Squardbird unibody Help

[Randy]

Do the fenders bolt on or weld ?
.
Would you have to cut it out?
.
Tell me more about this Unibody.
,
pleases thank you.

[Tbird1044]

Randy:
Our Birds are pretty much spot welded together on all of the body parts. There are a few removable panels around the front and rear windows that are bolted, along with the doors, trunk and hood also being bolted. The TBird shops sell patch panels for the fenders and doors that can be welded in. I have pics of my car where the front and rear 1/4 panels were replaced. Email me if you want me to send them.
Nyles

[Randy]

Thank you Nyles !

[Yadkin]

The front fenders are bolted on. The rear fenders are part of the body.

[simplyconnected]

The front fenders are bolted on. The rear fenders are part of the body.

That's what I said but I don't have a Squarebird so I don't really know, and that's what started my discussion with Randy.

Steve, do you really know or are you comparing with the '66 'bird?

I know both fenders are welded to the front fascia panel (as one piece) on a Square. I told Randy that the front fenders should both come off as a 'front end clip'. I might be all wrong but that's how most Ford cars are assembled... Then it dawned on me...

The Squarebird body shop was not at Ford, it was at Budd. Ford Wixom started T-bird production in the Paint Shop. In fact, Squarebird engineering was done at Budd too. Ford's Body Engineering simply signed off on all the drawings and approved them for 'build'. That's the reason why the '58 SB has that 'unique' rear coil suspension.

Bottom line: The parts manuals show all the individual stampings but... It may well be that Budd welded the fenders in place just like the quarter panels. (But I don't know for sure.) - Dave

[Guest]

I've had my '60 since 1985 and it's mostly sat. Shortly after purchasing it, I realized it had been in a front end wreck. The front bumper had a faded '1958' crayon mark (I'm assuming from a junkyard), and I noticed this weld seam on the inner fender apron by the evaporator. The other pic shows a slight split in the metal below the bottom front corner of the door, like the weld or body putty split. I'm no bodyman, but I don't see how they could have unbolted this fender and bolted a new one on. There's no seam below the door. Or fender bolts that I could find. Shoot, gotta resize the pics

[simplyconnected]

...I don't see how they could have unbolted this fender and bolted a new one on. There's no seam below the door. Or fender bolts that I could find...

That's what Randy said, 'No fender adjustment bolts'.

Every fender I've ever seen had adjustment bolts (and shims) at the top and bottom. SBs may be different so I'm here to learn. How does the fender apron attach to the fender? Bolts, or no bolts? In your RH picture, I can't tell which way is the front of the car although you say the crack is in the front. - Dave

[partsetal]

Spotwelds hold the fender on. Many at the back that are visible when the door is opened, and many along the upper flange to attach it to the apron. Welds at the front where it meets the header panel and welds at the rocker panel where the crack is shown in a previous photo. Depending on your spot weld removal tool, you can spend several hours with them. There are no adjustments after the fender is installed. Carl

[Yadkin]

That's what I said but I don't have a Squarebird so I don't really know, and that's what started my discussion with Randy.

Steve, do you really know or are you comparing with the '66 'bird?

I know both fenders are welded to the front fascia panel (as one piece) on a Square. I told Randy that the front fenders should both come off as a 'front end clip'. I might be all wrong but that's how most Ford cars are assembled... Then it dawned on me...

The Squarebird body shop was not at Ford, it was at Budd. Ford Wixom started T-bird production in the Paint Shop. In fact, Squarebird engineering was done at Budd too. Ford's Body Engineering simply signed off on all the drawings and approved them for 'build'. That's the reason why the '58 SB has that 'unique' rear coil suspension.

Bottom line: The parts manuals show all the individual stampings but... It may well be that Budd welded the fenders in place just like the quarter panels. (But I don't know for sure.) - Dave

You're probably right then. I thought 58-64 were basically the same chassis.

[toddgilroy]

Here are a few pics of the front fender spot welds.

[Tbird1044]

Those spot welds are everywhere ;-). Makes good sense to get a good cutter to remove them.

Nyles

[toddgilroy]

I have tried quite a few types and after seeing how clean ~keith's spot weld holes always seemed to look, I asked him what he used and he recommended Blair Premium Spotweld Cutters.

They are not inexpensive, but with lubrication they seem to cut faster and last longer than anything else I have tried.

[Guest]

That's what Randy said, 'No fender adjustment bolts'.

Every fender I've ever seen had adjustment bolts (and shims) at the top and bottom. SBs may be different so I'm here to learn. How does the fender apron attach to the fender? Bolts, or no bolts? In your RH picture, I can't tell which way is the front of the car although you say the crack is in the front. - Dave

Dave, no bolts, and you're correct, that crack is below the front side of the door. The passenger side is seamless there, like the squarebird was designed after an AMT model car kit with opening doors. I'm thinking my repair was done sometime in the 60's or 70's, looks pretty professional save for the weld seam. I'm guessing the front of the fender apron was damaged causing the need for the weld there.

[Yadkin]

Well, I learned something here. That is a completely different chassis then my 64, at least in the areas shown in those pictures. It's almost like you can mount the engine in the trunk and spin the interior around 180 degrees.

[simplyconnected]

Thank you everyone, for clarifying exactly what Randy said (and I didn't believe but now I do).

After seeing the proof, I still say that this is not an assembly scheme that Ford used on all the other cars, before or since. There are many differences that were dropped when the T-bird body was finally assembled in Wixom like the rear coil spring setup that only lasted for the '58 model year and the front dual shock absorber, in preparation for air suspension. Another anomaly I never understood was, using two brake hoses on each '58 front brake. Nobody does that.

Body repair must have been extremely expensive in the aftermarket for this car. Most collisions involve front end body parts but these are all welded together.

I know how 'stationary' body parts are assembled, clamped and welded, usually in table-fixtures. I'd like to see the fixtures Budd used. See the irregularly spaced the spot welds on the door-to-pillar hem line? It was spot welded by hand, not in an automatic spot welding fixture. Those spot weld guns had to have deep and long throats using double-piston retract cylinders, huge transformers and heavy counterbalances. This was bull work in the summer time heat. - Dave