new guy with crazy question

P

piddler

Junior Member
I am going to look at a 1956 wagon.
It has been a long time since I have owned one of these old Ford's and never a 56 or a wagon.

The car is advertised with a 292 and ford-a-matic. My questions, are is this a reliable combination? The other question is what kind of gas mileage can I expect? I realize that mileage is not important to alot of enthusests but I plan on using the car for some road trips when I am pretty sure that is road worthy.

Thanks in advance, Pete
 
I have always been a fan of the '56 wagon. The combination you describe is very dependable if it is in good cond. I see no reason to expect anywhere between 15-22 mpg depending on the condition of the eng. , rear gear ratio , cam selection, and the weight of your foot.
 
I'm with Jim, that's a good reliable combo. It just depends on the condition. Pull the valve covers and check for fresh oil and no sludge. Plugs, points, wires. Do a little reasearch so you can identify the proper carb distributor combination. Many times the carb has been changed, and the Load o matic distributor only works with the OEM teapot. Even 55-56 parts cannot be interchanged.

There's more engine specific info at yblocksforever.com, and at John Mummert's site,

http://www.ford-y-block.com/

Good Luck.
 
miker98038 said:
..... the Load o matic distributor only works with the OEM teapot. Even 55-56 parts cannot be interchanged.
......
Click to expand...

piddler, The '56 distributor & carburetor are a 'one year only' thing with a dual-can vacuum advance unit with two vacuum lines. The carb & dist on the engine could have been upgraded to something newer/better.
So if you don't see an oem '56 distributor ask the seller to explain.

IIRC, the '56 teapot style carb has the choke thermostat unit mounted on the carb.
(for '55 it's on the intake manif. and a single '57+ oem carb is not the teapot style)

Look for hidden rust-thru along the lower parts of the body, floors, fender-wells and in the frame.

It won't hurt to check the casting number of the engine block to make sure it's what it should be.
See this link.... http://ford-y-block.com/technical.htm

.
 

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Also you can look at the VIN plate in the driver's door jamb just under the "A" pillar.
If the first digit of the VIN is "M", it originally came with a 292 4 barrel. If a "P" it came with a 312 4 barrel. Either of those should have the Thunderbird engine emblem on the front fenders. If a 272 2 barrel V8 it should have a V8 emblem on the fenders.

Who knows what has happened over the years though.

Sal
 
Good reliable power train assuming it is in good shape. As for mileage, expect about 15mpg with pure gas; about 13 to 15 with ethanol; a sedan could get up to 20 with a light foot and 2bbl carb and stick shift. By all means, use Sta-Bil Marine treatment for ethanol. Cheapest and most reliable anti-corrosion inhibitor I have found.

Good luck.
 
I agree with the others that this a good reliable combination but its been my experience with the same combo in a sedan that you shouldn't expect to get decent mileage from it. I think you will love the car and the car will love the gas station.
 
I had a bone stock '56 F100 with its original 272 & 3.73 rear end and all I could get was 10 miles per gallon in the city. Mom's '56 T-Bird got maybe 12 which was very disappointing for such a small car.
 
I got 21 miles to the gallon interstate and roughly 16-17 around town in my daily driver 272 with 2 barrel and original fordomatic transmission. My rear was 3.30 I think .... That was in 1991
 
I do appreciate all of the information. The car is about ten hours from me. I hope to go down and look at it next week.

It is a little above my planned budget but if the car looks and drives and good as the pictures and description I will probably buy it.

What engine, transmission and gear oil do you guys use in these cars. I plan on driving the car home (or at least starting to) so I will probably want to have it serviced before I start home. I will have my truck so if I detect any problems I will rent a trailer and haul it home.

Thanks again for the input, Pete
 
If the car is a running driving car that the current owner drives on a regular basis, then ask him what he is currently using for the fluids, then have it serviced with them. once you have it home you can change things if you want. changing the types of fluids from what it is currently using can , sometimes cause more harm than good. just my opinion.----Jim
 
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Personally I use either Shell Rotella 15-40, or Chevron Delo 400 15-40. Just my choice, others will have different opinions.
 
You may want to reconsider the Delo 400 for a flat tappet engine. It has no zinc phosphate and the LE on the label is low emission. The Rotella has a good amount in it as does Shaeffers,and many of the racing oils like Valvoline and and some others.
 
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