1966 Ford Thunderbird

Town Hardtop

6.4L 6391CC 390Cu. In. V8 GAS OHV Naturally Aspira

Automatic

6Y81Z159315

Clear

GAS

I am putting up for sale my 1966 Ford Thunderbird Town Hardtop due to unexpected health issues. As a retiree, owning a 1966 Tbird had been one of my dreams for decades. This Thunderbird is an original survivor, which has spent the past 32 years in the hands of collectors, and with just a few mechanical and cosmetic fixes I have made over the past year – all of which have improved it. This is not a car I bought to flip, slapped on a cheap paint job, a chrome air-cleaner, some Ford engine decals and then call it restored. She is a grand lady of the past and has been treated, and driven that way for over 30 years. All cars can only be original just once, when they came from the factory. This Thunderbird is a survivor of May 2nd, 1966, the day she was built at the Wixom Michigan Ford Plant. It is like a time machine. Suddenly, when driving her it is 1966 all over again. This car is unusual in its history, its unique two tone paint, its low miles and its originality. Since 1982 it has been owned by Thunderbird collectors. Unfortunately, I have owned it for just 15 months – which was far too short a time. In January of this year, had a great conversation with the widow of the first collector, and through her I was able to trace its ownership back to 1982, when it was bought by her husband who was a Thunderbird collector in Oklahoma City. I have that conversation dated and documented. I was able to locate her because I have some of repair invoices which I found in the car. She told me that her husband was a meticulous record keep on all of his cars, but she neglected to save most of the records when she sold his collection. The invoices I have date back to the 1990s and document the past owner. He passed away in 2011, and after that it was picked up by another collector in Oklahoma City, who had the car for 2 years +. When I purchased her, I drove her from Oklahoma City to Omaha without a problem. The car runs great, is a great highway car and does not burn oil. Most everything works except the clock. All gauges function properly as well as the windshield wipers, the washer bag is in place, but missing a small hose. The factory power door locks work but are a little slow. The 3 speed transmission (the newer model) shifts smoothly, the engine is strong and sounds great. The air conditioning blows cold. The compressor is not original, and has a 2002 date stamp on it, however it was converted to R132 freon by the 2nd collector. Both the Interior and exterior chrome is in excellent condition. The drive train has been untouched and is in original condition. The original two tone paint has been buffed to a shine, but it is almost 50 years old and thus not perfect. The factory colors are: Mariner Turquoise/ Wimbledon White Tutone. All body panels are straight, aligned at the factory and not touched since. In other words perfect. There are no rusted body panels, or paint bubbles on the body. There are no cracks on the dash board or seats. There is one very minor crack in the vinyl on the driver's door handle, which is hardly noticeable. There are two, very minor and hardly noticeable dents - one on the passenger quarter panel and one on the passenger fender. They cannot be seen in the pictures. The trunk has the ORIGINAL upholstery and is in good condition. All windows and air vents work as expected, but are manual. The car is equipped with a FACTORY installed AM/FM radio which works, power steering, power front disc brakes, FACTORY AIR CONDITIONING which works properly. Heater and fan work well and as expected. Both the horn and fender mounted directional signals work as expected as do the sequential tail lights and back-up light. The low fuel light on the ceiling panel does glow all the time, even with a full tank of gas. I also am including in the sale the ORIGINAL factory invoice to the dealer, and a reprint of the window sticker, plus some authentic 1966 Thunderbird sales literature. Here is a listing of the repairs/improvements I have done to my 1966 Thunderbird: Note – all work was done by professional mechanics. Installed a brand new Edlebrock Model 1403 carburetor. This is the model carburetor recommended by the technical editors at the Vintage Thunderbird Club International. The professional mechanics say a rebuild is never as good as a new carburetor. New carpeting, in the correct color and loop pile pattern, manufactured by California Custom Carpets. This is the top of the line reproduction automotive carpet company in the USA. It was professionally installed. The original carpet was in excellent shape except on the drivers side, where there was some wear because there was no floor mat used for some reason. Also, the wear caused a small patch of surface rust on the driver's floor pan under the carpet. I had that repaired by a professional body shop with new sheet metal which has been professionally rust proofed on the underside of the car and is invisible. Inside, and under the carpet I had installed the appropriate sound deadening material. The passenger and rear floors are perfect and rust free. Installed new coil and new transistorized ignition. Installed 2 new mufflers and resonators. The rest of the exhaust system is in good condition and is original to the car. 4 new Hankook white sidewall tires were installed about 18 months ago. The odometer reads 56,763 and the condition and history of the car indicate that to be accurate. I believe that I have listed this car honestly and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have and will be available to help the buyer ship her to her new home, or I would pick you up if you want to fly into Omaha, Nebraska. Feel free to call 402-321-3870, no later than 10 PM, in the Central Time Zone. I reserve the right to close this sale early since I am also listing it locally.