56 thunderbird

[chefcm]

I just received a 56 tbird and have some questions if anyone could help? First if you ever get a flat how do you get the spare off that continental mounting? would it be better to carry another spare in trunk??

Second the heat isn't hooked up? Not sure if the heater core had a leak and that's why they didn't hook it up? does the heater core come out from under the hood or inside the car?

Thanks,
chris

[paul2748]

As far as the spare is concerned, get a space saver spare (donut) to use as a spare and just leave the one in the continental kit there. Get one off a Lincoln, LTD or big Mercury. Make sure the one you get has the same bolt pattern (4 1/2 X 5).

The heater core will come out from the engine compartment. Get a shop manual, I'm sure it describes the process but you first remove the the flexible connector and then work back to the firewall.

It can be removed from the inside, but it's a lot more involved.

Originally Posted by chefcm

I just received a 56 tbird and have some questions if anyone could help? First if you ever get a flat how do you get the spare off that continental mounting? would it be better to carry another spare in trunk??

Second the heat isn't hooked up? Not sure if the heater core had a leak and that's why they didn't hook it up? does the heater core come out from under the hood or inside the car?

Thanks,
chris

[zoegrant]

Chris...I can make a few suggestions when owning a t-bird and i feel qualified as I have owned 1/2 dozen 56 birds thru the years.
#1..join CTCI .....classic thunderbird club international.
#2..http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...guid=301108479

paste the above and log on and sign up to this t-bird group...

#3...purchase the 56 Ford repair manual from CTCI
#4...purchase the t-bird illustrations and reference manual from CTCI
#5...purchase the electrical manual from CTCI

as far as a spare,I use a donut mini spare from a 1988 lincoln town car. This saves tearing down the connie kit if you have a flat tire...or carry a full size spare in the trunk.
As far as the heater core...I have found that the first thing to check is the heater control valve on top of the block,this is part # 18495. It looks like a giant mushroom. These are notorious for going bad. Start with this item first.
BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE YAHOO T-BIRD SITE. You can search out any t-bird problem there. These are the most knowledgeable people around for the t-bird...good luck and enjoy your car...John in CT

[Bill Steiner]

I always cared a spar in the trunk in mine. Bill

[blucar]

I solved the spare tire problem on my '56 by removing the whole assembly... Modified a front bumper to fit the rear which also eliminated the troublesome exhaust pipes in the bumper.. I also added 100 pounds of lead weights to the rear of the frame..
A little know fact about the "Continental Spare Tire" is the real reason behind the tire..
The "Continental Kit" was added by the very famous auto designer Alex Tremulis.. He designed the Tucker amongst other things...
Testing by Ford's engineering department in 1954 had revealed that the '55 Bird was light in the rear end, actually had a lifting problem at speeds above 105 mph.. One of the '55 Birds came off of the Daytona tract, doing endo's as a result of the "lift factor"
Alex was instructed to redesign the Bird's... His remedy, add the continental kit as a stop gap solution until the car could be totally redesigned.
Alex's redesign of the rear "fins" on the '57 Bird actually created an air damn/foil. the lengthening the deck lid with it's inward curve.... Alex called it a "bussle"... Solved the lifting problem..
Alex Tremulis lived in Ventura for many years... He was a member of the local T-Bird Club, attended meetings on a regular basis...

[tdlmomowers]

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Originally Posted by blucar

I solved the spare tire problem on my '56 by removing the whole assembly... Modified a front bumper to fit the rear which also eliminated the troublesome exhaust pipes in the bumper.. I also added 100 pounds of lead weights to the rear of the frame..
A little know fact about the "Continental Spare Tire" is the real reason behind the tire..
The "Continental Kit" was added by the very famous auto designer Alex Tremulis.. He designed the Tucker amongst other things...
Testing by Ford's engineering department in 1954 had revealed that the '55 Bird was light in the rear end, actually had a lifting problem at speeds above 105 mph.. One of the '55 Birds came off of the Daytona tract, doing endo's as a result of the "lift factor"
Alex was instructed to redesign the Bird's... His remedy, add the continental kit as a stop gap solution until the car could be totally redesigned.
Alex's redesign of the rear "fins" on the '57 Bird actually created an air damn/foil. the lengthening the deck lid with it's inward curve.... Alex called it a "bussle"... Solved the lifting problem..
Alex Tremulis lived in Ventura for many years... He was a member of the local T-Bird Club, attended meetings on a regular basis...

. IMHO, I like the look of your bird without the Continental Kit a lot better.

[zoegrant]

If the weight is only a problem at 105 mph.....why did you add a 100lbs of weight ? ........just curious......

[blucar]

Originally Posted by zoegrant

If the weight is only a problem at 105 mph.....why did you add a 100lbs of weight ? ........just curious......

According to the info that Alex Tremlis shared with us regarding the design problem that the '56 Bird had.. i.e., at "curb weight" the '55 Bird had something like 1,300 lb's on the rear tires... Speed above 105 mph reversed the tire loading to a "LIFT" factor of 1,400 lb's... No weight on the rear axle/tires..That is why the '55 Bird came off of the track @Daytona.
I put the spare tire in the trunk, added 100 lb's to the rear of the frame, thereby negating the lift factor..
My .56 Bird has a 302 SBF that use to have a Paxton blower on it.. The trans is a C-4. Many years ago the car was raced on some of the better known race tracts in So. Cal. by a very well known man from the early days of performance cars and Hot Rods..
As an added feature... The car has the export chassis which was only available by special order in '55... Ford used up the excess export chassis, they had by feeding them into the early production '56 Birds on a random basis.. The export chassis does not show up on the build sheet of my car.
I found out about the export chassis when I had the car surveyed and appraised by a well known T-Bird expert.
Alex T's redesign of the trunk area, lengthening it and redesigning the 'Fins" created a "foil" which kept the airflow onto the deck lid, creating a downward force which kept the weight on the rear axle/tires...
Both of the Bird's shown in the attached pix are mine...
I have owned the '57 since '73 and the '56 since '82..

[Oldmics]

blucar

Can you share some additional information about the export chassis?

I have never heard about an export chassis option on 55 T Birds.

Also as I have read the removal of the spare tire and addition of the continental kit was mostly due to the small trunk space that was availiable.

Since it would not hold "golf clubs" and normal suitcases for a trip,the continental kit was added to create more trunk space.

I would think that the lack of trunk space would be more of a factory for redesigning the Bird for the 57 sales year than the rear lifting at 105 MPH.

I do agree that the finned 57 would add an aerodynamic downward thrust to the rear of the vehicle.

Never had heard of that before.Interesting.

Oldmics

[blucar]

The following is in response to Oldmics question:
Some background info on my '56 Bird...
The original owner of the car was a long time friend of my wife, Patti, they had known each other since the age of eight.... Patti was a very attractive lady, professional model and wanna-be actress...
In 1956 she went to Vegas with a boyfriend to celebrate her 21st birthday. Sometime during the weekend a visit was made to the local Ford dealer, wherein the boyfriend told Patti to pick out the car she would like for her birthday present.. Patti picked the T-Bird, but she did not like the red one on the floor, she wanted a Colonial White one.. The dealer did not have a white Bird, said that they would repaint the red bird white and deliver it Patti on Monday afternoon.. Deal was made with the boyfriend paying cash for the car..
Patti did not marry the boyfriend... Through the next several years she married three times.. Patti once told me that the only thing that stayed constant in her life was the Bird.. When her personal life would be falling apart, she would throw her personal stuff in the Bird and split.. She described the Bird as "Being the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for her"...
By the mid 1960's Patti had married for the forth time, a man named Paul Schieffer, Schieffer cams, clutch's and other speed/performance parts. The Bird was getting tired, it had over 100k on the odometer... Paul knew how Patti felt about the car so he had it completely rebuild, discarding the 312/FMX trans for the 302/C-4, that he acquired from Ford's Racing Team.. A Paxton blower was installed on the engine and custom Hurst wheels.. The car was painted burgundy... Paul raced the car on weekend, Patti drove it to her tennis match's during the week..
The car attracted to much attention, Patti insisted that Paul repaint the car white... He did so..
Buy the early '70's Paul was terminal with cancer, he sold his business' and the two of them went on an extended trip (s) around the world.. Paul's son could not stand having the Bird just sitting in the garage... The car was painted British Racing Green and put back on the drag strip's..
After Paul passed away Patti got the car back from her step son, she had the car repainted white and had the blower removed.. Patti had her "tennis car back"
By the early 1980's the car was in pretty bad shape.. It was becoming increasingly difficult to get good repair work done on the car.. Patti had to break down and buy a new car.. The Bird became a garage fixture..
One evening Patti mentioned to me how upsetting it was to her that her Bird just sat in the garage, tires flat and covered with dust... She had remarried following Paul's death, however, the new husband had no love for the Bird, refused to have anything to do with it... I opened my big mouth, offering to put the car back into operating condition.. Patti took me up on my offer..
I got the car running, fixing all of the mechanical issues.. I had a hunch that the car would never leave my garage, returning to Patti's, so I decided to CMA and have the car surveyed and appraised before I got to much time and money invested in the project.. I took the car to Prestige Thunderbird's in Sante Fe Springs, CA
During the course of the survey by a man at Prestige, he mentioned the heavy steel bar, about 5/8" thick by approximately 2" wide, running the length of the frame on the bottom of the frame.. I told the man that I had noted this steel bar and that I assumed that it was something that Paul had had installed to strengthen/re-enforce the frame for his racing ventures..
The man at Prestige told me the about the export option and how rare it was to see the option on a '56 Bird..
Anyone that has ever owned a small Bird is well aware of the limited trunk space.. There was limited room for luggage, leave lone a set of golf clubs.. An additional complaint that prospective purchaser's had was a lack of a back seat.
The rear axle weight problem was discovered prior to the car being released to the public... Alex Tremlis was the head of Ford's design department at the time.. Alex told the story many times at our local Bird Club meetings, how the Engineering Department wanted to delay the release of the Bird for sale until the lift problem could be addressed.. According to Alex, Marketing overruled the Engineering Department.. The cars were released for general distribution to the dealers.
When the Bird came off of the Daytona tract, Ford was able to squash the news and thereby it did not become public knowledge.. No such thing as instant replay video in 1956..
According to Alex, his hasty band aide fix solved the lift problem until he could do a proper redesign of the car.. Of course the PR that was released to the public was that the the spare tire had been removed from the trunk, thereby creating room for luggage, etc., while at the same time giving the car a "Continental" look..
Alex Tremlis passed away several years ago, the majority of the original members of the local chapter of the T-Bird club are also gone, therefore I am possibly one of the few people that can recall Alex' comments about the little Birds..
A side bar to Alex's comments about the little Birds: The car was never intended to be a performance car, in competition with the Vette and/or foreign sports cars. Alex described the car as being "A personal luxury car".... Think about it... How many sports cars have you ever seen with power windows, power steering, power seats, auto transmissions, etc...
I wrote a similar article to the above, which was published in Old Car Weekly a couple of years ago, in response to an article that OCW published regarding the high performance features of the little Birds...
Two years ago I had my '56 Bird repainted red with an original style of interior in lieu of the custom work that Paul had done.. The original red was to "Tomato" looking so we used a deeper red.

[zoegrant]

Bill....all early 56t-birds from out of the factory up until mid february had that metal strap. It was added to give extra strength...
The later frames were strengthened with a heavy cross member.
This info comes directly from from the c.t.c.i. restoration manual by Gil. Baumgartner
The prestige man was mistaken about this being for export purposes.
I would nightly recommend that anyone with a 55 thru 57 t- bird join the c.t.c.i. Which stands for ....classic thunderbird club international.....after joining buy the restoration manual.....happy birding..... John in. Ct

[Royal Ryser]

What is the internet address for the C.T.C.I.?

[zoegrant]

Ctci.org. Or Google. C.t.c.i.

[blucar]

Originally Posted by zoegrant

Bill....all early 56t-birds from out of the factory up until mid february had that metal strap. It was added to give extra strength...
The later frames were strengthened with a heavy cross member.
This info comes directly from from the c.t.c.i. restoration manual by Gil. Baumgartner
The prestige man was mistaken about this being for export purposes.
I would nightly recommend that anyone with a 55 thru 57 t- bird join the c.t.c.i. Which stands for ....classic thunderbird club international.....after joining buy the restoration manual.....happy birding..... John in. Ct

John,
Thank you for the info about the frame re-enforcement on my Bird.. Another myth has been cleared up and put to bed..
I was a member of the CTCI for many years, probably over twenty.. I still have the clubs cast emblem on the grille and the decal on the rear window..
The '57 Bird I/we have was purchased by me for a Xmas present for my wife in 1973.. I promptly joined the CTCI.. My wife is not really a "car person" she found the club functions, Champagne Brunches at the country club, etc., to not be to her liking.. She just wanted to drive the car and enjoy it.
When I "acquired' the '56, which had already been modified with the 302 and C-4, the majority of the club members were really upset that the car had been "bastardized".. I was told to not bring it to club functions..
The rest of the story is history now....

[parklane]

Originally Posted by blucar

When I "acquired' the '56, which had already been modified with the 302 and C-4, the majority of the club members were really upset that the car had been "bastardized".. I was told to not bring it to club functions..
The rest of the story is history now....

And did you tell the snobs where they they could shove it???

[John Malpais]

blucar, I like your 'import frame' version better. An old movie we all know and love has the following line it it. "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Screw the bean counters, fact checkers, and those who want to show the superiority of the collective and destroy what I thought was a damn good story with more class than statistics in it, especially since the history of the vehicle is intertwined in the telling of it. From an outsider's POV, CTCI as a group, seems little more than fascists; especially if they snubbed the 'Bird' with painted feathers, that to them was too different to roost on the same power line with theirs, and didn't want you to bring it back, and possibly contaminate 'the purity of their essence', to quote a Brig. General Jack Ripper, who told more truth about the American psyche, as he unleashed a nightmare on it, than we might want to admit. What someone, directly connected to FoMoCo told you, and you have thought was true, may well be more to the legend of the Thunderbird than what zoegrant claims is factually correct. Just as the variations in the story about 'why' FoMoCo's adverts told the public the 'kit' was to gain more space in the trunk. In fact it did gain more space, right? But, the 'why' of their telling it may also go directly to another aspect of the 'why' you were given the information about the 'export' frame. Thus, I would say the 'Roshomon effect' is in play here. Perhaps, the data CTCI has is in fact just more of FoMoCo's disinformation? Your version is as true as you want to think it is, or was, and has more color about it than the anemic facts that rebut it.

[Oldmics]

I think sticking to the facts as unearthed by CTCI"s Mr. Baumgardner is the way to go.

When many repeated storys turn into myths which then lead to so many people believing the myths that the truth can get lost over time.

As far as the CTCI-I admit that before joining the group I had heard snobbish horror storys.

Those snobbish claims are far from the truth in my experiences.

I find the group open armed to any sort of Baby Birds.While I myself prefer the original cars,all configurations are welcomed and none are shunned.

Also never been to a T Bird "champagne lunch" at the club.

Personally I prefer to know the facts than be lead astray.

Your mileage may vary.

Oldmics