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By rexbd - 17 Years Ago
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I just bought a 55 Tbird that has been stored for 38 years. Assume I need to rebuild the engine. Tbird has automatic. I am restoring for my wife so want to make the car drivable but also like to spice up a little. I have done lots of stuff with windsors and FE motors never the Y block. Any suggestions are appreciated. Things I have heard are. Switch to 12 Volt Dump the Tpot carb (I understand a different carb takes a different manifold and distributor) consider a more modern auto trans Casco's modified water pump Open to anything dependability is critical but always looking for more power.
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By bird55 - 17 Years Ago
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I would definately consider disc brakes conversion on front. This solves a lot of issues with driveability and safety. all the other things you mentioned are correct too, except the transmission. It is perfectly acceptable in almost all situations. All the other options cost for the increased benefits, they DO work better, but that is relative. For this car AND for Her use you have to decide for yourself. All transmission upgrades for this car require cooling thru the radiator. So that change needs to consider in the mix.
But, before you jump out and start changing things, get it going, drive it alot and figure out what you think you want to "improve". If this car really has been sitting for that long, you may have your hands full anyway just doing that. Don't assume the engine needs a rebuild, have it checked out. These little cars are pretty enjoyable as is, AND saying that I also want to say that, not without wholesale changes are they going to drive like a newer car. I would even go so far as to say never drive like a new car. BUT, that's is really why I like vintage cars. You drive them.
post some pics and lets us know more about you and your bird on your profile.
Oh and one more thing when you switch to 12v keep the 6v starter in, works great!
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By rexbd - 17 Years Ago
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Appreciate the advice. I'll see what I can do to fire her up when I get the car and do an assessment. Good to know the tranny is something that doesn't need to be changed out. I think I will leave my priorities at the 12 volt change and am worried about the Carb but with having to swap out the distributor starts to add up. I talked to the folks at Pony Carbs and they say they can make the old Tpot carb run pretty well, but even they caution me about the fire hazard. Pretty spooky.
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By M_S - 17 Years Ago
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I am working on a similar project. My grandmother purchased my '56 in '58 and put about 25k miles on it. In '71 the car was parked in the garage and not driven again until '98 when she passed away. We went through the brakes, fuel system (inc. new tank), battery, cooling (inc. new rad from Larry's) and the hoses and belts. The car was willed to my father and he wanted to make sure it would be safe to move from the garage to a storage garage. After that, he could not decide what to do with it and sold it to me a few months ago. With the few repairs made to the car it was perfectly driveable and seemed perfectly safe.
After sitting for so long you can bet that the brakes need work. I have been driving mine on the rebuilt 9 years ago originals since I took possesion of the car. I live in very flat terrain and they seem to work fine (but I rarely get the car going much faster than 50mph). I have purchased the disc brake conversion from MPB and will install in the next month when my wife takes maternity leave (so I have her car to run for parts). I am replacing the ball joints, bushings and painting the control arms at the same time. I have heard that the BJ's in 'birds are built tough and don't really need replacement unless damaged. Had I not already purchased new ones from Larry's I would probably not be doing them. The bushings are another story. Shocks were replaced with KYB gas-adjust and 7/8" sway bars added front and rear. Those mods along with radial tires made a dramatic difference.
Under the hood, I started by adding a pertronix II ignition. That just went back in the box after adding an MSD (beware, no tach drive for bird owners), a Blue Thunder mani. and a 525 Demon carb. After reading many posts about the 390 holley and how well it works on Y's, I really wish I would have gone with it. I am still tweaking the Demon and the MSD to get rid of an off idle flat spot, but I had never owned a Demon and wanted to try something new. Along with the large radiator installed in '98, I put on a 7-blade fan and a new airtex water pump. I have diven this car all over and cannot get it to come close to overheating.
So, to make a long story longer, those things, some chrome, polished aluminum and an interior are about all I have done to the car. I would feel perfectly safe letting my drive it anywhere around town (fwy speeds after the disc brakes).
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By bird55 - 17 Years Ago
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The problem most owners have with the old brakes are in-town panic stops. These cars have a tendancy to pull one direction when the goofball pulls out in front of you while juggling a cell phone and a bottle of water.
M S, good choice on that wheel & tire combo. retro and right. IMHO.
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By Marc - 17 Years Ago
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M S, that's a nice looking bird! The front end looks so much cleaner without the bumper donuts.
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By M_S - 17 Years Ago
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Thanks for the compliments.
If you like it w/o the bumper guards, wait until you see the grill. It might have been a horrible thing to do to a sharp original un-replated grill, but I took out every other vertical grill bar out. Now it has more of a Ferrari-ish looking egg crate. I will post pics when I get it back in.
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By Pete 55Tbird - 17 Years Ago
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Hello and welcome to the world of Y Block. I have had a 55 Tbird for a very long time so some of the issues you will have in no particular order might be. If the car is for your wife and it dosen`t have power steering, GAME OVER. These things are heavy on steering, that is why the 18inch steering wheel. As to the Tpot carb I drove mine for years with NO problem and so did thousands of other people. This carb is nowhere near as bad as an Autolite 4300. 12 Volt is GOOD and easy I still use the 6Volt starter( also a must with a descent radio, CD. ) Disk brakes with a dual master cylinder A MUST HAVE. Get some 3point seatbelts. Look into A/C these cars are hot inside and with the non-port hole top visibility is POOR. These cars are not really daily drivers anymore and as much as I love mine I think you should buy her a Honda. Just an opinion. Pete
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By 55Birdman - 17 Years Ago
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I have a 55 birdfor about 10 years now. rebuilt everything. that way I knoiw it is new . I put electronic ignition on it switched to 12v, 390cfm carb,(now I am into making it a nostalgia rod.) I am in process of newer trans,headers,mag wheels,disc brakes. I would suggest you do to it what you want. There are tons of things to do to it but do what makes you feel good  
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By GREENBIRD56 - 17 Years Ago
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Imagine what a dull place the automotive world would be if all they ever did with '32 Fords was restore them..................................
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By M_S - 17 Years Ago
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55birdman,
Yours looks just the opposite of mine (red/black).
What size tire/wheel/offset are you running and do you have a rubbing problem.
what have you decided to do about your trans (you mentioned an upgrade)
Thanks
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By 55Birdman - 17 Years Ago
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MS I have 215 70 15in tires. dont remember the offset. sorry. I had 235s on it but they rubbed the rear so i had to switch. I am going to put a c4 trans in it. I checked around and this one doesnt require me to tear the floor up putting in the shifter. Headers and the tranny go on this summer. I am a teacher and i need to work this summer so this will be my job. I am lookingfor discs for the rear if you know of a place to get them. I was tryingto decide which color and I was stuck between red and black. I went to the paint store and they were out of the black so i got red. would like to put a new front end on it but that is still in thought for now. time will tell. Birds are the best  55bird man Earl Dagenhart
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By pcmenten - 17 Years Ago
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I would look for a Carter WCFB for a Ford/Lincoln/Merc and keep the original intake manifold. I have such a setup with the choke mechanism attached to the manifold. Yours should look similar.
You can buy a fresh 63 distributor from Autozone, but save the old Load-o-matic dual diaphragm or sell it on eBay.
I've heard that you can make the old Ford-o-matic transmission into a 3 speed auto, but I'd recommend conversion to a FMX. The conversion uses the stock bellhousing. Another option is buying the bellhousing to convert it to an AOD or similar modern 4 speed automatic. Worth considering, but get the brakes upgraded when you do .
The 6 volt system will work fine if you maintain it. They converted to 12 volt for a good reason, but the 6 volt worked for years and it can work for you. Use 0 gauge battery cables, not wimpy 4 gauge cables as found on 12 volt cars. Make good grounds all around. Remember that the coil will have the + terminal going to the distributor, not to the ignition switch. I've seen 8 volt (four cell) batteries used in 6 volt systems.
Nice car.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 17 Years Ago
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The Fordomatic is a 3 speed. It just takes off in 2nd gear under normal driving conditions. You can manually select 1st by putting the shifter in LO. John
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By Marc - 17 Years Ago
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Earl, Master Power has a rear disc conversion for t-birds. It's a little pricey, but I think they also have a drum upgrade setup. Here's their site: www.mpbrakes.com
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By 55Birdman - 17 Years Ago
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Found ECI web, rear discs 525.00 complete. Guess I got to have a yard sale. 55birdman
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By M_S - 17 Years Ago
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Since I discovered that my bird was originally Sage, has been in the family since '58 and has relatively low miles, I have been fanatical about not cutting, drilling or harming the car in any permanent way. I have made tons of mods to the car but always using the existing holes. One that Tom mentioned was the radio, I mounted mine to the stock town & country with an aftermarket bracket that uses all original holes. I like having the glove box so this method worked out better for me and it's a great theft deterrent if nobody knows there is a stereo in the car (important because I rarely have the top up). The pics show that the radio is barely visible when peeking under the dash and cannot be seen when sitting in the car or standing next to it. The only drawback is that the face is not visible (unless the ashtray is removed). This is not a problem because I usually only listen to an ipod connected to it and all of my radio presets are easily accessed through the remote that came with the unit. Bose 151 outdoor speakers reside in the tray between the top and the trunk and 2 5" speakers are mounted under the original in-dash grill. Even the gauges you see are mounted in original holes. I can provide part #'s and more pics and details if you or anyone else is interested.
Link to pics...
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