Vintage Thunderbird Club International

Ok, found a guy on Craigslist about two hours away with an engine and trans that "came out of a 64" and have been sitting in a garage for some years. I asked him to get the numbers off it before I drive out. He wasn't too enthused, but did scrub the thing down and get these: PPK765XC (look...

Whatever you use, check the load rating. Seems like a lot of the newer stuff is made for much lighter cars. I had a jack stand I used and trusted for years collapse when I put it under the 'bird. No damage, and I wasn't under the car at the time--luckily!

~Steve

Great--thanks for the info. Of course, if anyone should have one of these for sale--especially in California--I would be greatly interested.

In the meantime, I'll be cruising the want ads.

~Steve

Planning to do the work myself and don't have a transmission shop I've used in the area. I see the manual has a picture of the tag, but refers to the Master Parts Catalog for interpretation. Not having that, I turned to the interwebs . . . According to this site ( http://www.tpocr.com/fordtc.html ) ...

I thought it might be the reservoir. On mine, though, the reservoir is part of the pump assy, nothing is mounted to the inner well like that. I'm guessing you have an A/C car.

~Steve

I've had my HT for about a year now and it runs and stops well enough for around town (though still a work in progress). I'd like to get it to the next level, where I'll be comfortable driving it longer distances. The transmission in the car is a COM, but not correct for the car. (It's got a low-pro...

Angrybird--Not on topic, but what is that bolted to the inner fender well? I have a series of small plates welded in that area and always wondered what they are for.

~Steve

Yes, that's it. I'm certain it can be tested, but not sure what the procedure might be. It's pretty simple to test the switch itself, though, and by process of elimination figure out if the relay is bad. Redbird said he rebuilt his. Mine was complete trash inside; I got a replacement from Bird Nest ...

Are you having trouble with the brake lights on your '64? If so, you will also want to check the relay. It's under the windshield washer bag on the driver's side inner fender. I'm told these were installed by the dealer after a recall, so you may not have one. If you do, seems like they are a more l...

Try giving them a call--I've bought parts from their catalog that had no price listed.

~Steve

It could also be the detente. Someone had ground mine almost down to nothing in places to make the car stay in park.

Hadn't occurred to me to check the gas cap--but it would fit the bill, wouldn't it? Easy to check. The car came with an old locking cap that didn't seal. Not sure when I replaced it, but could be non-venting (or defective).

Sounds logical, Brian, and I think it would work. But the cost of a replacement line is minimal and a good investment in the long-term life of the car. (I've also got a SS replacement brake line ready to go in. They run side by side, so doing both at the same time makes sense, too.) Troubleshooting ...

Sounds right, working from the tank forward. (Here's hoping an examination won't be required!) I've done the tank pickup already and will swap out the fuel pump just on general principles. (Will be interesting to see what the filter looks like.) There's a great place nearby that can bend up and flar...

I pulled off the regulator today with mixed results. Right after starting, at a cold idle, I had just over 5psi at the gauge. (No telling what was causing the overflow condition before. According to my log, I took apart the carb at the time and made only a slight adjustment to the floats--everything...