Rich Largent
Member
We are looking to be buy a 56 T-Bird. I have read that all 56’s came with the removeable hardtop standard and that the retractable soft top was an option. Is this correct. Sounds backwards to me but we’re just learning.
56 T-Bird soft top
- Thread starter Rich Largent
- Start date
dmsfrr
Well-known member
The 'standard' top was a hardtop. (first link below) But that doesn't mean they all came with one.
Cars were built with different option packages at the factory as a normal practice, special orders were fairly common and the dealers sometimes made changes before delivery.
'56 Birds could have originally been delivered with: a soft-top, a hardtop with or without porthole windows, both tops (for an extra fee), an optional tonneau cover, or even no top at all.
http://www.portholeauthority.com/thunderbirdETC/tech/trivia.html
http://www.portholeauthority.com/thunderbirdETC/indextb.html
http://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford_Thunderbird/1956_Ford_Thunderbird/dirindex.html
.
Cars were built with different option packages at the factory as a normal practice, special orders were fairly common and the dealers sometimes made changes before delivery.
'56 Birds could have originally been delivered with: a soft-top, a hardtop with or without porthole windows, both tops (for an extra fee), an optional tonneau cover, or even no top at all.
http://www.portholeauthority.com/thunderbirdETC/tech/trivia.html
http://www.portholeauthority.com/thunderbirdETC/indextb.html
http://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford_Thunderbird/1956_Ford_Thunderbird/dirindex.html
.
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miker98038
Well-known member
Along with that, a couple thoughts from someone who has both.
I have a late 56 57 top on my 55. With the lift bar. It is extremely difficult to raise and lower, generally considered to be a two person job. You’ll look a while to find one, it will probably need recovering and a window, but it is nice to have an original.
You can also buy a sort of reproduction from Prestige Thunderbird. I owned one of those prior to buying the original. It’s a diffent set of bows and is slightly different when up. If you want the front chrome header you have to buy that separately (at least back when).
It’s a bit lighter and easier to manage, and works ok. Neither of them are like a modern soft top, but that’s how it is.
I use mine mostly as a come home device if I get caught in the rain. For that, I was probably better off with the Prestige top and the other money in my pocket than buying the original and recovering it.
I’m not sure when the portholes began in the hardtop, but my 55 didn’t have them. There’s a kit to add them, which I did. The hardtop is pretty blind in heavy traffic and the small mirrors (even if you add a passenger side one) don’t help much.
Just a little something to know, and add or subtract from the price negotiations.
I have a late 56 57 top on my 55. With the lift bar. It is extremely difficult to raise and lower, generally considered to be a two person job. You’ll look a while to find one, it will probably need recovering and a window, but it is nice to have an original.
You can also buy a sort of reproduction from Prestige Thunderbird. I owned one of those prior to buying the original. It’s a diffent set of bows and is slightly different when up. If you want the front chrome header you have to buy that separately (at least back when).
It’s a bit lighter and easier to manage, and works ok. Neither of them are like a modern soft top, but that’s how it is.
I use mine mostly as a come home device if I get caught in the rain. For that, I was probably better off with the Prestige top and the other money in my pocket than buying the original and recovering it.
I’m not sure when the portholes began in the hardtop, but my 55 didn’t have them. There’s a kit to add them, which I did. The hardtop is pretty blind in heavy traffic and the small mirrors (even if you add a passenger side one) don’t help much.
Just a little something to know, and add or subtract from the price negotiations.
dmsfrr
Well-known member
A bit more FYI...
In addition to the styling changes from '55 to '56 and '57, Ford made mechanical improvements each year.
The result was more one-year-only parts differences between those years than you might expect.
Just a few 'under the hood' examples: electrical system & dash gauges, intake/exhaust & carburation, and the distributors.
Hard/soft top parts, steering boxes and automatic transmissions were upgraded in mid '56 as well.
From a hardware perspective the '57 T-Bird is the year with the most accumulated improvements.
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