Good source for '57 T-bird parts?

[streetk14]

Hopefully some of you Ford guys out there can help me. I have a neighbor with a '57 T-bird that needs a little work. She has owned the car for a long time (15 years+) and it seems quite original. She asked me to work on it, and having sold my LSx-powered '67 Camaro a few months ago, I have the time to do so.

So...... where is a good source for reproduction parts? I think the car has the 292 2-barrel engine. The main issue is the carb is leaking fuel. It has the original Holley carb, as far as I know. She said that it has been rebuilt many times, and I would like to maybe put a new replacement on it (as long as I can get a direct bolt-on), instead of having the original rebuilt again. She really isn't worried about the car's originality; she would keep the original carb to put back on if it is ever sold.

What do you guys think my best option is? Maybe a good company that could restore/rebuild the carb like new again? I'm sure that would be cheaper than replacing it. I'm kind of out of it when it comes the carbs these days. All my cars/projects have modern engines with fuel injection.

Our main goal with this car is to make it a safe and reliable driver. I'm open to suggestions, fellas. Thanks,

[whitess]

Here's some that were in a Hemmings "Getting Started" resto magazine:
www.tee-bird.com (http://www.tee-bird.com)
http://www.thunderbirds-usa.com/
http://www.tbirdhq.com/center.htm
This one is for obsolete "Ford" parts, maybe some help:
www.obsoletereliableparts.com (http://www.obsoletereliableparts.com)
Here's the T Bird club:
http://vintagethunderbirdclub.org
Hope these help.
Larry.

[Charley Lillard]

Try Napa....You would be surprised...

[firebob]

There are several part suppliers in Cali. TBird Headquarters is the one we use because they are close to us but NPD carries them. Also Casco in SoCal is pretty big. There's one called Larry's in Carona. I don't know anybody that specializes in rebuilding those old Holleys.

[novanutcase]

I have a '61 T-Bird.

I would call Pony Carbs for your carb issues.

BTW if the carb is original it's an autolite not a holley. Probably an 1100-1200 model.

T-Bird Headquarters is a good source of parts but there are a lot of companys that cater to the early birds. Just google it and you'll find at least 10 parts suppliers for that year.

John

[streetk14]

Thanks guys, I did not realize that NPD did T-bird stuff. That is who I almost always have used for my F-body parts, and they are very close to me. One problem solved.

Looks like I am going to probably have 'The Carb Shop' in Santa Ana rebuild the carb that is on there. I could have sworn it was a Holley when I glanced at it, but it is possible that it has been replaced sometime in the life of the car. Anyway, Mike @ the Carb Shop has been running that place since the 60's, and all they do it rebuild/restore carbs. He said it would be a couple hundred bucks to blueprint it, which includes machining the body, etc.

I'm almost at a loss of what to do on these stock-type cars. If it were mine, I'd rip out that 292 and drop in one of those blown cobra 4.6 mod motors, or something like that :)