Vintage Thunderbird Club International

Jack up the rear and see if you have any play when spinning the driveshaft back & forth by hand. When going from neutral to any gear will cause a clunk if there is any play.

Is anybody familiar with the '57 speedo? As I mentioned before it stuck at 10mph and then after I parked it slowly drifted to 0. I loosened the cable nut per the speedometer shop but no difference. The shop said they should go 100k with no issues. I popped off the lense and manipulated the needle. ...

My first thought that it could be a bad 'U' joint. Second would be a worn differential. Is all the insulation in place beneath the shifter? Worn 'U' joints usually have a harmonic and vibrate at around 30mph and again at about 60mph.

fewer teeth would result in it spinning faster. The gears are color coded as to how many teeth they have. With my '57 312 & auto trans it is red W/19 teeth. Hills catalog has color pictures.

Nice catch. It seems more likely that it was for a jig when machining the lug holes before the center was mated to the outer rim regardless of the hole for the valve stem which was machined before mating so it wasn't relevant where it was.

It's true that at the beginning and end of the yearly production runs and even in mid run different parts were used. Going Concours correct is no small feat. Mine will never be concours worthy unless a full body off restoration. It's a very correct driver and shows well at local events as I live far...

I understand. I have a few mechanical clocks and understand the mechanics. From the symptoms some grit got between the magnets or into the bearings. It came on suddenly. What's nice about the '57 the lense just pops out and just enough room to get an air hose behind the face. I'll try that first the...

That's why the shop told me to back off the attaching nut. I don't know if I have an odd ball as the restoration manual says all three years do have the oil port. But it did say to try to get some oil inside and blow it around with compressed air.

Is anybody familiar with the '57 speedo? As I mentioned before it stuck at 10mph and then after I parked it slowly drifted to 0. I loosened the cable nut per the speedometer shop but no difference. The shop said they should go 100k with no issues. I popped off the lense and manipulated the needle. A...

Don't you just wonder when somebody strips a car but runs out of steam when it comes to put it back together many stories out there. At least it was inherited and his biggest expense is going to be time.

I would do what machine head said. Check to see of the rockers match. If they don't, Hills may have a complete rocker arm assembly #6563. No price but to call.

The second photo shows original adjusters. They are held by friction. I have no idea what is on the other head. Definitely not stock.

paul2748 wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 8:45 pm Mosr speedo's have a small oil hole at the top where the cable goes in. A light oil, like 3 In One is the type to use.

As I said, the '57s are not built that way.

Well, I just crawled under there and there is no provision for oiling for a '57 speedo. Called the speedometer shop that rebuilt it and they suggested the cable may be too tight putting pressure on the magnet set. They said to loosen the nut 1/4 turn and see what happens. They have seen it before bu...

Thank goodness I'm small. Only 5'6" 125lbs. I used to install phones in cars so I'm used to working under the dash. Butt on the seat feet up the backrest so I'm not trying to squeeze in on the floor in front of the seat.