|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
Since I'm stuck in my house due to the virus, I'm catching up on a few projects I had planned. I finally got around to freshening up the dash in my TBird. Got rid of that stupid clock that never did work and the cheap tach I stuck in the old tach hole when I switched distrbutors. I ditched the JC Whitney under dash dual chrome gauge holder and moved the SW oil pressure and temp gauge into the dash where they belong. Installed a new plastic dome and polished the speedo glass. I ordered a Mooneyes tach to mount on the column. Thumbs up or down?
|
|
By FORD DEARBORN - 4 Years Ago
|
I think there are many of us stuck at home while everything goes viral. We ALL better stay safe. I generally prefer the original styling and look of OE. Especially the excellent looking design of the early Birds but in your case, you did a very nice job of incorporating the gauges in the Bird dash. However, thumbs down on obscuring that beautiful instrument panel with a bulky chrome tack. Just my opinion.
|
|
By blocky - 4 Years Ago
|
|
looks good thumbs up .love the black car also
|
|
By miker - 4 Years Ago
|
I finished cleaning up this unit I bought last fall. At least I got all the linkage cleaned out and adjusted. Still not sure what I'll do with it.
|
|
By miker - 4 Years Ago
|
|
Phil, I'm a thumbs up on the whole deal. I had a column mounted tach on my 55 back in the 60's. Easier to read than the oem off to the left. Just blocked the idiot lights, but they reflected enough off the chrome cup to still work.
|
|
By ian57tbird - 4 Years Ago
|
|
So has the made panic buying set in over there. It has here already, and we only have a couple of hundred cases of the virus so far.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
I'm not going to block the view of the dash. I'll tilt the tach to the left like we did back in the day. I'm sure the original tach location was chosen for styling more than readability. What I really wanted was an old Sun Tach, but I didn't want to deal with old parts and a clunky black box under dash. They made a modern Sun Tach knockoff, but it's no longer available for some reason. I chose the Moon Tach for the nostalgia vibe. I bought this car as a time machine to transport me back the 1965. It's a hoot to drive. The cam popping out the twin exhaust pipes in the back and the solid lifters clacking away are great music. I ordered a radio delete plate for the dash. Who needs a radio with that sound? 
|
|
By charliemccraney - 4 Years Ago
|
ian57tbird (3/17/2020)
So has the made panic buying set in over there. It has here already, and we only have a couple of hundred cases of the virus so far.
It's here although, I think it is either most problematic in areas of large population or possibly it's being blown out of proportion by the media.
I went to the grocery store last night expecting the shelves to be bare based on all I had seen and while the pickings were far more slim than usual, my usual weekly supply was there. So I got a weeks supply and hope to be able to do the same next week.
|
|
By FORD DEARBORN - 4 Years Ago
|
Phil, sounds like a good plan hanging the tach off to the left. Send pics of the finished product.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
I have a question. What the heck are all those people doing with toilet paper? I expect it will all be returned to the store within a few weeks.
|
|
By BamaBob - 4 Years Ago
|
|
Phil, I don't know either what the use for so much toilet paper is(at least in the short run), but an example of the lunacy of it was amply illustrated this past Saturday when a lady purchased $680.00 worth of toilet paper and paper towels at our local Walmart. I apologize for getting off-topic of this thread, but this is very interesting!
|
|
By FORD DEARBORN - 4 Years Ago
|
It proves they are really "full of it!" Sorry for being off topic but yes, it is interesting.
|
|
By ian57tbird - 4 Years Ago
|
There are the low life people reselling short supply items to make a buck.
Some of the stores here have announced they are changing their return policy to stop those idiots bringing back the items they over bought.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
The same thing happens when we have a hurricane in Florida. People run down to the store and buy up all the water and canned food. After the storm passes, they return it all to the store.
|
|
By DryLakesRacer - 4 Years Ago
|
Sign on our super markets states no buy back.
I’m waiting for the return of my front bumper from one chrome shop and my sons grille from another. That will give me something to do as I always coat the back sides. The grille will take longer. I’m sort of sheltering-in-place at 75 years old... I’m sorry my gym closed up but I can understand it. Food here in so cal can all be attained if you know how to do it...
|
|
By BamaBob - 4 Years Ago
|
|
What do you coat the backsides of the bumpers with?
|
|
By DryLakesRacer - 4 Years Ago
|
 ]Paint. Usually one of the Eastwood products I have extra. Chassis black or cast iron look. I pickup the bumper today and it’s back side was much better looking than I’ve ever had.
This chrome shop does “pebble beach” work and I won a raffle for $850 worth from them. My receipt shows $550 with still a credit that I can use up to October when it runs out. Best $20 for raffle tickets I ever bought. 
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
|
|
By Daniel Jessup - 4 Years Ago
|
Blasting away out here in Loveland, Ohio!
|
|
By FORD DEARBORN - 4 Years Ago
|
Phil, that tach looks good off to the left side and the other 2 instruments you installed relate well with it. It's a thumbs up but I wouldn't add any more instruments. Just MHO............
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
The Moon Tach is great. Just the right amount of nostalgia and the quality is decent for a repro. I redyed my dash cover and the bottom on the dash. Don't have much else to do except drive. This car drives wonderfully. The steering is 1955, but it's as good as it's ever been. Once the brake shoes wore in, it stops fine. All the car shows in our area have been cancelled, so it's just me and my wife on the back roads.
|
|
By NY59F100 - 4 Years Ago
|
Phil,
I really like the tachometer. I have been thinking about using that one for awhile now. I too found that the old Sun tachs are all but impossible to find since the Sun company is no longer or was absorbed by a bigger company, I forgot which one. Was the Moon tach easy to set up? How does it attach to the steering column? Is it just a stainless band clamp?
Thanks,
Soffian
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
The Moon Tach looks very close to an old Sun Tach. It comes with everything you need. You can mount it on the steering column with the clamp provided or mount it flat. Wiring is standard. Red wire goes to keyed power, Black to ground, Green to the coil and white for the lights. The canister is chromed plastic, but it looks like metal. I paid $100.56 including shipping to my home in Florida.
|
|
By 2721955meteor - 4 Years Ago
|
|
for such a nice car,my opinion is you have stepped back with the dash,put a tack back in where it belongs,there are clocks that will fit. don't know about why a tack would not work,i have ford duraspark and tack works fine. ford did such a nice job on the original dash don't give up
|
|
By slumlord444 - 4 Years Ago
|
Love the tach. I have an older Sun that is doing funny things at high rpm. May ordrer one. I'm fine with your gauge setup. Restomods and hot rods are realy popular now and actially selling for more than total stockers. Never thought it would be this way. My '57 was ha hot rod/restomod before the term restomod existed. Haven't changed anything that couldn't be changed back but love the performance and drivability of my Mummert head 322 cubic inch Y Block and 4 speed toploader. Have fun with it.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
I understand originality. I'm am not a big fan of the restomod craze. I can't think of anything more ridiculous looking than a beautiful old classic car with 22" wheels and a back seat full of stereo speakers. If you want a car that drives like a new car, I think you should buy a new car.
I did not buy this car because it was a '55 Thunderbird. I wanted a rust free black YBlock manual transmission car that I could hot rod and the TBird became available at the right price. My wife always wanted a convertible, so it happened. Now that I have this Tbird, I find I enjoy driving it more than any other old car I have ever owned. These cars are getting a lot more affordable than they used to be. They will most likely all be close to worthless in twenty years. The feeling I get when I go through the gears is priceless.
|
|
By 2721955meteor - 4 Years Ago
|
|
my take is the changes have a negative action on a great looking bird,very hard to improve henrys dash on the early birds. there was a moment you can't activate a electric tack. i have duraspark on my 292 and the ad on tack works fine. any way i like your car but would not have those changes.i had 2 55 birds over the years wish i kept 1.
|
|
By MoonShadow - 4 Years Ago
|
|
As of today my Covid-19 project is shoveling snow, again! The temperatures are moving upward now so I expect to get a few days in on my roadster. The 56 will languish in trailer storage for at least another month. Hopefully this year it will come out ready to check over, start and go. I plan to make the Y-Block Nationals in June and then head to Bonneville with the roadster in August.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
I am aware some people do not like to see these cars modified. Values are dropping on all of these cars dramatically. There are so many of them for sale, I don't see how this is harming anything. That said, I am careful not to cut the car or do anything that can not be reversed. My garage is stacked with all the original parts to this bird. If desired, the next owner can put it back to the way Henry built it.
|
|
By panel driver - 4 Years Ago
|
Great Tbird you have there. Even better it's still a y block. This a project i been trying to finish.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
Any car with a YBlock is good for me. I've had my share of 50s Fords with engine swaps. They don't sound and feel the same way. I have a good friend that is building a big buck 55 TBird restomod. It has a 5.0 Mustang engine, rack and pinion steering, air conditioning and all kinds of other modern stuff. A small TBird needs a YBlock.
|
|
By DryLakesRacer - 4 Years Ago
|
And frankly they just look better and sound better.
I understand making things safer and more modern and trans, rear, AC, brakes, tires, etc, changes I’ll go along.
I think people today are just spoiled on automobiles with no leaks, 7k between oil changes and fuel mileage. Sure I would like 20+ mpg but most of us drive our older cars very little. A 15 gal fill up lasts me at least 2 months and I have record books on all my cars. To each his own I guess.
|
|
By Florida_Phil - 4 Years Ago
|
The things I changed on my TBird made it better. I built a new engine after a freeze plug rusted out of the old one. I changed to a dual master cylinder and upgraded the brakes. Upgraded the electrical system to 12 volts and added an alternator. Ditched the old leaky brass radiator for a new aluminum radiator and electric fan. Rebuilt the front end and installed a new gas tank. Changed the tires and wheels. Replaced the exhaust system and installed a new front bumper. Before I did all that, my best friend was the AAA tow truck driver. I built my car to drive and we drive it a lot. Sure, it leaks a little oil. I have never seen a YBlock that didn't. My car pulls like a train in second gear. When it shifts into O/D, the train starts all over again. This is by far the best driving old car I have ever owned. It's worth every dime I have put into it.
|
|
By Vic Correnti - 4 Years Ago
|
My virus cures
|