The wiring would get beat up from being stomped on and moisture tracked in would cause corrosion, they were always shorting out. You be driving @ night and hit the dimmer and ALL your lights would go out because a fuse would blow. They were bad news.
@@MybackHurtz1 I have a 90 f150 with the floor switch and haven’t had any issues over many years of driving, and definitely getting some mud and water on that switch.
Love the '56, I had a '57 . Another cool feature are the side vents that bring in outside air to the floor of the car. Make sure you service the cooling system, including a radiator flush, they are known to overheat.
No matter what, that's a car to keep. Class. The talk about "make america great again" with cars, the designers had STYLE not just efficiency. They really cared about the products they produced. New cars have ZERO imagination behind them.
Please keep that one, your grand dad face was priceless. That purchase took him back to his hey day. That’s a keeper and I know your in the game of turn them over but not this one. Wow she looks really nice
Craig, you have a rare gem. A small transmission problem is not a big drama in the scheme of things. Run a strong magnet covered in thin cloth over the lower body areas to see if you have an excess of bondo anywhere. Floor button for the headlight dimming was common on older cars of that era. BTW, we have seen this car in the workshop in your previous video, so this one must be out of sequence?
No, you actually don't. The floor plans all rusted out around that switch and it was a common failure point because the switch is exposed to the elements underneath so they corroded and rotted. They were just cheap tin.
@@muskokamike127 Exactly. I've had them short out and loose ALL my lights on a back country road on a dark night when I hit the dimmer. Very scary @ 60mph and everything goes black in front of you.
@@MybackHurtz1 THAT is exactly why I brought it up. I was a city boy but most of my driving in my first year was done in vacant gravel back roads up north. Most people don't have a clue what complete black is when you live in the city lol. I mean, literally you can't see your hand in front of your face!
Love the vids where you interact with your grandfather. You can't say that you were burned if you didn't look the car over before bidding on it. Just like buying a car from copart without the keys, you stay away from anything that you can't drive or start up unless it is a price that assumes it doesn't run. Good on you that you are doing well enough that you can bid on stuff without looking them over and using a scan tool on them and take losses.
56 T Bird with the Opera windows and a Continental kit. One of my Dad's favorite cars, so wish he had enjoyed a longer life where I could of thanked him by gifting him a car like this for simply being the greatest man I ever got to know in my lifetime. Love you and always missing you Pops, taking care of Mom for ya buddy! ❤
This proves you are one good guy. You did this for your grandfather. That transmission problem is nothing compared to getting Papa Al being the main person in the video
5:40 I learned about that button driving around on my permit and why everyone was angrily flashing their's at me coming from the other direction. lol ;)
Floor button is for the high beams. That was a 5 window Ford model A at the auction. Greg you got a nice car, don’t be upset about the reverse issue. All classic cars have their quirks and you are bound to find things one you get it home. All in all it’s a great find. The transmission is worth fixing and this car is way better than any modern sports car. Good luck with it!
Seems like a fun job. I just couldn’t get over every single person selling a car trying to cheat you by erasing codes. I couldn’t be dishonest like that. I have to be able to sleep at night. I guess that’s what’s wrong with the country
That’s why customers think dealers are always out to get them. Being shady for so long tarnished the industry. Go up and down some of the larger streets in my area and all the buy here pay here and budget dealers are long gone closed up.
I agree.. you don't take decent to better classic cars to wholesale auctions..they go to one of the online auctions ,or one of the big three auction houses
Button on the floor is a dimmer switch. My dad collects & trades classic cars so I had the experience of learning how to drive on a few old cars as a teenager. A couple of them had the switch like that, and I can remember it like yesterday driving in the dark and hitting that switch the whole drive home. FYI, I am about the same age as Craig.
You found a gem buying that t bird that has a lot of optional accessories that you very rarely find I would not sell that you will never find something like that again
No question, you keep it as a centerpiece for your collection. You have all the good stuff! Fix the transmission and enjoy taking it to local car shows, it will be the hit and you will be the envy of all who see it!
Very nice classic T, Craig! A little touch up of the door jams and fix the transmission and the cleanliness of this classic will put you and the new owner to be in the right place! I've been in the automotive business for 34 years and I am absolutely amazed by your honesty and transparency in your work. To ultimately survive in the industry the base passion better be in the love of cars just like yours. Thanks for a great channel and I can't wait to see how the T-Bird turns out!
Those old Ford V8s had a valve train oiling problem and the typical fix was to run an extra oil line to the valve covers to spray oil on the valve train. They didn't perform as well as the chevys but would last longer.
Youbshould have asked about the black bulb above the high beam switch. That is the window washer pump. U had to pump the washer fluid up with your foot.
A friend on mine once owned a 91? Or 92? I don't remember and it was surprisingly cool for being a 90s Ford. But in my mind the 55, 56 & 57 first gen T-Birds are the only true Thunderbird. Great find. Great video. Always great to see Poppa he's such an interesting guy every time he's in a video I learn something. And that's the dimmer switch by the way.
I owned a 56 Bird in '63. Candle Apple red with white interior. I had a friend with a Black '56 and another with a Red '55 . Used to cruise together. Sold it for $900 ($8,000 today's dollars)
Nice T-Bird. Reverse band isn't that difficult to fix. We don't know what you paid, but it's worth keeping as an investment. The other car was a 32 roadster. a t-bucket is a modified model t.
The Beatles The Rolling Stones Led Zeppelin cream Frampton they all started jamming on before my Camaro I was cruising a 62 Chevrolet red interior red paint with a teardrop bubble hood scoop you have great videos and a lot of knowledge about the vehicles
Dimmer switch. On my old ragged 56 Chevy Convertible I had back in 63, when I hit the dimmer switch, the headlights went out. I replaced that switch the next day!!!
My grandfather had a T-Bird just like this one. Bought it new in the late 50’s. Always fun to go riding around with my grandpa on this car. Great memories.
Your Grandpa is a Living Legend, Love the honesty of the man.
You're so lucky to have your grandpa still alive and in such a great condition! Really amazing
The floor switch was a brilliant idea. They should bring it back.
The wiring would get beat up from being stomped on and moisture tracked in would cause corrosion, they were always shorting out. You be driving @ night and hit the dimmer and ALL your lights would go out because a fuse would blow. They were bad news.
They got auto headlights now n my car from 2000 got them
@@MybackHurtz1 I have a 90 f150 with the floor switch and haven’t had any issues over many years of driving, and definitely getting some mud and water on that switch.
Love the relationship between you and your grandpa..cherish him for the living treasure he is !
I love that how good relationship you have with your grandfather...
Grandfather
Awesome buy; totally worth it just to see your grandpa’s reaction. He seems so excited about it.......Very nice
Love the '56, I had a '57 . Another cool feature are the side vents that bring in outside air to the floor of the car. Make sure you service the cooling system, including a radiator flush, they are known to overheat.
I love your grandpa. God bless brother
No matter what, that's a car to keep. Class.
The talk about "make america great again" with cars, the designers had STYLE not just efficiency. They really cared about the products they produced. New cars have ZERO imagination behind them.
It’s a reflection on society and culture in general. Today’s cars are boring and designed for boring people.
@@AJ-zv9tn In my best Ed McMahon voice: "You are correct, sir!"
Now there is so much focus on aerodynamics to meet fuel economy standards. Most cars are same shape with different grill/headlight design.
Almost every manufacturer is now mostly just making SUV and trucks. Cars are going away.
Please keep that one, your grand dad face was priceless. That purchase took him back to his hey day. That’s a keeper and I know your in the game of turn them over but not this one. Wow she looks really nice
I agree
Always loved the old Thunderbird, but I never knew just how luxurious it was. Truly a beautiful work of art.
Craig, you have a rare gem. A small transmission problem is not a big drama in the scheme of things. Run a strong magnet covered in thin cloth over the lower body areas to see if you have an excess of bondo anywhere. Floor button for the headlight dimming was common on older cars of that era. BTW, we have seen this car in the workshop in your previous video, so this one must be out of sequence?
yes. I bought it 2 weeks ago
Bottom is the high beam switch.
..I wish cars still had them there.
No, you actually don't. The floor plans all rusted out around that switch and it was a common failure point because the switch is exposed to the elements underneath so they corroded and rotted. They were just cheap tin.
@@muskokamike127 Exactly. I've had them short out and loose ALL my lights on a back country road on a dark night when I hit the dimmer. Very scary @ 60mph and everything goes black in front of you.
Agree. Hands free!
@@MybackHurtz1 THAT is exactly why I brought it up. I was a city boy but most of my driving in my first year was done in vacant gravel back roads up north.
Most people don't have a clue what complete black is when you live in the city lol. I mean, literally you can't see your hand in front of your face!
The one in my '74 Nova works just fine... 🤷♂️ Same for the wife's '79 f-100.
Try actually cleaning your car every now and then...
5:39 This floor switch is for the high beams on the headlights. A lot of the older cars used to have that feature.
What a gorgeous T-Bird man!
Button on the floor was for the high beams correct?
Love the vids where you interact with your grandfather. You can't say that you were burned if you didn't look the car over before bidding on it. Just like buying a car from copart without the keys, you stay away from anything that you can't drive or start up unless it is a price that assumes it doesn't run. Good on you that you are doing well enough that you can bid on stuff without looking them over and using a scan tool on them and take losses.
I love your pops! He’s a life saver!!
56 T Bird with the Opera windows and a Continental kit. One of my Dad's favorite cars, so wish he had enjoyed a longer life where I could of thanked him by gifting him a car like this for simply being the greatest man I ever got to know in my lifetime. Love you and always missing you Pops, taking care of Mom for ya buddy! ❤
The floor button is a hi beam headlight switch. You got a real keeper with that one.
High beam button is on the floor. I'm 62 and drove lots of cars with that set up in the 1970's.
wow that thunderbird is so clean. love to see papa Al driving it too
My favorite that you have ever purchased. Three Cheers for your grandfather!
This proves you are one good guy. You did this for your grandfather. That transmission problem is nothing compared to getting Papa Al being the main person in the video
5:40 I learned about that button driving around on my permit and why everyone was angrily flashing their's at me coming from the other direction. lol ;)
Sweet ride
I just found out about the high beam switch when I bought a 68 Mustang two weeks ago
That is a great model. The high beam light is a pony centered above the steering wheel and you have a pedal on the left for your wiper fluid and wipe.
Man your papa is a wealth of knowledge! Treasure him!
Floor button is for the high beams. That was a 5 window Ford model A at the auction. Greg you got a nice car, don’t be upset about the reverse issue. All classic cars have their quirks and you are bound to find things one you get it home. All in all it’s a great find. The transmission is worth fixing and this car is way better than any modern sports car. Good luck with it!
Sorry, it's not a T-bucket, it's a 5 window coupe. You youngster, Papa Al knows what it is.
@redsox nation no he actually said it was t bucket at the start of the video
The most surprising thing to me is that you don’t just expect every car at the auction to have some sort of hidden problem 🤣
Seems like a fun job. I just couldn’t get over every single person selling a car trying to cheat you by erasing codes. I couldn’t be dishonest like that. I have to be able to sleep at night. I guess that’s what’s wrong with the country
That’s why customers think dealers are always out to get them. Being shady for so long tarnished the industry. Go up and down some of the larger streets in my area and all the buy here pay here and budget dealers are long gone closed up.
I'm also a dealer. Can confirm. EVERY car has some sort of hidden issue. That's why they are there 🤣
Floor switch is to turn on the high beams.
I agree.. you don't take decent to better classic cars to wholesale auctions..they go to one of the online auctions ,or one of the big three auction houses
Floor button was highbeam/lowbeam control. I had a 78' Chevy that still had that so they lasted quite a while.
Button on the floor is a dimmer switch. My dad collects & trades classic cars so I had the experience of learning how to drive on a few old cars as a teenager. A couple of them had the switch like that, and I can remember it like yesterday driving in the dark and hitting that switch the whole drive home. FYI, I am about the same age as Craig.
High beams. Also, plunger was for windshield wiper fluid
Head light dimmer switch. Love the find!!
Button is for the brights. Had them in my 79 F250.
My dad was born in 1940 too. He was a mechanic for over 55 years. He lends his knowledge when I work on my 80 Trans Am (with a 454)
What a beautiful automobile. 😍
You found a gem buying that t bird that has a lot of optional accessories that you very rarely find I would not sell that you will never find something like that again
That car is so good looking. Better than the vette.
No question, you keep it as a centerpiece for your collection. You have all the good stuff! Fix the transmission and enjoy taking it to local car shows, it will be the hit and you will be the envy of all who see it!
I completely agree with you!! I think it’s one of the most beautiful cars ever made so if I had the chance to buy one I would keep it no question!
love my 56 t bird... 312, white, auto with the same continental kit and hardtop!
Very nice classic T, Craig! A little touch up of the door jams and fix the transmission and the cleanliness of this classic will put you and the new owner to be in the right place! I've been in the automotive business for 34 years and I am absolutely amazed by your honesty and transparency in your work. To ultimately survive in the industry the base passion better be in the love of cars just like yours. Thanks for a great channel and I can't wait to see how the T-Bird turns out!
Floor button is for the brights. :)
The windscreen washer. I had that foot button on my 1970 mini
Beautiful
Great video!! Love the old cars.
Its all good. Some headaches are a-okay! Great find. Fun video
Nice to have such a Grandpa that knows a lot of cars and their defaults
It's a high beam floor button. Nice car man 👌. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇱🇺🇱🇺
Button is for the high beam lights.
Bright lights I wish they would bring that back!
the real bumper exhaust is so cool!
That's a Beauty.
Those old Ford V8s had a valve train oiling problem and the typical fix was to run an extra oil line to the valve covers to spray oil on the valve train. They didn't perform as well as the chevys but would last longer.
That car is a beeeee-aaaaaa-uteeeeee!
The button on floor is for the bright lights
I had an old Ford pickup that had that switch. Flashing the high beams with your feet is something these kids don’t know anything about. Good old days
That would be fantastic if that T-Bird was the actual car in American Graffiti !
High beam/ low beam headlight switch
The foot pedal you can say was a bright idea 😂😂
Floor switch is for dimmer switch for headlights. Wish they still had em today lol
That was a good buy the trans will be cheap to repair the car is very clean overall the foot dimer switch is what they called it
Nostalgic car... Gramps knows his car!! thats a perfect car to raffle off. make your money on the ticket sales .
Great great video
Youbshould have asked about the black bulb above the high beam switch. That is the window washer pump. U had to pump the washer fluid up with your foot.
Bright and dim lights
Pops is such a cool guy.
A friend on mine once owned a 91? Or 92? I don't remember and it was surprisingly cool for being a 90s Ford. But in my mind the 55, 56 & 57 first gen T-Birds are the only true Thunderbird. Great find. Great video. Always great to see Poppa he's such an interesting guy every time he's in a video I learn something. And that's the dimmer switch by the way.
Get LOTS of stories on video with Papa Al! Good stuff.
I owned a 56 Bird in '63. Candle Apple red with white interior. I had a friend with a Black '56 and another with a Red '55 . Used to cruise together.
Sold it for $900 ($8,000 today's dollars)
It’s beautiful, 9.9 for sure
High beams switch :)
Love it man, it looks well taken care of!
Great video I actually thought you were going to give your grandpa the T Bird
That button on the floor for high beams on headlights
Floor button is for the headlights, maybe for high beam.
That's floor button is high-beam and low-beam for your headlights
That switch is for the high and low beam for the headlights
High low beam switch
Nice T-Bird. Reverse band isn't that difficult to fix. We don't know what you paid, but it's worth keeping as an investment. The other car was a 32 roadster. a t-bucket is a modified model t.
It was a coupe. Roadster wouldn't have a roof.
The Beatles The Rolling Stones Led Zeppelin cream Frampton they all started jamming on before my Camaro I was cruising a 62 Chevrolet red interior red paint with a teardrop bubble hood scoop you have great videos and a lot of knowledge about the vehicles
Love the videos ✊🏼
The button on the floor is for the hi beams 😀
That’s my favorite design from American shores in the 1950s
button in the floor board is for the high beams in the headlights, I put one in my 98 XJ.
Almost to 200k, Craig. 👍
My 77 nova has the floor thingy!!!
It's either the high beam low beam.... or original flex compasitor... I choose the flex as the final answer
Dimmer switch. On my old ragged 56 Chevy Convertible I had back in 63, when I hit the dimmer switch, the headlights went out. I replaced that switch the next day!!!
The button on the floor is the high beams
I am 17 and that switch is a dimmer switch the truck I learned to drive stick in was a 1989 f150 had a dimmer switch for high/low beam
My grandfather had a T-Bird just like this one. Bought it new in the late 50’s.
Always fun to go riding around with my grandpa on this car. Great memories.
High beam, Many cars were like this back in the day.
The button on the.floor is for the high beams
Button is high beam for headllights
That button is for cruise control or high and low beam
Grandpa Al is one cool, knowledgeable dude 👍
I'll just say I preferred the button... much better place than on the column.
It's the headlight bright and deem switch
Button for the brake lights!