56 reinforced frame ?

[charlie8265]

I have a 56 bird which has ½” thick plates are welded to the sections of the cars frame. The frame sections that have these 4 plates are the sections that look like an X. Now these plates also bend with the contour of the frame at the front of the car.
Can any one tell me if this is original ? I have heard that Ford reinforced the frames on the 56’s. Any info you can give me will be appreciated.

Thank You

[rich morrill]

Originally Posted by charlie8265

I have a 56 bird which has ½” thick plates are welded to the sections of the cars frame. The frame sections that have these 4 plates are the sections that look like an X. Now these plates also bend with the contour of the frame at the front of the car.
Can any one tell me if this is original ? I have heard that Ford reinforced the frames on the 56’s. Any info you can give me will be appreciated.

Thank You

I have the same steel on my frame. My research revealed that your bird was built early in 56. The frames were reinforced by the factory because they weren't sure whether the continental would cause any problems with the chassis. If you scroll through Tbird Forum you will see when I started looking.
I recently went to California and stopped at Thunderbird Headquarters> while I was there I spoke to someone who is a national judge for Tbirds and he verified what I had found out.