Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick brophy
Thanks dmsfrr,
I have replaced both the front and rear bushing when I painted the frame.
Regardless, I still need the 14x5 wheel.
I am not sure what the difference would be between the repro and the factory, besides the dollar amount when buying them.
I am sure there are some reproduction stuff out there that you don't want to buy,I am just not aware of who, and where they are.
I am going for my lungs with this restoration, I don't want to cut corners on a few wheels. I did put disc brakes on the car and was hoping that the disc had moved the wheels out just enough. It did not.
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Rubber bushings? I'm assuming you also replaced the ones in the rear spring hanger shackles to the frame. Those are at least as important as the ones in the eyelets inside the springs, if not more so, to help prevent side-to-side movement of the axle and tires rubbing on the skirts.
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not sure what the difference would be between the repro and the factory" The reproduction wheels are not 100% exact copies of the limited run originals. They're a bit more generic so they'll fit a wider range of cars and have been updated with required safety improvements over the years.
With disc brakes now on the car it may be possible original '57 wheels will not fit over the calipers.
Many disc brake conversion kits are advertised to fit '55 / '57 T-Birds. But depending on their source, the fine print sometimes excludes the factory original 14 inch wheels on 57's. You may be limited to reproduction style '57 wheels or even 15 inch wheels, depending on the brand of kit you installed.
If you purchased the disc brake kit from a T-Bird vendor that also uses them in their in-house restoration shop they should be able to give you more complete information.
If you know anyone near you with original wheels & (new) tires on their '57 T-Bird ask if you can borrow one or two for a couple hours to try them on the front of your car and see if they fit.
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