Re: 1956 400 with manual transmission

Posted by 58L8134 On 2014/11/13 8:26:23

Hi

The '55 & '56 400's I've seen with stick shift were obviously converted from Ultramatics. In every case, the selector indicator and mechanisms were still on the column and a later aftermarket floor shift stuck out of the transmission hump.

There may have been a handful of factory-built cars so equipped on order but remember the 400 sold in competition with Cadillac, Lincoln and Imperial hardtops. None of those had manual shift optional because there was no demand for them.

Full-power and automatic transmission convenience was perceived as luxury in those years. While a dealer would order one if the customer insisted, he'd hate to take it in trade later...a 400 darn near impossible to resell.

Steve