Technical 1955 customline shared parts

hello all,
my name is daniel and im recently new here, and im looking for a few answers.

i recently made a deal and soon will be picking up a 1955 customline. i saw on another forum post here that all the two door variants like fairlane and mainline and even some thunderbirds all the interior items fit between them, like door panels,kicker panels etc. just want to confirm that .
also wanted to know if anyone knows any automatic trans that can be paired with this in the future once i get the engine work done, iknow they can go to T5 but was wondering if there is auto one ?

is anyone familiar with the possibility of AC in the car? i know it has a heater core and some vents, is there anyway to add an ac and have it pump in the same route?


im sure i have a few more

thanks
dan

 

The differences are mainly different trim levels; Mainline the lowest, Customline in the middle and Fairlane the top. Pretty much all interior parts will interchange within like bodies, i.e. 2 dr sedan etc but door panels and front seats will all swap on all 2 dr models. Dash/kick panels are the same across all body styles. The Fairlanes had different rear seats so that can get a bit involved and the hardtop cars have some differences.

Can't give an answer on transmission choices without knowing what motor you're using.

Factory AC was extremely rare, so you're pretty much at the mercy of the aftermarket so don't expect any bolt-in solution.

 

I put Vintage air in a 56 convert. Not hard to do at all. They make it easy, with all the parts fitting nicely.

 

If you’ve got a y block there are adapters to use C4 and AOD trans, they’re pricy.


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thank you, really clears up some searches for interior parts. the dash speedo glass is cracked, found one looks identical i think for a 55 t bird, do they share as well?

the engine i was planning on a swap, but then learned about that fella john i believe down in san diego, and i know its money but ill save it and pay to have him make it better. so itll be a 272 y block. i did some looking and found out about the newer 60r80 trans thats a six speed auto, i think itd be better than a four, but i could be wrong. ill have to see if i can pair that but im pretty sure i can based on what i have read.

 

is vintage air the company name? how much did the kit run you and was it worth it in your opinion?

 

any idea of an adaptor for any newer ones like a 6r80

 

The problem you're going to have mating a y block to anything newer than a mechanical AOD or T5 is the computer systems these newer transmissions rely on. They use RPMs and throttle position sensors and such that are normally tied into the ECM and BCM in order to work, along with wheel speed sensors on the brakes. Also: theyre not traditional as per this site's rules.

Also: check your front crossmember on that car. They have about a 75-90% chance of being rotted out. Theyre avalible aftermarket, but do your due diligence and make sure your frame is structurally sound before you go very deep into buying lots of parts for the running gear.

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1955 Fords have 6 volt electrical systems, and unless you are converting to 12 volts, the 6v wont operate the 6r80 trans solenoids/switches.

 

this one is already at 12

 

cross member from what i remember was in decent/good condition. the car will be glong o. bags and will be having any floor boards fixed during that time.

ahhhh, so in order to have a transmission like that, i would need to enter all those sensors into the system for it to work? is it possible to just have an ecu and set shift points ? if thats the case then essentially im stuck between a t5 or aod yeah? man i really want auto living in traffic and also its more of a cruiser then a racer, but 4 speeds are so limited it feels. i had a 4 speed in a 99 f150 and i just cant see it being good in the cruiser, but im new to this so i dont know for sure. i guess i could always change the ratios?
thanks

 

Give that crossmember some good hard pokes along the lower edges and near the a-arm pivots with a screwdriver when checking for rust. Years ago before replacements were available, I bought six used front crossmembers, all appearing to be good. I had them dipped to remove all rust... I got back one good one.

You don't say what trans you currently have. If you're a lucky dog and have a OEM 3 speed/w OD, rebuild and keep that if at all possible. Excellent transmission for a 'cruiser' (even in traffic) and will give excellent fuel mileage to boot. Otherwise your auto trans choices are basically the '57-58 Fordomatic (avoid the earlier ones as those were air-cooled and '59-64 two-speed versions), the '58-66 Cruisomatics (but those will take some parts swapping to fit, same deal for the later FMX), or use a commercially-available adaptor for a C4 or AOD. Unless you're an accomplished machinist (or can pay one) adapting anything newer will be a very steep hill to climb, with lots of one-off custom parts, and that's before you address the electronics issues. It's also getting difficult to find anybody that knows how to rebuild the early Fordomatics/Cruisomatics.

If the car is set up for a non-OD manual trans, the cheapest/easiest solution will be a T5.

As to the damaged 'window' on your gauge cluster, I don't think any of the T-bird stuff will work. While some parts look very similar, most trim on the 'Birds is unique to those, with just interior handles being the same as the passenger cars AFAIK. I think that the '54 speedo window will fit the '55 also, but you'll have to verify that. I've never seen a repo for either, so good used will probably be your only choice. They do turn up on eBay...

 

54 speedo unique to 54. 55 speedo head & AstraDome is same Bird and full size but scale is different between them 120 mph for full size and 150 mph for Bird. Get thee to the HAMB's 52-59 Full size Ford social group ASAP for more info.

 

thats where i found it, on ebay. at only 30$ it is worth a shot to me, it looks identical. thanks for clearing up on t birds though.

sucks about those crossmemebers, luckily the replacements arent too expensive, and ill be doing some floor patches anyway so when its up, its up and ill work on that

the trans is a manual 3 speed, no over drive.

thanks for info on trans, so like you said, as i dont have unlimited money and im not an engineer, and im not really interested in adding sensors, itll be between a t5 and aod. i do plan on modding the engine a little, not race car, but making it more than what it currently is, so id guess to avoid fordomatics at this point?
with a 4 speed, will it be gutless after 65 mph? am i able to change gear ratios on an aod ?


thanks
dan

 

I’m planning an AOD swap in my y block powered Country Squire.
Currently I have a Fordomatic and it’s not great. Top gear is 1.1 and I’ve got like 3.30 rearend gears, so top speed is limited and it’s a dog off the line.

With the AOD swap I’ll gain overdrive and I’ll swap in an 8.8 rearend with 410 grears. That should add top end speed and low end acceleration.


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good to know. so its between aod and t5. damn lol

 

My advice, it’s worth at least what you’re paying me for it

Get the car on the road with its original components and drive a bit to see what you really want out of it.

No matter what you do or how much you spend it will never drive like a modern car, but that’s not the point, If you want to ride in air conditioned comfort and not open the hood for 100k, go buy a Camry, but don’t expect any thumbs up while you’re driving.

Also this site is not in to air bags so keep that to yourself.


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With a 272 and an automatic, you'll never have a rocket ship. The gearing in the AOD will be fine, selecting the 'right' rear axle ratio will determine how it runs down the road. Personally, I'd go with a 3.5 to 3.7 ratio as that will give good in-town performance with enough 'legs' for freeway cruising.

A 272 can be made to run. 'Back in the day' I knew a guy with a '55 2-dr Customline with a built 272 (bored out .100 over, ported heads, big cam, and a 600 holley on a 57-58 312 intake), T10 4-speed and 4.27 rear gears. He terrorized the 350 Camaro crowd in light-to-light races but it wasn't so great on the freeway...

 

Here's a current discussion on A/C on 56, most of which will be applicable to a 55 I think. Read all the way to the end about the change to Old Air Products.

He's also got a cruisomatic, some of those post might be of interest to you.

I believe this member is also on this site as jimmysix

http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/Topic153710-1.aspx

 

thanks, will check out now

 

i do plan on having it bored and stroked. im not trying to break any records or drag it, but if im gonna have a v8 then im gonna have a v8
why would you say it wasnt to good on the freeway? honestly my main concern is crusing at 70 at like 4500 rpm the whole time you know, if not more

once again thanks for all the infi

 

i totally hear you on the modern car, and agree. my plan is to be able to daily it, to an extent. not gonna be in a garage nor entered in crazy shows. so thats why some of the questions are odd or may seem a bit dumb. didnt know about the airbags rule lol, where can i find all these rules so i dont get banned, cos theres a goldmine of information in all of your brains!!!!!

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forums/new-to-the-h-a-m-b-introduce-yourself-here.18/

Rules will be found here!

 

thank you

 

Just FYI, my 56 is still running a y-block and the original Fordomatic. It cruises down the highway at 70-75 no problem. Well...other than it is mostly worn out...

I would suggest getting it going mostly as-is to see what it is like before planning too many changes. I could easily drive mine daily if it weren’t for being worn out.

 

if thats yours in the pic there it looks amazing

thats good to know,sadly mine doesnt have a fordomatic.

 

You might want to take a look at John Mummert's site. Near the bottom under "information center" you'll find all the casting numbers, displacements, etc. it will help you identify what you've got. Note that the casting numbers on the blocks don't necessarily tell you everything, and over these many years many things may have been changed.

It might be helpful if you added your location to your sign in. I'm also going to send you a PM.

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

 

Thanks for the compliment. To be honest, the main worn out part of my car is the transmission. I actually bought a 3-speed manual and had planned on swapping it in to make it more fun to drive. But, my car is a survivor that has never really been messed with much and I couldn’t make myself do it... However, I would have been more likely to daily drive it if it was a column-shifted standard instead of a worn out Fordomatic on its last leg.

 

i will add that right now

yeah john is the guy that i will have my engine built by, hopefully. i am waiting on a call back from him. i know it wont be cheap, but itll be worth it.
ill have to double check all those when i pick the car up,
so far i know its a two door, 272 y block, 3 on the tree no OD, everything stock engine wise
i knew getting into this i would have to do interior and engine work, but the body is straight and all the body panels are good and thats not my strong side of mechanics lol

 

i love the look. hopefully i can make mine look as good.

i hear you, maybe you can use mine when i swap mine lol