This is my 1964 Thunderbird. Bought it for $500 and she ran at the time. She has been sitting for 2 years. Previous owner started to tear it down and only got that far. The car is all original except for aftermarket Sears A/C. As she sits, she is very straight. The first item would be a full tune up. Replace all fluids, battery, rotor, cap, wires and spark plugs. I call her "bad news" because every time I start to work on her I lose my source of funding. Most recently I was laid off. She has a 390 and a C6. I want to go mild custom. Bright blue with red pleated upholstery. Sombrero hubcaps on red painted steelies. What I can't decide on is if I want to cut the roof off and fill the doors and make it a roadster. Right now get it running and get funding. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
roadster idea does not sound like the way to go with such a large car. they have great styling, with room for custom work.
Considering your luck, I'd leave the heavy stuff for safer times. Get it running, drive for a couple seasons and go from there.
Ain't that the truth! Haha thank goodness it's not a daily driver situation. Right now the goal is to get her running so I can move it back and forth at my Dad's shop.
You need to find a scrappy Torino fastback and... Yes, let your imagination take over. That's exactly what I mean.
Putting '50 style sombrero caps and red steelies on a 1964 car will make it look really out of place, I would suggest supremes, bell flower exaust and Watson style paint job would look much more at home on this car.
I am in love with the aviation stylings the interior of the Thunderbird has. This car was very stylish. Looking at the car I might just keep everything more stock inside. Retain the. Same colors and do just very mild changes to it. Found some later model spoke Thunderbird hubcaps in the trunk along with all the trim, fender skirts and interior pieces. The bird looks to have hosted some 100 different rat families judging by all the crap on the floor. I have a bad solenoid and a stuck starter. It has just under 48,000 miles. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
It only took around 9 months after my last post but I was able to secure a position with a new company making more money. The last few months have been dedicated to lurking on the HAMB and reading a lot of the tech articles. The last few months have really helped me zero in on the custom touches I like, but without getting too gaudy. After reading and reading and reading I have come to 1 conclusion. Keep everything simple and relatively period. Well, what shows atleast. I have secured a set of deeper dish steel wheels that will soon get some chrome baby moons. Perfectly accenting the planned thin white walls. I have learned to love the look of Bellflower tips and will add them to the car. I am in the process of shaving the door handles, fuel door, trunk lock, and emblems for the sleek look. Thankfully she is very complete so everything I buy is mostly add ons for a custom feel. The last 9 months of reading and research has proved invaluable. I'm ready to tackle this bird!
After removing it from the same plot of dirt for the last 2 years; I was surprised to see little to no rear damage. Just 1 cracked light bezel.
Over the last few weeks, I have been making small changes to the bird. I started installing the door solenoids and started mapping out the other custom touches. I threw a set of '65 Mustang side mirrors on it. I like those more than the remote mirror from factory. After reading loads on here about installing solenoids, selecting a brand, and proper wiring, I went for it. The install went super smooth. Thank you HAMB!
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