1955 Ford Being built and Tested

Ford's are built on the line the Rouge plant, taken out to the desert for testing, and tested on Ford's proving ground in Chelsea, Michigan.
The Ford line of cars gained a new body for 1955 to keep up with surging Chevrolet, although it remained similar to the 1952 Ford underneath. The Mileage Maker 6 was bumped up to 223 CID (3.7 L) for 120 hp (89 kW) and the new-for-1954 Y-block V8 was now offered in two sizes: Standard Fords used a 272 CID (4.5 L) version with 162 hp (121 kW), but the large 292 CID (4.8 L) unit from the Thunderbird was also offered, boasting 193 hp (144 kW).
Apart from the engine changes, customers were sure to notice the new Fairlane, which replaced the Crestline as the top trim level, while a new Crown Victoria-style featured a chrome "basket handle" across the familiar (and continued) "Victoria" hardtop roof, which originally appeared on the Mercury XM-800 concept car. This use of a styling feature to visually separate the front of the passenger compartment from the rear reappeared on the 1977-1979 Ford Thunderbird, the Ford Fairmont Futura and Mercury Zephyr Z-7 coupes. The company now boasted three different rooflines, the tall two-pillar Mainline, Customline, and Fairlane, lower chrome-pillar Crown Victoria, and pillarless hardtop Victoria. The "Skyliner" acrylic glass roof was still offered, this time only on the Crown Victoria model. New brakes were used 11-inch (280 mm) drums. Also, Fords had a new frame with five cross members.
The Fords introduced for 1955 also featured the panoramic windshields found on Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs the previous year. With this panoramic windshield the A-pillars have a vertical angle. this gives the driver more panoramic visibility.
For the first time, Ford offered seat belts as a dealer option (not factory installed, with instructions provided by a Service Bulletin). Also new for 1955 was Ford's first factory installed air conditioner. This "Select Aire" option featured an integrated heater core and evaporator coil unit within the dash and cold air discharge vents located on top of the dash on either side of the radio speaker. The "Select Aire" design was carried over to the 1956 models with slightly different cold air vents in the same location as on the 1955 models. The condenser was mounted in front of the radiator as in later cars.
Station wagons were offered as a separate series for the first time in 1955. The Ranch Wagon and Custom Ranch Wagon were 2 door wagons whilst the Country Sedan and Country Squire models were 4 doors wagons, the latter featuring wooden appliqué side mouldings.
Source: Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Ford
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[@Code3forever]

I remember as a little kid my folks coming home in 1955 in a brand new Ford Custom 2 door sedan. I remember it had Ford-O-Matic and a V-8. It was black in color and if I remember right, it had black and red interior seats. I remember we took two vacations in it. From LA to Seattle and from LA to Kansas City. We didn't have any problems with it but I remember we had this air cooling device that attached to the passenger door window that forced filtered air into the car as we sped along the highway. I also remember them trading that car in for a 1959 Ford Skyliner. I used to play with that putting the top into the trunk and out again until I got in trouble for draining the battery down...

[@Mynamesalexa]

My parent's 1st new car was a '56 Ford Victoria 2 tone blue. My father was a tool and die maker for The Budd Company. They were to Ford and Chrysler as Fisher Body is to GM.

[@walterweddle7644]

@@Mynamesalexa Thanks to you, I looked up The Budd Company. Developers of all steel automotive bodies and railroad passenger cars.

[@rickprusak9326]

Love the scene's of the Rouge Plant, and the Ford test track in Dearborn Mi.

[@critchley3819]

I once had a 55 Ford a long time ago it was second hand, I did lots of miles in this car & except for tyres, brakes it never let me down, the 6volt battery would get flat if you left the radio on but being standard three speed I only needed to get it rolling and it would start, 272 with the weird crossover exhaust but it could cruise all day at 70mph. it could on a level road slow to idle in top and feather the throttle and pull away smoothly...

[@stardustdreamfactory1947]

My mom and dad ordered and bought a fully loaded '55 Crown Vic convertible in San Antonio, TX - I came home from the army hospital during October, '56 in it. Wishing I knew what became of it. We moved to Hialeah, FL and then back to Fort Leavenworth, KS before the car was traded in on a '59 Fairlane Sedan. My memory starts when the '59 was traded in on a '60 Fairlane sedan. The '60 was sold in '63 after my dad passed. There is a '60 Fairlane 500 with the 352/360HP motor for sale locally (for many years) I still wish to buy in his memory!

[@ddkoda]

Great production scenes with a few Mercomatics, Lincolns and stake beds thrown in for good taste.

[@Lisaj4431]

Cars were so beautiful in those days

[@johnhiram1207]

We had a 55 country sedan with 272, 3 speed standard, overdrive. Was so smooth and ran like a charm.

[@jj-eo7bj]

I just retired from Ford Motor Company 30 yrs ,thankful to have worked there

[@Aero.Smith.]

Man those motors where beautiful

[@bobtis]

1955 Ford a beautiful car. Took a lot of man muscle to build a car then. The man across the street bought a new 1955 Crown Vic. It was beautiful. Lived in Upstate NY it rusted out in 3 years.

[@19553129]

LOVE THOSE FORDS . GO 55's

[@19553129]

Mighty Fine 55's

[@chuckster3629]

My 2nd car as a teenager was a '55 Ford 4 door I bought in 1967. Great car until I totaled it out on a huge boulder one night while drinking beer with Charlie Woods.

[@yblocker]

Cool stuff

[@edgarcook9607]

Lifeguard safety features, optional seat belts, padded dash & dished steering wheel were all 1956 model year items, not available in 1955 Ford cars. But the real 1956 improvement was the 12-volt negative ground electrical system replacing the 6-volt positive ground system on the '55s. Also, the regular Victorias in '55 did not have the lowered, sleeker roofline, only the Crown Victoria had that. In '56, Victorias had the lowered roofline.

[@beechcoma]

Millennials be like "Damn. they didn't even have sound then?"

[@chuckster3629]

I saw a '56 Ford. Easy to tell by the parking lights.

[@kenbob1071]

People back then must have gotten whiplash every time the car went over a couple of bumps.

[@vladimirvolkhov6786]

Hello everyone, I am a model builder and I have a question about the painting process, does anyone know what the bottom color of these cars where? Was it simply a black or gray primer, with an overspray of body color?

[@MonteCarlotta]

Ford used red primer paint.

[@chuckgardiner2186]

I give up. What assembly plant is it?

[@chuckster3629]

No audio

[@keithfaccone8124]

Now Ford pretty much doesn’t make cars outside the mustang in United States. The companies as a show of what it was in quality and production.

[@superduper3728]

Wheres the audio ?

[@KingRoseArchives]

+super duper Not all of these films were shot with audio.

[@WKUTZTV69]

And we gave the whole auto industry away on a silver platter to Japan, shame on us!

[@JohnS-il1dr]

To China as well

[@jimbooth5486]

No sound

[@secpac58chichi]

Some jobs look fun some not so much - testing driving finished product QC - assembly mfg. not so much

[@harrybriscoe7948]

Not fun is why they have pay high wages to keep workers more than a few weeks

[@it1988a]

Rust bucket junk