Vintage Thunderbird Club International

I was taught to use a vacuum gauge and tach. The logic being, dwell angle affects timing, whether you have electronic ignition or points. Dwell angle can vary from 28-32 degrees, depending on how the points or electronic components are installed. Dwell angle will affect timing, so optimum performanc...

'61- at least early '64 Tbirds had drum brakes, and used a single diaphragm booster. With disc brakes on the '65 and later years, dual diaphragm boosters were used. I'm not sure about later '64's. In the above pic, it's plain to see the difference between single and dual diaphragm boosters. The wide...

x3. Drop the front. Search the forums, I believe there's info about cutting a coil off without fully removing the spring. Sounds dangerous, but the springs don't have to be compressed nearly as much as they do for removal. IIRC, another member described how he compressed the springs until they were ...

Holley electric chokes can be installed on the 4100 - did it many times. Both Holley and Ford used basically the same choke housings. I would advise using a heat sensor with the electric choke. Simple installation, just install it under an intake manifold bolt, and hook the wire to the electric chok...

Looks like a Carter carb, not a Ford 4100. Blue paint indicates it may be a later engine. Check the date code on the engine block.

[quoteYou might give up on doing burnouts in these birds. They're built for comfort.][/quote]

Bingo. Even the Gas Monkey's couldn't get one of these stock Birds to burn rubber. Even bored .030 over, if the internals aren't performance parts, there isn't much of a power gain.

A. As mentioned, drums should be turned with every brake job. If not, they have a tendency to go out of round. If the drums are turned every other brake job, there's a chance they will go out of round before the next brake job, which may cause suspension problems. Notice, I said "there's a chan...

Thanks. The reason I asked, is because my car didn't have that crossmember, and I don't recall having seen it before.
Live and learn. From a fellow boob with a welder, who needs to be more observant.

Question. Why is a crossmember needed in that location for a C6, but not needed for a COM? Or is it just extra bracing for HP engines?

This thread came to mind while watching an episode of "Cannon".
A guy was about to be deliberately run down, when all of a sudden, a bulletbird enters the intersection and gets hit, saving the guy's life. Looked like a '61, could have been a '62.

Just a notation - Back in the day, every decent mechanic recommended changing the regulator when a generator or alternator quit. Many times, the customer had no choice, because the regulator was the culprit. It just seems funny that it took years before someone had the bright idea of adding regulato...

Found on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-Ford-Thund ... fe&vxp=mtr

I'd keep looking there and craigslist. I've seen them for $50-$100 in both sites, and they were in good shape.

Easy install, but do not use petroleum based grease or you will be changing poly bushings. It breaks down the poly. Use a thing called green grease. My 2 cents.

Good tip. Thanks.

Just a theory, but since these cars were sold as personal luxury cars, seems logical that they were engineered for a soft ride. Hence the less than HD front suspension. Also, U.S. carmakers took years to embrace McPherson struts and radial tires, due to costs. The execs finally got smarter in the ea...

Yes rusty. Thats what happens when you go away for a week. Looks like blast and paint is in order.

A great reminder for us all to get a coat or 2 of DTM primer on ASAP after welding.
Looks much better than the bags over leafs.