Pics of my car.

[peeeot]

I don't believe I've ever posted any pics of my car, so I thought I would try to. Unfortunately I don't have any of the car's most recent state; since these pictures all of the major surface rust has been sanded down/naval jellied and primed. The only couple pics of it in that state became corrupted somehow.

Here it is when it arrived at my house.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468707.jpg]

[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468708.jpg]

[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468709.jpg]

In the garage! It came with a spare door.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468710.jpg]

[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468711.jpg]

The engine looks mostly assembled, but in fact nothing was bolted together. The heads were sitting on the block with one bolt each partially threaded in. Tha intake was not bolted in at all. Each valve cover had one bolt holding it on. All the rocker shafts, puchrods, exhaust manifolds, etc were in boxes on the back seat. The engine had a little rust in the lifter valley and a lot of junk in the cylinders on top of the pistons but it wasn't stuck. The valve covers were wearing their original paint, methinks, whereas the block had been repainted blue sometime (former rebuild?) and the intake had fresh gloss black on it.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468712.jpg]

The seats had been reupholstered and a new dashpad acquired, but that all must have been years ago because the dash pad is not soft and was not cut or installed properly. Generally the interior was one of the car's strongest points when I bought it.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468713.jpg]

Here is the interior as it appears now. I've had it completely apart in order to put some rust-o-leum on the floorboards, which generally weren't rusty. One hole under the driver's heel. I plan to weld in some metal eventually, but in the meantime I'm somewhat ashamed to say I pop-riveted in some galvanized steel. I haven't replaced anything inside, just cleaned and installed properly. A lot of the wiring had been put together wrong.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468720.jpg]

An exterior shot. I has started sanding a little on the trunklid at this point, but otherwise it's not much different than when it came home.
[http://thewolfweb.com/photos/00468721.jpg]

This is where a lot of my money and time have gone! The engine ready to go back in the car. I have some pics of the rebuild process but it wasn't thoroughly documented. I wish I had taken more pictures all along... Not the right valve cover color, I know, but I like the way it looks. And it would be easy to paint it the right color.
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468722.jpg]

Back after one of the car's earliest spins up and down the street. Those taillights are so neat, illuminated!
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468723.jpg]

The engine where it belongs. The radiator had to be recored, and most of the ignition stuff replaced. The heater was taken out of circuit because it started leaking at the control valve (big surprise).
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468724.jpg]

I love the way it looks sitting in the compartment!
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468732.jpg]

It may not look like it, but it IS capable of movement.... All new brake hoses and lines were installed before driving anywhere. All wheels cylinder and master cylinder were gone through, but nothing needed more than a good honing. Thank goodness!
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468733.jpg]

On the move!
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468734.jpg]

Shot from down the street, with zoom.
[http://www.thewolfweb.com/photos/00468735.jpg]

That's all I have for now, folks!

[Guest]

RE: Pics of my car.

Well no pictures! nice try! Jon

[Guest]

RE: Pics of my car.

Try using Photo Bucket for your pictures it free and it works very well. Jon

http://photobucket.com/

[Alexander]

RE: Pics of my car.

The '58 and '59 T-Bird taillights are the coolest tail lights ever. At night they look like rocket ship engines.

When I was younger, I would sometimes light them up at night when the car was parked and admire them at various distances. I put in blue dots in unused center white lens. I cutt out red lucite to fit inside the white portion of the backup lens. That was even a better effect.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[Guest]

RE: Pics of my car.

Thats funny Alexander..........I was 10 years old when I saw my first squarebird in someones back yard. The woman babysitting me made me a sandwhich for lunch and I went out in her backyard to eat. I sat on a cinderblock about 30 feet from the car and starred at the backend the whole time I ate. To me it looked like a spaceship........although I couldnt figure out why the front end looked like a catfish. Dad set me straight though.........he said it was a 58 T-bird. I still stare at my own.......thinking......."what the **** "

[peeeot]

RE: Pics of my car.

Well, that sure is frustrating! I spent at least an hour getting those online and in that post, including REPEATED previews after signing in and out to ensure that they were visible and working. Apparently that wasn't good enough!

Alexander, I've always wondered about the blue dots. I've heard that in some places they were illegal, and I know they are a popular vintage custom touch. Why did people put them on? What did they do?

I'm going to try to get these pics up again.

[peeeot]

RE: Pics of my car.

Okay, now I'm totally baffled. I went back and looked at another post I made with an image hosted by the same site. I know it worked a while ago because Alexander saw the picture and responded to it. Now when I look at it, the little white box with red X is there. I didn't remove the picture from the host site or anything.

Apparently, once I open an image from a website on my computer, then link to it here on the site, it will show up properly. If I don't open the image on the host site first, however, I get the red X.

I don't get why this is happening now but wasn't a week or so ago.

Also I don't know what to do to fix it.

Help???

[Alexander]

RE: Pics of my car.

The color red for stop lights is arbitrary. It is actually a poor choice for the way our eyes function.

Blue dots were invented as a safety device in the 1920's. Back then tail lights were six volts and generally small and dim. The human eye has more sensitivity to blue light than to red light and can see it at a further distance for the same brightness. When you put blue dots in the tail lights they would be more visible at night. Soon after the introduction of the blue dots, blue was choosen by many states as a color for emergency vehicles, so it was banned for private use. Hot rodders liked the look of the blue dots and continued to use them until the early sixties.

Blue dots create an interesting effect. From a close distance you hardly notice the smalll amount of blue light with the large amount of surrounding red. As you get futher out the tail light appears purple. Sometimes the back of the car at night the car appears to have a purple fog following it. From even a further distance, you will see steaks of blue light radiating our from the tail lights because of the diamond-like cut of the blue dots.

That's why I like blue dots. I have never been stopped for them. I doubt many drivers have been stopped for them since 1964. Some states are starting to allow them for antique vehicles. http://www.shadetreemechanic.com/mis...e_dot_bill.htm

Putting them into 1958-59 Thunderbirds is a challenge because of two things. The center of the light is not flat. Blue dots must be put directly behind the bulb for proper effect. Second the center of the 58-59 Squarebird tail light is clear not red. I spend hours carefully filing the center of the backup lens to fit the blue dots. I filed the raised portions of the back up lens so it would be flush with the chrome ring of the blue dot. I popped the rivets holding in the the backup lens to the red portion of the tail lignt. I removed the reflective baffle that is behind the backup lens. Then I had a piece of flat red lucite cut out in the shape of a donut to fit inside the backup lens. I reassembled the whole thing using saml screws.

I have never seen another 1958-59 Thunderbird with blue dots.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[tarps3]

RE: Pics of my car.

Can the tail lights form a '58 or '59 be used in a '60 Bird? The lenses - not the backing plate.
I figured they were mounted differently or had some other inherent difference, but I've never looked at them side-by-side.

[KULTULZ]

Activate Photos

There You Go!

Nice BIRD...

[peeeot]

RE: Activate Photos

Thanks for the blue dot info, Alexander. Now I want to see the effect for myself!

Are some of you able to see the pictures I posted?

[Alexander]

RE: Activate Photos

I see all the pictures.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[peeeot]

RE: Activate Photos

Oh, good. I wonder why I don't anymore.

[Alexander]

RE: Activate Photos

Now they are gone.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[peeeot]

RE: Activate Photos

oh, boy! I love computers. Well, I suppose it's luck of the draw on whether or not you can see the pictures.