)
Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner (2 dr, 6 pass, Top trim, blue-green tinted transparent 1/4-in thick acrylic plastic "sky-view" roof section w/ a zippered "aluminized nylon" sunshade)
Fairlane Sunliner (2 dr, 6 pass, Top trim, rayon or vinyl convertible top w/ electro-hydraulic operating mechanism, clear plastic rear window fastened at bottom & zippered sides & top, vinyl plastic boot)
Ranch Wagon (2 dr, 6 pass, Base trim)
Custom Ranch Wagon (2 dr, 6 pass, Base trim+)
6-passenger Country Sedan (4 dr, 6 pass, Mid trim)
8-passenger Country Sedan (4 dr, 8 pass, Mid trim)
Parklane (2 dr, 6 pass, "Sport" Ranch Wagon, Top trim)
Country Squire (4 dr, 8 pass, Top trim, mahogany-grain-finished steel bodyside & rear panels framed by maple-grain-finished glass-fibre moldings & a maple-grain-finish between beltline & roof drip moldings
Courier (Sedan Delivery) Brochure (2 dr, 1 pass [driver] bucket seat, Base or Top trim, side-hinged rear door holds open)
