Vintage Thunderbird Club International

I replaced the steering box in my '61 years ago. After disconnecting it from the column,and removing the linkage from the pitman arm, disconnecting the hoses and removing the bolts, I looped an old serpentine drive belt around the box. My brother crawled under the car to grab the steering box from b...

Mike, I suspect it has nothing to do with the year the engine was produced. The PO of my '61 transplanted a '64 390 into it, and a friend with a '68 Mercury has the same problem with his 390. My Dad had a 390 in a '67 Ford (his daily driver) when I was a kid. When I turned 16 (1972) I drove it once ...

I'll just jump in a minute. I've been following this thread, trying to resolve my own over-heating problem. I, too, have a '61 with a rebuilt 390 that overheats at idle, or in heavy traffic. As long as its moving the old bird doesn't have a problem- which makes me think it's an airflow problem. I ha...

I attempted to repair the steering gear on my '61. It was leaking and very "loose" (I could turn the steering wheel a good 6" in either direction before it caught). I thought I could replace the seals and adjust it to work, but when I did the seals still leaked and no amount of adjust...

Empty fuel filter means no gas to the carb. My 61 did that same thing a few years ago. It would stall, but if I waited 5 minutes I could restart it and run another few miles. Turned out to be flakes of rust from the inside of a replacement fuel tank that plugged everything up. I ended up replacing t...

First, from looking at the photo of your front brakes, your lower springs are connected in the wrong holes. They should not touch the adjuster screw. Install the springs in the larger holes just above where they are now. Second, your upper retractor springs look like they've been pried off with a pa...

I believe that the shorter coil springs are for vehicles without AC, and the longer for those with AC.

I had the same problem on my '61. It turned out to be weak brake shoe retractor springs (on one side). It's easy enough to find out if that's your problem. Simply swap the springs from one side to the other and see if the car pulls to the other side. If not, you can rule that out.

Larry's Thunderbird and mustang parts offers one on page 37 of their latest catalog. Part # B 7213B. It goes for $49.95.

http://www.larrystbird.com/product/shif ... le-column/

I agree that much of it is due to ignorance or unavailability of parts. Another possibility is that someone may just like the looks of the part from a different year- like the tail lamps for instance. It's sort of a mild customizing, or personalizing of their vehicle. I own a '61, with the ribbed ho...

Bill, I can see by the pics you posted that we have two very different set-ups. First, I installed an Edelbrock aluminum intake that has no fittings or openings for the PCV system. As I mentioned earlier, I drilled a hole in the RH valve cover and installed a threaded baffle. I inserted a piece of h...

I installed a PCV system in my '61 by mounting the valve in a grommet in the passenger side valve cover. I ran a rubber fuel line to the PCV port in my carb- an Edelbrock 4bbl. Like you, I had trouble with oil getting past the valve and being burned in the intake. So I went to the local Harbor Freig...

I use Brad Penn 10W30 semi-synthetic racing oil- the "green" oil. It came highly recommended by the shop that rebuilt my 390. You'll probably find it is cheaper than the Valvoline Racing Oil. Personally, I don't like Valvoline. I used it in an old Plymouth and my oil mileage dropped to abo...

Bob, Hagerty added $186 to my premium for the MCCA alone. Now our Governor is pushing for a sales tax hike to 7% to pay for fixing the potholes! Enough is enough. It's getting too expensive to live in Michigan.

I'll be getting my '61 out of storage soon, and I need insurance. For years I insured the bird with Hagerty, but last year they really raised my rates. No accidents, no tickets, just Michigan politics. The state raised the "uninsured drivers" fee substantially, so I get to pay for their in...