1955 FORD CONVERTIBLES DRIVER
1955 FORD CONVERTIBLES REGISTRATION

Some twenty years later it was uncovered, tucked away in the owner's barn. It was eventually placed in storage in ’72 and remained in state. Braving even the harshest winters, equipping the Thunderbird with snow tyres. Following the original owner's passing, a sibling inherited the car, harbouring an intense fondness for it.

1955 FORD CONVERTIBLES DRIVER

This vehicle was loved and cherished by a motor engineer, used as a daily driver upon high days and holidays.

1955 FORD CONVERTIBLES REGISTRATION

Originally acquired upon registration in May 1955 from the rolling hills of Los Angeles, California the place of glamour and opportunity. It epitomises the concept of a 'personal car of distinction,' as the original accompanying brochure so simply writes. A truly exceptional vehicle that goes beyond the ordinary, rich in American history. Of course it is really no surprise that Frank’s latest personal project to come out of Harbor Auto Restoration is so outstanding, given the shop’s track record for top-quality craftsmanship.We are proud to present the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, 2 Door Convertible.

We saw it at the recent NSRA Southeast Nationals at the Tampa Fairgrounds in October, and shot pictures right there on the grounds over the weekend. Without a doubt the whole package came together incredibly, and it is a real head-turner. The seats are from a ‘64 T-Bird, and the lipstick red leather upholstery was done by AJ at Street Seats. The one-off steering wheel, which incorporated the Harbor Auto Restoration logo in the center, was designed by Eric Brockmeyer and built by Jesse Greening. On the inside you’ll find a 1956 Mercury dash, with stock looking Classic Instruments gauges. The elegant and swoopy stock stainless steel side trim is accented nicely by the Boyd aluminum wheels (17x7 inch up front wrapped in 205x70x17 BFGoodrich rubber, and 20x10 inch out back with 275x55x20 BFG’s). Both the front and rear bumpers were tucked in closer to the body, and have no seams or exposed bolts for a clean look. The guys at Harbor Auto Restoration spent countless hours making sure the body was straight as an arrow, then Jay and Josh laid down the smooth black paint. The convertible top had 3/4 of an inch chopped out of the center bow, lending a lower and sleeker look. 1956 Ford items were also used, including the grille, parking lights, and taillights. That included being nosed and decked, and smaller ‘55 T-Bird door handles were swapped in for a leaner look. The exterior of the car obviously wasn’t spared its fair share of attention either. The Morrison chassis has a Strange coil over suspension, rack and pinion steering, and 13-inch Wilwood disc brakes with polished calipers all around. Power is routed through a Keisler 5-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter back through the Winters aluminum 9-inch rear end housing with Strange Engineering axles. Dual Holley 550cfm carbs are covered by a custom built Mylon air cleaner, while a set of custom headers route the spent gasses through a custom exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. Mylon Keasler of Keasler Racing did the machining and assembly, with items including Crower rods, CP pistons with a 10.75:1 compression ratio, a Crower reground camshaft with 636 lift, and Holman-Moody rockers. Local designer Erik Brockmeyer did the design work, and over the next three years the car would be totally transformed into what you see now.Īs nice as every aspect of the car is, the focal point is probably the very rare 1966 Ford 427 SOHC “Cammer” motor that was shoehorned in place. The team included Jason Magnum, Randy Hadwiggen, Clay Deen, Will Tetro, Frank Tetro and Frank Tetro Jr. So a deal was struck, and it was brought to Rockledge, Florida for the guys at Harbor Auto Restoration to dig into it. However, the big kicker was that it came with a very rare 427 cubic inch, SOHC (single overhead cam) motor. The body had been acid dipped, and while it had an Art Morrison frame, there were no floors. Ken Wester was the owner, but he wasn’t going to build it up, so it was offered to Frank. So it is no surprise that when he turned his attention to building his latest project the results would be nothing short of outstanding.įrank first heard of this 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible when it was in Bobby Alloway’s shop in Tennessee, where it had undergone a rough mock-up.

As the owner of Harbor Auto Restoration, founded in 1983, he is no stranger to producing top quality cars. He bought his first hot rod, a 1956 Ford F-100, way back in 1976, and things just progressed from there over the years. Frank Tetro's 1955 Ford Sunliner with a 427 SOHCįrank Tetro has been involved with cars since he was a small kid, starting with when his dad had service stations.

1955 ford convertibles