Say hello to “Blackie”, a 1964 Ford Thunderbird. I bought him via this site years ago and have made some upgrades since then. Here was the text of the original listing (CC-1132218):
"I am honored to offer you this 1965 Ford Thunderbird. This Thunderbird has had a lot of mechanical upgrades. Such has new Power Disc Brakes in the front and the Upgraded A/C System. The rust free Black Body looks great. The Black Vinyl Interior looks good to with no major wear present. Features & Options: * Rebuilt 390 cu in Engine * Rebuilt FMX Transmission * New Power Disc Brakes * Power Windows * Upgraded A/C System * 4 Brand New Tires * Aftermarket Stereo System This is a very nice driving and handling 1965 Ford Thunderbird."
He’s in driver condition and has some nice things to offer. I added Ride Tech air ride suspension- pick your own ride level- all of that is working well, and was professionally installed, which involved relocating and cleaning up the exhaust system so as not to have hot pipes anywhere near the bags or lines. The engine is a 390 CI V8 that is healthy and has had the valve work done to run on unleaded gas. The FMX transmission was rebuilt when I bought him at the end of 2018 and probably has fewer than 1,000 miles on it since. I put on some steely wheels, but have the original hub caps, smaller baby moon style caps for the steelies and fender skirts if that’s more your taste. The tires are good but maybe worthy of replacement for date code. Blackie is lives in the garage, so he’s not exposed to elements and there is no cracking or dry rotting on the tires. He remains nicely rust free.
He’s in very good shape overall- barely any body issues to speak of. I’m not super impressed about the performance of the brakes or steering. The brakes are disc all around and do work, but I feel like they should be stronger. The steering is a bit floaty, which might be more representative of the era, but I was intending to look into options to improve those both. It could simply be that my expectations have been out of whack for a car of this era. Power windows all work, and this is the Landau top/roofline, so there are 4 windows that are powered, and while the rubber seals work well enough for a wash, they are kinda hard. The wing windows work, but the crank knobs for them slip. I’d taken them off to consider how I might want to fix, and it hasn’t yet been addressed. I have the knobs and everything, just not on the window crank/register thingy.
I put LED brake lenses in the back and they aren’t sequential (the factory sequential light didn’t arrive until ‘65). Vintage style modern stereo (with Bluetooth and USB). This one might matter- I’m a tall guy and was touching the headliner, so I had the seat mount lowered a touch- it all still works as factory, but you’ll enjoy more headroom in Blackie than you’d normally get. Swing away steering wheel needed servicing, and it’s still pretty strange, but working.
AC is present but doesn’t blow cold. In 2018 it was charged with 134a and worked. Odometer/Speedometer is disconnected or broken. I use Stabil in the fuel religiously, and keep the battery on a trickle charger so he’s ready to go whenever. I start the car monthly to keep the fluids moving, and it starts easily every time. I’m the problem with him getting so little attention. Shameful of me.
I have the original owners manual, records of the work I had done, and a factory shop manual as well. Lots of good stuff here for the old boy. Oh- by “old boy” I mean Blackie, the car- not Walter the good boy pupper. The good boy pupper stays with me. :)
Oh- lots of what at a glance might seem the same basic image, but I’m trying to show the various elevations and there’s a screen shot of the software controlling the PSI at each corner. Hopefully that makes sense.
Questions are welcome.
