55 TBird

[CTK]

When I first bought this car in 2011 i got it back together and drove it around as my daily and loved it. Gave it a mild engine build but pretty much a standard car as it rolled off the showroom floor all those years ago.

Then a few years ago now I decided I wanted to build it with all the goods.
So the engine and trans was pulled and sold, which made space for a 351 Cleveland stroker and TKO600.
We(Dad and I) sat the block and trans in the placement we wanted and worked everything into place from there. Starting with a front engine plate
The engines in these are placed behind the front suspension which is good though we set it back further and lower to gain some good clearance and of course CG. We also altered the pedal linkages so the new brake booster and clutch master is swapped over for clearance. You can see in photo above.
Then we pulled the body to work the chassis

With the body off we made up a chassis bed, my old shed doesn’t have the best floor and much easier to have it elevated. You can see in the photo above we did away with the leaf spring suspension. I wanted to have some adjustment on the rear roll center. I am still getting a grasp on all of it but learning as we go. Started out as 4 link style but decided to change to 3. Lower arms are parallel with the ground though So is the upper arm which I am thinking of giving it adjustment to tune anti squat?
The diff is a 9” with 31 spline and old school LSD. I had a set of 3.5:1 gears so I am starting with that and see how it feels. Will give it a top speed of 180mph if the engine takes it there.
Disc brakes all round. I have used a set of 90’s Falcon rears with a hub style handbrake shoe. Up front I am using a set of Mustang 11 drop spindles and the GM caliper. Originally I wanted to keep the 15” wheel with White wall so disc size and brake options are limited. But looking at a wheel like this one
I think it will give a great look and open up options for better brakes. Stock stuff will be fine for street driving anyway, which will be most of what this car will do. Unless I find a club to do some track days.
Well there is a bit of an intro to the build and will keep posting as it progresses.
I am definitely interested in guidance
I do this as a hobbie and enjoy fabricating what ever possible. As you can imagine there is not much out there for Tbirds in the aftermarket.

[Motown 454]

Welcome! That will be a fun ride when your done. What you've done so far looks great.

[RMMiller]

Awesome car to build! I love seeing these get hot rodded, so many people view these as a car you do not deviate from original, it's refreshing to see them upgraded.

[KiwiStarChief]

Looking forward to keeping up with this one, as I love seeing alternative vehicles being modified, especially from the 50's.