just bought 1966 tbird for restore any suggestions ??? newbie | Page 3 | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models
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just bought 1966 tbird for restore any suggestions ??? newbie

Take lots of photo and notes before you disassemble anything. Note the colors of fasteners, are there washers? What kind? Sealer? Undercoating? This will be your best aid in getting everything back together correctly. Your memory will fail you. Which way are the cotter pins facing? What are the markings on the bolt heads? Minor details like this might not be important to you but may be useful to the next owner.


i hear yah ...but im in the " camp " of screw it ... not gonna bother with rusty bolts etc.... buy new ones less hassle and nicer end products ... screws / bolts not that expensive 😉

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I just bought a car i always wanted and finally got a 1966 tbird with 390 ... wheeeew now the fun begins restoring ..... what a mess ....
now what any suggestions .... i was thinking pu;; power train out and already talked to guy about sandblasting frame and body as a starter

anhything in " NEED or should know before starting .... kinda like u really need to know this lol
my wife thinks im crazy why didnt i just buy one already done with no rust ...why would i put myself thru this grief lol
any suggestions

Scott
Your wife may be right . First off it is a unibody car. Body panels are not readily available new. Depending what you paid you should at least look for one that has been restored or an original survivor and use yours for spare parts.
 
If you are removing engine, then replace the bushing that keeps the steering column and selector together. It would be a whole lot easier with the engine out. Good luck!! Dan (forest hill, md)


hi there .... i know its been a while but am finally @ that point to be able to get at those parts your talking about ..... im a little confused as to what your referring to ...could you fill me in ..... thanks

Scott
 
hi there .... i know its been a while but am finally @ that point to be able to get at those parts your talking about ..... im a little confused as to what your referring to ...could you fill me in ..... thanks

Scott
Yep buy shop and electrical manuals, and use this form and you'll be just fine, and good luck
 
I just bought a car i always wanted and finally got a 1966 tbird with 390 ... wheeeew now the fun begins restoring ..... what a mess ....
now what any suggestions .... i was thinking pu;; power train out and already talked to guy about sandblasting frame and body as a starter

anhything in " NEED or should know before starting .... kinda like u really need to know this lol
my wife thinks im crazy why didnt i just buy one already done with no rust ...why would i put myself thru this grief lol
any suggestions

Scott
I am probably the most least experienced person on this forum. I did the same thing after I retired I decided I wanted to restore a car. I bought a rest bucket that needed a lot of work and it took a lot of money. The 1st mistake I made is when I took it for sandblasting I didn't oversee enough and I ended up with Sam glass media inside everything. To include radio gages pretty much everywhere that media could go. When I 1st got it it started 🙂 to my surprise I put it in gear let the clutch out and my friend almost sacrificed his body to keep from me from running into another car As it had absolutely no breaks. My suggestion would be to a detailed inspection and write down a solid plan. If you ever want to know what not to do on a car I'm probably your huckleberry

The firing order for the 351 W is:

1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8- the distributor turns counter clockwise.

Hope this helps.

Gord
I did not look at the date of the original post. My reply is OBE by now. Looks like the bird is already on the road to recovery

Cheers
 
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