I think my original family owned 55 black bird on 16" ribbed stones and kidney beans would like to be parked in one of those hidden away/heated garages..... because that would be a lot warmer than being covered under a 1930's garage apartment carport . Lots of kool shots of the battle birds, Doane's 55, Kenz & Leslie and even the green wagon which I've never seen.
In Britain, that wouldn't be a wagon, that would be a 'shooting brake' used by the landed gentry (i.e. rich) to haul their 'sporting guns' around... https://www.google.com/search?q=jag...hUKEwjD2_y5qtXKAhUCMGMKHV_JBh0QsAQIGw#imgrc=_
My late grandfathers one Did the early ones suffer from lack of cooling? The above one seems to get quite hot when driving, worse when idling. Has been recently rebuilt, all mostly stock. Thanks
=========== From 1955 Chevy data. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/55010.htm This suggests typical t-bird was more like 3200 lbs. http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/1955-1957-ford-thunderbird/ As does this - http://www.automobile-catalog.com/m...d_1gen/thunderbird_1gen_convertible/1957.html Motor trend said it weighed 3600 lbs http://www.motortrend.com/news/1955-ford-thunderbird/
I put 50K miles over 5 years on one back in the seventies. Don't remember any major overheating problems except one time the vacuum advance diaphragm tore and gave me fits with overheating until I figured it out. Are you sure your gauges are working correctly? Does your late grandfather's car still have the fan shroud? Did he cut corners with a cheap radiator? Have you had the radiator checked? I assume you double checked the timing. Did somebody add air conditioning? Nice looking car by the way. Charlie Stephens
Not all gassers, but cool still. More here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/55-57-t-bird-gasser-and-altered-pics.108351/page-2
Had this one for quite a few years & just sold it last spring. Repainted opalescent pearl(factory Lincoln color) . Had a 56
Another nice thing about the Birds is that since the y-block is so big there is plenty of room in the engine compartment to put almost anything in. The main problem is that the X member in the frame is a little tight for transmissions. Charlie Stephens
According to my reference books, a '55 Chevy 210 2 dr sedan weighs 3,130 lbs. A '55 T-Bird weighs 2,980, a whopping 150 lbs less. A '57 210 2 dr sedan is 3,225 while a '57 Bird is 3,145, a shocking 80 lbs lighter than the Chevy. Yep, BIG difference in weight, alright!
Had this '55 for a couple of years before getting rid of it. Wouldn't mind finding a '56 some day. Jim
built this 55 thunderbird as a tribute to art and Lloyd Chrisman. Modernized a Bitfrom origina on the cover of Hot Rod Mag Jan 1958 art loved when he first saw I have 4 of the from drive kits left, then that is it as the machine shop that did the work is just too busy for hot rod stuff Drive it daily. Tom Curnow 818-426-4605
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