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1956 Ford Restored
Restored   Specs & Data Plate
  M-code Goldenglow Yellow ext paint

1955 Ford Car Brochures Facts Stats Archives   SITE INDEX, click items . . .
1956 Ford Car & Wagon (All) Brochure
Car & Wagon (All)
1956 Ford Fairlane & Crown Victoria Brochure
Fairlane & Crown Victoria
1956 Ford Fairlane Fordor Victoria Brochure
Fairlane Fordor Victoria
1956 Ford Station Wagon Brochure
Station Wagon
1956 Ford Car & Truck Accessories Brochure
Accessories

1956 Ford Police & Emergency Models Brochure
Police & Emergency
1956 Ford Taxi Models Brochure
Taxi
1956 Ford Courier (Sedan Delivery)
Courier (Sedan Delivery)
1956 Ford Car Engines   Clutches   Transmissions   Axles   Tires   Rims
Engines  Clutches  Trans
1956 Ford Owner's Manual
Manual

1956 Ford Car Data Plate Codes
Data Plate Codes
1956 Ford Car Colors
Colors
1956 Ford Car & Accessory Original Prices
Car & Accs Prices
All The Facts About The '56 Ford
All The Facts
1956 Ford Car Shop Manual Tuneup & Oil Change
Shop Man
1956 Ford Car Lifeguard Design Brochure
Lifeguard Design
1956 Ford Car Seat Belts Brochure
Seat Belts
1956 Ford Car SelectAire Conditioner Shop Manual
SelectAire Shop Manual
1956 Meteor   Niagara   Rideau Brochure
Meteor   Niagara   Rideau
Old Ford Part & Information Links
Part Links

1956 Ford Car Shipping & Curb Weights
Shipping & Curb Weights
Ford Motor Company of Canada

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan w/ steel rims & "dog dish" hubcaps
Photos by Chuck Gardiner.
1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan Thunderbird V-8 Fordomatic Dr   (SOLD!)

Restored    Specs & Data Plate

"Lemonade" was my multi-award winning 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan. I owned the car from December, 2003 to May, 2009. It was housed in North Vancouver and Courtenay (in Vancouver Island's beautiful Comox Valley), British Columbia, Canada. Many vendors and parts were involved in the car's extensive restoration. The club for 1954, 1955, and 1956 Fords is the Crown Victoria Association (CVA).

The car's history is mostly unknown before 2003. However, there are copies of a 1992 title and transfer from Wooster, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio; and a 2003 title and transfer from Dearborn, Michigan to North Vancouver, British Columbia. The car was imported to Canada on December 2, 2003. And, after passing government-required safety and AirCare (pollution) tests, it was insured with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), and licenced as a "collector vehicle" with "stock collector plates."

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan w/ 1962-64 Thunderbird-style chrome wire wheels

This 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan has had a body-off-frame restoration to match its data plate codes. Most components have been refurbished or replaced with reproduction or new old stock (NOS) parts. All equipment is functional, including:
•  "Console Range" Motorola AM Auto Radio  66MF Ford FDR-18805-B1, 6-tube, CONELRAD (Control of Electronic Radiation) triangle-in-circle "Civil Defense Spot" dial marks for emergency broadcast stations 640 & 1240 kHz AM—required on all American radios 1954-1963 during the Cold War.
  electric clock  w/ sweep-second hand & speed-adjust control
  cigarette lighter  auto pop-out, w/ Ash-Guard.

The all-stock body is complimented w/ new:
  Body Mount Mirrors  pair, repro genuine-accessory w/ chrome Ford-logo
  Road Lamps  pair, repro period-correct chrome w/ Ford-logo, sealed beam bulb, & amber lens
  wire wheels  15 x 5" repro chrome 1962-64 Thunderbird-style (Kelsey-Hayes) w/ 56-spokes
  radial tires  6.70 x 15" w/ correct-width 2-3/4" wide sparkling white sidewalls
  7-inch ground clearance  outer frame to ground, set by upgraded suspension.

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan w/ steel rims & "dog dish" hubcaps

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan w/ 1962-64 Thunderbird-style chrome wire wheels
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Ford advertising stated, "When it comes to 6-passenger sedans, two-door style . . . this beauty has no peer." The Ford Crestmark body colors are Style-Tone Two-Tone ME-code  Goldenglow Yellow  and  Colonial White.

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan w/ ME-code Goldenglow Yellow & Colonial White paint
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Front seat adjustment is manual. Steering is manual. The Lifeguard Design, 18-inch, 3-spoke, deep-center steering wheel requires 4-3/4 turns lock-to-lock. The car has a 41-foot turning diameter. Brakes are manual, "double-seal hydraulic," with "king size" 11-inch drums.

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan L-code Dark/Med Gray nylon cloth upholstery

The Fairlane "Luxury Lounge" interior is "color-harmonized"

"Gray Random Dot Cloth"    L-code Dark Gray Cloth & Med Gray Cloth interior trim:
        •  Dark Gray Cloth  seat bolsters - nub-weave nylon w/ stitched-in 2-in-wide quilted vertical pleats
        •  Medium Gray Cloth  seat cushions & backs - nub-weave nylon w/ interwoven Silver lurex thread & random dot pattern, seat cushions w/ stitched-in 2-inch-wide quilted vertical pleats, seat backs plain w/ fabric-covered buttons
        •  Gray headlining - unnapped cotton w/ embossed diamond-pattern
        •  Dark Gray Metallic  upper/lower instrument panel, garnish moldings, steering wheel/column, seat side shields
        •  Platinum Gray (H-code)  mid instrument panel
        •  Chrome Gray Metallic  sun visor brackets
        •  Gray (Charcoal)  carpet - looped rayon
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1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan L-code Dark/Med Gray nylon cloth upholstery rear seat
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Thunderbird V-8 292-cid engine valve cover

The standard engine in '56 Fairlane and station wagon models is the famous M-code "Thunderbird V-8" Y-block, 2-overhead-valve, 292-cid, 200-hp, 285-lb-ft-torque, (202/289 with Fordomatic Dr). It was also the standard engine in 1955 Thunderbird's and 1955 Mercury's. Only Fairlane V-8 models had dual exhaust "ported through the rear bumper."

M-code Thunderbird V-8 292-cid Y-block engine w/ modern Holley 4160 carb
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On "Lemonade," the original Holley 4000 4-barrel "teapot" carburetor was replaced with a more-dependable, new (1958-up) Holley 4160 390-CFM 4-barrel carb with vacuum secondary and electric choke. It sits on a refurbished (1957-up) 1957 Ford "B" intake manifold. The Holley loadomatic breaker-point dual-diaphram full-vacuum-advance distributor was replaced with a more-responsive rebuilt (1957-up) 1959 Ford single-diaphram vacuum-and-mechanical (centrifugal) advance distributor—the vacuum advance hands off to the centrifugal advance as rpm increases—with PerTronix electronic ignition. Instant throttle response and snappy acceleration are now provided by this torque-rich engine, and the optional rear axle (lower) 3.89:1 ratio gears.

M-code Thunderbird V-8 292-cid Y-block engine w/ modern Holley 4160 carb
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1956 was the first year for Ford's new 12-volt electrical system—with "high-output" 30-amp. generator and "Power Punch" 55-amp. tar-top battery.

The Speed-Trigger Fordomatic Drive (3-speed automatic transmission), in usual "DR" (Drive Range) operation, provides 2nd-gear start-outs and auto up-shifts to 3rd. Flooring the throttle pedal triggers fast-getaway 1st-gear start-outs and auto up-shifts to 2nd and 3rd. Cruising-speed downshifts to Passing Gear (2nd gear) are made by pressing down firmly on the throttle pedal.

The trunk is complete with an original-type Firestone 6.70 x 15-inch bias-4-ply tubeless white sidewall spare tire, a "large plaid" fleese-backed mat, a bumper jack, and a "Jack Instructions" decal. The rear collector plate is enclosed in a rare  genuine accessory chromed frame.

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan trunk
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1956 Ford car data plate 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan Thunderbird V-8 Fordomatic Dr   (SOLD!)

RESTORED AS DATA PLATE CODES
VIN   M 6 F T 332131   70C ME L 13 G 493

SERIAL NO.
M   ENGINE TYPE - Thunderbird V-8  292-cid  200/202-hp
6   MODEL YEAR - 1956
F   ASSEMBLY PLANT - Dearborn, Michigan
T   BODY (STYLE) - Fairlane Tudor/Fordor (Club Sedan 2-dr & Town Sedan 4-dr)
332131   CONSECUTIVE UNIT NO. (starting with 100001) - the 232,131st vehicle (of all models) assembled so far, at the Dearborn plant, for the 1956 model year
70C   BODY (TYPE) - Fairlane Club Sedan (2 dr)
ME   COLOR (BODY) - Style-Tone Two-Tone  Goldenglow Yellow  &  Colonial White
L   TRIM (INTERIOR COLOR) - Dark Gray & Medium Gray Nylon Cloth (w/ random dot Silver Lurex *glittering* metallic thread upholstery & Dark Gray Metallic paint steering wheel/column/molding/instrument panel)
PRODUCTION CODE
13   DAY OF THE MONTH (scheduled for assembly) - on or about the 13th (a Friday)
G   MONTH (scheduled for assembly) - on or about July (1956)
493 - SCHEDULED ITEM NO. (assigned by plant to body) - 493rd vehicle (of all models) scheduled for assembly on July 13, 1956 (Friday)

Heads - ECZ-C
Block - ECZ-6015-C
Connecting Rods - EBU
Main Bearing Caps - EBU
Intake Manifold - 1957 (1957-up) ECZ-9425-B
Carburetor - New (1958-up) Holley 4160 390-CFM 4-bbl w/ vac secondary & elec choke
(replaced the Holley 4000 4-bbl "teapot" carb)
Distributor - 1959 (1957-up) single-diaphram vacuum & mechanical (centrifugal) advance
w/ PerTronix electronic ignition
(replaced the Holley Loadomatic dual-diaphram full-vacuum-advance breaker-point dist)
Transmission - Optional "Speed-Trigger Fordomatic Drive" 3-speed auto, 61D43258
Rear Axle Ratio - Optional 3.89 to 1 (std on '56 Fords w/ I-6 eng & Conv Dr 3-spd trans)
(replaced original 3:22 to 1 ratio for this V-8 Fordomatic Dr car)
Weights - shipping 3,385 lb, curb 3,570 lb (est)

Suggested Price New    Price Lists (here)
•  Los Angeles, Calif., (base) $2,434.80, Fordomatic Dr +$178.20, Style-Tone Two-Tone paint +$26.90, Body Mount Mirrors +$10.20, & White Sidewall Tires +$50 = $2,700.10 USD

•  Washington, D.C.,  (base) $2,555, Fordomatic Dr +$192, Style-Tone Two-Tone paint +$45, Body Mount Mirrors +$10.20, & White Sidewall Tires +$50 = $2,852.20 USD

1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedans Produced - (I-6) 1,328 + (V-8) 141,301 = 142,629
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  Fairlane bodyside sweep bright-metal molding w/ impressed black-painted jet exhaust design at rear . . .