1979 T-Bird

[79TBIRD]

hey I recently came into a 1979 black thunderbird. It has 351W. Hasn't been run in ten yeArs but good shape. Any ideas what I should do? I was thinking engine overhaul with aluminum heads, Intake, etc. Anything to help as this is my first t-bird

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[captrick]

Hi there, it all depends on your use of the car. Do you want to have a dependable cruiser, a Hot Rod, a show car, or a sleeper? It also depends on how deep your pockets are. I had a 1982 Fairmont which is basically the same format as your T-Bird, and put in a 351 Cleveland in it and did a little performance work to it and used as much Ford parts as possible. This way if anything broke I could go to any Auto Parts store and get replacement parts. I put over 113,000 miles on the engine and sold it last year and it is still going strong. I drove the car to Florida a number of times, went to Penn., went Virginia many times and had only maintenance problems like the water pump, alternator, distributer, and brakes. All the parts could be bought at any Parts Store. The 351 put out about 350 hp and the car only weighed in at 2800 lbs which is a good HP to weight ratio and still kept very dependable. Good luck if I can help you with any suggestions feel free to contact me, Rick

 

[79TBIRD]

Hey, I'm not sure what to do with it. Cruise, but if I want to get somewhere quick and loud I can. I had 86 trans am with 355 about 425 hp ran 12.4..... Had 86 Monte Carlo with blown 489 big block made 819.2hp.....and 87 mustang GT with 302 supercharged about 530hp ran 11s.....I like loud and fast vehicles, but this is a boat, I got as a gift. I was thinking lumpy cam, aluminum heads, dual plane, headers, dual 2 1/2 or 3". Just needs interior but like to fire it up be able to drive few hours, not worried about fuel mileage....so mostly street...performance.

 

[captrick]

You can do some motor work to it stroke, the motor to 406 cubic inches, put a good hydraulic roller cam in it, a good set of aluminium heads, headers and fuel injection. Get about 450 hp out of it and with a AOD transmission with a 2000 rpm convertor, and have a dependable cruiser with get about 22 miles per gallon on the hwy. It can be done I was getting that with my Cleveland with a 780 carb and 3:50 gears. Now how deep are your pockets ? If you need more info give me a call @ 631-626-7288 Rick

 

[The Gearworks]

Actually, my opinion would be to get an EFI 5.0/trans donor. say from a mustang gt. (Dont go with with the tbird or crown vic engine as the computer and intake systems arent "HP"). it will run SO much better than the "Wheezer" Ford put in it to begin with, and then you have a great base to start performance mods from there. AND the intake system WILL fit under the hood!

 

[Adam T]

hey I recently came into a 1979 black thunderbird. It has 351W. Hasn't been run in ten yeArs but good shape. Any ideas what I should do? I was thinking engine overhaul with aluminum heads, Intake, etc. Anything to help as this is my first t-bird

Before doing any mods, change the fluids and belts and hoses. Drain the fuel tank and lines. Flush the cooling system and brake system. Do the basics in preparation to refire the car first. One has to make sure the bones are good before doing the mods.

 

[64ZCODE]

hey I recently came into a 1979 black thunderbird. It has 351W. Hasn't been run in ten yeArs but good shape. Any ideas what I should do? I was thinking engine overhaul with aluminum heads, Intake, etc. Anything to help as this is my first t-bird

The 351W is a nice engine with plenty of low rpm torque. I have one in my '69 Galaxie 500. It's described as a small block when in a car and as a large block when in a truck as the 351M version. The 4V version has higher compression than the 2V. The 351W weighs in around 100 lbs lighter than the 390 .

The stock intake manifold and heads don't flow all that well. You can pick up 30 HP by upgrading the intake and carb, and if you add in a set of headers you can probably add 50 or 60 HP total.

 

[Tim Cole]

hey I recently came into a 1979 black thunderbird. It has 351W. Hasn't been run in ten yeArs but good shape. Any ideas what I should do? I was thinking engine overhaul with aluminum heads, Intake, etc. Anything to help as this is my first t-bird

The 351 Windsor motor is a great motor for our Birds. They generally run cool and deliver sufficient power for our heavy Birds. I would drop the gas tank, clean it thoroughly, clean the fuel lines, change the oil and filter and put in a couple of bottles of Mystery Oil as replacement with fresh oil. Change the plugs and wires, cap and rotor. Change out the belts as well. Was the Bird in safe storage?