Announcement

**Alexander** · February 23, 2006, 06:57 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

Welcome to the site. We are here to help you out.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

**tarps3** · February 23, 2006, 12:01 PM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

nice to see a young man with enough sense (or is that foolish courage) to get into a squarebird - ha!

You will find a vast amount of information on this site and some truly nice and knowledgeable people.

The search engine works well and is a valuable aid to researching topics of discussion.

Take some time to read thru the Tech articles and get familiar with your car. A shop manual can be found on Ebay and will be your most valuable document.

welcome to the board and congratulations on your Bird

**Guest** · February 23, 2006, 03:45 PM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

welcome, there is no limit to the power you can get out of a big block ford. my 60 bird has a refreshed 300 hp 352. it suits me well as a daily driver. but my brother is building a blown and injected 572 ford for his tubed, pro street 60 bird (it was my parts car) no smog laws now that you have a real car. feels good eating rice in vintage tin

**Guest** · February 24, 2006, 12:08 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

eBay seems to be my friend for most things - I found all the manuals, just waiting for a back-order on the shop manual, but I dug in today anyway - I found I have zero fuel pressure (Checking the 3 necesseties of a motor of course, air, spark and gas) so I hooked up a pass through vaccum pump and found some nasty redish brown fuel in there (Of course that mixed with my 4 fresh gallons of 91, that was a waste of 10$) - time to find a new tank probably... I read about someone using a gas can as a tank so I vaccum pumped in some fresh 91 (I assume this is OK, 91 that is - let me know otherwise if you will...) directly into the fuel line of the carb and the motor sputtered to life... I only let it run a few min to "get the cobwebs out" but the oil pressure came right up as did the amperage off the generator - It definately needs a full tune up as it dosnt seem to be running on all 8 cyls, it's rather choppy feeling - that just might be the brittle plug boots that look like they were installed in the late 70's - I called my local Parts plus to inquire about the fuel pump and the kind lady asked if it had a vaccum style widshield wiper or electric... Heck if I know, why would that make a difference I asked... She said it makes a $60 difference, so I ran back out and tried them motor off - nothing... Fired the engine and got a hiss when I turned the dial - they never moved but the hiss tells me vaccum, great, a 40$ fuel pump just turned into a 100$ fuel pump, but hey, I didnt expect this to be inexpensive!!! I can tell there is a lot of electrical work to be done, the turn signals work 25% of the time - no back up lamps, there are butt splices all over the engine bay and some that just end, no hookup to be found nearby - out comes the electrical assembly diagrams/manual, it was amazing for me to read some of the holes were drilled during the electrical assembly, not during the body assembly - Ill leave the electrical for later in the project...

So, I have been vasilating restoring to stock as per the ID plates or going with my own vision... I think ultimately beauty is in the eye of the viewer and I am sure there is much discussion over this - my take is, I like the car, it's not as much of an investment anymore as it is I LIKE THIS CAR so I am going to make it my own - I never did like red interior in a white car

So that being said, I ordered an Edelbrock #1411 polished performer carb with the #1483 adapter for the cuise-o-matic, as well as an Edelbrock #21054 polished intake manifold - I plan to stick with the black carpet someone installed but go with a black and white upholstry - I know it's more 50's than 60's but I think it will go well as I am going to stick with the factory paint color (platinum, err white to us colorblind guys) - I am excited to pull the motor this weekend and see how many factory tagged items I can find - it's like an easter egg hunt...

Well - I'm off to eBay for some other items Im missing - I noticed a thread about re-chroming or going with aftermarket emblems - while I am sure they look good, I just cant see going with anything plastic... Fortunately I know a guy who does chrome who can literally chrome a needle and still sew with it - so anything beyond polishing will be taking a stop at his shop - I'll check with him if it's ok to post his info here - he's a great old coot who dosnt seem to have anything better to talk about than pre-WW2 things but he sure can chrome... I guess I can take the knocks about my 1/16 polish heritage with him doing the work! Take care!

Jeff Belmont
------------------
1960 Hardtop 352
SQBRD 60

**Guest** · February 24, 2006, 10:14 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

Welcome Jeff! Enjoy that Bird!

Just one thing I wanted to comment on ... Repop'ed emblems aren't plastic, they're metal just like the originals were.

**tarps3** · February 24, 2006, 10:46 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

Hey Jeff,

The wipers are indeed vacuum on this car as is the washer mechanism.
The fuel pump is a duel-action pump with a diaphram that "boosts" the vacuum for the accessories (the brakes also have a vacuum reservoir).

There is a conversion kit you could buy that will bolt right in for electric wipers if you choose to go that way. I haven't done it myself, but others seem to like it. Heck, you could put an electric fuel pump on the car if you did that.

I too had to go thru most of my car's wiring. The wiring itself isn't terribly complicated, but working under that dash will cause you nightmares! ..and bruised body parts.

I hope your power steering is good because that is also a big pain and a big expense with these cars.

Mine is black with a black and white interior - looks cool.

Squarebirds - tarps3's homepage

http://squarebirds.org/users/tarps3/index.htm

I would like to see a white car with a black and white interior...that would be sweet.

Consider donating 20 bucks to this site and Alexander can set you up with webspace and you can post pics of your progress!

**Guest** · February 24, 2006, 12:57 PM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

Wow Casey - that looks awesome! They sure do clean up well - mine is a far cry from the beauty that yours has, but hopefully that will change! That is pretty much how I invisioned the interior too, thanks for sharing - as for the repro parts, I retract my plastic statement

- I think you have a great idea about the donation too - I'll click on that link right after I submit this! I started a blog for my friends and family to follow, it should be easy to move here

Talk to you all soon!

Jeff Belmont
------------------
1960 Hardtop
"SQBRD 60"

**Guest** · February 24, 2006, 02:39 PM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

you seem to have the right frame of mind. i think the whole point of old cars is to enjoy them. great minds think alike.. i dyed the red interior black and white in my white 60 it looks 100% better to me.
purests might shake there heads, but if i show them what i started with they are much more understanding. you can't please every one
so build it the way you think it should be
p.s. i instaled elect. wipers was not impressed with the kit i bought but was able to make it work. and i think it is a good change

**Guest** · February 24, 2006, 03:24 PM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

>p.s. i instaled elect. wipers was not impressed with the
>kit i bought but was able to make it work. and i think it is
>a good change

That's good to know as I'm wanting to change mine to electric as well. Which kit did you buy (so I won't make the same mistake)?

Vacuum wipers and Florida monsoon rainstorms don't work well together.

**Guest** · February 25, 2006, 12:41 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

Will I found multiple places that had the vaccum fuel pump available - the easiest/best price I found was from www.rockauto.com $78 It's an "Airtex 3461" for those in the need - I have to admit I liked the sound the wiper system made, besides I am in Cali where it never rains

I also found that summit racing stocks a ton of parts for the 352 FE - I flagged quite a few "wishes" and purchased the immediate needs - I was told by my local parts plus store they sell at "Jobber" rates (Wholesale) and they cant really be beat on most of the parts i was looking for... One thing I noted was a 14" disk brake kit by SST, it's 975$ - what do you all think about the conversion? I wasn't impressed with the current stop-ability and since I am upgrading a bit from stock on power I think it might be a good choice.. Suggestions?!?

Well tomorrow the engine comes out... I reveiced my shop manual and it is exactly what I am going to need

I'm excite/nervous to find all the goods and bads - I found a few recipts tonight from the prev. owner who had a shop "cut" wires to lamps that wouldnt turn off - yeah, thats the way to fix it - they actually wrote it on the dang reciept... nice... Why not just remove the bulbs... There are some people out there that scare me... Nuff said - more tomorrow Im sure :P

Jeff Belmont
------------------
1960 Hardtop
"SQBRD 60"

**Guest** · February 25, 2006, 01:33 AM

RE: New Squarebird owner - introduction

>Will I found multiple places that had the vaccum fuel pump
>available - the easiest/best price I found was from
>www.rockauto.com $78 It's an "Airtex 3461" for those in the
>need - I have to admit I liked the sound the wiper system
>made, besides I am in Cali where it never rains

I also
>found that summit racing stocks a ton of parts for the 352
>FE - I flagged quite a few "wishes" and purchased the
>immediate needs - I was told by my local parts plus store
>they sell at "Jobber" rates (Wholesale) and they cant really
>be beat on most of the parts i was looking for... One
>thing I noted was a 14" disk brake kit by SST, it's 975$ -
>what do you all think about the conversion? I wasn't
>impressed with the current stop-ability and since I am
>upgrading a bit from stock on power I think it might be a
>good choice.. Suggestions?!?
>
>Well tomorrow the engine comes out... I reveiced my shop
>manual and it is exactly what I am going to need

I'm
>excite/nervous to find all the goods and bads - I found a
>few recipts tonight from the prev. owner who had a shop
>"cut" wires to lamps that wouldnt turn off - yeah, thats the
>way to fix it - they actually wrote it on the dang
>reciept... nice... Why not just remove the bulbs... There
>are some people out there that scare me... Nuff said - more
>tomorrow Im sure :P
>
From everything I've heard and read, the Granada/Monarch spindle, rotor, and caliper swap is the way to go for the front.

On the rears ... There are a variety of Ford OEM parts that will fit our 9" rear ends, some requiring minor modification. I've read about using Mark VII parts, Crown Vic parts, as well as Explorer parts.

Ford however, seems to have come to the rescue -- for around 350$ you can buy the Ford Motorsport SVO 9" Disk Conversion Kit (part number M-2300-G) for the rear.

You can find a lot of info on this swap on the web just by doing a search on "Ford 9" disk conversion" or something similiar.

Don't forget you'll need to replace the master cylinder (the Ford SVO kit comes with one) and add a proportioning valve. I read about one fellow who used a Mark VII Master -- according to the article, it bolted right on with no modification needed.

Personally, I wouldn't waste my money on an aftermarket kit for the upgrade. I'd much rather use as much OEM stuff as I can for a couple of reasons -- Initial cost being the biggest one.

**Guest** · February 27, 2006, 01:48 AM

It has begun....

Travlin - thank you for the guidance - You're right, the price is right and it seems to be pretty straight forward - rspeciallythanks to your "how to" I found!

I'll definately be persuing that route when the time comes, however I "got bigger fish to fry"... I said previously, "I dont get some people" - well I dont know who thought it would be a good idea to put metal "coils" in the coolant hoses but DANG they make a mess of things (And break XActo knives)- I began the process of pulling the motor this weekend and should have bought stock in PB penetrating oil - fortunately that stuff works as every bolt, nut and washer were frozen - I ditched the air tools for fear of breaking everything and threw some muscle into it... Most came out clean with patience and a lot of PB... When I got to the point of draining the radiator I was excited to see green, well that was short lived once the hoses were removed - I'll be posting some pics once I get time to setup my squarebirds site but I have never seen so much rust before - I hooked up a high pressure air line into the manifold and blew red mud all over my garage - it was soo bad I took time to clean the shop area which I rarely do mid-day... That is going to be one major task, cleaning it out of the block...

When I first brought the car home I was so excited it had PS/PW/PB/AC etc but boy oh boy there are a lot of frozen bolts associated with those items - about 14 hours into the project now and the motor still sits in the bay - I used to be able to pull my Nissan motors in about 2 hours and have them back in by Sunday evening, fresh and ready to go - I was dreaming to think Id be driving it by the end of this month!!! The parts are ready to be installed, but it's stubborn!!!!

I was amazed to actually find good pressure in the A/C system - there was no belt hooked to the compressor... Try to find someone who can come reclaim R12 last min - fortunately my neighbor knew a guy who did it for free, the only catch, he gets to keep the freon - "By all means buddy, you take that freon with you!!!!" Foamy oil is all I got to see but to each his own... Some repairman thoucht it right to use red threadlock on the hex heads holding in the banjo fittings - I'll get to drill one of those out later (about 1 inch in fortunately)

After the first few nuts and bolts I had the foresight to hit everything with PB - after their bath it was much easier - all the hoses are out, the carb is off (and soon to be on eBay no doubt - it's rebuildable) the wires are tied up on the windshield and only about 10-15 more bolts are standing in the way of that engine being on the rack

Unfortunately due to work commitments that will be the weekend after next... more to come!!!

PS - I plan to "Blog" the entire restoration in this thread - I hope that is OK!

Jeff Belmont
------------------
1960 Hardtop Now Known as "Rusty"
SQBRD 60

**Guest** · March 13, 2006, 11:01 PM

RE: It has begun....

So it was rainy and cold this Sunday - we actually got a good run of Hail!! Makes me happy I already got the Thunderbird in the garage!!! I dove under the car for a few hours and was able to remove almost all the remaining nuts and bolts - Since it was raining I didnt think it a good idea to go the whole distance of pulling it as I would be half in the rain once I got it up on the hoist... I did however discover some paint overspray in the front

Paint job is nice though! Oh well, it wasnt going to be "original" anymore anyway... My UPS guy Ron has been non-stop bringing goodies I ordered by - One tip is if you are in need of engine nuts and bolts I found a dealer on eBay "Boltlocker" or www.boltlocker.com who does a kit for the 352 FE - I am very impressed with the quality of the stainless bolts I received as well as the packaging - they come in neatly labled individual baggies with the part name or location they secure to - I spot checked a few prior to leaving my feedback and so far they are 100% on the money! Well worth the 40$ or so... I was very pleasantly suprised to receive them in the baggies - that is how I keep them seperated, yet I expected to have to "match them up" once they arrived!!! Bonus!!! more to come later!!!

Jeff Belmont
------------------
1960 Hardtop
SQBRD 60

**Guest** · March 16, 2006, 07:47 AM

RE: It has begun....

>I said previously, "I
>dont get some people" - well I dont know who thought it
>would be a good idea to put metal "coils" in the coolant
>hoses but DANG they make a mess of things (And break XActo
>knives>Jeff Belmont
>------------------
>1960 Hardtop Now Known as "Rusty"
>SQBRD 60

Rusty -- LoL! Sounds about like mine!

IIRC, those metal coils were supposed to help keep the coolant hoses from bursting, sorta like how some rodders/racers encase them in a woven metal sleeve these days (some prolly think all that's for is cuz it "looks cool").

Thanks for the tip on buying one of those hardware kits -- I was considering doing that but thought the cost outweighed the convenience -- now I'm thinking it's a good idea once I get the the reassembly part.

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New Squarebird owner - introduction

New Squarebird owner - introduction

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