More specifically, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rear end. I've never dealt with bags on a leaf spring car before, and this one is an old uni-body on top of that. I would rather not do air over leaf, but if I can't figure anything else out I'll do that at least temporarily. I've been trying to research 3 links, 4 links and the like, but all the articles I'm read have been "bolt on" shit that doesn't help me out at all. I've been looking for info on the "universal" 4 link kits I see alot of vendors selling, but haven't found much. I'm hoping someone on here has dealt with this particular car before and can tell me what the deal is...
My brother has just bagged his 64 T'bird and kept the rear leafs. I will try to get some photos when I get a chance. He is a real do it yourself guy and used part of a kit and fabbed the rest himself. Roo
Go to squarebirds.org, sign up and do a search. You'll find something - if not, ask and you'll get responses. But I see you've been in that group since last year and posted the question there this afternoon...never mind.
Man, I love those old 'Birds. I had one right after high school. It wasn't a rod, but it was a cream-white '60 with a 430 Lincoln motor. The chicks loved it! I always wanted to do a Watson job on it. I picked up my first wife at White Castle's in it..oh wait...I hate her....oh well..so much for that memory..........
Little known fact, '58 Thunderbirds came from the factory with a coil spring rear suspension. But only that year. Maybe you could find a '58 rear suspension setup, and put it into your car (which I assume is a 59 or 60) and then bag it. That's what I would do, I think it'd be easier than coming up with a whole new suspension, and I'm not a fan of bag over leaf either.
I'd really be interested, I have a 64 and wanna bag it. Please post pics and as much info as possible.
I didn't bag my son's 59 HT but redid all of the rear suspension. To get rid of the rear leaf mounts (springs above the mount)I cut the old ones off and with the gas tank out I welded a plate 3/8 by 2-1/2 by about 4" long on each side of the unibody frame. Each plate had a 1.25" hole in it. I used the hole as a guide to bore the same hole thru the frame. Next I welded a 1.25"od DOM tube thru the plates & frame to use as a new shackle mount for the top bolt. I then just made steel shackles with extra holes to adjust ride height. For the fore & aft axle position I redrilled the center bolt hole 1.5" farther back & rebuilt the springs. This centered the axle in the wheelwell Here's a picture of the finished axle position. The car can still be dropped about 3 inches from this view without blocks. This shot was taken before the springs settled.
I just thought about this, had completely forgotten. If anyone here has a 58 and could get me some pictures of the rear suspension setup and the length of the trailer arms and they're location on the axle tubes, that would get me a LONG way on figuring this out. Hell, just some good pics would probaly be enough!
No one makes a kit for either the front or rear of these cars. I looked into it extensively when I was putting my 60 together (unless it changed over the past few years). Forget about the 64 pics, they have a totally different suspension. You will have to buy a universal kit and make it work. This is one thing I really hate about these cars, as nice as they are and getting real popular, there isn’t much after market stuff made for them. Go to the Air Ride Technologies forum and ask around, although I did that awhile back and didn’t come up with anything, things may have changed. For the front, you may be able to make a kit for the 57-59 Ford work because I believe the front ends are similar.
<TABLE class=tborder id=post3469621 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #e5e5e5 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e5e5e5 0px solid" width=175>CustomBird<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_3469621", true); </SCRIPT> Newbie Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Mass. Posts: 53 </TD><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_3469621 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid"><!-- icon and title --> Re: Bagging a Squarebird, anyone done it? <HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->No one makes a kit for either the front or rear of these cars. I looked into it extensively when I was putting my 60 together Sorry but there (at least in 1998) is a dropped spindle kit with Granada spindles & discs. available from i think DS Suspension in California. I'll have to find the reciept. My son & I put those on his 59 bird with a 3"drop. We did have major draglink to oil pan interference. I looked at his website about a year ago & he still was advertising for about $450. for the kit. Also I scrapped out a few Michigan 58 square birds (rusted to pieces) including one convert but never bothered to pull one of the rears or even take pictures of the coil spring setup. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
I meant no one makes an air bag kit which what was being asked about. I have the dropped spindle/disc brakes on mine I got from Drop-em & Stop-em.
LOL, there is no frame, unibody... If there was a frame we'd probably have it done already... I'm afraid the whole pan under the rear is gonna be different. Pockets for the coil springs, mount points for the trailing arms, and on and on....
Got this diagram of the 58 Bird's rear suspension from a member of the squarebird forums, Now I just gotta get under my car and see how similar things look. The trailer arms look a good bit straighter than the GM version I'm used to looking at.
I have a '60 as well. I'm cheap... cutting the coils and using blocks. Keep me in the loop though on how you make out!!
havent bagged mine yet.. just lowered the rear an inch to level out the stance.. my plan was to build a 4 link out of a 9" rear end i pulled off a 66 merc the front is pretty straight forward from what i see..
Well, then give me some hints. I have one sitting in my back yard that I have started playing on. This is how she looks right now.
i did one years ago and we used a 6-link triangulated cantilever set up. we just braced the hell out of the body and plated everywhere that the tabs and gussets welded to. I don't think you're going to find a kit specific to that car, but i like the bolt on kits for welding because they already have holes to rosette welds and the plates are a bit bigger than the weld on ones (perfect for what you need).
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