Just bought 1966 tbird for restore

[JimB66thunderbird]

Alan Tast, I did a search for thermostat and ended up here so I posted here. thank you for your response, does that mean I need to remove the surge tank to get to the thermostat?

[Alan H. Tast]

Yes.

[sseebart]

sseebart, does that mean I need to take off the overflow tank to get to it?

Yep, but the tricky part is getting it back on without the new thermostat slipping down and preventing a good seal. Maybe someone has a trick for that? (I know I don't.)

[Alan H. Tast]

sseebart, does that mean I need to take off the overflow tank to get to it?

Yep, but the tricky part is getting it back on without the new thermostat slipping down and preventing a good seal. Maybe someone has a trick for that? (I know I don't.)

Try a thin layer of non-hardening gasket sealer (Permatex #1 or #2? - I don't remember which is which) around the edge of the stat flange where it mates up to the machined recess in the surge tank flange. Stick it on, let it tack up before bolting to the manifold.

[JimB66thunderbird]

What I did on the second attempt was to get thermostat gasket sealer and applied it to the engine water inlet, put the gasket on, let it set for about an hour, then applied more sealer to the gasket where the thermostat would sit, then applied more sealer on the water inlet of the overflow tank where the thermostat would sit and waited about 10 minutes and reconnected the overflow tank to the engine. Remember that the gasket touches the water inlet on the engine, and that the thermostat is put on so the spring side is toward the engine.

[mnpetri]

+1 on the gasket sealer for holding the thermostat in place.
Also (fwiw) Permatex makes a special sealer for water pump/thermostat area; # 22071
not sure if it would be helpful on these cars? ... but on my small block I was able to cut a couple of bolts off (to make short studs) and that made the alignment for installation easier. Used nuts for temporary installation. After the Permatex set, I removed the studs for the correct bolts.
Good luck.

[Rt.146]

So i opened my trunk to find a swimming pool inside, at least the new floor pans are water tight. Have previously repaired the trunk molding and rechecked, thats not the issue, to make a long story short, used mirror tool from inside the trunk to see that floor of rear vent chamber is rusted and allows water into trunk.


I honestly can't say how the water is getting behind the vent louvers, so can't think of any way to reliably seal this area.

~Steve

The rear window grille has five (5) fastening bolts that attach the unit to the body directly from the trunk, those fastening points match up with a 1/2" hole, that are plugged with a rubber grommet, in the middle of the grommet is a 1/8" hole the the grille bolts go through, after 50+ years those grommets are giving way, allowing water to come in through the 1/2" holes, replacing those grommets is not a quick job, so they may be overlooked.

[JimCunn]

"That's a lot of time and effort for a less-capable motor".

I must be mssing something. The Windsor is a much lighter motor than the 390 and can be taken up to 427 c.i.

[64ZCODE]

Hey JimCunn. I don't think you're missing anything. The 351W is a great motor even in stock configuration. I have a '69 Galaxie 500 convertible with the two barrel 351W and it accelerates better and has more power than my '64 Tbird 390. The Galaxie weighs in at 300 lbs less curb weight than the Tbird, and about 100 lbs of that is less motor weight.

That said, I won't be swapping out the 390 in the Tbird anytime soon