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I am having little success with a cold start on my 1956 Thunderbird (Teapot carb). Once I get it to start and help it to continue to run (keep my foot on accelerator so it won’t die) until it warms up it, runs great. I have an electric choke. It appears to be working as the butterflies are...

I’ve tried reviewing many of the forum entries on this subject and decided to just describe my situation. I’m afraid I don’t know some things since I don’t know what was done by previous owners. About 2 years ago, I decided to try and fix the problem I had with running out of fuel when the...

I’ve reviewed most of the wiring and connector posts and want to be sure before I order some new barrel connectors for my front lights and turn signals. Some posts warn that some new ones don’t fit the terminals in the wiring blocks. I checked some of the typical Thunderbird specialty...

Symptoms: When you turn on either turn signal, both turn-signal indicators on the dashboard flash. * Neither front turn-signal light works. * Both rear turn signals work. Both relays on the front inner fenders were replaced recently to solve a horn problem. I understand those relays...

I have been fighting a hard pull to the right when hard braking for a very long time. I even had an experienced classic car restorer adjust the brakes while he had the car for an automatic transmission issue. While driving the car today I sensed that when I moved the steering wheel to the left...

I’m having issues with my horn going off intermittently. The last time a neighbor rang my doorbell to let me know my horn was going off as the car was parked in the driveway. I have read several Forum posts and think my problem is in the steering wheel/horn ring. One reason is when I was...

I was hoping to restore the operation of the windshield wipers on my 1956 Thunderbird. I have a hose attached to the inlet nipple on the motor and inserted in to a plastic bottle of lubricant fluid. I can’t manually move the wipers with the car idling and with the wiper knob on? (Are the...

I took my 1956 Tbird for a spin and noticed the oil light was on. No oil leaking on garage floor. Oil level is good. Car seemed to run just fine, temperature was good. Background: This engine has very low miles since it was remanufactured. I replaced the oil sending unit last year when...

I am having a pretty scary problem with the brakes pulling VERY hard left when braking especially with hard braking on my 1956 Thunderbird.. I swear if I didn’t hold the steering wheel it would make a left turn. The trick is it doesn’t always do it. Last Monday I drove it around running...

My bird is just a driver, not an all original show car. I replaced the radiator with an aftermarket aluminum one that was billed to fit 1955-57 Thunderbird to fix an overheating problem (so far looks like it has fixed the problem). The previous owner fabricated a strange piece of metal that...

I don’t know if this would be useful to anyone, but I just have a driver, not a restored/show car. I replaced this housing with a reproduction. A friend told me someone might want this because it has the original numbers. It will need the bypass tube replaced I would be glad to ship it to...

I have a new radiator ordered. I was planning on adding a coolant recovery tank. Has anyone already installed one on an early bird and have recommendations for any that easily installed, as well as location you installed? If you have a picture that would be great. I was hoping for one that...

I have a 1956 Thunderbird. What is the maximum safe operating temperature?

The speedometer on my 1956 Thunderbird screeched and the needle jumped all over the place. I’ve read on the forum that there is supposed to be an oil hole to put in some light oil, but I don’t find such a hole on mine. The only hole I see is on the end of the shaft where the speedo cable...

What type of axle does 1956 Thunderbird have? The red 1956 Ford shop manual says the banjo housing hypoid rear axle is used on all cars except Wagons, Courier, Thunderbirds and Police Interceptors. Then it goes into how to remove the axle for the cars but not for the Thunderbirds, wagons and...

I have nearly enough parts to build an entire air-cooled Fordomatic transmission. While this transmission came out of a 1956 Thunderbird, I found it was not a Thunderbird transmission and bought another “real” Thunderbird transmission to replace it. The reason I have this transmission in parts...

I removed this water pump from a 1956 Thunderbird to replace it with one of those special high flow water pumps for T-birds just to ensure I had maximum cooling. Already painted Ford red. (I was in such a hurry to replace the pump, I forgot to paint my new pump. Sure doesn’t look as nice as...

This is the heavy, thick flexplate used with a 239, 272, 292 (and I think 1956 312). It is in good condition, I just changed to the 1957 style (thin flexplate with support rings). $20 plus shipping cost. I’m not sure how much it will cost to ship it but I will only charge actual shipping...

While working on the soft top, I noticed the seat back was not connected to the bottom seat. I found a broken shaft or stud nearby and figured that was the culprit. I couldn’t find any such parts or images on how the seat is put together in any of the parts catalogs or the shop manual I have...

In trying to close the rear deck dog leg lever on the soft top, I believe I broke the pin that holds the dog leg lever to the stud (I found a piece of it and now the clamp just spins around without turning the fastener with the prongs. I was successful in removing the fastener and now just have...