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By brassspike - 13 Years Ago
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I just got hold of a Lincoln Versailles. The body is trash but all of the mechanicals are there. I'm sure everything is worn out and will need rebuilding. I am aware that some things like the brakes will work on my 55 ford car but what else? I'll have to pull what I can off asap and send the rest to the junk yard so any help is greatly appreciated!
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By MarkMontereyBay - 13 Years Ago
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Regarding the Versailles front disc brakes and spindles. I met Brent Vandervort of Fatman Fabrications at the West Coast Street Rod Nationals in Pleasanton, Ca a few weeks ago. We talked about his dropped spindles, etc. He said that unlike Granada/Monarchs, the Lincoln Versailles lower ball joint is from a full size Lincoln and won't fit a 57 Tbird. Too large and would have to be shimmed. I looked around for a set of the Versailles spindles without luck thankfully and have a set of Granada/Monarch assemblies waiting to be rebuilt and reamed. The rear end from the Versailles has been sought after for the 9 inch and rear disc brakes. I would hang on to the whole rear with cables, etc.
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By GREENBIRD56 - 13 Years Ago
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Lower pin taper of a Versailles steering knuckle might not fit a '57 sedan ball joint - but its a direct fit for a '57 Thunderbird. It will save having to ream the Granada or Monarch parts to an oversize. The little birds use the same lower joint - with the "big pin" for all three years. Guess the guy's never looked at a little bird? Hope you didn't pass up a pair.......
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By MarkMontereyBay - 13 Years Ago
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Steve,
Yep....a lot of misinformation about this kind of stuff. Fatman Fabrications has been around for a long time and makes dropped spindles for lots of Fords, etc. I haven't passed up a set as Lincoln Versailles are scarce as it is. I took his explanation seriously but I guess he was wrong about the early Birds or probably thinking of the regular bodied Fords. So much for trying to clear up some confusion. I have the Granada stuff and will stick with that.
http://www.fatmanfab.com/about.php
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By paul2748 - 13 Years Ago
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The Bird ball joints are the sames as the sedans as far as I know. I have a 54 and it has the bigger lower joint so I had to ream out the Granada spindles that I used.
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By 62galxe - 12 Years Ago
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i put lincoln spindles on my 57. fit the lower balljoints just fine.
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By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
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I have a set of Lincoln discs because of the bottom ball joint fitment. I think Fatman made a mistake on the year/model. As I recall 57 was a change year for ball joint in everything except the T-Birds. As far as working pieces how wide is the rear end? Does it have rear disk brakes? I think they used the 8" Ford but could be 9". Chuck
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By suede57ford - 12 Years Ago
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The '57 bird and '57 car should use the same ball joint sizes. The Lincoln is already the right size and a granada requires some reaming, same spindle other than that.
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By bird55 - 12 Years Ago
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sorry, slightly off topic, but is the complete Versailles rear differential and axle THE correct dimension for a 55 tbird OR I should say what is the dimension of the 55 bird? I've always heard the Versailles is a bolt in fit ?? any opinions?
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By MarkMontereyBay - 12 Years Ago
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If I remember clearly, the Lincoln Versailles rear axle housing is 58 inches wide. 55 Birds have a 56 inch rear tread width. Here are some tips that I had saved on installation in a Mustang.
http://www.mustangsplus.com/tech/versaill/index.htm
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By slumlord444 - 12 Years Ago
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Will the '57 T-Bird 14" wheels fit on the Lincoln disk brake front hubs?
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By suede57ford - 12 Years Ago
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You will to use the Granada/ Versilles Lincoln 14 wheels with disc brakes. The inside of the stock t-bird wheel will hit the caliper. Just grab the wheels off the donar car. The 14 disc brake rims where used on a bunch of fords all through the 70's Should be easy to find. There were many different Back spacing on different models so make sure you find a set that matches.
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By Timbo from Mempho - 12 Years Ago
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Couple more Versallies comments. The spindles do lower the front end a couple of inches, when combined with Aerostar springs its about 4 inches. Also, the stock lower ball joint does fit but it sticks through too much for the castle nut to line up with the hole. I used a 5/8 inch spacer to get the nut where it should be. Later, Timbo 
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By miker - 12 Years Ago
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Again, a bit off topic, but if you're now talking about 'birds, the Aerostar springs raised mine about a 1/2 inch. I'd like to tell you how much it settled, but I changed the heads to alum. right after I put them in. It looks about right now, so I got lucky. There's a post giving how tall my original springs were, as I didn't know if they'd been cut. Best $79 I ever spent on a front end.
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By old cars - 12 Years Ago
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What other cars would work? The lincolns are not easy to find and so are the granadas would the mustang or comet just wondering if they would fit .And what years? Thanks....
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By Frankenstein57 - 12 Years Ago
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The width from spring perch centerbolt to centerbolt, was the same on my 57 and the Versailles
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By yourcarparts - 12 Years Ago
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What other automobiles would work? The lincolns are not available and so are the granadas would the honda ford mustang or comet just considering if they would fit.
Car Mats
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