Curt Cunningham' 1956 Ford Mainline

In the early ’60s, modifying a car like Curt Cunningham’s ’56 Ford sedan would have involved some crazy stuff. Customizers back then loved to “improve” ’50s-era cars by tacking on shark fins, adding scoops, changing the beltlines, wiring up more headlights, and making as many alterations as possible until they’d removed every trace of the car’s original character. Forty years later we’re still chuckling at ’em.

Curt figured if he was going to build a ’56 Ford, it ought to look like a ’56 Ford. Every modification was planned to improve the car’s driveability without detracting from its classic style. He started out with a huge advantage in the form of an all-original, low-mileage, primo-condition Ford Mainline two-door post car. When he bought the ’56, it had 44,000 miles on the odometer and still wore the factory paint, chrome trim, and interior upholstery—all in good shape. A little research revealed that the car had originally been purchased by a lady in South Dakota, who traded in her ’39 Plymouth coupe for a new Ford.

Recognizing the rarity of his totally original ride, Curt decided to keep it mild—on the outside, anyway. Under-neath, the Ford rides on a Dick Easterwood–built chassis, beefed up for a stiffer ride and a tougher profile. Easterwood also upgraded the wiring and welded up a set of exhaust headers for the 425hp Ford 427 FE engine hidden under the hood.

Since it’s been finished, Curt’s had the sedan on the road practically every day. We ran across the ’56 during last summer’s Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour, where these photos were taken. We caught up with it again on our Americruise 2001 road trip in July. In fact, Curt (who is the president of Carriage Works Billet Accessories in Grandview, Missouri) was one of the tour leaders. See page 84 of the Dec. ’01 R&C for an eyeful of the ’56 leading the caravan of rods and customs from Fort Worth to Lincoln—with the Power Tour 2001 decal still on the windshield.

Sure the man was lucky to find such remarkable raw material for his moderately modified resto-custom, but by keeping the rebuild low-key and retaining the car’s character, he’s created a cool ride that is likely to stay that way for as long as he drives it.