Vehicle History

I purchased the vehicle in New Philadelphia, Ohio. At that time the engine would crank but not start. Considering the vehicle spent its 42 years in Ohio, the body looked clean except for the rear quarters which had been rebuilt once before. After some work with the carburetor and fuel pump, the car was started but still had engine problems.

Since the original bodywork was more Bondo than steel, the rust popped the Bondo and the car started to look pretty sad. Restoration started in the fall of 2005. Before the body reconstruction, both front and rear suspension systems were completely rebuilt. Engine and transmission were removed. Interior, including all side glass, was gutted leaving only the dash. All exterior chrome and trim were removed. At this point, you could steer and stop the car if you had someone to push it.

After all trim and glass were removed, the bad body sections were replaced with new panels. The entire body, upper, inner, and under was media blasted to remove all paint, dirt, rust, and scale. The body was lifted from the frame and new body mounts were installed. The next step was to fix all the small imperfections and prime. The initial color coat is applied to the hood, trunk, and door jambs then the entire body is painted. Once the body was painted and ready, the real fun began.

While the hood was off, the front fender trim, a reservoir tank for the power brake vacuum, and the engine and transmission were installed. Then the rest of the body trim, bumpers, windshield, interior, glass, wiring, etc.

Some of the Options; that were included in the rebuild. This is the nice part, you can add any option you want at this point. The vehicle came from the factory with power steering and brakes. Air Conditioning was added, (actually a dealer option in 1964). Manual windows were changed to power windows (available in 1964) and power door/trunk locks (not available in 1964, but a nice hidden modern option). A custom build 4 gauge Autogauge panel was added to keep track of the engine and alternator. Seatbelts, optional in the front, were added in the rear for safety. All glass is being changed to the tinted option of the period.

The original factory 250HP – 352CID engine was replaced before purchase with a 1964 300HP – 390CID Thunderbird V8. Since the engine had 66,000 miles on it at the time, it was a little sick. As the engine was torn down it was discovered that we got lucky on this one. Ford had 2 basic FE block casting in the early 60s, some were the standard and some had the area for the cross-bolt main cast in even though they weren’t used. This was the heavy-duty block with the heavy ribs.

The crank, a 427 cast crank, was in great shape and a 10-10 undercut made it new again. The Speed Pro forged pistons were attached with Eagle “H” beam rods and the entire assembly was balanced. The valves operate by a Competition Cams hydraulic cam and custom pushrods. Oil is supplied by a Melling pump. From the outside, the engine looks almost stock, the dealer-installed Tri-Power and Ford PI exhaust manifolds add that impressive appearance. The Edelbrock heads, 8-quart Milodon oil pan, and Mallory ignition, although not stock, almost fit in. The late-model chrome Powered by Ford rocker covers helps it shine.

When the A/C was added, we also added a power steering cooler. A new alternator replaced the generator and the old tired C4 gave way to the rebuilt Ford Toploader close-ratio 4-speed with Hurst shifter. To transmit the power, Quality Clutches in Dearborn Heights, provided a custom build high plate force, low pedal force clutch assembly.