The striker plate on the back of the door jamb will need to be adjusted as well once you have the proper alignment and clearance over the door sill. If the hinge pin/bushing is worn, though, you'll need to overcompensate because of the wear. You can do this with a floor jack, a 2x4 against the bottom of the door for a cushion, and jack it up a little at a time. If the door is sagging at the rear but the fit is fine up front, the upper hinge bolts at the door shell should be loosened, and the rear of the door pushed up until the mark on the front edge of the bolt is about the same distance from bolt head that corresponded with the sag. Make a mark around each of the bolt heads to establish a starting point for adjustment. If there is, you'll want to get this corrected first, otherwise you'll have to keep adjusting the hinge/door assembly as the pin continues to wear. ![]() Lift up on the back end of the door and see/feel for play at the hinge. socket wrenches, large Phillips screwdriver for the door latch plate screws, and access to a shop manual, you could do it yourself.Ĭheck for hinge pin wear first. If you have patience, a good assortment of hand tools, i.e. It's the adjustment that requires patience and an understanding of how adjustments work. In essence it's four bolts - two into the door jamb and two into the door shell - for each hinge. If you know someone who has body experience, especially in hanging doors, the process should be straight-forward. As for a place to take your car, remember this forum is world-wide: tell us WHERE YOU ARE and someone in your geographic area may be able to steer you in the right direction.Īdjusting of doors and replacing hinges does require removal of door panels to access the bolts that hold the hinges to the doors. Contact the '55-'57 vendors that support VTCI and this website to find out what they can offer. Replacement bronze bushings and steel pins should be available from the little 'Bird vendors, and some may offer rebuilt hinges on an exchange basis. ![]() The round-edged hood features, as before, a delicate scoop finished which gathers air through a polished grille.What you're experiencing is more than likely worn hinge pins/bushings. The twin-headlights setup was retained for 1957, as were the metal eyebrows of the two headlamps. ![]() On either side of the grille, rectangular indicators are incorporated in the bumper which goes around the short front overhang and ends in line with the front wheel well. That's why the front fascia now had a more boxy appearance although the U-shaped bumper had rounded edges where it went down to accommodate the grille. As such, the bumper now went down in the middle to not cover the T-Bird's gaping mouth. Up front, the grille was enlarged which is why the front bumper was also reshaped. ![]() Ford then withdrew from fighting the Corvette just as factory racing was also banned and went on to introduce a larger Thunderbird for 1958 to make ammends with the customers that were complaining of the tight interior confines and limited trunk capacity. Ford looked to build on the Thunderbird's strong popularity, which translated in 10 T-Birds being dispatched in 1956 for each Corvette, by giving it a fresh appearance and more power. Introduced in October 1956, the 1957 Thunderbird sported a restyled appearance front and rear and was longer 6.1 inches to accommodate the spare wheel which was back in the trunk.
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