Vintage Thunderbird Club International

I had originally insured thru State Farm, who I have been with for 40 years and they supposedly gave me a multi car discount. When I got the bill for the next year I decided it seemed high and checked out Hagerty. Their policy was exactly half of what State Farm had charged. State Farm told me I had...

The ballast resister has nothing to do with the original coil's needs. Its only purpose was to reduce voltage to
make the points last longer.

A huge effect will be gained by re-jetting the primaries to obtain a steady state 16.5 to 1 air fuel ratio. That is what most recommend for best fuel mileage. Make sure your power valve is sized at one half the idle vacuum also. Check timing. Check tire pressure. Electric fan operated by temp level ...

The easiest dial-in is the power valve - it has a large effect on acceleration from idle to main jet circuits and couldn't be easier to select - select one one half the size of the idle vacuum. The size indicates the vacuum level at which the power valve starts providing more fuel. Tuning a carb req...

I replaced mine with an electric unit, which also has intermittant action and operates the windshield washer as well. I won't tell you that the installation was easy. Very little space in there and the electric wiper is much larger than the unit it replaces. But the last thing I want in a car is vac...

The SEM instructions tel you to use scotch brite and their soap to remove any shine. I had t use sandpaper to get the shine off of mine. SEM Prep also was able to remove the previous color coat rather easily.

Whoever told you that a 16:1 ratio was very lean, assuming he was referring to the steady state cruise situation, doesn't know what he's talking about. Not only is a 16:1 ratio not considered lean (or very lean) but many consider it the perfect ratio for max MPG. You need to understand that a proper...

The main thought I have from observing all this is to hope omnce again that batteries come down in price and I can convet my Bird to electric. Gas powered systems are so wildly convoluted it's obvious that had there been cheap batteries back when Henry Ford was attempting to build an electric car, n...

I there was ever a car where a noisy loud muffler would be out of place, the classic T-Bird has to be it.

A good strategy for highway mileage is to take advantage of the fact that, in general, cooling while cruising is not a problem and the fan's parasitic drain on the engine is unecessary. One of the main reasons automakers went to electric fans was to increase MPG. A six bladed fan would impose as par...

The smaller wheel is 2 inches less in diameter and costs $360, which includes the horn ring.

If it's a vinyl top, there are plenty of places that sell vinyl spray dyes, some matching T Bird colors.

My 71 307 Camaro with a two barrel could regularly get 30 MPG on the highway. It weighed a bit more than the T Bird. It had the 350 tranny(3 gears). The T Bird two speed is similar to GM's Powerglide, also a two speed. Check your RPMs (if possible) at 60 MPH. I have to assume the engine is turning o...

According to expert Gil's Garage , all Thunderbirds leak. I wouldn't think that an extra half quart of oil would case a rear man leak. Try Bars Leak rear main seal oil additive - it has apparently gotten good reviews from thos who have used it - apparently usually takes a few days to completely stop...

So, shim only the front or rear to adjust caster and then shim BOTH front/rear to adjust camber. Then, toe in. Thanks, Anytime shims are added or removed, camber is affected, while caster is only affected if the shims added/removed from one end of the control bar do not equal those added/removed fr...