1956 Ford Truck VIN Information
The F100 was at its best in 1956. Many changes were made that make this truck the best of the 53-56 Ford trucks. A lot of peole think its the coolest truck ever built. The easiest and quickest way to recognize a 56 over the 53-55 F100 models is by the cab. The slant front windshield pillars from 53-55 F100 are gone in favor of a more refined wrap around windshield on the 56 F100. A lot of people call the 53-55 trucks "slant cabs" because of the windshield and front cab pillars that slant up to the roof. This 56 cab design change leads to all kinds of additional changes. 53-55 slant cab trucks had a triangle shaped vent window to match the slant. 1956 F100 models have a more rectangular shaped vent window. Of course the door windows and division bars are different from slant cab models also. One of the most sought after options on the 56 F100 is the big back window truck. There were fewer of these made and they literally had a huge back window. The front grille & parking light assemblies are unique to 56 models. Because the headlights are sunken into the buckets on the grille, 56 F100 air deflectors have a dished out area for the headlight bucket to have room. The dash gauge area became arched on the 56 F100, rather than flat as on 53-55 models. 1956 also saw a new 12 volt electrical system. Vacuum wipers were gone in favor of an electric wiper system. Rear tail lights were the shield type. The engine line-up for the 56 F100 consisted of a 223 straight 6 cylinder as well as a 272 V8, though there were 3 versions of the 272 available in 56. There was a 2V carburetor light duty 272 engine and a 2V carburetor heavy duty 272. The third variation of the 272 was a 4V carburetor heavy duty engine.
| 56 F100 Production Numbers | |||
| Year | Pickups | Panel Trucks |
Big Window |
| 1956 | 137,581 | 14,023 | 6,200 |
| Year | Model Code |
| 1956 | 6 |
| Year | Truck | Serial Code | ||
| Regular | Light | 18,000 GVW | ||
| 1956 | F-100 Conventional | F10 | F11 | |
| 1956 | F-250 Conventional | F25 | F26 | |
| 1956 | F-350 Conventional | F35 | F36 | |
| 1956 | P-350 Parcel Delivery | P35 | P36 | |
| 1956 | F-500 Conventional | F50 | F51 | |
| 1956 | B-500 School Bus | B50 | B51 | |
| 1956 | C-500 Cab Forward | C50 | C51 | |
| 1956 | P-500 Parcel Delivery | P50 | P51 | |
| 1956 | F-600 Conventional | F60 | F61 | F63 |
| 1956 | B-600 School Bus | B60 | B61 | B63 |
| 1956 | C-600 Cab Forward | C60 | C61 | C63 |
| 1956 | P-600 Parcel Delivery | P60 | P61 | |
| 1956 Engine Codes | |
| D | O.H.V. 6 Cylinder-223 cid |
| V | O.H.V. 8 Cylinder-2V Carb (L/D)-272 cid |
| Z | O.H.V. 8 Cylinder-2V Carb (H/D)-272 cid |
| R | O.H.V. 8 Cylinder-4V Carb (H/D)-272 cid |
| 1956 Transmissions | |
| Code | Type |
| 3 | 3-Speed Regular |
| 3MD | 3-Speed Medium Duty |
| 3HD | 3-Speed Heavy Duty |
| AUTO | 3-Speed Automatic |
| 3OD | 3-Speed Overdrive |
| 4SYN | 4-Speed Synchronized |
| 5DIR | 5-Speed Direct |
| 5OD | 5-Speed Overdrive |
| Assembly Plant Code | Plant Location |
| A | Atlanta |
| B | Buffalo |
| C | Chester |
| G | Chicago |
| D | Dallas |
| F | Dearborn |
| H | Detroit Truck |
| K | Kansas City |
| L | Long Beach |
| U | Louisville |
| E | Manwah |
| M | Memphis |
| N | Norfolk |
| R | San Jose |
| S | Somerville |
| P | Twin City |
| 1956 Paint Code | Paint Color Name |
| A | Raven Black |
| B | Dark Blue Metallic |
| D | Light Blue |
| E | White (for two tone) |
| G | Light Green |
| R | Torch Red |
| U | Meadow Green |
| M | Yellow |
| H | Gray |
| P | Prime |
| SS | Special Order |
1956 F100 Model ID
There is also great information and 1956 Ford Truck Parts at CMWTrucks.com.