So here's the story, back around 2004 or 2005 I was at the end of my lucrative manual labor career and was getting ready to make a change. I had purchased this 71 ford Thunderbird Hardtop a few years previous and, after a few years of being unable to work on it, it had degraded till the point it wasn't fit to be used in my new career. so it was parked. Now, after a few years, I am able to pull it back outta the tree line and attempt to resurrect it. This blog will follow along with the progress from rust bucket hoopty to a (once again) nice ride.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Thunder-chicken stock

If I remember correctly this thing has issues with the brake lights.. It HAS taillights, they just don't get brighter when you step on the brakes. It also really needs some exhaust work done. At the tail end of the time it was being driven regularly the tailpipe on the drivers side, from in front of the muffler back, fell off on the interstate. So the TBird is a little on the loud side. Also the turn signal switch in the steering column is really bad. It has been replaced one or twice but each time it was replaced it was done with a graft in type... one size fits all... screw head for an electrical contact piece of crap available from the parts house.. They never did work right.. This time around I have a NOS (new old stock) turn signal switch coming from a fella on ebay.. everything from the actual turn signal cam to the electrical connector is coming my way and should be available to be swapped out by the middle of the coming week.

While I have it inside I am taking the opportunity to clean out the inside of the car. Years of not having any functional weather stripping around the widows and rotted out rear vent tubes has filled the inside with dust and dirt and vermin as well. Not to mention potential rust.. so the time is now to dig it out.

To get it road worthy
1. Exhaust
2. Brake Lights
3. Turn Signals

That's about it, but in the mean time I am also going to clean it out, replace the carpet set, the headliner perhaps, and any interior pieces I can get a hold of from ebay.

No comments: