Vintage Thunderbird Club International

Klogsdonjr, why do you have a 600 cfm carburetor on a stock engine? You might see better mileage from a carburetor with smaller primaries. MarkR recently replaced his 570 cfm Holley 4150 with a 390 cfm Holley 4160; so far, he's happy with the performance, and there's no more gas smell. DynoDan, I k...

My ‘55 with OD initially got low 20s on the highway (orig distributor & rebuilt teapot). Now, mileage is way down (dist. mod/advance limiter, Pony teapot, high ratio rockers, etc.). Dont actually measure it anymore, just notice a tank full doesn’t go near as far.

I see you have the camera switch. Have you tried setting lash while running? My unit was long stored assembled (with the spring compressed), so the gauge bounces too much now for an accurate reading. I usually set cold and add a thousandth for the exhausts.

Well I guess the older one gets the more we forget the obvious. After all the extensive testing, I headed the recent advice and cleaned the negative batter post and cable and of course the car immediately started. Thanks to all for the comments and advice! Apply dielectric grease or terminal protec...

Not sure if they deteriorate with age, like other electrolytics (?). I bought a grab bag of NOS condensers years ago, tested them all with a multi-meter, and selected the one with the closest OEM spec. Been running fine ever since (over 15 yrs./50K miles).

I forget (replaced mine with spacer). But, I do remember that in the original exploded parts diagrams, it was accidentally drawn upside down.

I’m a bit perplexed. Years ago, my ignition switch failed when on a long trip (had to hot-wire to restart…pumped gas with motor running). Getting the switch/key out after I got home was rather tricky, as I recall. I know I must have bought a NOS switch & tumbler then, but have absolutely no memo...

It’s obvious they used an actual ‘55 T-Bird (not a repro) for their promo pamphlet photos. BTW: I likely have that memory of ‘2.3 L engine only’ availability, since being rather poor back then, I would not have considered any but the bare-bones base model. ALSO: It was rather amusing reading the 10,...

Shay was building reproductions of the Model 'A' and the '55 'Bird at the same time in the late '70s. Even as a teenager I paid attention to when they were available at our local Ford dealers around Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont, Nebraska. One dealer has a Model 'A' replica roadster with a Pinto engin...

New owner here. My 55 bird has 3spd with borg-warner overdrive. Saw a 55 Tbird Fordomatic trans for sale today. Would this be a straightforward swap? Unless you owned OD cars before, as a new owner, you might yet discover its advantages with practice. Of course, daily driving in heavy city traffic ...

Soon after I bought my car, the 6V gen. died on the way to having it worked on. The mechanic replaced it with a pass. car gen. (had to twist his arm to get back the orig. core). When the replacement died, I rebuilt it successfully and installed the backing plate kit. But, been too long. No memory no...

Only once have I smelled hot brakes. Throttle cable stuck on my'96 Cadillac on a busy freeway. My wife doesn't mind the smells at all. One of her sons used to race dirt bikes as a kid and she still remembers the smell of the castor oil they used to run in them. She ran the concession stand for the ...

RossL wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 9:08 pm Is there anyway to minimize the fuel smell?

The float needle cap on teapot carbs typically leak. They sell an o-ring that cures it.

Synthetic is more likely to leak with OEM gaskets. I don’t use it, but had the cover on my ‘55 Dana done with silicon anyway. No leaks there yet, but the axle & pinion seals have. Will likely need to steam-clean my undercarriage when I get them replaced. Leaking axle seals will probably contamin...

Just a side note, since we are discussing radiator caps: I currently run an ‘open’/zero-pressure coolant system (leaky head gasket, block/heads/radiator due for replacement). I HAD a customized orig. 15# T-Bird cap (rubber outer gasket on a freely rotating metal plate, but no spring/inner gasket). W...