1957 Sitting 5+ years

[JrMunch]

Hello all!

I inherited a 1957 (3SPD, no power steering or brakes) a couple of years ago. Over the past month, I decided to see if I could get it going again.
I did the following on my own thanks to this forum!
-Checked and inflated the tires (was on jack stands).
-Replaced the battery.
-Checked the spark plugs (looked good).
-Changed the oil and filter.
-Drained the fuel and inspected the tank (looked good to me) Added fresh with some sta-bil 360.

To my pleasant surprise, it fired right up! and sounded and smelled just as I remember 🙂
I did notice that after running a bit and the RPMs calm down (maybe too low) the GEN light does come on.

Now, I'm not sure what else "I" can do and should probably have a mechanic take a look at it before I attempt to take it on the road.
The advice I need now is where do it take it? My dad had the restoration and engine done maybe 20 or so years ago and his guy had since retired and I believe passed away.
The car is in the Metro Detroit area and I'm sure there are a ton of places, but I wanted to know if you guys/gals had any suggestions of places you trust and use.

Thanks in advance!
-Bill

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[74 Harley]

I would think that there's nothing on that car you cannot do.
As far as the generator light goes buy a cheap volt meter and check the output of the generator at about 1500 rpm. It's really ok for the light to flicker or come on at idle.
The only thing you really need to do next is the brakes. If it was me, I would change the wheel cylinders, rubber lines, and master cylinder. Maybe you trust them from the last time they were done, but I wouldn't...

 

[ICON 56]

Having done the basic maintenance to the car. Try to get any info of a Thunderbird club in your area. You might be lucky to find somebody that has knowledge about 57 tbirds. I'm sure they would be happy to help....

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[doug7740]

Hello all!

I inherited a 1957 (3SPD, no power steering or brakes) a couple of years ago. Over the past month, I decided to see if I could get it going again.
I did the following on my own thanks to this forum!
-Checked and inflated the tires (was on jack stands).
-Replaced the battery.
-Checked the spark plugs (looked good).
-Changed the oil and filter.
-Drained the fuel and inspected the tank (looked good to me) Added fresh with some sta-bil 360.

To my pleasant surprise, it fired right up! and sounded and smelled just as I remember 🙂
I did notice that after running a bit and the RPMs calm down (maybe too low) the GEN light does come on.

Now, I'm not sure what else "I" can do and should probably have a mechanic take a look at it before I attempt to take it on the road.
The advice I need now is where do it take it? My dad had the restoration and engine done maybe 20 or so years ago and his guy had since retired and I believe passed away.
The car is in the Metro Detroit area and I'm sure there are a ton of places, but I wanted to know if you guys/gals had any suggestions of places you trust and use.

Thanks in advance!
-Bill

Bill,

The charging system consists of the battery and cables, the alternator or generator, and an external voltage regulator. The function of the battery is to spin the starter motor to start the engine. Once that’s done, the alternator takes over, satisfying the car’s electrical demands and keeping the battery charged. The battery then acts primarily as a filter, keeping voltage spikes from damaging the car’s electronics. The voltage regulator rapidly switches the alternator in and out of the charging circuit to provide the car with the correct voltage.

In 1955, the electrical system of the Thunderbird was 6 volt positive ground. In 1956, the Thunderbird electrical system was changed to 12 volt negative ground. On the 12 volt system there are two important numbers to remember, they are 12.6 volts and 13.5 volts.

12.6 Volts: If you think your car has a 12 volt battery, it doesn’t. The 12 volt battery actually has six individual 2.1 volt cells (one under each fill cap). Thus, when fully charged, the battery should have a resting voltage of 12.6 volts. If with the engine off, the resting voltage is less than 12.6 volts, the battery is low and needs to be recharged. Of course, it begs the question of why the battery is low. It could be that the alternator isn’t working, or that the battery has reached the end of its useful life.

13.5 Volts: With the engine running, the alternator should output a charging voltage that’s about a volt higher than the resting voltage, or about 13.5 volts. The exact charging voltage may be as low as 13.2 volts or as high as 14.2 volts.

Take a multi-meter and set it to measure DC voltage, then measure the voltage across the positive and negative battery terminals with the engine off. On a 12 volt system, a fully charged battery should read a resting voltage of 12.6 volts. After you start the car you should see a charging voltage of about a volt higher than resting voltage. If the reading doesn’t increase by about a volt or if it stays at the resting voltage, it means that the alternator isn’t recharging the battery. This could be because the alternator is defective, the regulator is defective, or the wiring between them has failed. In any case, if you drive the car, the battery will run down. If the battery runs down enough that the ignition stops firing, the engine will stall. It’s really important that you don’t simply jump-start a car with a dead battery without checking to see if the alternator is charging.

A basic charging system health test: Use a multi-meter to measure the resting and charging voltages as described above. Then, with the engine running, gradually increase the electrical load by turning on the headlights and the blower fan. Then increase the engine RPM to about 3500 as you watch the reading on the multi-meter. If the voltage stays about a volt higher than resting voltage, then the car’s charging system is functioning. But if the voltage drops or increases dramatically at any point, there’s a problem with the alternator or the voltage regulator.

If you don't feel confident working on your own Thunderbird and are looking for a repair facility in the Metro Detroit area, The American Road Thunderbird Club is headquartered in southeastern Michigan. I think your best bet is to contact someone from The American Road Thunderbird Club and find out where their members have their Thunderbirds serviced.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[willcarterdc]

You mentioned that you checked and inflated the tires, but how old are they? If they were from the time the restoration was done 20-ish years ago, they definitely need to be replaced (regardless of how many miles they were driven: tires will deteriorate over time even while in storage). I believe the current federal recommendation is to replace tires around every six years, regardless of mileage or tread wear. (I didn’t know this until I started looking into this issue after I discovered that the tires that came on my ‘57 when I bought it were well over 20 years old. Once I found out about deterioration with age regardless of miles, I immediately replaced them.)

Some folks (like me!) are pretty strict about replacing tires around the six year mark; others are more flexible. But I’d think everyone would start getting nervous about tires that are, say, more than 10 years old. (But I suggest following the 6 year federal recommendation).

 

[StickyWhistle76]

Check voltage regulator….or replace. I had the same issue and it fixed it. Not sure if it will help you but like I said it’s cheap

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[Ward 57]

You mentioned that you checked and inflated the tires, but how old are they? If they were from the time the restoration was done 20-ish years ago, they definitely need to be replaced (regardless of how many miles they were driven: tires will deteriorate over time even while in storage). I believe the current federal recommendation is to replace tires around every six years, regardless of mileage or tread wear. (I didn’t know this until I started looking into this issue after I discovered that the tires that came on my ‘57 when I bought it were well over 20 years old. Once I found out about deterioration with age regardless of miles, I immediately replaced them.)

Some folks (like me!) are pretty strict about replacing tires around the six year mark; others are more flexible. But I’d think everyone would start getting nervous about tires that are, say, more than 10 years old. (But I suggest following the 6 year federal recommendation).

I went cheap as my tires deteriated to the point that one collapsed sitting in the garage. I was moving in a few weeks so had cheap radials installed and then installed Portawall wide white overlays installed. Look great and a fraction of the cost of molded white walls.