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It's great that you folks are going to spring for the manuals. I just have to put out this warning to anyone who uses these manuals and then puts their car in a CTCI Concours thinking they are authentic. The manuals depict "service parts" which may not be identical to "production parts". Also...

Stephen, This problem has plagued us Bird guys forever. In times gone by, the only items available was from Ford. There were three distinct types available depending who their vendor was and when you bought them. The three types were: bad, worse, and worst. It was imperative that you shaved...

Ken, It's a gift even at $200. You most definitely want both volumes consisting of Text and the other of Illustrations. Here is an example of why I say that: today I looked up the 4001683 part you referenced in the Illustrations book. When I went to the Text volume to learn about other...

I see the repro '55 and '56 dry element air cleaners available for $300. They are listed by CASCO 1-(800) 374-0914 and Concours Parts 1-(800) 722-0009. Tom D.

Brian, The short answer to your question re: availability of Parts Books like mine: "dunno". But as you can tell from Ken's dialog, there are some condensed "knock-offs" available from the parts dealers. Examples: Larry's Thunderbird has their p/n TLT 9 (page 125 in their catalog) for $9.95...

Ken, One thing Ford did very well is: they designed an excellent significant part numbering system. Looking at your page 52 (my page 220) the part number 4001508 looked like it was unique to model 40 (that's us). So I looked it up in the text volume of my parts books and found the complete...

Ken, Your page 52 sounds like it may be a reprint of my page 220. I don't believe P/N 7583 bumper should be cut due to interference with the brace you mention. There are two black bars that attach to studs on the firewall immediately above the trans tunnel. These bars which are a round cross...

Ken, Unfortunately, I'm not quite into the 21st Century and am unable to E-Mail pictures and other printed material. What you need is on page 220 of the Ford Car Parts and Accessories Illustrations Catalog. There was a two volume set of books published by Ford back in the "paper days". They...

Brian, If you want a genuine FOMOCO dash pad, and if you're an E-bay type person: check this out. There is a new Ford pad that is only bid up to $300 so far. The auction ends in ~ 14 hours. Coincidentally, there is another one starting at $399 put up by a dealer and ending next week...

Guess I'm surprised that an Ontario car would run around without the plate. The probability of carburetor icing would seem likely between October and April. I keep my plates on all the time. Reason being: why introduce all the dust, dirt, water, and all the other contaminants directly at the air...

Had only one experience with a rebuild by Holley. My friends' car was ready to be loaded on the trailer to take it to a National show 1800 miles away. We installed the newly "show restored" carb. Started the engine and the thing hemorrhaged gas out of the secondary bowl. Besides making a mess...

By all means, try the newest item available. They haven't been on the market that long but; anything has to be better than what we have been using. Tom

I am not aware of any body or frame differences between the automatic and manual cars. All cars have the threaded holes on the left frame rail for the clutch linkage mounting, and all cars have the same size opening on the left side of the tunnel for the shifter/selector and all cars have a...

I had a feeling this question would be coming. There is a super nice Bird guy up in Portland. He buys and sells Baby Birds both cars and parts. If you have any luck at all (and you're overdue for some of the good type), he might have a parts car now that will bail you out...

If you're going to send it to that place I recommended in Pismo Beach, he had "spare parts" radios. That was true about last September anyway. Tom

I really gotta tip my hat to you guys who resurrect all those rusty buggys. I feel like a rookie by not having your experience with panel replacement. Tom

I think most folks who have done body off restorations would advise you to replace at least the inner and outer rocker panels before removing the body from the frame. Once you have those replaced and you have a "good sound door opening", then do all your bracing and replace the required floor...

None of the first generation Birds ever had an insulation pad. It is a very bad idea to consider one. For one thing, it may be so close to the carb air inlet that it would act somewhat like a choke and perhaps enrichen your fuel/air ratio. At the very least, it would make for a dandy dust...

So much depends upon when, where, and how the car is used. Generally speaking, if it is above 50 degrees and the engine is run continuously for 30 minutes or more, the heat riser can probably be omitted. If you have had to replace your left muffler more frequently than the right side muffler...

Rich, This is a tough call on an assembled car. The material cost for the dye and the etching material (recommended) is nearly the same as a new '55-'56 dash cover in your choice of color. Think this through. You know what your skill level and patience are better than anyone. Let that be your...