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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I am thinking dad told me that when he ordered the 55 so does anyone know if that is true and are there any more differences in the motors other then the 4 bbl and dual exhaust.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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In 55 any transmission could be ordered with any engine. I don't remember what Ford called their higher powered engine but it wasn't " Power Pack" as that was what scrubrolet term. I understand there was a 4 barrel 272 available but I've never seen one. The upgrade was to a 292 as far as I know all 55 292s had 4 barrel carbs, there was a 292 police opinion what had a special carb and a warmer cam. In the past 40 years I've owned 7, 55 Fords (1 sedan, 1 Victoria, 3 Crown Vics, and 2 convertibles ) 6 were 272, 2 barrel one was 292 4 barrel.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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Its typed up on the invoice as power pack which was a 38 dollar option and the automatic was 178 dollars.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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Factory or Dealer invoice?
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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Dealer invoice and was the only differences between the 2bbl motor and the 4 bbl motor just the carb or was there a different cam.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I talked to the guy that owned the dealer about 4 years ago and he had just bought it so 55 was his first year.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I was thinking about duplicating the 55 4 bbl motor with some changes.
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By speedpro56 - 9 Years Ago
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For 1956 4v 292 Tbird engines had B heads and some stick shift 312s also had ECZ-B heads as well. Most 312s with the automatic transmissions had the C heads. All 56 mercs had 312s but all did not have C heads.
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By MVP56 - 9 Years Ago
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I have a 55 crown victoria that came with a 4 barrel teapot. we call the teapot a (cabbage head) around here. Its a stick shift car that also came with power steering. First four of the VIN is M5DW. paint code is AES. AE stands for black and white exterior and S stands for special which is for the interior. it is red and white. S means you could chose any color you wanted for the interior. I have owned this car for at least 20 years and its always run very strong. my research in the past shows this car to be a factory 4 barrel car with a stick. hope to shed some light. Marlon.
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By DryLakesRacer - 9 Years Ago
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This is how I remember it. My dad bought a 55 Sunliner new not long after Christmas from George M. Sutton Ford in Inglewood, Ca. It had a 272 4 barrel engine rated at 182 hp. The 2 barrel engine was rated 160 or 162 as I remember. The Thunderbirds had a 292 4 barrel rated at 198 hp; I personally never saw a 292 in a passenger car but many here say they were available. In 1956 he bought a Victoria with a 202 hp 292 4 barrel. It was before Christmas and there were no 312's available yet or he would have bought one. I never ever saw a 312 2 barrel in a passenger car but I would eliminate one in a truck. I personally never saw a 4 barrel y in a pickup up thru 1956.
The true 1956 "high power engine kit" (B6A-9000-B) was dealer installed or bought over the parts counter. As far as I can research none were ever installed at the factory dirty on a passenger car or Thunderbird, I am no expert but I dig as deep as I can just because it's interesting. Good Luck.
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By DryLakesRacer - 9 Years Ago
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Opps both were automatics. The power kit was recommended for 312 manual and manual overdrive transmissions only, but once you bought it who knows here they went plus the ones left over into 1957 which they did not could not sell. I heart that some were advertised at $200.00 in 57. That kit was rated at 260 hp when installed.
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By MVP56 - 9 Years Ago
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Drylakes Racer. 182HP is what i recall my car came factory rated at. in my previous post i was suggesting that a person could pretty much order what they wanted in 1955. I did install an overdrive in my crown and IT WILL RUN 110 MPH in second gear overdrive! the car looks to have never been touched but who knows over the years! Not trying to get off topic with the power pack post guys. I have seen a tropical rose and white 55 crown with a straight six!! lots of combinations in those days!
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I am almost certain dad told me he had to order a automatic to get the 4 bbl motor but the salesman could of told him a bunch of b/s and this has been a long time ago so my memory of what he said could be wrong,to be honest I never seen very many 4 bbl motors and if I did I think all were automatics and when I did see a manual trans it was usually a 2 bbl motor. I do know someone with a 55 sunliner with a 4 bbl motor and 3 speed o/d but I think he built it that way. So just what did Ford call the 4 bbl option.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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That 55 Crown 64B with the 6 cyl I tried to buy about 20 years ago, only 64B with a 6 cyl ever built, I wanted to restore it (talk about rare) Someone beat me to it, several years later at the Ford Nationals In Carlisle I heard the guy who bought it put a V8 in it. I don't know who the guys talking about it were as I was eavesdropping but the general idea i got was they thought putting a V8 in was a really dumb move.
I have to agree.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I remember seeing a convertible that came with a six.
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By MVP56 - 9 Years Ago
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most likely the same car i am thinking of! I remember hearing it was the only one ever produced!! Im a Y-Guy but would have left the six for sure!! As for the 182HP option and what FORD called it I dont have a clue! Hopefully Someone with more info will chime in soon!! Its been several years but I think I recall the car being Automatic with the six and ZERO OPTIONS! no heater, no radio, clock. Doesnt really matter! the owner had a CROWN VICTORIA!!! Cool in my book!
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By slumlord444 - 9 Years Ago
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A friend of mine had a '57 convertible back in the day that was a 6. Thought that was an odd one at the time. I have a '55 44 barrel intake and carb that needs to be rebuilt that I would part with if anyone is interested.
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By willowbilly3 - 9 Years Ago
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I don't mean to get off the original subject but how would you prove you had the only six cylinder Crown Vic? Those records don't exist do they?
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By DryLakesRacer - 9 Years Ago
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willowbilly: I am sure you can by the id number on the plate. The "M" in my 56 indicates a 292, a 312 would have been a "P" and an "A" indicated a 6. A 1955 had 120HP and a 1956 had 137HP . There are also letters for the 272 in 1956 since it was mostly used in the custom lines. I do not recall seeing a 272 in a 56 Fairlane model it would have had the V8 symbol on the fender like the 55's instead of the red bird. That however does not mean by any means they were not built.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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Whoever was selling the 6 cylinder sunliner claimed it was the only one made too.
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By Pete 55Tbird - 9 Years Ago
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In 1955 most export cars to places like the Philippines would have been 6 cylinder 3 speed manual. Low octane gas and much cheaper to maintain.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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I know of several 6 cyl convertibles both 55 and 56, my neighbor had a 55 until about 10 years ago. I saw several others at different shows here in Connecticut over the years.
AS for the CV 64B being the only one, of coarse it's hard to prove, but the one in question was built a Dearborn and the invoice saved by the t-bird club, I have the data plate information on several thousand 55 Ford cars and 3200 55 birds only one 6 cyl 55 CV 64B appears on my list.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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4 55 Ford Crown Vic glasstop were exported, all to Europe all were V8, 1 were built at dearborn, and 3 were built at Marwar, NJ.
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By MVP56 - 9 Years Ago
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WOW!!! Thanks Lou!!! That is great info! thank you so much for sharing that! If I recall they made 1,998 glasstops in 55 and 603 in 56? Thanks, Marlon.
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By Lou - 9 Years Ago
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I have 2001 55 glass tops, including the 4 exported, but the one export built at Dearborn may not of been a true export model, it may have been built for a Ford big wig and taken to Europe. At one time I owned a very early production 56 glasstop, all my 55s were solid tops cars. I had 2 56s, a 64A and a 64B the 56s were fun, but the 55s drove better.
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By PF Arcand - 9 Years Ago
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The original question (which has now gone off the rails) referred to a 55 Power Pack or Special engine. That optional 272 engine included higher compression heads, 4 Bbl & dual exhaust. Not sure, but I believe it was only available with Fordomatic. In a recent article in YBM, our moderator, Ted, referred to it as the "M" code engine & it came with ECG-C heads & that particular engine was with a Fordomatic. They were not 292s, which were usually only available in "official cars", T.Birds & Mercurys. It's my understanding that engineering felt that the T-86 std trans was marginal for that engine, so it was auto trans only. ..Unfortunately, if my info is correct, the competition made their Power Pack engine available with a std transmission..
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By Ted - 9 Years Ago
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The few 182HP Special 272 cars I have worked on have all been automatic transmission equipped. That's not 100% definitive as ordering a four barrel carbed engine would have also fell in with ordering other high end options such as an automatic transmission. I’ve dealt with several 1955 4V 292 engines and all those that came in Ford cars had been ordered for the state agencies or law enforcement. On the flip side of this, all those 292 law enforcement car engines I have dealt with came equipped with standard shift transmissions.
Looking at the Ford parts catalogue, all the ’55 272’s and 292’s (2V and 4V) used the same camshaft. I’ve somewhat validated this as I’ve seen the ‘ECK’ camshaft in both the 162HP and 182HP versions. For the 1955 182HP Special (272) there were at least two different cylinder heads with the changeover occurring midyear. Based on a service bulletin here, the first 182HP cylinder head had a propensity for cracking.
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By speedpro56 - 9 Years Ago
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Ted Cain's 1955 one of glass top was ordered for him thru law enforcement is a 292 4v M code and he ordered it for drag racing and did very with it in destroying scrubs back in the day.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I do not have the original motor and wish I would have kept it but since it was a early august 55 build it would have the later heads and what would they be.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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Yesterday I looked at another 55 invoice and it mentioned powerpack.
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By speedpro56 - 9 Years Ago
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On ordering a 292 in 1955, Ted Cain had to order his 1955 Crown glass top 292 power pack with stick shift overdrive thru a friend in law enforcement. The dealer wouldn't let him do it which was a stupid idea from Ford in my opinion not selling direct to the public thru a dealer. A typical 272 2V automatic is not gonna
run to good against a 265 power pack 4V that scruby sold to the public thru their dealers. I think that taught Ford a lesson on winning on Sunday and sell on Monday. So in 56 Ford sold to the public any build they wanted and that became a game changer for Ford on kicking scrub butt!
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By speedpro56 - 9 Years Ago
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No real sure about the word power pack for Ford, it may have been the word Interceptor.
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By carl - 9 Years Ago
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junkyardjeff (9/17/2016)
Yesterday I looked at another 55 invoice and it mentioned powerpack. Jeff Why don't you post a picture of the invoice that says {power pack} Carl
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By Half-dude - 9 Years Ago
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I thought the "power pack" was if you got the 4-barrel Holley 4000 on your car. Isn't that it?
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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A adviser in the CVA told me that is the correct name for the 272 4 bbl motor and the other invoice was from another dealer and not the one my dad bought his car from and here is the picture of the invoice
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By Ted - 9 Years Ago
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In the 1955 service manual, the 4V equipped 272 is referred to as the ‘power package’. I’ve seen it referred to in other period literature as the ‘182HP Special’ or just ‘Special’. The 1955 Ford Chassis catalog does list a 4V carb for the 272 and standard transmission so it was apparently available. I’ve only seen a handful of factory 4V 272’s and they were all automatic transmission equipped. All were fully optioned cars though.
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By junkyardjeff - 9 Years Ago
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I was only going by what was on the invoice and I was not even thought of in 55 so how would I know what it was correctly called.
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