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By Ol Ford Guy - 17 Years Ago
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One of my favorite Y-Block cars is the 56 Customline Victoria Tudor HT. I was Googling around and found several beauties to look at. Jay Leno has one is his collection. I found a real beauty at www.tomstrongman.com/classiccars/fredgardner. If Fred Gardner, of Kansas City, isn't a member of our Y-Blocks Forever group, he should be. He also has an old truck. Nice photos to look at. Enjoy,
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By MoonShadow - 17 Years Ago
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Check this one out! Its a local car up here in New England. http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/824502833.html Nice car! Chuck in NH
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Paul,you're right about Fred's car being a beauty.His truck is ,too.He is my brother-in-in law and I can't get him to get involved in anything on the computer.Anyone here that is a CVA member has seen his car in their mag and at their annual conventions.His car has the sweetest running Y-Block I've ever been around.Bored 60 over,balanced,Blue Thunder,Holley,g-heads done by Mummert.I don't remember what the cam is but it's sure runs good.Incidentally,the car itself is all original,had 22,000 miles when he bought it in 94.It had never been wet.The paint and all the trim are original.Sorry for the long post,but I just really like Fred's car.
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By Ol Ford Guy - 17 Years Ago
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Hi Paul, and thanks for the additional information, it sounds like he had a great find and even made it better. Do you know what kind of headers he has on the car? and has he taken it to the drag strip?
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Paul,I don't know what kind of headers he has on the car,but I'll catch up with him this weekend and find out.He's never had it on the strip,even though he can hear Kansas City International Raceway from his house.
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By bird55 - 17 Years Ago
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Paul, while you're at it tell him I think that is one awesome customline. Done just right. Hope to see it up close some time. 
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By dbzach64C - 17 Years Ago
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Beautiful car.
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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To describe it a little further,when I said it's all original,I meant the body,paint and trim.Underneath it's anything but.It's got Volare front end,rack and pinion,discs and power steering.The rear end is a posi 9 inch.This car drives about like a new Mustang!It's an awesome car.
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Paul, I just talked to Fred and he confirmed that he's never had the car on the strip.The headers on it are Red's.
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By Y block Billy - 17 Years Ago
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Get him a subscription to Y Block magazine and pursuade him to Columbus for the shootout next year. One other question I Have, Is the Customline 2dr hardtop actually considered a "Victoria" Customline 2dr hardtop or just a "Customline" 2dr hardtop. I haven't seen Victoria emblems on the doors so I was wondering why?
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By Gerry - 17 Years Ago
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A Customline Victoria and not a Fairlane Victoria. No "B" pilar so it's a Victoria. At least that's my understanding. Gerry
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Gerry, Yes,it is officially a Victoria.That's what Ford called it in late year brochures.I don't know why they never put the Vic emblems on them.These are relatively rare cars.Late in the production year someone discovered they had way more Vic bodies than they had trim for and they had an excess of Customline trim,so to use everything up they built these Customline Vics.
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Billy, Fred is a long time subscriber to Y-block magazine.In fact,there was an article in there about his car a couple of years ago.We are making tentative plans to come to Columbus next year.We considered it this year,but other things interfered.We are not really into drag racing,but it would be great meet up with a bunch of other Y-Block enthusiasts and see how our cars perform.
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By MoonShadow - 17 Years Ago
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As I understand it the Customline Victorias were a sort of cheap version. Also that not too many were produced. The fellow up here that has one (see link to pics above) seems to know a lot about them. People usually tell him he has the wrong trim on his Vicky! He said this has even happend at the Victoria meets. http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/824502833.html You don't need to race your car to come to Columubs. There is a show area but the Y-Block hospitality is legend. Even suprized the NMRA people when they came in. So cruise on up and have a fun weekend. Chuck in NH
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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The Customline Vic was a cheaper version.A little less chrome and the upholstery was a little lower grade.The dash was a solid color instead of two-tone.They had a different trunk emblem than a Fairlane and when ordered with a dual exhaust engine(as Fred's is)they did not use the exhaust port rear bumper.There were just over 33,000 of them built.
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By Y block Billy - 17 Years Ago
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Gerry, Victoria has nothing to do with no "B" pillar its just a name given to the Fairlane 2 dr hardtops and the Crown victorias were a 2 dr sedan that I know of. If the customline has no Victoria emblems on it then I can't see how its called a customline Victoria, its just a customline 2 dr hardtop, which is still a rare beast since most customlines were 2 or 4 dr sedans. No "B" pillar with door and rear quarter window rolling down = 2 dr hard top "B" pillar with rear quarter window rolling down = 2 dr sedan B pillar with rear quarter window which doesn't roll down = Coup 4 dr no "B" pillar = 4 dr hard top 4dr "B" pillar = 4 dr sedan
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By PWH42 - 17 Years Ago
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Crown Vics were not sedans.They had no B pillar.It was strictly a lightweight decorative chrome piece,added to a Victoria.Ford nomenclature refered to the 56 Customline 2 door hardtop as a Victoria.All 50's Fords without a B pillar were Victorias, except Sunliners and Skyliners.
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By Cactus - 17 Years Ago
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I think I remember, through the mists of old age, that the Customline Victoria came about as a result of a supply problem. It seems that Ford ended up with many two door hardtops, but no Fairlane trim, so, in an excercize to sell remaining stock, they combined the two.. I don't think that there was any difference in options, or that the Customline was necessarily any cheaper, except at the dealership. I may be wrong, but I certainly have been wrong before.
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By MoonShadow - 17 Years Ago
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The Customline 2dr Htp had all the basic features of the Customline with the Fairlane trim. The Victoria's had upgraded appointments. I think these included the Town and Country Radio and some interior upholstry and trim options not available on the Customline. Thus the Customline was a lower base priced vehicle. Chuck in NH
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By Ol Ford Guy - 17 Years Ago
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It is a Customline Victoria. The competition also had mid line HT's. The headers must be Red's dual tubes. I thought you guy's would appreciate seeing the car.
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By Ted - 17 Years Ago
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Paul. Thanks for sharing. I also had a ’56 Customline Victoria that had originally been delivered from the factory with the base 223 six cylinder engine. I quickly upgraded it early on with an FE and eventually ended up with a 427 Tunnelport in it with a 4 speed and 9” rear. That car is still one of my favorites in regards to body styles and would love to have another. Base price for the Customline Victoria htp cpe was $1985 while base price for the Fairlane Victoria htp cpe was $2194. The base weight for the Customline htp cpe is listed at 3205 lbs. while the Fairlane htp cpe is listed at 3274 lbs.
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By Fifty6Vicky - 17 Years Ago
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There were approx. 33,000 1956 Customline Victorias sold. Here's one of them (mine). I've also included page 5 from the 1956 sales brochure.
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By Ol Ford Guy - 17 Years Ago
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Hey 56 Vicky, welcome to the group, is your name Jay?
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By 55Birdman - 17 Years Ago
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BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!
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By Fifty6Vicky - 17 Years Ago
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Sorry, no. I'm Bob Love from CrawFORDville, FL. Sorry to take so long to respond, but just returned from vacation.
Bob
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By ejstith - 17 Years Ago
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When I got my '56 Customline Victoria I thought I'd be the only one within a thousand miles .... Above is Bob Love's who lives about 30 miles from me ....  He has one nice Vicky .... !!! Mine is at the bottom of the page.
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