Classic 56 TBird Convertible Roadster Both Tops 312 ci. V8 Ford Auto Continental

Ford Thunderbird 1956 Description

OVERVIEW:
This 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible has the larger 312 ci. Thunderbird Special V8 with automatic transmission. It is one of 15,631 built that year in Dearborn, Michigan, which was also the same year they received 12 volt electricals.
The car is very complete and solid, and it runs, drives, and handles very well. Regular maintenance and routine mechanical work has been done to the car as required over the years, keeping the car in reliable and roadworthy condition.
The current owner acquired the car out of Georgia, and it has been in his possession for the last 11 years and remains unmolested and as originally equipped. Mileage is 103K original.
This convertible is a very presentable and useable car requiring nothing to be driven and enjoyed. It is a car that draws attention everywhere it goes, and could be detailed over time to enhance its appeal and value.

The firewall data tag provides the following info:
Body 40A, Color E, Trim XA, Production Code 14FL2252
Serial # P6FH312245.

The car has been repainted in the past in its original Colonial White, which is combined with its original black and white interior.
This car is not a trailer queen, it has been and remains a very roadworthy and reliable driver. It has plenty of get-up-and-go acceleration, handles well, steers true, and brakes evenly.
Under the current owner, the car has never been winter driven and gets regular exercise.

This listing provides many more details as you scroll thru. Near the end of this listing under Payment Terms you will find a link to a photo album of 160 pics.

DRIVETRAIN:
The 312 ci. V8 engine starts easily, sounds good, and is in very good running condition with lots of power, and it does not smoke.
The engine compartment is clean, and all other mechanical components on and around the engine appear as correct and are in good operating condition.
Recent work includes a new fuel pump, rear main seal, a new dual exhaust system, and a tune-up. All belts and hoses are in good condition, and the heat riser is operational and not seized.

The automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and there are no unusual noises coming from the differential at any speed.
The underside shows no evidence of any significant leaks beyond the normal sweat one usually sees on a rear end.

CHASSIS:
The frame is nice and straight with no evidence of collision damage, rust problems, or even surface rust. The underside body mounts are solid with no rust out, although the right front out-rigger suffered a blow which bent it slightly and broke the lower weld to the frame, not a major concern.

The car has standard steering and brakes.
Front end steering components appear to be in good condition as steering is tight on the car and regular lubrication is evident.
Braking is strong and even with no pull to either side.
Suspension is good, maintaining the car in a proper stance, with good shocks front and rear.

Dual exhaust system is recent and in excellent condition. A full set of new correct exhaust hangers is included. They were not installed simply because the existing hardware was still in very good condition so the owner elected to save the new stuff for the next time.

The tires are a new matched set of Dean Alpha 365 P205/75R15 wide white radials mounted on new wire wheels with new spinners and emblems.
The car comes with its 5 original rims which are sporting wide white bias ply tires in good condition with nice original hubcaps.

BODY & PAINT:
The body panels and sheet metal appear very straight and the paint has a good shine. There is no evidence of any collision damage, particularly in the front end under the hood which is a usual tell-tale spot.
There is one small hairline crack at the left rear corner of the hood opening ahead of the windshield.

All floor and trunk pans, rockers, and trunk drop down panels are very solid with no rust issues.
The bottoms of the doors and the lip of the trunk lid are clean and solid, and the front fenders appear solid as well. The rear quarters appear solid overall.
It would appear that this was a relatively clean, straight and solid car prior to the repaint, with only minor body repairs required if any, certainly not a rust bucket.
The fit of the doors may be improved slightly with some minor adjustments.
The left side fender skirt is somewhat wavy.

The car has had previous exterior paint work done prior to the current owner. It appears to have been done in acrylic enamel, and does have minor blemishes here and there along with a few chips from its age and mileage. The largest blemish is some wrinkling reaction in an area between the antenna and front windshield.
Apart from those it seems to be holding up well and remains very presentable.
Paint on the inner fenders, firewall, and in the trunk appears to be nice original.

INTERIOR & TOPS:
The interior of the car is in nice condition, albeit not perfect.
The seat covers are good with no rips or tears, but the driver seat does show signs of use. It has been equipped with seat belts.
Door panels and arm rests are good, as are the sun visors.
Carpeting is in good condition as well and is protected with Thunderbird scripted floor mats.
The steering wheel has a few minor cracks, none major.

The dash pad is nice with no cracks or issues.

Original weather-strips, window channels and sweepers are serviceable but do show wear and minor cracking.
Door post wind lacing on passenger side is torn, and the side flaps hiding the soft top mechanism behind the seat fit sloppy.

The windshield has some minor chips but no cracks, and there is a wiper rub across the passenger side.
The passenger side door window shows some yellow delamination along its top edge, and the window does no roll up all the way and needs to be pulled up the last inch to reach the top of its travel.
Both vent window posts could use some adjustment to seal tighter against the windshield A-posts.

The car is equipped with both hard and soft tops. All hardware is present and in good operable condition.
The hard top has no issues and the headliner looks good with no rips or stains. The latch could be adjusted as a slight gap is evident between the seal and the body at the left rear corner.
The black convertible top, its rear window, and the latches are in good condition. The boot cover is in a sleeve in the trunk.

Has original jack and nice trunk mat.

ELECTRICAL:
This was the first year for 12 volt electricals in a Thunderbird. Wiring on the car is original and in good serviceable condition.
All lights, signals, and horn are in working order along with the tachometer and all instruments. Amazingly, the clock keeps perfect time.
The Town and Country radio works well also, both scan and seek features work.
The instrument bezels are painted in black wrinkle paint, some of which is chipping.
All plastic park and tail lamp lenses are in good condition with no cracks.
Windshield wipers are vacuum in working condition.

BRIGHTWORK:
The bumpers are straight and have good shine, but there are some minor blemishes on the front one and slight signs of wear on the rear.

The grille and hood vent are very nice and straight with no damage, nice chrome on the vent. All other chrome trim is there and in good original condition with only very minute pitting if any. Excellent parts for re-plating.
Side and vent window frames, top port hole bezels, and tail lamp bezels are nice original chrome.
All stainless trim is present and good with only minor dings or scratches, easily buffed.

Front fender louver bars have very small minute pitting only.
Very nice Thunderbird script emblems on the rear quarters, and other emblems are nice originals.

The door sill plates are good originals, and the stainless interior trim at the top of the left door has some small dings.
The driver’s door mirror chrome is poor.
The chrome tread cover on the continental spare is excellent.

Some original literature along with after-market catalogs will go with the car.
There are also some spare new parts included, such as head lamps, tail lamp bezels, carb kit, fuel pump, oil filter, neutral safety switch, all exhaust system hangers, some rubber seals, and a used vent window glass and frame.

SUMMARY:
If you are looking to drive a classy, and highly desirable top down roadster, this could be it!
The body lines and distinctive styling of this car clearly help one appreciate why Thunderbirds of the day rated in the upper echelons of sporty automobiles.

This striking Colonial White ’56 T-Bird is a proven crowd pleaser, reliably roadworthy, and is ready to cruise and enjoy.
The owner is relocating and will have reduced vehicle storage, and has therefore decided to make this Baby-Bird available.

PAYMENT TERMS:

This T-Bird is being listed on behalf of the owner. Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus.net’ or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. All information listed has been gathered from discussions with the owner, and a test drive and visual inspection. A total of 160 pics are available for viewing at www.carsgoneby.com/PhotoAlbumsPro/1956Tbird . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing, with the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or bank wire transfer to Cars Gone By. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. PayPal for deposit only. Any deviation from, or changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable, and should be requested, discussed, and agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding, and please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a clear Alberta vehicle registration (title) document and bill of sale.
The car is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, about 3 hours north of the Montana border. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding, quotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth, hassle free experience by arranging all-inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide, the majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!

NOTICE REGARDING BID RETRACTIONS:

Placing a bid to simply uncover the reserve price, or how high another buyer has bid, and then retracting or cancelling the bid is not allowed as it violates Ebay’s Invalid Bid Retraction Policy.
Such bids are considered as ‘Unwelcome and Malicious Bidding’ as they contravene the seller requirements stipulated above, that you only bid with the intent to buy, and that you do not bid without the intent of concluding the transaction.
Such bids are not in the spirit of a reserve auction. They ruin the experience for serious buyers and sellers, can cast doubt on the process and subject vehicle, and are a nuisance to the seller in general.
Ebay rules stipulate, if you retract a bid for reason of ‘entered wrong amount’, you must re-enter your correct bid amount right away, and that changing your mind does not qualify as entering wrong amount.
If you retract your bid as ‘wrong amount’ and fail to re-enter your correct amount, your bid will be considered ‘unwelcome and malicious’ and it will be immediately reported to Ebay, and they will investigate, and you will be placed on a blocked bidders list.