1957 Ride Height

[willjt]

I'm trying to fix a rear and left sag on my '57. Am re-arching springs and adding 1 leaf. Can anyone tell me what the spec ride height is for a '57? I seem to recall 27.5 inches from ground to center of tail light?

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[CSPIDY]

The 57 ride height should be 27 inches from the ground to the center of the tail light.

 

[Birdman57]

I'm trying to fix a rear and left sag on my '57. Am re-arching springs and adding 1 leaf. Can anyone tell me what the spec ride height is for a '57? I seem to recall 27.5 inches from ground to center of tail light?

I can’t tell you the proper height but I replaced my rear leaf springs and added an extra leaf leveled my bird bird right off !!

 

[CSPIDY]

Birdman57
I would be curious to know what your car measures from the ground to the center of the tail light.

 

[dickday0]

I have the exact same problem with my '57. Twenty-four inches on drivers/rear and 26" on passenger/rear. Is there an easy way to boost the rear without replacing the springs? My $35k restored Tbird is quickly reaching $40k. The restorer installed the wrong tach cable and has it looped all over the place and it chatters really loud, so I've disconnected it until I can replace it. The tires were made in 1992 so I had to put new radials on. The list goes on 🙂

Thoughts on an easy way to boost the height?

Thanks

 

[CSPIDY]

You may have a broken spring, to replace them may be money well spent.

 

[dickday0]

Thanks for such a quick reply. The car was up on a lift and we were able to tell that none of the springs were broken. So, no bandaids to get me through the winter? If I replace the driver's side, I should probably replace them both? Or, am I ok just fixing the driver's side?

Thanks

 

[CSPIDY]

It would be best to replace them both or You could have them rearcked.

 

[SoloBird]

Curious ..what about the idea of adding air shocks to the rear of a 57'.. Like a pair of Gabriel HiJackers? That way you can adjust the height.

 

[jimntempe]

Curious ..what about the idea of adding air shocks to the rear of a 57'.. Like a pair of Gabriel HiJackers? That way you can adjust the height.

I haven't done it personally as my car sits a little low but level and I just put new regular shocks on it but I've read many posts about it. To summarize what people have said... Some say it's a bad idea and others say they did it and it worked great. If your current shocks are not new and you aren't attached to them what I would do is buy a set of hijackers or similar and see what you think. It's any easy DIY job and a small investment compared to the expense and trouble of new springs and you may like the results. If you like it you're done, if not your only out about 100 bucks.

 

[paul5456]

The ride height listed in the spec book includes two passengers. Per Bill Brown from CASCO, the height on a 57 rear is 23.30 measured from the ground to the middle of the taillight. Front is 28.07, measured from the ground to the middle of the headlight. 55's and 56's are slightly different but less than an inch higher in the front and lower in the back

 

[jimntempe]

For reasons I don't fully understand the original ford spec for ride height is not followed in concours judging. Instead, there is a different standard, one with about an additional inch of height in it. My car is pretty close to the original ford standard but would fail the one now claimed to be the correct numbers. That said, mine seems to have plenty of room above the bump stops and when I go over speed bumps it never bottoms out.

 

[SoloBird]

I put a pair of Gabriel Hijackers on a 74' super beetle I am close to finishing as a graduation gift for my son. And they worked great. It's my first car I've ever done a restoration on, the 57' Bird is going to be my next for the wife and I to enjoy together as we do 50s swing dance together and the thunderbird is a great classic for us to cruise in. Thanks so much

 

[55blacktie]

Shock absorbers don't carry weight, springs do. If there is a problem with your springs, replace them. I don't recommend re-arching 65-year-old springs, and it shouldn't be necessary to add a leaf, unless you're missing one.