1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

I bought this car about 7 years ago with the intention of restoring it... and you know how the story goes... never did it.  It was parked in my friend's garage (his second home on 3.5 acres) about 60 miles from my home and it sat there for about three years.  My friend would visit his home as a weekend retreat with his wife and kids about twice a month in which the car would be started and they would drive it a little bit.  It was later moved and sat covered outside for about 4 months and moved again to sit in my garage for close to four years.  I had other classic cars parked elsewhere and drove them on a regular basis, which is why this one did not get much attention.  Well, the wife has had enough and wants the garage back!

When I bought the car, it was represented to have 43,000 original miles and have the 390 cubic inch V8.  Although I bought the car 7 years ago, I never properly tranferred title until recently.  I started the process and never followed through.  I have since followed up and got a Police Officer to come to my home and verify the VIN.  I now have a valid Florda Title that states "43928 Miles   10/11/2009   Actual". 

My first car in High School was a '66 Thunderbird and I have owned 3 others over the years... All with 390's.  From the very first time I have driven this car, it is different.  Although the air cleaner is marked "390", I could swear this engine is a 428 by the way it drives.  This car does not drive like any other 390 I have ever owned.

I had some work done several years ago (master cylinder, dist cap, spark plugs & wires, coil) and when I looked closer at the receipt several months later, I noticed the VIN that was on the receipt was a "Q" code, which further confirmed my feelings this engine was a 428.  I called the owner of the garage and asked him where he got the number and he said he didn't know - that the mechanic he had working on the car was no longer in his employ.  I have since taken the coil off looking for the tag that should be under the mounting screws to find the VIN corresponding with the engine.  There was no tag and I am told this is quite common, they fall of over the years while being changed out.  If it my understanding there is no VIN cast into the engine block on Ford engines like some of the GM cars (Corvettes).     

I just want everyone to be aware I believe the car may very well have a 428, not a 390.  Therefore, if this is the case, the engine obviously is not original to the car, nor for that matter, do I consider the car to be worth any more...  For the purposes of this auction, we are assuming the car has the 390 engine.  I do not want any misunderstandings.  Please feel free to ask questions.   

The car is in need of total restoration, however, ALL of the pieces of the car are there, in place, and in most cases look to have never been touched.  Everything is intact, with the exception of the convertible top fabric.  The convertible top was falling apart, so I took it off, but saved the plastic rear window w/ zipper and clips.  The bumpers are not bent and need re-chroming, the hood and door seams line up, many interior & exterior chrome pieces need cleaning up or re-chromed, carpets are dry rotted, etc.  Like I said, the car needs total restoration, but it is not a "rust bucket" by any means.  If you want a car for your summer lake cabin to run around town, this car is fine with some minor repairs - primarily new convertible top, carpets and hoses.

The car was originally "Honeydew Yellow"... about the shade of a stick of butter.  It was painted red by the former owner.  The interior seats are in excellent original condition except the drivers seat has a split.  The seats are vinyl - not leather - which hold up better over the years in my opinion.  The door panels are decent for their age.

There are some small rust bubbles on the lower doors and there will be rust work required throughout the entire car.  I know absolutely nothing about rust repair, so I had a mechanic take a look at it recently to help me properly describe the car.  He said the rust repair is very managable and the car is definately restorable assuming someone were to strip it and repair it correctly. 

I asked him about "parting the car out" and he said "Absolutely Not!, someone out there wants this car.  Everything is here with nothing missing - don't you dare start taking this car apart and sell the pieces."  This car has no air conditioning (never did), and is basically a "Plain Jane" as far as T-Birds go, which I suppose makes the restoration easier, but at the same time, you could add anything you want to it as far as options go..

The car starts and is drivable, but I would suggest whoever buys the car has it shipped... it has just been sitting a long time.  I drove it last weekend for about 20 miles and she drove quite well.  The convertible top mechanism does work but is a little finicky at times.  If it stops in mid-cycle, I just let it sit a little while (3 or 4 minutes) and hit the button again, and it resumes the down or up operation.  She is just old and has not been used on a regular basis.

I know someone could buy this car and make it the "Star" she deserves to be.  This is the Last Year of the Full sized Thunderbird Convertible and believed by many to be the best looking of all of the Thunderbird models made.

By the way, ALL of the pictures were taken within the past three weeks, regardless of the dates on the pictures shown.  I used my wife's camera and didn't check the date.   

Thanks for your interest and Good Luck!

Please bid if you are a serious buyer.  Payment within 7 days preferably by Cash or Cashiers Check.