Encouragement... And being cared for.

I spend a good portion of yesterday with Uncle Packard.  I always enjoy spending time with him, but yesterday was special.  We talked about my Dad, about art, about family history, about life's struggles, and about the T-bird.   His candor and calm self confidence was very reassuring.  I felt genuinely cared about, and cared for.  This is something I have needed... my Uncle providing something that my earthly Father could not.  I just drank it in!!

I started by laying out my plan for the car, step-by-step with key milestones... in a flow chart.   This is how my brain works... trying to make order out of chaos, or at least understand the key dependencies.  Pretty pathetic, huh?

My "restore the T-bird flow chart".  Red things are key milestones (engine running on a stand, body painted, car moves under own power, car street legal/first cruise night).  Blue things are at the body/paint shop.  Yellow things are tasks I must do myself.  Green things are other expenses to plan for.  Grey things are moving the car.  Things in the turqoise box have already been done. 

Uncle Packard had previously volunteered a space in his 3-car garage/workshop for the car, which is close & convenient to the body shop.  I'm hesitant to inconvenience my Uncle in this way, at least until I have a clear understanding of the objective, and the "exit criteria" (how I expect to get the car out of Uncle's garage).  I grew up seeing too many "projects" become permanent unfinished space-hogging fixtures.  Uncle suggested that I would be done when we move the out of his garage under its own power!  This made perfect sense, and I was able to quickly factor that into my plan.

We talked about brakes and tires.  Uncle Packard mentioned that Mr. Mechanic advised  installing disc brakes on the t-bird.  I was avoiding this for financial reasons, but I can see the wisdom of doing it.  Disc brakes are MUCH more controllable during panic stops, and everyone is used to driving with them.  Uncle Packard also advises keeping the power assist for the front brakes, because it will make the car more consistent with modern cars.  This alone makes it safer, especially when friends and family drive the car... and safety should not be compromised.  I now need to decide between a disc brake kit using dropped spindles (to lower the front an inch or so), or simple bolt on conversion using the existing spindles.

After I talked about the expense of this project, and my sense of urgency making the car drivable while Dad is still alive to ride in it, Uncle once again made a gracious financial contribution to the project.  This touched me deeply.  It affirmed me, and made me feel that my efforts are valued.  Thanks, Uncle!

This is a good place to point out that it is almost impossible to make money restoring cars... unless you are willing to take short cuts, or are very lucky on eBay/swap meets, or find an almost limitless source of free labor!   Before he sold the car to me, my cousin took the car to a reputable t-bird restoration house and asked for a quote to restore it to "driver quality".  I have gone over the itemized list, and I agree with everything on it.  The total, with parts and labor, is nearly $60,000.00!  My cousin then asked the price of one of the other driver-quality t-birds on the restorer's lot, and was quoted $40,000.  Restoring this car would incur, on paper, a $20,000 loss!  At that point, he knew that this was not his hobby, and he had to sell the car.  That's when he called me.

My spreadsheets show that I will have spent around $30,000 to restore this to "driver quality".  I am relying on Uncle Packard's network to keep my costs down.  If I were to sell it in that restored condition today, it might bring $25,000.  I'm clearly not restoring this car as an investment.  It has more significance to me than that.

We then went to Uncle's favorite tire dealer.  The car will need tires before it can be driven, and Uncle trusts his dealer.  I'd like the look of wide whitewalls on early T-birds.  Tire Guy can get wide white radials in the appropriate size (205/75R15), but couldn't answer my questions about safety of tubeless radials  on the stock "tube style" rims.  He did mention availability of replacement steel rims, which is encouraging.  Uncle Packard then told Tire Guy that he would be buying the tires for me!  Yet another affirmation!  This graceful gesture makes all my previous obsessing about tires and wheels seem pointless!  Yes, I might be able to fit an inch wider tires under the skirts, given the right rims... but Uncle's grace makes that a bit less important.

We then visited the body shop. You need to know that Body Guy is 90 years old, has owned this shop for over 60 years, and absolutely loves his work.  Retirement is the furthest thing from his mind.  He even had a heart valve replaced last week, yet he was right there in the shop directing things yesterday!  The atmosphere in the shop is significantly more optimistic now that Body Guy's surgery was successful, and he is quickly on the mend.  I have had the opportunity to meet some extremely interesting and engaging people in this hobby, and Body Guy is way up there on the list!

I could say a lot more about Body Guy, and how he is an example of aging gracefully.  He is a true craftsman, and an artist in sheet steel & lead.  His workers are also extremely talented (Body Guy is pretty picky).  They have finished the obvious metal work on the t-bird, and are now stripping the built-up layers of paint in preparation for painting the body.  Here are some shots:

Hood has been carefully fitted, and holes filled.  I don't want any emblem on the nose.  Note that the windshield has been removed.  This was necessary in order to straighten the cowl.  The passenger side door now closes and latches, for the first time in 30 years! 

A better view of the front.

The layers of paint on the left fender add up to about 1/16", too thick to paint over.  No wonder the green lacquer was cracking!

After fitting the trunk lid, Body Guy noticed a 1/4" misalignment to the body, and wanted to bend the rear of body back to match it.  Unfortunately, he also found a lot of bondo back there, which would all end up cracking and need to be redone.  I decided that I could live with the 1/4" overhanging trunk lid.

Body Guy's son is 65 years old, and is the shop's main painter.  I'll call him Paint Guy.  Paint Guy had previously agreed to paint the engine compartment, and yesterday he recommended that we take the car to Uncle's garage after that is done and install the engine.  Once we can "drive the car out" of Uncle's garage, we can bring it back to Paint guy, who has agreed to paint the body and the hard top.  This should minimize the risk of scratching the body paint when installing the engine.

I'm left with an action to call Mr. Mechanic on a couple of issues (disc brake recommendation, front suspension, etc) and purchasing what I know I will need for the next phase (suspension parts, brake parts, exhaust, fuel system parts, electrical system, cabin insulation, etc.).  I also need to look into upholstery.  I can't drive the car out of Uncle Packard's garage without a functional seat!

It was a remarkable day, full of hope.  It was also healthy.  Healing.  Redeeming.

The Reality of Pitted Chrome

I tried to clean the chrome steering column last night.  Here is what I'm talking about...

Steering column, as removed from the car.
Uncle Packard took one look and said "Bad news...  That is supposed to be chrome!"

Disassembly was pretty easy.  Now the hard part...

Cleaning old chrome reminds me of an important truth.  Reality has texture.  It has imperfections. Whatever I strive for in my future, observe about my present, or remember about my past, it simply is not reality if it doesn't have texture.  That fractal detail never shows up in my dreams... it is just too difficult, inconvenient, or unpleasant for me to imagine on my own.  I'm beginning to believe that only God has the tenacity and patience to imagine all that detail.

Chrome is a good example of this.  Just imagine a chrome bumper... mirror smooth, right? No one takes the effort to imagine chrome bumpers with imperfections, rust, or pits.  It's much easier and more pleasant to imagine a shiny new smooth chrome bumper.  Even if for some reason I'm forced to think about imperfect reality, I tend to visualize perfect chrome, and then an overlaying haze or patina... a veil that can be easily ignored or mentally wiped away.

The reality of chrome is that a myriad of microscopic pinholes eventually wear through the plating,  allowing water to get through to the metal underneath.  Corrosion byproducts then leech out onto the previously smooth surface, infesting it with an unimaginably detailed texture.  On plated steel surfaces, like bumpers, the red-brown rash of rust can sometimes be wiped away using chemicals or bronze wool.  

This machined steel locknut to allows the steering wheel to slide in and out about 3 inches.  The rust is like a fuzz all over it.

20 minutes with bronze wool, and it's shiny.  Look closer, and you'll see that it's pitted.

But the reality of the pinholes remain, and the rust will soon return.  On plated zinc-based castings, the corrosion under the pinholes has a more dramatic effect... the oxidized metal under the plating expands and lifts up, forming a plethora of tiny chrome-covered bumps, and creating a pox or acne over the entire surface that cannot be removed by polishing.  Given time, these bumps grow and cause the plating to flake off, exposing the powdery white oxide underneath.

The surround for the dash is pot metal (zinc).  After bronze wool, it still has severe acne.

The top of the steering column.  Also made shiny, but pitted.

I remember seeing pitted chrome before, when I was a boy.  I found it slightly distressing when door handles and window knobs in our family car developed that patina, and the plating started to flake off.  I was more distressed when broken springs started poking through the seat covers, and we had to put old blankets on the seats to literally save our behinds.  We had a lot of old things in my house.  Some of them still worked, but most of them were broken, and stayed that way.  I'm familiar with corrosion, and neglect... and the texture of reality.  My parents rarely saw it... instead, they saw hidden treasure, were blinded by possibility, never fully measuring the cost... and forgetting that time ravages everything.  Meanwhile, my siblings and I managed... but largely on our own.  It took years for me to realize that this kind of life wasn't normal, wasn't right.

The texture of my reality hit me hard today.  It's not that my chrome is unpleasant, it's just not what I'd like it to be.  Not what I imagined it should be.  I'm remembering how mean I was to my brother growing up, and how my inner rage that frequently intruded into my relationships.  The arrogance that came from living in my own fantasy, and thinking far too much of myself.  The opportunities missed, and the advantages taken, the hurt I caused.  I think of my own young boys, needing a father's encouragement, and receiving the criticism of an impatient man... I see my own reflection in that imperfect chrome.

I am not a bad person, but my chrome is tarnished.  It can be polished, but it is pitted.  In some cases, it is like a pot-metal casting, and cannot be restored.  I will have that patina, that character defect, the rest of my life.

I'm facing the fact that this car, like my own life, will never be a award-winning showpiece.  It will always have some pitted chrome, some inner ugliness, some parts that just aren't right.  I don't always get to choose which parts these are.  I don't have the means to rebuild everything that's wrong with the car, nor do I really want to.  Somewhere in the emotional space between my unrealistic dream for this car and the current, textured reality lies  hopeful intentionality.

My task is to learn to live in that tension, and to persevere.

Status and Plans: A Note to my Family

The following is a sanitized version of an email I sent to my extended family today.  

It is sanitized, in that I have chosen not to use real person or place names in this blog.  I do this because I desire to be very candid, and I don't want to expose those close to me to potential embarrassment.  Thus, I try to maintain this thin veil of plausible deniability. 


I sent this email to members of my family, Grandma's children, who are strong supporters (Uncle Packard, Uncle Cord, Dad, and their sister... call her Auntie T-Bird).  These dear people do not read this (or any) blog.  That's OK.  However, the intellectual and emotional effort I put into this message is significant, and I'd like to share it more broadly.  Here goes:

"Here's an update on the t-bird, just to keep you all informed.

The engine and transmission are complete, fresh and shiny!  It runs and idles well, now that I fixed the vacuum leak.  I need fuel lines and a new fuel filter, and a few linkage parts, and it will be ready to put back into the car.  Of course, I will need to install an exhaust system and fuel tank before the engine will run in the car.  I have the fuel tank,  and I intend to purchase an inexpensive aluminized exhaust system.  I can install these myself.

The body and rolling chassis are at the auto body & paint shop.  All rust holes have been repaired, and the next step is having the cowl straightened so that the passenger door can be aligned.  I don't remember that door ever closing properly!  It will be good to have it fixed.  Uncle Packard is helping me find someone to strip the body and get it ready for paint.  I'm hoping to have this done, as well as painted in the shop.  I don't have a time table, but I'm expecting several months before the car is under paint.  This progress is only possible with Dad's financial help covering the body work and painting expenses! It feels great having Dad be an essential part of this project!  Thanks, Dad!

Uncle Packard has graciously offered to store the car for me in his lower garage for a month or so while the paint hardens.  My next purchase may need to be a good car cover!  I'm not sure how long I will want to keep the car in there.  While it will cost another $150 to have it flat-bed towed back home, it will probably be quite a few additional months before I can make it drivable.  I would like to be able to work on the car in the evenings, and the hour long round trip to Uncle Packard's garage makes that less likely.

I will need to do some re-assembly in the engine compartment before installing the engine, especially the brakes and steering.  I want to install a dual master cylinder, to make the brakes a little safer.  I've decided to keep the original drum brakes, and have new shoes and cylinders for them.  I still need new soft brake lines.  I have not decided if I want to go to the expense and trouble to replace all the fuel and brake hard lines.  Fixing the brakes and steering in Uncle Packard's garage is probably a good idea, as it makes moving the car much easier.

The wiring harness is in good shape.  I need to replace the headlight pigtails.  I will be installing a new alternator and converting the car to 12 volts.  This is a common, simple conversion, requiring a new 12 volt blower motor (which is missing anyway), head & tail lights, and a regulator for the 6 volt clock.  I won't be using the stock radio.

Having the engine in the car makes it much easier to compress the front springs, which is necessary in order to work on the front suspension.  I will need new bushings and tie rod ends.  The ball joints are probably fine... they have a very good reputation for durability, and the available replacement parts aren't as good as the originals.  I just purchased a 1957 steering box in rebuildable condition.  This "three tooth" box is significantly stronger than the original "two tooth" steering box, but looks almost identical and bolts right in.  I will drop this new box off with a rebuilder next time I visit Dad. New front springs are inexpensive, and a good investment.  I will probably get a heavier sway bar and new shocks, too.  The steering wheel is very ugly, but usable.  I will try repairing it with plastic putty and repainting it myself.

When the wheels come off for the suspension work, I will have them blasted and painted body color.  I don't like the original "pie plate" wheel covers, so I'm looking for a good set of the smaller "dog dish" hubcaps.  That way I can show off the color of the wheels.  I do expect the tires to be expensive... a set of wide whitewalls will cost about $1K, so I need to factor that into my budget.  I had considered getting a second set of wheels with "knockabout" tires, but thought better of it.  My garage space is just too limited.  I should invest in a spare, however.

I will need to make the seat usable in order to drive the car.  Once the engine is in, I will be highly motivated to make the car drivable, so I need to plan on this.  Interior "kits" are available at reasonable cost in the original factory colors... my intent is to keep the colors the same.  I will probably need to buy materials and talk to an upholsterer soon.  I also need a few parts to make the heater operational, which will be important on cool evenings!  The rest of the interior can wait... I need to repaint the lower dashboard, re-do the firewall and cabin insulation, install door panels, carpets, and trim.  I am missing the ash tray and lighter.

Of course, all the chrome is shot.  I know that re-plating the chrome can cost almost as much as paint, so my intent is to brass-wool and buff the rotten chrome on the bumpers and trim as much as I can, and start re-plating as funds become available.  The chrome on the windshield outer doglegs has rusted through, but replacements are very hard to find.  Advice on this would be appreciated.

The hard top needs to be painted, and is missing some latch hardware.  It is currently on the car for security purposes, and I'm hoping to have the body shop paint it along with the car.  I would like it painted white, rather than body color.  I recently purchased inexpensive rear window glass, but it turned out to be badly scratched.  It is serviceable, but I will eventually need to replace it.  I plan on installing a tonneau cover, and expect to use it often.  I've rigged a hoist for the hard top in my garage, and I expect the top to stay there most of the time.

I took delivery of this car in May 2011.  It is unlikely that it will be drivable in May 2012, but very possible that it will be drivable in May 2013.  It is even conceivable that it can make its first cruise night appearance late this summer!

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and generous support.  Restoring this car means more to me than you could know... it is redeeming a painful episode of my youth!"

Steering...

At the risk of being overly tutorial, let me describe how steering works on '50s vintage cars.  The steering wheel is attached to a long shaft, inside the steering column, which is in turn attached to the input shaft of the steering box.

Exploded view of Thunderbird steering.  The steering wheel would be above and to the left of this diagram.  The front wheels attach to the right and left ends of the spindles.

The steering box is bolted to the frame on the bottom front driver's side of the engine compartment.  It contains gears that translate the motion of the steering wheel into a much smaller motion of the Pittman arm, which projects out below the chassis frame behind the front wheels.  A rod called a drag link is suspended between the Pittman arm and a similar sized idler arm bolted on the opposite side of the engine compartment.  It is set up such that turning the wheel to the left will move the drag link very precisely to the right, in a very controlled way.  Left and right tie rods connect this drag link to the front wheel steering knuckles, which in turn control the direction of the spindles and thus the front wheels.  Turning the steering wheel turns the steering box input shaft, the internal gears then translate this motion to the Pittman arm, which moves the drag link slightly, pushing/pulling both the tie rods, and then the steering knuckles, moving the spindles and turning the front wheels.

Modern steering boxes are actually very remarkable pieces of engineering... they typically use either "recirculating ball" or "rack and pinion" technology, which is very efficient, reliable, and they don't wear out... at least not for hundreds of thousands of miles.  In 1955, however, Ford  used "worm and sector" technology.  These are not so reliable, and they do indeed wear out.  The worm gear is on the input shaft (connected to the steering wheel), and the sector has a roller gear to tightly engage the worm.  Here's a sequence with the top cover removed showing the worm and roller.  The input shaft is on the right side of the picture, the worm gear at the bottom, and the sector arm at the top.

Full right turn.  Note how rough the worm gear is.  It needs to be replaced.

Center

Full left turn

It's pretty clever, and it works well.  The problem with this arrangement is that, over time, the worm gear tends to wear down in the center (because the wheels spend almost all of their time pointed straight ahead or at very small angles), but it doesn't wear much on the ends.  This wear can create a lot of "slop" in the steering... up to several inches of steering wheel travel before the front wheels move.  That's actually pretty dangerous at highway speeds!  The gears can be tightened together  to remove this slop, but then the steering will bind up and jam in a tight turn.  That's even more dangerous.

The steering box on my '55 t-bird has exactly this problem... too much slop.  It needs to be rebuilt.  It is also still on the car, at the body shop.  I needed to leave it on the car... otherwise, the front wheels couldn't be turned together, and moving the car around would become very difficult.  Since I have to rebuild the steering box anyway, I looked into replacing it with something better. 

1957 was the last year Ford used worm-and-sector steering boxes.  1958 Fords used recirculating ball steering boxes, which are much stronger and don't have the "wear in the middle" problem.  Sadly, this newer steering box won't just bolt onto on my t-bird.  The steering column would need to be shorter.  Also, '57 and earlier Fords routed the horn wire from the steering wheel down the hollow center of the steering shaft, all the way through the steering box, and out the end to pick up the horn relay.  Later Fords don't do this, and use a brush and slip ring for the horn signal.  To use the later steering box, I'd need a whole new steering column, and steering wheel, and turn signal switch.  Now we are into some big $$!

My t-bird does not have power steering.  While I can easily bolt on a period-correct power steering setup for $2K, I really don't want to.  Vintage power steering units are basically a hydraulic ram that moves the drag link back and forth, based on the position of the Pittman arm.  They tend to leak, and don't provide much driver feedback.  This is very unlike modern power steering.  I've decided to keep the manual steering, and it's better road feel.  I may have to work a little harder when parallel parking, especially with radial tires.

Note that the roller on the sector arm in the pictures above has three teeth... this is a 1957 t-bird "three tooth" box.  It is a bolt-on replacement for the steering box on my 1955 t-bird, which is a very similar but weaker "two tooth" box.  My plan is to rebuild the three tooth box, since it should last longer and be better able to handle the stress of wider-than-stock radial tires.

I got the '57 steering box on eBay for $.99!  Alas, I spent $40 on shipping.  Even though the gears are trashed, it was a very good deal!  Buying a complete rebuilt three tooth box would cost about $800.  I can have this one rebuilt locally for about $400. 

Overall, I feel quite fortunate.

Significance

The T-bird in May, from my first post.  Pretty ugly, huh?

It's just a car.  Isn't it?

Then again, much of the pain of my past has, in one way or another, been connected to this car.  It was with me during times of neglect, isolation, denial... then disillusionment, more isolation, fantasy, and self-indulgence... which eventually led to addiction.  As a young adult, in a fit of despair and anguish, I abandoned the car.  I had never forgiven myself for that.  It came to represent much of what I hated about myself... weak, inadequate, unable to finish anything, worthless!

This same car then re-appeared in my life shortly after two family members had been diagnosed with cancer.  My Mother in law has since left this planet, and the family is grieving.  The presence of this rusty, neglected car seems to accuse me of my past failures, reminding me of dark times, and then pointing out that times are dark again!   But I have changed.  I'm different now.  I no longer  fear the sadness, because I know it will pass. 

Somehow, I feel that restoring this car means something... that it's much more significant than a simple mass of iron, steel, paint and rubber.  Maybe, just maybe, it is meant to provide an outward expression of the inward change in me.  Instead of reminding me of dark times, perhaps it's meant to remind me of the perseverance and intentionality I so desperately want... both for this car, and for my life!  As I think about what I want for the car, maybe I should be reminded about what I really want for myself, of the man I want to be.

"Denial" was the topic in my recovery open share group Thursday night.  I was forced to consider things about myself that I may be denying.  For example, I'm angry with my father - he doesn't take care of himself, and doesn't take his cancer seriously.  He also doesn't affirm me... never has... doesn't know how.   I don't deny this anger, but I'm probably denying the fact that Dad will never change, and that I am avoiding the pain of that reality through self-righteous anger.

I'm a creative and imaginative person, and always have been.  When reality becomes unpleasant for me, I tend to imagine a better situation, a more pleasant place, and think about what it would be like if things were set right.  The desire to make things better, and envisioning a better reality, have served me well in my career.  But this same gift gets ugly when it becomes self serving, and turns into fantasy and isolation.  I do this all the time.  I continually have to navigate that thin line between healthy imagination and unhealthy fantasy.

But, I need a healthy imagination to envision what this car will be like, and to maintain my enthusiasm.  On the other hand, I have to resist the fantasy that fixing this car will solve any of my problems, or that it will ease my family's grief, or that, somehow, my Dad will praise me for it before he dies!  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that driving this car will provide deep satisfaction for me and my sons.   Just working on it together with them has given me a glimpse of that.  But, like most of life, if I don't find joy in the journey, I will undoubtedly be disappointed in the destination.

It shouldn't matter so much that the car gets "fixed", or how soon I can take it to cruise night.  What matters is that I have peace about it, and what it represents.  If I start with that, then the condition of the car, whatever it is, will be a source of joy to me.

Obsessing on Wheels and Tires

I continue to struggle with the idea of maximizing performance.  It is getting silly.  For example, since the car needs new tires, and the wheels need to be refinished, I'm tempted to get new tires and wheels that yield the widest possible tread width that will fit.  Sounds reasonable, right?  So, what are the constraints?

The first question going down this "big rubber" path has to do with the rear fender skirts.  Here's a comparison of cars without and with skirts:

"Hot Rod" without fender skirts.

"Classic" with skirts.  The "wide whites" are pretty cool!

The difference may seem subtle, but I think the car looks somehow incomplete without the skirts.  I would like to be ABLE to put them on.

Why is this important?  Well, in pursuit of "big rubber", the skirts are the limiting factor for determining how wide a tire can fit.  Let's ignore the wheels for a minute... with the skirts on the rear, there seems to be plenty of room for a tire with 9" section (225 series).  This is about an inch wider (15%) than stock.  Here are some pictures showing the rear clearance with 215/65R15 tires (slightly wider and shorter than the "stock" 205/70R15's) on the original 15x5" wheels.  There is clearly room for another inch of rubber on the inside, leaving a fairly generous 3/4" clearance.

Left rear: 7/8" clearance under the fender skirt

Right rear: about 3/4" clearance

Left rear: 1 3/4" clearance to the rear spring.  A 1" wider tire would fit here.

Left rear: about the same.  The side-to-side consistency gives me confidence that body and frame are straight.

Another inch is good, right? Well, if I leave the skirts off, I might just be able to squeeze yet another inch (245 series)...if I had the right wheel.  Am I willing to give up that inch to be able to use fender skirts?  Well, yes I am.  Am I absolutely sure the 225's will fit under the skirts?  No, not completely.  How far am I willing to go to find out?

Let's talk about wheels.  There are 4 key parameters here: lug spacing, diameter, width, and backspacing.  The stock wheels have 5x4.5" lugs and are 15" diameter, 5" wide, with 3.25" backspacing.    225 series tires require at least 6.5" wide wheels, and 7" would be better.  Backspacing is a science into itself, but there is a lot of info on the off-roading forums... I guess Jeep drivers like wide tires as much as I do!  In any event, the maximum backspacing I need is 3.50"... any more, and the tire/wheel won't fit in front. The inside will rub on the suspension.  In back, I need enough backspacing to keep the outer edge of the tire away from the skirt, yet keep the inner edge of the tire away from the rear leaf spring. For a 225 series tire on a 7" rim, I calculate this to be at least 4.25" backspacing.  This puts all the additional width on the inside, and keeps the outer face of the rim in about the same location. 

These requirements are incompatible!  What do do?  Different wheels front and back?  Once again, the off-roaders have an answer.  Get a set of 4 big-backspace wheels, and then use wheel spacers on the front hubs to keep them from rubbing.

These spacers bolt onto the regular lugs, and the wheel then bolts on to them.

These are available in just about any size. Now, what about diameter?  I'd like to keep the overall diameter of the tire about the same as stock.  Modern tires tend to be smaller, but they would look funny on the t-bird, and would change the gear ratio... the engine would have to rev higher on the freeway, and the speedometer would be high.  Let's keep the overall diameter the same.  But, I can get larger diameter wheels (say 16") and lower profile tires, and end up with the same overall diameter.  This will give more responsive handling.  If, however, I ever want white sidewalls, the smaller wheel is better because it provides more room for the sidewall.  Besides, it looks more "stock", and balanced with the rest of the car.

So, I need 16x7  or15x7 wheels with at least 4.25" backspacing.  Oh, by the way, I'm cheap and I don't want to drop $800-1000 on a set of new rims, at least not until I'm absolutely sure they will fit properly.  I want to get something really cheap just to try this out and check that they fit.  Are there any "stock" steel wheels that meet this criteria, that I might pick up from in a junk yard, yet still look decent?

Well, it turns out that there are a couple... Pre-'07 Jeep wheels have the right lug spacing, and 5.25" backspacing. I can easily pick up a set of 2" wheel spacers for the front, and thinner spacers for in back. 

 

93-01 Jeep TJ 15x7 wheels look nice!

02-06 Jeep Liberty 16x7 aren't quite as attractive

2002-09 Mustang 16x7 wheels have 4.25" backspacing.

These are 2006 16x7 Mustang OEM steel wheels, which you rarely see.  I like the design.  They would look good in body color, with "spider" or bullet center caps!

This is the typical '05-09 Mustang 16x7 alloy wheel.  These are readily available, but a little too modern for my taste.

Vintage Mustang wheels are available in 15x7, with 4.25" backspacing.  Unfortunately, these are highly desirable used, and rather expensive!

Some early T-bird owners really like these wheels.  So do Mustang owners... so they are pretty expensive!

I currently have my eyes peeled for a cheap set of Jeep or Mustang wheels to try out.  Am I obsessing?  Yeah.  Another inch of tread on the road doesn't really matter that much. This T-birds was never intended to be an ultimate performance car, and to try to make it into one is both delusional and futile.  But it is a fun problem to think about.  These wider tires could make the car more unique, more personal, more "mine". 

Then again, maybe it's just a phase I need to work through.

Update 3/28/12:  I made a commitment to refurb the stock wheels, based on Uncle Packard's offer to buy me wide whitewalls.  Yet, I still struggle with wanting "different" wheels!  This makes no sense... the tires won't be much bigger or better with different wheels, it will just look more "custom".  Maybe this harkens back to my boyhood, and lusting after the '57 T-bird down the street with nice AR rims.  

Today I was on the verge of buying a set of Jeep rims for $50 on craigslist, thinking that it would be OK to have two complete sets of wheels and tires... one of which would require spacers.  I could store them in the garage, and fix them up later... I was deliberately ignoring the cost of additional tires and spacers, as well as the lack of space in my garage!  Clearly, other parts of the restoration are more important.

I really need to let go of this... in order to do that, I may need to look a little deeper within, humble myself, and simply accept the grace being offered to me.