The Dark Wob

Ok here we go again now we seem to have a proper home. The quick recap !
I was looking for a new project at the end of last year and started out looking at Corvair's in the USA, but things went a bit wrong and somehow I ended up buying this '65 Thunderbird blind from a slightly dodgy geezer in Los Angeles. After about 6 weeks of worry and 2 grand in shipping costs it landed in the UK That was when all the real fun started. In some respects the car was better than expected but it certainly needed a lot of work. At some point in the mid 80's the car was taken off the road for a front suspension rebuild. This had obviously not gone to plan as one side had new ball joints and the front spring was in the boot. Getting the springs in and out is not a nice job and I ended up buying a lot of extra tools to do it and it was scary as fuck compressing them enough to get them back in. Once that was done it had a full brake rebuild and a hell of a lot of carb trouble to get it in a state that it would drive around the yard. Now to get more up to date. When it arrived I found that the small crack in the windscreen was a bit more than the seller described, so to get it back on the road I had to get a new screen. It was also a sensible time to get the top painted as they can do a far better job with the glass out. All the seals crumbled to nothing so more expence. It is now back from the paintshop but they lost one of the chrome trims that has to be fitted before any of the interior can go back in. I am now stuck waiting for the new trims to arrive that should be here next week. It does look good so far though.

Love comparing the First and Last pic

Like me you have come a long way but it never feels like it until you start trawling through all the photos and piles of rubbish thats go into a skip.

Your doing a Grand Job though

Are you fitting the headliner yourself?

Ive bought one for mine I would get somebody else to do it but they want the earth and seem to be booked until eternity

Look at that fascinatingly elaborate ventilation setup below the rear window. They didn't skimp on anything.

This is a wonderful beast.

Nice old girl. Did the Thunderbirds pave the way for the Mustang? It seems a similar type of car, albeit showing its Fifties roots.

Junkman wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:16 am Look at that fascinatingly elaborate ventilation setup below the rear window. They didn't skimp on anything.

The rear vents are operated by the vacuum system from a switch on the dash. The system also operates the power locks and the parking brake release. I have no idea how much of it works but I have a big roll of hose to replace the lot.
The Tunderbirds were the range topper car for Ford at the time and a lot bigger than the Mustang. This version called a "flarebird" was built from '64 to '66 with slight differences every year.

Well the side trims finally made it through customs (it took them 9 days to clear grrrr) Nice and easy to fit but not exactly a perfect fit as they are reproductions but still look good. I have got the screen fitters coming over on tuesday to put the screens back in then it is just a case of putting all the interior back together, fitting the rear silencers and taking it up the road !. Sounds easy is if put it like that but will probably take another month or two.

At least you seem to have all the bits now.

Well a little update the usual fix one thing and find another fault. The screens were fitted the other afternoon and today I fitted the rear silencers properly so it was ready for a run up the road. Trouble is it is now running like shit again. It is way too rich and stinks the workshop out, but I did get it outside for some photo's. I suspect it has the same problem as the hearse had as the fuel filter nearest the tank was full of dirt. I think it will have to have th tank pulled out and cleaned. Poxy bloody cars.

Love it,Just love it how it is

Love the Aggressive Elegance of it

50's T bird are a bit like posh yachts,70,s became a bit too much like an LTD

But yours is just about right!

If it wasnt for the fact I gor a affinity with the Mustang II I probably would of had a 60's T Bird

Hope you get the rough running sorted out I really know how that feels

Thankfully mine is sorted now in that department but yeh was hell when it was running rich.

But we forgive them dont we,because even stood still they just look the nuts