Fender Skirt Mounting Tips

[lexdownunder]

Hi Guys
When I bought my '59 out of Seattle, it came with a pair of fender skirts in the trunk & already painted raven black but never fitted to the car. They look like new.
The seals are fine so ready to be fitted.
I don't have mounting tips in the rear guards. No holes either.
The holes in the guards are not a problem so I will drill to line up with the mounting holes in the skirts.
Because I don't have the mounting tips, does anyone know the correct dimension of these tips ie. the diameter of the tips & how far they protrude into the fender skirt. I would imagine the distance they protrude would not really matter as they can't be seen & there is nothing to foul the tips once through the skirt.

I have searched the forums & have photos of the tips installed thanks to Yellowbird posting some pics, just need some dimensions.

Thanks guys

[jopizz]

The mounting tips are available from all the Thunderbird vendors. If you just want to make your own you can use nuts and screws. Just find screws that fit into the slots of the skirts without too much play. After you drill the holes put the screws in from the backside and use a thin nut to tighten it. They go into the skirt about 1/2 inch. The way I drill the holes is to put the skirt in position and use a pencil to mark the slot onto the lip of the fender. I then drill the hole in the center of the mark. It's important not to put the pins too far down.

John

[Dan Leavens]

John great lay out of marking and installing the skirts. What is equally important ( if you are doing the install yourself and not buying from a TBird supply house ) is make them user freindly to take off and put back on. From experience and hopefully you never have a flat and need to change on the road ensure that the nuts ( fabricated or not ) can unscrew easily, as well as hold the skirts in position. Many will agree on thsi site that have them on their classics the skirts look great but are a pain to remove and put back on.

[jopizz]

I was thinking of going with screws and small wing nuts for just that reason instead of the pins. The skirts seem to move around alot with the pins.

John

[lexdownunder]

Thanks for your replies.
I am wanting to have the pins installed this week as I'm sending my '59 Bird to Tasmania in 10 days. I could order out of the USA but delivery is around two weeks to Western Australia so it's much easier & quicker to make my own.
Regarding making the pins easy removal to allow clearance if changing a wheel,I know many squarebirds are running 15" wheels. I am running P215/75R14 tyres. Do you think I would still need to remove the pins to change a 14" wheel??

Thanks guys. Once again your information is much appreciated.
Cheers
Lex

[Tbird1044]

The real answer would to be to do a test run after they are installed, unless someone has the exact same tire size installed what I assume are stock rims. With my car, I noticed that if I used a floor jack under the differential, it was very difficult to get my tire out of the wheel well. I had to use a second jack to lift the bumper to get more clearance. If by chance, you are still using the bumper jack, the differential will drop and give you more clearance. Just a thought.
Nyles

[bird 60]

Pins

Hi Lex, I'm running 225 x 75 x 14s & I don't have to remove the PINS. 15'' I don't know.

Chris.....From OZ.

[scumdog]

With my car, I noticed that if I used a floor jack under the differential, it was very difficult to get my tire out of the wheel well. I had to use a second jack to lift the bumper to get more clearance. If by chance, you are still using the bumper jack, the differential will drop and give you more clearance. Just a thought.
Nyles

I use a floor-jack under the front leaf-spring mount on the body, it lets the rear-end hand down nicely.

[jopizz]

I am running P215/75R14 tyres. Do you think I would still need to remove the pins to change a 14" wheel??

Thanks guys. Once again your information is much appreciated.
Cheers
Lex

I have the same size tires on my '59 and I don't have to remove the pins. There's plenty of clearance.

John