1956 Ford Thunderbird - 312 - 3 Speed with Overdrive - Two Tops - Great Driver!

1956 Ford Thunderbird

Up for auction here is a 1956 Ford Thunderbird in excellent mechanical condition. As you can see from the photos it could stand some cosmetic improvements but the car is very solid having been in the south most, if not all of its life. It’s got a little of the “rat rod” patina going on which is really in vogue these days, so you might consider it perfect the way it is. Personally, I’d clean it up and drive the wheels off of it just like it sits. Cosmetics aside, I’ve gone through this car from front to back and spared no expense to make it mechanically sound and ready to drive. It’s the perfect car for someone who wants a project that they can drive and enjoy right away without breaking the bank, and make some improvements here and there while they’re driving it. The previous owner of this Thunderbird purchased it in 1962 somewhere around Memphis, TN and drove it regularly until around 1972 when it was parked, and the current owner purchased it from them earlier this year, still wearing the 1972 license plate. Now it needs a good home with someone who has the time and energy to finish the job. In the sections below I have tried to give an honest and accurate representation of what you're getting for your money, but if you have questions about something that I failed to address please send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Body:

The body on this Thunderbird has minor rust in some of the typical places but looks to be reasonably solid overall. What rust it does have makes me think that it might have been stored outdoors or possibly under a tarp at some point in the last 40 years, but overall the rust is very minor and most of the floorpans still show the nice original black paint. The worst area of rust is the trunk floor pan, as can be seen in the photos. Other than the trunk floor, the rockers have minor rust in the rear on either side and I have included individual photos of each one so that there are no surprises. The entire underside of the car has the typical light surface rust that one would expect to find on a car that has been stored for the last 40 years, but it’s not heavily rusted like a northern car would be. All of the main floorpans and body mounting points are perfectly solid and undamaged. I've tried to show the worst of it in the photos but higher resolution copies are available via email if there is something you would like to see in greater detail. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so you should be able to see everything you need to get an accurate representation of the body condition from the photos below but, as always, please message me if there is something in particular that I haven't shown. This car was originally finished in Raven black, Ford code A and will be absolutely stunning if refinished in that color. The red paint on the car currently was applied sometime in the 1960’s on top of the original black paint and there are several areas where you can see the black. It looks like it was lightly bumped in the right front (minor repair around the headlight but nothing major) and I suspect the color was changed when that was repaired.

Interior:

As with the exterior of this Thunderbird, the interior is a little weathered but complete. The carpet is new but everything else is just like it was when parked in 1972. The seat cover is an older replacement but is still perfectly useable, and the dash is complete and unaltered. The original Town & Country radio is present but not currently working, as is the original clock. The factory tachometer does work but needs to be lubricated. The soft top is present but has been folded up for so long that it won’t stretch far enough to latch, but the top frame itself is in virtually mint condition as shown in the photos. The hardtop is the less common non-porthole version and is in very good condition other than the deteriorated weatherstripping. Please study the photos below carefully to get a good idea of the overall condition of the interior.

Mechanical:

This Thunderbird has been gone through from front to rear in order to ensure that it’s mechanically sound and all of the mechanical systems on the car have been inspected and repaired as necessary. Below is a list of everything that was done and all of the parts that were replaced.

• Rebuilt carburetor
• New fuel pump
• New fuel filter
• New steel and rubber fuel lines (all lines from tank to carb)
• New fuel tank
• New fuel sending unit
• New radiator – heavy duty 4 core
• New water pump
• New radiator and heater hoses
• New thermostat
• New spark plugs
• New spark plug wires and separators
• New Motorcraft battery
• New battery cables
• New generator wiring harness
• New forward body wiring harness
• New main body wiring harness
• New rear body wiring harness
• New headlight wiring harnesses
• New parking light wiring harnesses
• New headlights
• All new light bulbs (parking lamp, tail lamps, dash lamps, etc.)
• New brake master cylinder
• New wheel cylinders
• New rubber brake hoses
• New steel brake lines (every brake line on the car was replaced)
• New brake shoes
• Brake drums resurfaced
• New brake adjusters and hardware kits
• New emergency brake cables
• New shocks, front and rear
• New rear leaf springs and shackles
• New Coker American Classic radial tires (on the four road wheels, spare is a new Coker bias ply tire)
• New carpet
• New seat belts
• New trunk mat

As you can see, there were no expenses spared in getting the car to a point where it would be dependable. It runs well and drives great, and I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to jump in it tomorrow and head anywhere. The exhaust system is about the only thing that we didn’t replace, but it doesn’t seem to leak so we just left it alone. The engine seems to be very healthy. It’s got good compression, runs quietly and pulls strong. The manual transmission shifts fine and doesn’t make any unusual noises. I haven’t tried out the overdrive unit so I can’t say for sure whether it works properly or not. The rear end looked fine when I had the cover off to change the gear oil and it doesn’t make any noise while driving. Overall the car is in excellent mechanical condition and needs nothing to be driven and enjoyed right away.

Other:

Below is a photo of the data tag showing the VIN and other pertinent information. If there is anything you would like to see that I've failed to show, please message me and I will do my best to get more photos for you.

Please Note:

I've tried to be honest and thorough in my description but if you have any questions about anything that I missed, please shoot me a message through eBay and I'll get back to you ASAP. The car is available for inspection during the course of this auction to serious bidders (please, no tire kickers) by appointment only. A non-refundable deposit of $500 will be due within 48 hours of the auction end, and the balance will be due and payable in cash or certified funds before the car will be released. The car will need to be picked up within two weeks of the auction end unless other arrangements are made beforehand. Also please note that vehicles in the state of Alabama were not titled before 1975 so this Thunderbird is being sold on a Bill Of Sale only. If you will require further documentation in order to register this car in your state we will be happy to help accommodate your needs, but any costs incurred will be the responsibility of the buyer. Thanks for looking!