About to pick up a 1964 Thunderbird. Got some questions

OneAmongOthers

OneAmongOthers

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Joined
Jan 1, 2018
Thunderbird Year
1969
Hey guys I am going out tomorrow to look at 1964 Thunderbird. What should I be looking for when buying one of these vehicles? I very well off with tools and working on cars so I am not worried about getting my hands dirty. I know its the 390 with a MX cruise-o-matic right? wheels are not original as they look like steel wheels, probably Cragar's. Where should I look for issues? These cars where drums all the way around. I did a little reading and I think the 65 birds had disc. Is it easy to convert over to it? Also adding a dual reservoir master cylinder is another feature I would be looking to do. Any help or suggestions would be nice! Thanks!
 

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OneAmongOthers said:
Hey guys I am going out tomorrow to look at 1964 Thunderbird. What should I be looking for when buying one of these vehicles? I very well off with tools and working on cars so I am not worried about getting my hands dirty. I know its the 390 with a MX cruise-o-matic right? wheels are not original as they look like steel wheels, probably Cragar's. Where should I look for issues? These cars where drums all the way around. I did a little reading and I think the 65 birds had disc. Is it easy to convert over to it? Also adding a dual reservoir master cylinder is another feature I would be looking to do. Any help or suggestions would be nice! Thanks!
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Check for rust in your trunk, check for rushed by the doors where the dog legs , cars are generally pretty solid and can take a beating I’m real happy with the one I found it in there she had some rust
 
Ford guy said:
Check for rust in your trunk, check for rushed by the doors where the dog legs , cars are generally pretty solid and can take a beating I’m real happy with the one I found it in there she had some rust
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By the way there’s nothing that you can’t buy for the car anymore everything can be purchased locally here in Oregon Or on the Internet
 
Ford guy said:
By the way there’s nothing that you can’t buy for the car anymore everything can be purchased locally here in Oregon Or on the Internet
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Yeah I see that these cars there is no shortage of parts. Questions for the car itself. SO is the car a 6volt system or 12volt? Runs off and alternator or generator? Did these cars have a body on frame or where they unibody construction?
 
As stated, look for rust. Brakes are fine if rebuilt, and in good condition. As for dual master, someone else in another thread is trying one out, and will report. If you want to convert to disks, I think you'll be better off with a conversion kit than with trying to use 1965 parts on this car. Carefully inspect the brake LINES. Replace those rubber hoses, and check the steel lines for signs of rust -- ESPECIALLY where the rear line turns and goes under the driver's door. There is a metal plate that's supposed to protect it, but mud gets in there and can rust the line at that point. Buy new stainless steel lines.

The original wheels for a Thunderbird are solid. Over the years, who knows what the car has now, and many use wheels from a Galaxie or something, and are vented. Replace them with solid.
I can go on and on, but if you have more questions you know where to ask.
 
Gary Tayman said:
As stated, look for rust. Brakes are fine if rebuilt, and in good condition. As for dual master, someone else in another thread is trying one out, and will report. If you want to convert to disks, I think you'll be better off with a conversion kit than with trying to use 1965 parts on this car. Carefully inspect the brake LINES. Replace those rubber hoses, and check the steel lines for signs of rust -- ESPECIALLY where the rear line turns and goes under the driver's door. There is a metal plate that's supposed to protect it, but mud gets in there and can rust the line at that point. Buy new stainless steel lines.

The original wheels for a Thunderbird are solid. Over the years, who knows what the car has now, and many use wheels from a Galaxie or something, and are vented. Replace them with solid.
I can go on and on, but if you have more questions you know where to ask.
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Okay thanks! I am going to be headed out tomorrow. I'll guess I'll take a magnet and flash light with me for some indepth inspection. I doubt the owner will let me stick a vacuum or oil pressure gauge on it so I am going to hope the motor sounds okay. I got a compression tester too, but again I doubt I'll be able to use them until after I make my decision.
 
Biggest issue I had with my 64 was the neutral switch. Ford used this bushing to keep the selector and steering wheel together. Unfortunately with this slide over steering column, that bushing wears out and has to be replaced. After awhile the car won't start because the selector and steering wheel are out of sync and in turn your neutral switch will not connect to start. Alot of owners have removed the neutral switch. Easiest way to find out, is after someone starts it. Have someone check the back up lights. No back-up lights no neutral switch. Had to replace fuel tank also. Rusted out. Good luck
 
Sloppy shift mechanism can be problematic and somewhere between simple and expensive to fix. Symptoms include not going into the gear you've selected, not staying in Park on an incline and shifting itself into Reverse, annoying stuff like that. When coupled with the vacuum emergency brake auto release, could be pretty dangerous so consider disconnecting that.

The motors seem to be pretty rugged. The valve seats were not hardened so beware of compression issues that might indicate the need for a valve job. Putting a vacuum gauge on it is pretty non intrusive and would tell you a lot if the owner will let you do it.

Re: brakes, you can install a dual master but brake lines will need to be cut and you'll end up replacing the metal brake lines end to end, so it's a significant project. There is a dual master designed to fit under the shock tower brace, I've heard also that the dual master from a '73 Mustang will bolt to the existing booster but you will need to replace the shock tower brace. There seem to be a number of options out there for front disc brakes that will use the existing spindle setup. The brake line from the back runs under the bottom of the driver's door and if someone jacked up the car at the wrong place, it's really easy to crush the brake line. There's also a plate over the brake line just aft of the rear of the drivers door and corrosion can form there.

Good luck with this. We've had our '64 for two months and are thoroughly enjoying it!
 
BTW the '64's are 12 volt, alternator, unibody cars. Some of them have electronic ignitions and some don't, some have vacuum actuated heater controls and some don't.
 
64ZCODE said:
BTW the '64's are 12 volt, alternator, unibody cars. Some of them have electronic ignitions and some don't, some have vacuum actuated heater controls and some don't.
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Interesting... It's crazy those features made their way all the way to the 69 too. My 69 has the vacuum actuated brake release (disconnected), and the issue with the car falling into reverse. Coincidentally because of that fact I usually never put the car into park until I am absolutely sure I am turning it off (I just drop it into neutral so long as its on flat ground). Already had one interesting time with me adjusting the idle screw on the car and then it decided it didn't like me and started backing away.
 
So I went out to look at the car and this is what I found out. He was asking $5500 for it.

1: Engine was converted over to pertronix.
2:There is a hole the size of dime rotted through just above the passenger side window behind the trim on the outside.
3: Quarters were filled in with bondo or some kind of body filler then painted over. The filler is bubbling and peeling off. both rear quarters by the rear tires.
There is various rot in small amounts by the rear window on the deck outside, trunk lid on the back has some bubbling paint.
4: Doors seem alright.
Shift lever is loose and has a fair amount of wiggle.
5: Inside was re-upholstered.
6: Trunk seems okay, but he had a lot of junk in it so no real way to tell without pulling it all out and pulling out the mats.
7: Underneath looks okay from what I can see just by laying under it with a flashlight.
 
Is the drive train sound? If it is, it still seems like he's asking a lot considering the cosmetics issues. I guess it depends on how handy and motivated you are with taking care of body work, painting and interior trim stuff.

Re: the emergency brake vacuum release, the one on my car was disconnected by the previous owner for safety reasons. After an episode in which the car shifted itself into reverse, I could see the wisdom of leaving it disconnected. On the '64, the e brake mechanical release lever is a short stubby lever not easy to get at. I put a 4 inch extension on it and as it turns out, it's now very easy to release the emergency brake by stepping on the lever. It was a temporary measure that's looking pretty permanent now...

Looking forward to hearing more from you as the saga continues!
 
64ZCODE said:
Is the drive train sound? If it is, it still seems like he's asking a lot considering the cosmetics issues. I guess it depends on how handy and motivated you are with taking care of body work, painting and interior trim stuff.

Re: the emergency brake vacuum release, the one on my car was disconnected by the previous owner for safety reasons. After an episode in which the car shifted itself into reverse, I could see the wisdom of leaving it disconnected. On the '64, the e brake mechanical release lever is a short stubby lever not easy to get at. I put a 4 inch extension on it and as it turns out, it's now very easy to release the emergency brake by stepping on the lever. It was a temporary measure that's looking pretty permanent now...

Looking forward to hearing more from you as the saga continues!
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Car is a 1962 Tbird Oh and oddly enough it doesn't have the swing away steering wheel either. A pretty base model Tbird.
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/d/1962-ford-thunderbird-for-sale/6717773671.html
 
I guess having the wheel stay locked and not move like the swing away is a better thing eh? Less that could go wrong
 
Oh OK, I thought it was a '64. For the '62, for what it's worth, Hagerty shows $18.1K Excellent, $8.4K Good, and $4.5K Fair:

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1962-ford-thunderbird

My '64 has the swing away. I look at it as a novelty and something that could require repair/adjustment in the future. It's diabolically set up so that if you are trying to put the car in park and pulling back on the shift lever at the same time, then away the steering wheel swings. And, if it isn't completely latched back in place, the car will not start...

I gotta say, the pictures are worth a lot of words. It needs some love but it's a cool looking ride! How did it drive?
 
64ZCODE said:
Oh OK, I thought it was a '64. For the '62, for what it's worth, Hagerty shows $18.1K Excellent, $8.4K Good, and $4.5K Fair:

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1962-ford-thunderbird

My '64 has the swing away. I look at it as a novelty and something that could require repair/adjustment in the future. It's diabolically set up so that if you are trying to put the car in park and pulling back on the shift lever at the same time, then away the steering wheel swings. And, if it isn't completely latched back in place, the car will not start...

I gotta say, the pictures are worth a lot of words. It needs some love but it's a cool looking ride! How did it drive?
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Well... It goes around well enough. Brakes are a bit iffy. Though he just said he recently changed them. Couldn't drive it on the street as he wasn't to hot about the brakes, and honestly neither was I for that matter. Engine started right up and ran pretty smooth. Though he said at higher speeds it kinda bogs down. Unsure of the stat of the tranny. 50 year old parts... well you just gotta take it as it is and see what its worth. Looking on the classic sheet metal site though shows you can practically replace every bad panel with clean steel. Problem is its now going into cold weather so working on the car is gonna be sketch at most. I spent all summer rebuilding my 69. That's fine for warm weather, but cold? Not so much.
 
It was a 1964 I was originally looking at, but when I contacted the seller all I got was "Oh I live in this area", and that was it. No address, no phone numbers... nothing. Further contact was met with silence so I wrote it off.
 
Sounds like if he actually did a brake job, he botched it. "Bogging down" whatever that means, could be fuel delivery, restricted exhaust or transmission issues. Sounding like a bit of a pig in a poke, right
 
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