FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: jayb on October 19, 2011, 08:27:38 PM
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Check this out:
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/bird1.jpg)
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/bird2.jpg)
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/bird3.jpg)
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/bird5.jpg)
This is a 1960 Ford Thunderbird. My grandfather bought it brand new from Gough Motors in Youngstown Ohio on September 7, 1960! He passed away from multiple myeloma in 1961, before I ever really knew him and before he really had a chance to enjoy the car. My grandmother kept it for the next 20 years, for 10 years or so in Ohio, and then she took it with her to Phoenix when she moved there in the early 1970s. She didn't drive it much at all, and was in a nursing home for the last ten years of her life, so when my Dad got the car in the early 1980s it was still in very good shape. Over the last 30 years he has kept it up, but his interest in the car has waned a little lately, and he has been focusing more on his boat than his cars, so he decided to send it my way. The car hauler pulled up to my place this morning, and off rolled my new Thunderbird!
The car has a few interesting quirks. One is the chrome spear on the doors. This was present on 1959 Thunderbirds, but not on the 1960 versions. My Dad can't ever remember seeing the car without the chrome spears installed, so either my grandfather bought the spears from Ford and installed them himself, or maybe he had the dealer do it for him before he took delivery of the car. In any case, they are on there now, and since that's the way it was when my grandfather had it, that's the way its going to stay.
One downside of the car is that as parts and knowledgeable mechanics have become scarce, it has been more and more difficult for my dad to keep the car in good running condition. He's not a hands on car guy like I am, so he relies on the local mechanics, and after several trips over a few years to various shops trying to get the brakes working properly, one of the mechanics talked him into ditching the factory master cylinder and power booster, and replacing them with a Corvette setup! UUUUgghhh!!! >:( >:(
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/birdeng2.jpg)
Despite the ugly master cylinder and booster, and the associated hacking the mechanic had to do to get it installed, the brakes still don't work like they should. So, first thing on my list is to get that situation corrected, although I may retain a Ford style dual master cylinder for safety purposes, rather than returning to the single reservoir master cylinder. The 352 FE runs like a champ, although it seems like it may need some carburetor work to correct an off idle flat spot.
While I have a penchant for hot rodding all my vehicles, I think I'm going to keep this one as stock as possible, given it's family heirloom status. While driving it around today though, and dealing with the carb performance, I did give some consideration to popping my 3X2V setup on the engine. That would be cool, especially with a Thunderbird oval air cleaner.
Somebody stop me...
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When I first read this I thought you meant this was your next race car. I thought wow, he's going for heavy!
I then read the whole thing and got the picture. Very cool car, and yes resist the temptation to modify it.
It is cool just the way it is.
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Woo-hoo! Why can't I get cool cars from my relatives? My dad was an exec in the organization that imported Mercedes Benz cars to the U.S. in the fifties. He tells me he could have gotten a 300SL Gullwing cheap, but it "was too fancy and needed unleaded gas". Instead he bought a plain ole' 220 sedan and drove it into the ground.
Then my Aunt Monique had a Renault 5 Turbo II for a while. What did I get when it was time for a hand-me-down? A 1980 Chevette with an automatic. >:(
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Nice. Well a 3x2 is hardly modification, that was the way Ford sold them,,, that would be very cool! And the 352s usually runs so smooth, i think you will be happy if you keep it that way!
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Somebody stop me...
Nope..not from here.. I think that would be cool and still retain the stock factor.
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Jay, Nice ride. Had a light blue one about 1970. If you check out Nascar in 1960 they were using T-Birds.
I lived in LA in the mid 60s and was driving a 60 Starliner with an FE. Was at Herb's Automotive Machine shop in Bellflower or Lakewood and the guy working for Herb had a 60 Bird with a 430 and a 3 speed manual transmission.
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Wow, the pics show that is one clean car. All in the family too. Amazingly good shape....keeping cars up must be in your family's genes, I say!
Yeah, dump the Chevy booster but I'd definitely go to a later FoMoCo dual master. My neighbor with a '62 Chev and local car club credentials told a story a few years ago. On a club cruise while on the highway, one member's old Avanti lost it brakes but luckily didn't hit anything and steered it off into a shallow ditch. After the wrecker tow, a local shop showed him a rusted out rear brake line. With only a old Mason jar style single reservoir, lose a line and of course one loses all braking. My neighbor's been after me since then to install a later style dual master (and power brake booster upgrade) on his Impala because, as you said, few modern (read: young ;D) mechanics either know these cars or can be trusted.
Btw, I'd have zero regret in owning/driving any old car that still had only a single reservoir, save one factor: it would have to have 100% all new steel lines and new flex lines to each wheel cylinder.
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Find some Fenderskirts!!! That thing looks HIGH WATER without them. LOL Now, I'm envious, I have been looking for something old for a while, and I would love to have something like that. Very neat! Have fun, and keep it as stock as possible. Joe-JDC.
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Those Squarebirds are cool. One of the the most unusual but surprisingly very cool cars is a local guys Squarebird convertible, black with a 60's customized theme, however since your car is a survivor with family history I could see where a bunch more chrome and pointy taillights might not be in the program, lol.
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Find some Fenderskirts!!! That thing looks HIGH WATER without them. LOL Now, I'm envious, I have been looking for something old for a while, and I would love to have something like that. Very neat! Have fun, and keep it as stock as possible. Joe-JDC.
The skirts are in the trunk. The back end needs to come down too; when my Dad had the springs re-arched the shop in Phoenix overdid it. I guess I should just start a list of things to do LOL!
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Had to come back and look again. Just noticed 2 things: the car has a pass. side rear view mirror! Wonder if this was an option or dealer installed?
The engine fan and it looks like the fan spacer are painted white! Wonder if a mechanic did so at a water pump change or is this factory? Can't imagine it's factory though as I never saw anything but a black painted fan.
Jay, gotta get us some trunk, interior & bottom side shots....it's likely just as clean.
Love the 100% OEM look but it would be cool to have a full set of mags & late model tires on it and stuff the current ones in the chicken coop.....given no overflow SOHC parts have to sit in the snow!
You seem to be right on no chrome spears on 60's....take a look:
http://www.google.com/search?q=1960+thunderbird&hl=en&nord=1&biw=1024&bih=649&site=webhp&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=51ygTsO_EuPfsQLmlICRBQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CB0Q_AUoAQ
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Beautiful!. I have always wanted a '58 Fairlane 2dr Custom, no frills, just a 352 Auto. In high school I put a 3X2 setup on one for a guy and changed to a 390 PI solid cam and headers. He wanted a top loader of course, so there was a little surgery involved. This was in the mid-70's, and he gave a lot of newer cars grief. It sounded so good. 6V open and those dual Thrush cans, it was downright beastly. He kept the dog dishes and colored wheels too.
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Had to come back and look again. Just noticed 2 things: the car has a pass. side rear view mirror! Wonder if this was an option or dealer installed?
The engine fan and it looks like the fan spacer are painted white! Wonder if a mechanic did so at a water pump change or is this factory? Can't imagine it's factory though as I never saw anything but a black painted fan.
Jay, gotta get us some trunk, interior & bottom side shots....it's likely just as clean.
I didn't realize that the passenger side rear view mirror was unusual. I suspect its an add-on, but who knows? I'm sure my Dad didn't add it on.
I also can't imagine that he would have done something like paint the engine fan and spacer white, and its not likely my grandparents did that either. I will have to ask my Dad.
Here's an interior shot. Being an Arizona car the interior baked out of it long ago. When it was redone, my Dad had the seat inserts done in a tan colored fabric rather than the original white fabric. This was about 10 years ago, but I have clear memories of the white fabric inserts from when I worked on the car in the 1980s. At some point I'd like to put that back; I think having the seat inserts match the body color of the car would improve the interior's appearance:
(http://fepower.net/Photos/Posts/birdint.jpg)
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cool, so when is the 482ci with 3x2 tunnel wedge going in? :)
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Interior looks great. The white inserts are a matter of choice but it doesn't look bad now, for sure.
I'm still interested in the fan/spacer thingee. Maybe someone else has an answer (?) but I've never seen any US made auto with anything but that generic flat black paint (on metal fans, before today's electrically driven plastic fans). Stumped, for sure :)
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Your going to need a bigger garage soon. ;D Great history on it too. Very nice enjoy!