1956 Ford Thunderbird
| Factory correct restoration |
 The frame returns from the powdercoating shop dressed in a fresh coat of gloss black.  The floor, inner fenders and engine bay have been painted basecoat/clearcoat black as original. It will now be covered so the inside of the cab and trunk can be painted.  The cab floors are finish-sanded.  The rear end housing has been washed, washed and washed some more, then powdercoated. The gears are reinstalled with new bearings, races, seals and shims. Backlash is set to .005" which is in the .004" to .009" range specified by the factory service manual.  On the right is an original upper ball joint fastener set. On the left is one provided with the reproduction ball joint. As you can see, it's not even the correct size. The finish and head markings are obviously incorrect as well. This is why we go through the extra effort of cataloging each fastener and having it replated to the factory finish.  Here is the control arm bushing setup--the cross shaft and arm are powdercoated black, the cup washer is plated to a dull finish to look 'natural' but still have a rust protection, the lock washer is black oxide and the nut is gold cadmium.  Speaking of, this is how we get the fasteners back from the plating shop. These represent only the chassis fasteners. How do we keep all of these straight? Before they are boxed and shipped, each fastener is photographed and cataloged so it can be put back in its correct location.  The brake drum backing plate- Note the guide pin, reinforcing washer, lock washer and correct wheel cylinder bolts are black oxide plated and the guide pin nut is 'plain' finish.  The left rear drum assembly overhauled and ready to install.  The leaf springs are back from powdercoating. We'll put them all together just as original with correct wax insulators and clamps.  Here are the leaf springs and rear suspension harware. Everything has been powdercoated or replated to its original finish and lustre.  The shell has been primered again and is ready for its second round of block sanding.  Notice that the use of the correct fasteners (re-plated correctly at that) even where they will not be seen. The upper drum to spindle bolts are to be black oxide and the lowers should be a dull finish.  Tim sorts the body shims prior to cleaning.  This door shell has been primered and block sanded four times. Notice the smooth even texture of the gray primer. One more round should do this part.  This shell has only been primered once. Notice how the gray primer has been burned through? This will need several more rounds of blocking to make sure there are no 'waves' after painting.  The frame is assembled and readied for the body. The body will be reassembled on the frame to check gaps after all the work thats been done. Then it will be separated again for painting on the rotisserie. Go to page PREVIOUS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 NEXT PAGE |