Setting here thinking about this-----back in 55 Ford didn't have any mech advance in the distributor--it was all vacume and was venturi at that--also vacume ran the wipers with a funny fuel pump deal---if the fuel pump/ carb/ distributor package has been changed around you probably have some compatibility issues---If so----get a dual advance ( what Ford called them in 57 from a later year 292 / 312--one from a truck will have less advacnce so you can run more initial--make sure the carb signal is hooked to venturi vacume---

this was fairle common issue back then---

Jerry