Vintage Cars: 1956 Mercury car info and facts, horsepower ratings, mercury car

Question
I am in need of a bunch of general information as to the difference  between a 55 and a 56 merc.
They are very simular looking, but I'm curious about 6 or 12 volt engines avialable  models and options. Thanks very much
scott


Answer
The '55 and '56 Mercs were nice cars, and I'm always surprised we don't see more of them at local car shows, as these are cars worth saving.  They're nearly identical on the outside, with a slightly different grille and side trim.  Inside was nearly the same, with the addition of Ford's safety door latches and deep-dish steering wheel (1956 was the "Year for Safety" at Ford, but it didn't go over well with the public, believe it or not); padded dash and seat belts were optional.  '56 added a new, low-priced Medalist model, initially just a 2-door sedan.  Later in the year they added a 2-door hardtop, as well as 4-door sedan and 4-door hardtop body styles.  Then there was the Custom, the Monterey, and the top-line Montclair, all offering those same body styles except no 2-door sedan in the Monterey/ Montclair series.  Wagons were available as a Custom or a Monterey, convertibles as Custom or Montclair (rarest of all '56 Mercs is the Custom convertible, with only 2311 built).  '55 was the last year for the Sun Valley model.  The engine went from 292 to 312, but was offered in various carburetor/ compression/ horsepower ratings depending on transmission choice.  And those combinations changed throughout the year, making for dozens of choices, but there were 5 basic horsepower ratings, from 210 to 260.  Yes, '56 was the year that Mercury went from 6 to 12-volt electrics in all models.  That's the extent of my knowledge on the '55/'56 "Big M," but if there's more detail you need, just let me know.