65 Bird - Where to begin?

[carrbuff]

I am the second owner of a 65 Bird my Grandpa bought new. The car has been mine for the past 30 years, but has not been started in 10+ years or driven on the highway for at least 20 years. I Know this is shameful, to neglect a tbird this way, but I plead guilty as charged. I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination but consider myself capable of doing much of the work myself with a little guidance. My problem is, where to begin this project? The car has been garage kept its entire life. What a great car to work with! Advice, anyone?

[Yoda]

If the car was in pretty good shape when it was stored then you can probably start by flushing/replacing all of the fluids, checking for broken wires & rotten hoses, & placing a new battery in it to see if you can get it started.

Thoroughly checking the brakes and replacing the tires would probably be next. Brake work is not that hard, but it's also not that expensive to have someone else do if you don't have any mechanical experience.

The best place to start though is probably buying a shop manual for the car. I bought mine from http://www.tbirdhq.com


Best of luck!

[RogG]

Carbuuf, I went through the same thing myself two years ago.I started by buying a book....can't remeber the name right now....on T-bird restoration. Then I bought a T-bird shop manual and dug in.
I woked from big to small...started by replacing belts, hoses, oild, plugs, points, etc. and got the engine running. Then I could check the trans, brakes, lights and so on. I wasn't much of a mechanic when I started but I've learned that by reading the manuals and asking questions here on this board you can do just about any of the "routine" stuff and even some of the more advanced stuff. One good thing about the pre-emission T-birds is that they are pretty basic mechanically and aren't too hard to fix for most things. Not cheap necessarily, but not hard either.

[woodward bird]

Carrbuff i know that changing the fluids has already been stated but i just wanted to add,dont forget the trans & rear end fluids and also the brake fluid as the brake fluid has a way of absorbing moisture over time(10 yrs). Alot of people just think of oil/coolant when fluids are mentioned so i just wanted to add that,hope the project go's well for you!

WOODY ;)

[shemp]

After my '66 sat for 10 years, (I just bought it this year), the gas in the carb was total varnish. Took me about 8 hrs to clean and rebuild. Gas in the tank was rancid also. 10 years is alot to ask of the garbage gas that is pushed on us. My fuel sending unit in the tank was clogged too. After changing all the fluids mentioned already, check to see if you can open both the primary and secondary on the carb. Mine were stuck shut from the varnish. If you can, you're luckier than me! IF not, you're in for a good cleaning/rebuild, or new carb. Drain all the gas out of the tank and put new in. I'd guess even if your carb is not stuck, it may need a rebuild anyway after sitting for that long. If you don't get fuel delivery when you finally get to crank it, check the fuel lines for clogs. Also, change the fuel filter as that's probably shot too. Now the good news :) After I rebuilt the carb , changed fluids, unclogged the fuel lines, changed fuel filter, scraped the corrosion off the points (I had no spark), cleaned the plugs, and squirted some oil in each cylinder, It started RIGHT UP! Good luck!

[Captain Mike]

Congratulations! There's two things you must obtain before rebuilding / restoring your Tbird. The first is the Ford Shop Manual for the 1965 Thunderbird. Reprints are readily available from the various Tbird supply shops and originals are for sale on eBay all the time. The 65 shop manual is now also available on CD-ROM. The second thing to get is William Wonder's book: "Thunderbird Restoration Guide 1958 - 1966". Between this book and the shop manual you'll find everything you need. The shop manual and restoration guide can be purchased at www.thunderbirdconn.com and the shop manual on CD-ROM can be purchased at www.tbirdranch.com. Good luck and have fun!

[bkn_1971]

Well I also have a 66 that has sat since the late 70's the first plans are to see how bad the fuel varnished.( I have seen the fuel lines full of varnish on a 64 donor car)So my plan is to pull the full tank clean and check the fuel and lines or replace and I plan on a rebuild / replace the fuel pump and hoses, then on to the carb r&r .change all the fluids of course.then pull the valve covers and tap all the rockers to see that all the valves are free.pull the spark plugs add a shot of pb blaster (better than wd-40) in all the cylinders.add new plugs, wires,a cap and rotor.a fresh battery and then prime the oil pump for a few miniutes put the dizzy back and try to start her. once it starts and sounds like it is ready to run. Go to the brake lines and hoses after 10 years just change the hoses and look for rusty lines.and check and /or replace the wheel cylinders and shoes out back and take a good look at the front brakes.O.K. if the brakes are up to the task take her out for a little drive not far just around the block or so .Now that she shows some sign of life I hope you see these cars are some really kool cars .I guess next would be hoses and belts.Other things may come up but do not worry even some new and used cars have problems . Not to scare you but these are heavy cars and they will use a bit more of gas then an escort but the payoff is well worth it in kool. (if you ask me) If you need help I am new here and I plan to be here now that I have found this site . I hope this helps some .If you want to ask me about anything go for it if do not know I will find the info you need or at lease try my damist to get the info for you .

[MYTBIRD]

I am the beginning of this process. My 65 T Conv has been sitting for 25 years.