55 T-Bird Blueprint

[EricCJ]

My thoughts on the '55. She will be a daily driver and do most of my road trips for fun. Because of this I am contemplating design changes.
1) electrics are pretty hacked to the point were I wasn't sure if it was suppose to be wired as 6v or 12v and if it was suppose to be + or - ground. So I decided to go 12V (-) grd. using 2- 6V batteries in the trunk so I can utilize 6 or 12V for accessories.


2) I have a wife that wants to be able to drive it, so it may get PB and/or PS. I had a '56 when I was a kid for about 10 years with MB and MS and had no issues, but she would like power everything so I still haven't made a decision yet.


3) I have driven it as is, and it's a 3spd manual. All my cars are manual so that wont change, but in search of a better road gear I have elected to modify a wide ratio 4spd top loader, then up the rear gears from stock 3.79 to somewhere around 3.08. That will retain my original 1st gear ratio, and up the final drive ratio.


4) other than that , nice tunes and possibly integral AC.


Any input on any of this would be welcomed.

[Ford blue blood]

Might consider keeping the 3:79 and put in a mid 80s Ford truck 4 speed, standard 4 speed shift pattern with 4th being over drive. RUG I think is the model? Wide ratio change from 1st to 2nd making taking off easy.

[EricCJ]

Originally Posted by Ford blue blood

Might consider keeping the 3:79 and put in a mid 80s Ford truck 4 speed, standard 4 speed shift pattern with 4th being over drive. RUG I think is the model? Wide ratio change from 1st to 2nd making taking off easy.

I thought about the OD trans but heard a lot of negative about it, and I know the old Top-loaders were very reliable, I know I never broke one and I did try.


I also ran the gears and The stock 3 speed with the 3.79 has a final ratio of 8.79 in first, and the Top-loader I have has a final of 8.56 in first, so the start will be almost identical, and swaping the rears out to 3.08 will give me a 19% OD.

[55blacktie]

If your wife wants power everything, maybe she would also prefer an automatic transmission. If that's the case, maybe it's the wrong car for her to drive.

I have a 55 Tbird/w manual brakes & steering and Fordomatic. I have installed highway gears/w limited-slip, and I'm replacing the Fordomatic with a C5 transmission that has C4 torque converter, valve body, and Dynamic Racing Transmission's wide-ratio gear set.

Manual steering is fine until it comes to parallel parking and making U-turns. Manual brakes should be a lesser concern, but you might want to consider converting the front drums to discs and installing a dual-reservoir master cylinder.

[55blacktie]

If you want power everything, including ac, I suggest you search CTCI Gil's Garage for any and all articles that apply.

Considering the limited trunk space, questionable electrics, and your desire to have power everything + ac, I would properly convert your car to 12v (mine is, but no ac), and use a single 12v battery that's mounted in the original position.

[EricCJ]

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Originally Posted by 55blacktie

If your wife wants power everything, maybe she would also prefer an automatic transmission. If that's the case, maybe it's the wrong car for her to drive.

I have a 55 Tbird/w manual brakes & steering and Fordomatic. I have installed highway gears/w limited-slip, and I'm replacing the Fordomatic with a C5 transmission that has C4 torque converter, valve body, and Dynamic Racing Transmission's wide-ratio gear set.

Manual steering is fine until it comes to parallel parking and making U-turns. Manual brakes should be a lesser concern, but you might want to consider converting the front drums to discs and installing a dual-reservoir master cylinder.

My wife's been driving a stick since I taught her to drive, the issue with the PB is her short legs, I added PB to my CJ because she couldn't reach the pedal so she was trying to brake with her toe. She never had an issue with the PS, so that will wait until the Bird is on the road again. And once you learn how to drive Manual steering there are things that make it easier like backing out of a parking space the same way you drove in so you're never trying to turn the wheel when your not moving.



The reason the battery is going in the rear is to run 2 6V batteries so I can use 6V on all the original accessories and have 12V for any new stuff. Plus it gives me room under the hood for an offset booster/dual master setup. Jury is still out on front disc, with the dual power setup the drums will more than likely be fine, but if the spirit moves me it may get the discs. Oh and I already swapped out the 6V Generator to a 12V alternator ( generator look a like). And I already altered the 4 speed and installed it on the car, and made the shift linkage to position the shifter threw the original hole in the floor.

[miker98038]

I’ve had my 55 bird for 25 years now. It’s pretty modified, but still has the Yblock. After doing multiple things twice, these are just my thoughts and experiences.

I wouldn’t move the batteries for a couple reasons. First is there’s not much 6 volt stuff you’ll use. Changing the lights, ignition, etc is simple and cheap. 12 volt fan motor for the heater. 6 volt window and seat motors work fine on 12 volts, just don’t run them continuously. The radio takes more work, and in today’s world they don’t work all that well. There’s also some possible charging issues with battery banks tapped in the center like that.

I’ve had the “factory” booster power bakes, power with front disc, etc. if you’re comfortable with the single pot master, they work fine. The front disc conversions work fine from the usual t bird suppliers. Currently I’ve got a hydroboost unit and 4 wheel disc. But I’ve got much wider wheels and tires, and full braking is like hitting a wall. If you're going to stay with stock wheel and tire sizes, the drums or disc drums will be fine. And it gets around the booster under the hood. All those I’ve seen interfere with the clutch linkage on a manual, in order to clear the hood latches.

I’ve also got a power rack and pinion. Works great, but it was a small fortune to get the bump steer out. Look hard for a late 56-57 3 sector box and the original p/s parts. Work fine. I would never do a rack again on a bird.

I get the wife issue. I bought my bird after my wife claimed my convertible with the automatic and took it away from me.

Edit: might drop down and check Patrick’s post. He may have some parts you’d find useful.

[EricCJ]

Originally Posted by miker98038

I’ve had my 55 bird for 25 years now. It’s pretty modified, but still has the Yblock. After doing multiple things twice, these are just my thoughts and experiences.

I wouldn’t move the batteries for a couple reasons. First is there’s not much 6 volt stuff you’ll use. Changing the lights, ignition, etc is simple and cheap. 12 volt fan motor for the heater. 6 volt window and seat motors work fine on 12 volts, just don’t run them continuously. The radio takes more work, and in today’s world they don’t work all that well. There’s also some possible charging issues with battery banks tapped in the center like that.

I’ve had the “factory” booster power bakes, power with front disc, etc. if you’re comfortable with the single pot master, they work fine. The front disc conversions work fine from the usual t bird suppliers. Currently I’ve got a hydroboost unit and 4 wheel disc. But I’ve got much wider wheels and tires, and full braking is like hitting a wall. If you're going to stay with stock wheel and tire sizes, the drums or disc drums will be fine. And it gets around the booster under the hood. All those I’ve seen interfere with the clutch linkage on a manual, in order to clear the hood latches.

I’ve also got a power rack and pinion. Works great, but it was a small fortune to get the bump steer out. Look hard for a late 56-57 3 sector box and the original p/s parts. Work fine. I wouldn’t move never do a rack again on a bird.

I get the wife issue. I bought my bird after my wife claimed my convertible with the automatic and took it away from me.

Edit: might drop down and check Patrick’s post. He may have some parts you’d find useful.

thanx Mike. with me, I have as much if not more fun building them than driving them. At '71 I've done this a bunch of times and they are all different. I get bored fast after I'm done with them. This however will be part of my final "Fleet", I've done mostly Fords over the years and my 3 possible quests were the Early bird, a GT40 which got way out of my price range years ago, and a Model T. The "T" I will probably still have if I don't die first, At the moment The fleet looks like the '76 CJ, the '65 Econoline pickup, the '55 Bird and a '66 F-??? I've been playing with. Now I just have to keep the REEPER away for a bit. Happy Building...

[55blacktie]

6v windows operate dangerously fast on 12v. An unsuspecting operator could do damage to self and window mechanism; I know this for a fact because I converted my 55 Tbird to 12v but retained the 6v window motors. I have since installed a 12v-to-6v converter for the windows, but yet to be tested. I also acquired all of the parts to convert the 55 power seat to manual and will be glad to get rid of the motors, relays, and wiring. It will be a much cleaner, non-cluttered look behind the seat.

[Patrick brophy]

You might want to consider replacing the vacuum wipers with electric. My vacuum wiper history has not been kind in any of my early vehicles. 🫤

[EricCJ]

Originally Posted by 55blacktie

6v windows operate dangerously fast on 12v. An unsuspecting operator could do damage to self and window mechanism; I know this for a fact because I converted my 55 Tbird to 12v but retained the 6v window motors. I have since installed a 12v-to-6v converter for the windows, but yet to be tested. I also acquired all of the parts to convert the 55 power seat to manual and will be glad to get rid of the motors, relays, and wiring. It will be a much cleaner, non-cluttered look behind the seat.

Yes, I've been warned about that before, that was the original reason to go with the 2-6V batteries. It just made sense. I think I'll stick with the power seats though, I do pretty good with electrical issues. If you are pulling yours out, I'd be interested in your extra parts for backup.

[EricCJ]

Originally Posted by Patrick brophy

You might want to consider replacing the vacuum wipers with electric. My vacuum wiper history has not been kind in any of my early vehicles. 🫤

LOL, I've only had a couple of cars with vacuum wipers and all I remember is passing cars on a rainy day and the wipers stopping mid pass. I never actually tried to make them better, but I was young then, I may leave them in long enough to see if I can make them work properly, just for the sake of the Hobby. At my age I don't pass every car on the road anymore so I may be able to make them acceptable. Or not...

[55blacktie]

Originally Posted by EricCJ

Yes, I've been warned about that before, that was the original reason to go with the 2-6V batteries. It just made sense. I think I'll stick with the power seats though, I do pretty good with electrical issues. If you are pulling yours out, I'd be interested in your extra parts for backup.

All take-off parts, with the exception of the original leaf springs and full wheel covers, will stay with me until the car changes hands.

I took, converted wipers to Newport electric wipers. For anyone considering doing the same, watch Dan Jessup's (hotrodreverend .com). Note orientation of wiper linkages, and substitute longer screws (preferably hex/w slots for either socket, wrench, or screwdriver).

I'm also replacing the vacuum heater-control valve with a manual valve.

[EricCJ]

I will put them on my list. thanx