1965 Any issues to look for before purchase? | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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1965 Any issues to look for before purchase?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dumborstupid
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dumborstupid

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Thunderbird Year
1965
I think I'm going to dive in to this 65, and I know about the mechanical sequential taillight and brake master issues. I'd be swapping out for the electronic taillight system from here very likely. Is there a good option for a dual circuit master and booster swap out? Are there any other known issues with this model year I should know before diving in? It's never going to see a concourse, she's more likely going to be a three season daily driver. Is leaded vs. unleaded going to be an issue? It's got the original 390 in it with the big 4bbl. Oh ya, 49k miles on the clock and I'm reasonably confident that's correct. 20241024_151723.jpg

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dumborstupid said:
Are there any other known issues with this model year...she's more likely going to be a three season daily driver.
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49k miles is irrelevant. It's 60 years old. If you are planning on driving it daily, it needs to be put on a rack and looked over by a good mechanic. How long has the car been sitting? That's another issue.
 
gear shift wear - does it slip out of park into reverse on its own? A pretty simple fix that takes some welding or a new shift lever, but a danger if you are not aware.
 
It looks nice enough to start with. The worn shifter can be an issue, but as Marc W said this is repairable. As far as the gas goes it really depends on how much you are going to drive it. It also may have been done already. I'm not sure what problem you think the bakes have, but Wildwood probably has a conversion you would like.
The biggest unspoken pain on the F/E engines is when they blow exhaust gaskets. Most of the top bolts break off and the manifolds warp. So can the exhaust face of the head. When doing exhaust on a F/E I always surface the head. It's also a good time to check the exhaust seats.
Look over the engine well before you buy it, check the numbers on the heads. They're in between the 2nd and 3rd spark plugs. That car probably has rolled the odometer several times.
 
Looking at the pedals and the drivers seat, I don't think it has rolled over yet. But hey anything is possible, right? I've heard that the master cylinder is suspect on these being a first year thing. And that the booster has issues too. It was last on the road about two years ago, but has been yard driving since. The brake started getting soft a month or two ago, so I'm told.
 
I'm not sure what in '65 is "first year", as far as the brakes getting soft, it's a 60 year old car and we don't know when the last brake job was. Sitting is not good for any car.
 
If the top was white it would be a twin to my moms 65. I drove it from Calif to Reno in 1970 to attend Harrah's Swap Meet. First year for front disc brakes. As for worrying about running unleaded gas, I have never seen a Ford from the 60's with burned valves. There is no need to pull the heads to install hardened seats until (or if) it happens. DO service the transmission! We had both a 65 and a 66 in the 70's and both needed rebuilding by 100k miles
 
Triger pulled
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74 Harley said:
It looks nice enough to start with. The worn shifter can be an issue, but as Marc W said this is repairable. As far as the gas goes it really depends on how much you are going to drive it. It also may have been done already. I'm not sure what problem you think the bakes have, but Wildwood probably has a conversion you would like.
The biggest unspoken pain on the F/E engines is when they blow exhaust gaskets. Most of the top bolts break off and the manifolds warp. So can the exhaust face of the head. When doing exhaust on a F/E I always surface the head. It's also a good time to check the exhaust seats.
Look over the engine well before you buy it, check the numbers on the heads. They're in between the 2nd and 3rd spark plugs. That car probably has rolled the odometer several times.
Click to expand...
I'd like clarification on what "F/E" means, please. and can i delay the worn shifter detents by using the swing away column? the owners manual says "Your car is equipped with a Swing-away wheel, for easy driver entrance and exit; it can be swung a distance of about eight inches to the right after the Cruise-O-Matic selector lever has been shifted to P (park). However, with the steering column in this position, the selector lever can't be moved out of P, and you won't be able to drive the car until the column is again securely locked in its normal driving position. When you are ready to drive, swing the wheel all the way to the left and move the gear shift lever out of "Park" position. This securely locks the wheel in driving position. It cannot swing until you have again stopped and placed the shift lever in "Park"."

Also I would like some guidance on how to find and decipher the build plate/VIN and engine/head casting numbers.

While I'm not new to working on stuff, this will be my first foray into a Thunderbird, I started out on air cooled VW's then moved on to 80's era F series trucks, then had a go at Subarus.....(ya that was nuts). I really do appreciate the wisdom and help of the collective.
My older brother that was working in a body shop out in California when this car came out, told me that any kind of under dash work on these is over the top difficult as there's just no room to do anything, and that he thinks a bad heater core should total them out. lol!
 
F/E stands for Ford/Edsel and it was the successor engine to the Y block.

Re: the shifter, engaging swing away feature locks the tranny into Park, It's a good idea to do this routinely. Have you driven the car yet? The shifter may or may not be worn to the point that it will not hold Park or the gear selected. My '64 had this issue and for the first few years I always carried wheel chocks. Eventually I replaced the shifter lever ($50 part) and that cured it, the shifter lever tang is made of softer metal than the detente plate so it typically wears out first.

These cars came with vacuum actuated emergency brake release mechanisms, so if yours has the worn shifter issue consider disconnecting the vacuum to the e brake pedal mechanism (there is a manual release lever on the e brake pedal mechanism) until the issue is resolved. Mine was disconnected when I got the car and I've never hooked it back up - I like being in charge of releasing the e brake 😃
 
I've been cleaning cleaning cleaning, and it's amazing how well the bright work is shining up. Could I get some help deciphering the build plate? It says, 63B DG7 18F 33 1 4, the only thing I'm sure about is the 1 is the 3.00 rear gears, and 4 is the Cruise-O-Matic, right?
 
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