56 Hard Top
Moderator: Joe Johnston
56 Hard Top
Good Morning! I have been looking to see of my 56 has the correct top, I see some have the porthole and others do not.. was this an option at the time. mine has a badge non porthole? Thanks
56 T-Bird 292 three speed stick.
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
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- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:34 pm
- Location: Sunny FLORIDA
Re: 56 Hard Top
56 & 57's could be ordered with or without. Ray Miller's book Thunderbird! has good descriptions and pictures of all the small differences in the tops over the 3 models (should be still available on ePay or through our Thunderbird vendors). Without any further investigation I would guess you have a 55 top with the badge, 56's were plain, 57's had a round emblem. Post several picture of the side, latches, trim, number of seams in the headliner and I'm sure someone here will tell what you have. All of these items can be changed from one shell to another as well as the vehicle's latching hardware and made correct for the car.
Picture posting info is in the "How To" section at the bottom of the page.
Picture posting info is in the "How To" section at the bottom of the page.
PLEASE invest a few bucks and buy all the shop manuals for your car. Definitely will save you much time and be an education.
55-57 VTCI Forum Moderator
57 Inca Gold-Colonial White
63SR Silver Mink
55-57 VTCI Forum Moderator
57 Inca Gold-Colonial White
63SR Silver Mink
Re: 56 Hard Top
Thanks for the quick reply. I suspected it was from a 55.. I found a fella with a 56 porthole who is looking for a 55(mine) and will look into a trade. Thanks again.
56 T-Bird 292 three speed stick.
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
- 55Greg&Amy
- Posts: 1196
- Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:43 am
Re: 56 Hard Top
Here is my knowledge of the hardtops:
1955 no port holes and a small ford crest emblem on each side. Many returned to the dealer in 56 to have port holes installed.
1956 port hole top standard with a no port hole top as a no charge option. No emblems
1957 port hole top standard with a no port hole top as a no charge option. Large bird emblem on each side.
1955 no port holes and a small ford crest emblem on each side. Many returned to the dealer in 56 to have port holes installed.
1956 port hole top standard with a no port hole top as a no charge option. No emblems
1957 port hole top standard with a no port hole top as a no charge option. Large bird emblem on each side.
Greg Minnich
Kendallville, IN
Kendallville, IN
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- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:34 pm
- Location: Sunny FLORIDA
Re: 56 Hard Top
If you trade, be sure to make the latching hardware correct for both cars if possible. Several hardware changes were made and the "correct" hardware is based upon the car's build date within the model years. I am not that familiar anymore with all the changes, so if this is important to either of you, the info is in Miller's book.Thanks for the quick reply. I suspected it was from a 55.. I found a fella with a 56 porthole who is looking for a 55(mine) and will look into a trade. Thanks again.
PLEASE invest a few bucks and buy all the shop manuals for your car. Definitely will save you much time and be an education.
55-57 VTCI Forum Moderator
57 Inca Gold-Colonial White
63SR Silver Mink
55-57 VTCI Forum Moderator
57 Inca Gold-Colonial White
63SR Silver Mink
Re: 56 Hard Top
Just checked @ Larry's T-Bird web site the latching hardware looks 99.9% identical. unfortunately his needs paint and a head liner.. It does have the latching hardware
56 T-Bird 292 three speed stick.
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
other toys.
04 F250 SD CCSB
95 Wrangler 2.5L 5sp.
05 FLHRCI Road king
Re: 56 Hard Top
I bought my 1957 in October of 1964. It had a non porthole top. I did a lot of research which was difficult with no internet availability. This is what I found.
1. 1955 had no porthole available
2. 1956 had no porthole available until mid 56. At that time it became an available option. It was so popular most 56's after mid year were delivered with t he porthole top.
3. Because of it's popularity in 1956 it now became the standard top and the non porthole became optional.
I don't recall which book I found this in. I use to carry it with me and when ever I got challenged by someone telling me I didn't have the correct top I whipped out the book and proved them wrong. My top has the round emblem with the T-Bird. At 73 my memory could be better but I'm thinking the 55 tops did not have an emblem. The early 56 non porthole had a round emblem with the Ford Crest. So recapping the sequence:
1955 no porthole no emblem
1956 Non porthole had emblem with Ford Crest. Porthole option became available mid year.
1957 Porthole was standard and non porthole was option. Non porthole had T-Bird emblem
Based on my research at the time this is what I've considered is the story of the tops. If my research is incorrect I would like to know what others have found.
Barbara Jo Birt
1. 1955 had no porthole available
2. 1956 had no porthole available until mid 56. At that time it became an available option. It was so popular most 56's after mid year were delivered with t he porthole top.
3. Because of it's popularity in 1956 it now became the standard top and the non porthole became optional.
I don't recall which book I found this in. I use to carry it with me and when ever I got challenged by someone telling me I didn't have the correct top I whipped out the book and proved them wrong. My top has the round emblem with the T-Bird. At 73 my memory could be better but I'm thinking the 55 tops did not have an emblem. The early 56 non porthole had a round emblem with the Ford Crest. So recapping the sequence:
1955 no porthole no emblem
1956 Non porthole had emblem with Ford Crest. Porthole option became available mid year.
1957 Porthole was standard and non porthole was option. Non porthole had T-Bird emblem
Based on my research at the time this is what I've considered is the story of the tops. If my research is incorrect I would like to know what others have found.
Barbara Jo Birt
Re: 56 Hard Top
Whenever I mention to people I have a 57 Bird the first comment is usually "OH, they have the porthole." In reality, of the 3 years they were produced about half did not have the porthole and half did, yet that's the thing that stands out to the general public. With the reproduction of the porthole kits those percentages have changed dramatically but I'm still keeping mine as the original 1957 optional non porthole.
Re: 56 Hard Top
I know this is from and old post but I think ALL '57s came with the porthole. I'm sure I could do more research but why I'm wondering, is the shop I use is selling 2 '55 birds. I want to give them as much information as I can to pass on to the new owners.
At the time of ordering, was one or the other tops standard? I know you could order one or the other or even both. But were either standard equipment when it was not specified in the order?
At the time of ordering, was one or the other tops standard? I know you could order one or the other or even both. But were either standard equipment when it was not specified in the order?
VTCI # 13223
Re: 56 Hard Top
According to the 57 sales brochure the "Port"window is the standard window for all 57 Thunderbirds. Or for those who prefer
the hard top is available without "port" windows. This is taken from the original 1957 Thunderbird brochure.
the hard top is available without "port" windows. This is taken from the original 1957 Thunderbird brochure.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
Re: 56 Hard Top
My question was, was a top standard? If so, was the hard top standard issue and the soft top optional in place of or in addition?
VTCI # 13223
Re: 56 Hard Top
Ward , I looked at my invoice, The invoice read in lieu of the hard top, The soft top was a extra add on for $58.50.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
- Alan H. Tast
- Posts: 4237
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Omaha, NE
Re: 56 Hard Top
While not addressing the question of which top was 'standard' for each year, it's generally understood that the least-expensive top was the 'standard' top for each model year, in this case the non-porthole tops for '55, '56 and '57. I need to dig into pricing information I have in my research files as to whether the porthole top was an added-cost option at the beginning of its availability in 1956, but IIRC by 1957 it was eventually made a no-cost change to switch between either the porthole or non-porthole top; the convertible top was always an added-cost option.
I need to compile a list of options and pricing to confirm which hardtop was standard for '56 and when the porthole top was added as either an option or in lieu of the non-porthole version, along with adding such a list to VTCI's 1955-1957 Original Factory Specifications (OFS) manual. For now, though, as an isolated example, here's a listing of what suggested retail pricing was for Omaha-area dealers in mid-April 1957:
Note that the convertible top pricing was "in lieu of" or "in addition to" the Hardtop. No distinction was made as to whether the porthole top was standard or optional in this list, giving credence that if a buyer had a preference for a non-porthole top that they could ask for one at, theoretically, no additional charge (this was, after all, in the days before 'window stickers' were made mandatory).
To add to the discussion, and for help in identifying which top/variation was used and when, see excerpts below from VTCI's 1955-1957 Original Factory Specifications (OFS) manual for hardtops/emblems.
Hardtops and Soft Tops - Factory- and Dealer-Availability
Hardtops and emblems:
Hardtop emblem usage (from VTCI's 1955-57 OFS p F2-8)
and, for good measure, Convertible tops:
Top Latch basic information: More-detailed information is in the OFS in the Exterior section for factory-offered colors/combinations, weather-stripping and hardware. Admittedly, we need to take some time to update the 55-57 OFS with some better-quality photos than what I had to work with 20+ years ago. We are also actively seeking people to help review, research and update the OFS to fill in blanks we have- please contact me if interested in assisting.
I need to compile a list of options and pricing to confirm which hardtop was standard for '56 and when the porthole top was added as either an option or in lieu of the non-porthole version, along with adding such a list to VTCI's 1955-1957 Original Factory Specifications (OFS) manual. For now, though, as an isolated example, here's a listing of what suggested retail pricing was for Omaha-area dealers in mid-April 1957:
Note that the convertible top pricing was "in lieu of" or "in addition to" the Hardtop. No distinction was made as to whether the porthole top was standard or optional in this list, giving credence that if a buyer had a preference for a non-porthole top that they could ask for one at, theoretically, no additional charge (this was, after all, in the days before 'window stickers' were made mandatory).
To add to the discussion, and for help in identifying which top/variation was used and when, see excerpts below from VTCI's 1955-1957 Original Factory Specifications (OFS) manual for hardtops/emblems.
Hardtops and Soft Tops - Factory- and Dealer-Availability
Hardtops and emblems:
Hardtop emblem usage (from VTCI's 1955-57 OFS p F2-8)
and, for good measure, Convertible tops:
Top Latch basic information: More-detailed information is in the OFS in the Exterior section for factory-offered colors/combinations, weather-stripping and hardware. Admittedly, we need to take some time to update the 55-57 OFS with some better-quality photos than what I had to work with 20+ years ago. We are also actively seeking people to help review, research and update the OFS to fill in blanks we have- please contact me if interested in assisting.
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Re: 56 Hard Top
Don't you hate it when someone jumps into a discussion with data!
Thank you Alan!
I was going to post a suggestion that the real answer would be in the pricing and ordering literature sent to the dealers.
Thank you Alan!
I was going to post a suggestion that the real answer would be in the pricing and ordering literature sent to the dealers.
Rusty
VTCI 13079
VTCI 13079
Re: 56 Hard Top
Well that pretty much sums it up. The hardtop was the default but the soft top was an option in different forms. I guess that's why there is no notation on the data plate other than if the hard top was ordered in a different color than the body.
VTCI # 13223