How can I find the VIN for a Ford automobile I once owned in 1955.
The local records no longer exist.
Email for description of car, license number and owner's name.

can you clarify what model and year it is.  VIN decoders appear to be 
widespread, and I expect it couldn't be too hard to unencode that information 
to give at least some of the digits.  However so far I've only found the 
decoders for more recent makes.

Could you give the type of automobile that you owned in 1955?  The more details 
that you provide the better we can assist you.  Thanks!

For a vehicle that old, you'll have to consider who had an interest in the car at the time you owned it. One or more of the entities may still have a record of
your Ford although it's doubtful since your car and its record may predate computerization.

I'm sure you may have already considered some of these:

The factory.

The original dealer.

The bank if a loan was involved.

Any garage that may have worked on the car.

The insurance company which issued a policy covering the car.

Any entity which may have issued a parking permit for the car.

Any agency that may have written a ticket involving the car.

Local government if the car was subject to property tax.

Another route would be to try to follow the chain of owners after you disposed of the car. You're facing detective work made more difficult not only by 
the passage time but also because the car may have been scrapped long ago.

I would start with Ford and determine if they still have details of the production from that time and the shipments to dealers. If you try that route avoid 
customer service. Call the main Ford telephone number in Dearborn, MI and when you get a switchboard operator, ask what department manages the 
historical archives. As long as you avoid being handed off to customer service its been my experience that individual employees will go out of their way to 
help you if possible.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.