Vintage Thunderbird Club International

Here's what I found by typing into the 'Search' box '12 volts direct from coil to ignition switch' - it's dealing with a '64-'66, but it's basically the same for '61-'63 in terms of the resistance wire used between the coil and ignition switch. https://www.vintagethunderbirdclub.net/phpBB3/search.ph...

Start with electrical diagnosis and a good multimeter. How many volts and amps are getting to the individual headlight bulbs? Figure that out first, and work your way back through the electrical system. Checking/cleaning/tightening grounds would be first on my list of things to do after getting a ba...

(Mr. Moderator, please move this to the 1955-1957 Thunderbird Fourm) I apologize for this response, but your question and how it was asked is providing a 'teachable moment' that many people need to see. Seeing that you've been a VTCI Fourm member since 2018 with 18 previous posts, it would be a good...

When I checked out ordering that repro at a Ford dealer, it had a Pinto chassis and was supposedly only available with the 2.3 four. I bought a new Pinto wagon instead. The obligatory Wikipedia page on Shays only mentions the powertrain available for the Model 'A' replica. https://en.wikipedia.org/...

Shay was building reproductions of the Model 'A' and the '55 'Bird at the same time in the late '70s. Even as a teenager I paid attention to when they were available at our local Ford dealers around Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont, Nebraska. One dealer has a Model 'A' replica roadster with a Pinto engine...

OK, let's clear up what you have: it's NOT - I repeat NOT - a MEL-series 430 cu.in. engine. It's a low-compression FE-series 352 cu.in.-4-barrel engine. 1960 T-birds designated for export often had the low-compression "G"-series 352 engine installed, meaning that it had different cylinder ...

This has all the earmarks for a good tech article/photo layout in the 'Scoop' - common, usually undetected problem that could have a simple (or complex) solution. Having photos of 'properly' aligned bumpers to compare against 'sloping' ones and what the brackets/frame connections look like, both in ...

Yes, that’s correct. Not a dealer code in your case I believe the HO designates a car that was ordered by a Ford employee, usually higher echelon, or stayed with Ford for other reasons. Dave or Alan can verify. That’s one of the more rare data plates you have. Concur. Home Office order. Just how 'l...

WOW! If that's the case, that is one of the first produced in a sequence of all Fords built that year. I thought mine was an early '57 with a sequence of 5343. That definitely tops it. I hate to tell you all this, but if I understand from what others have found out about how the numbers worked duri...

Photos of your intake manifold would be appreciated. Your best bet is to source an original cast iron intake. I'm not aware of any aftermarket 430 intakes that are readily available. Furthermore, please post pictures of the engine to verify if it is a MEL-series engine or a FE-series 352.

I had something similar on my '63 hardtop when I first got it in 1981. When it came time to restore the steering system in the early 1990s I could not find a replacement like it and went with the '64 arm/bushing setup, which had just come out from The Bird Nest around the same time.

I'm not quite understanding what you're missing here - is it the metal wire loop that screws to the console lip (part '12' in the illustrations below), or the latch part of the lock assembly (part '20' in the illustration below) that is pinned in place and has a fine metal spring, which is unlatched...

61 only. 62-63 had idle control moved to inside under dash. Suggest you get reproduction of 62 Tbird Electrical Assembly Manual to see how system went together. Fast Idle Device 62 Electric Assembly Manual shown on page 64 or Sheet 11 of 11 Drawing Page E2-4720-11. Shown on carb, when it moved unde...

61 only. 62-63 had idle control moved to inside under dash. Suggest you get reproduction of 62 Tbird Electrical Assembly Manual to see how system went together. Fast Idle Device 62 Electric Assembly Manual shown on page 64 or Sheet 11 of 11 Drawing Page E2-4720-11. Shown on carb, when it moved unde...

Starting in 1967, Ford printed, separate from the 5-volume shop manual sets (which began in 1969), a large-format (11"x17"), plastic comb-bound, two-color set of diagrams combining electrical and vacuum systems for all Ford-Mercury-Lincoln models (prior to then, starting in 1963, just the ...