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Thunderbird Club

One never knows, that might just be part of the plan that is constantly evolving in my head. :D


I've always thought it would look pretty awesome in a nice display case in the living room :thumbsup:

20210708_103153.jpg





But, my walls - especially in the living room - are somewhat....difficult....to mount things to :(
 
Obviously :)

I knew a guy, that came to the drag strip my dad worked at, one of the area Mopar guys (guys that every vehicle they owned was a Chrysler product), he had a beautiful '68.

It was an all-black (he called it "triple black" - black inside, outside, and black-tinted windows) GTS that was a factory 340 car. Looked (and was) stock-ish.
Slicks that fit in the wheel wells, aftermarket wheels, no visible exhaust, and a six-pack style hood were the only obvious visual cues on the outside, bucket seats and a B & M Pro Stick on the inside. Looked more or less like your average mild street hot-rod.


Under the hood though....a very much not-stock 440 six-pack from a '69 Roadrunner, built to go really fast on the drag strip, and be drivable-ish on the street. Only major body surgery was what had been removed in the engine bay to fit the full-length headers.

Even on those narrow slicks, it'd pull the front wheels about a foot off the ground at the drag strip.
Iirc, would run low 7s? on the 1/8 mile track.
Then he'd go home & put on street tires, bolt mufflers to the ends of the headers, and go driving around in it. :laugh:
It looked a lot like this one:

View attachment 4681583

:)
:jawdrop: :wideyed:
 
Obviously :)



I knew a guy, that came to the drag strip my dad worked at, one of the area Mopar guys (guys that every vehicle they owned was a Chrysler product), he had a beautiful '68.

It was an all-black (he called it "triple black" - black inside, outside, and black-tinted windows) GTS that was a factory 340 car. Looked (and was) stock-ish.
Slicks that fit in the wheel wells, aftermarket wheels, no visible exhaust, and a six-pack style hood were the only obvious visual cues on the outside, bucket seats and a B & M Pro Stick on the inside. Looked more or less like your average mild street hot-rod.


Under the hood though....a very much not-stock 440 six-pack from a '69 Roadrunner, built to go really fast on the drag strip, and be drivable-ish on the street. Only major body surgery was what had been removed in the engine bay to fit the full-length headers.

Even on those narrow slicks, it'd pull the front wheels about a foot off the ground at the drag strip.
Iirc, would run low 7s? on the 1/8 mile track.
Then he'd go home & put on street tires, bolt mufflers to the ends of the headers, and go driving around in it. :laugh:



It looked a lot like this one:

View attachment 4681583






:)
great story.
 
I've always thought it would look pretty awesome in a nice display case in the living room :thumbsup:

View attachment 4681671




But, my walls - especially in the living room - are somewhat....difficult....to mount things to :(
They would look great as a centerpiece for a dining room table as far as I'm concerned!
 
I've always thought it would look pretty awesome in a nice display case in the living room :thumbsup:
View attachment 4681671
But, my walls - especially in the living room - are somewhat....difficult....to mount things to :(
I haven’t gone the display case route yet although it would probably cut down on the dusting of instruments I have to do in the bass room. We live in an agricultural area, farm land all around us, so constant dust and dirt being churned up. Right now it’s floor stands for the frequently used basses, wall hangings for the less frequently used basses and cases in closets for the seldom used basses. I don’t think any of my Tbirds go more than a few days without being played. The Fenders and FSOs on the other hand can go months without being strapped on.
 
Thx, it’s for insurance purposes as much as anything else. And yes, there are three birds not shown in that pic - the FrankenGoth, the Spector Rex Pro5, and a new build with parts being sourced as we speak.


If all goes as planned I’ll be taking care of that shortcoming in the next few months with a unique new build.
Cool! I look forward to seeing what you cook up.
 
I love the car part of this thread, i'm about to pull the trigger on a NR bird, the sparkling burgundy one, and here is my 65 Midget. Did a 13 year, yes 13, lol, ground up restoration on it...i was bored, oh and its unibody too lolView attachment 4681834
That's beautiful! Hope it runs better then the Triumph Spitfire I had ;)
 
I love the car part of this thread, i'm about to pull the trigger on a NR bird, the sparkling burgundy one, and here is my 65 Midget. Did a 13 year, yes 13, lol, ground up restoration on it...i was bored, oh and its unibody too lolView attachment 4681834
thing is, anyone who loves Thunderbirds, clearly is a connoisseur of the finer things…..it follows our taste in motor vehicles is not gonna be mundane….congratulations on a beautiful restoration and vehicle…..
 
Cool! I look forward to seeing what you cook up.
Basically, what the new build comes down to is a “Thunderbird” replacement for the Fender bass I play the most. If all goes as planned it will be a Fender bass by every definition with the exception of the Tbird body shape. Fender brand neck, Fender branded Tuners, Fender branded pups and locations, Fender pots and knobs, Fender brand bridge, even a fender spec finish.

Undecided is Reverse or Non Reverse body, pickguard design, and the stock Fender finish that will look best with a maple/maple neck.
finishes being considered right now…
If the wood grain is interesting maybe one of these
FB8065FE-50DD-41AD-8D6D-40E473EA2632.jpeg E4F2D752-70A5-4958-A0F1-62E2F659E791.jpeg

If a solid color, maybe one of these
11AC89DE-8FC7-42EA-86C1-6EE03F79F55D.jpeg 1A566B7F-2833-4238-9337-9DDEF3CFA4A6.jpeg

Anybody out there have a Fender color they think would look good with a maple/maple neck?
 
I can't imagine a 413 on that frame. I had a 400 in my '76 Cordoba and was plenty speedy. My '72 Plymouth had a 318 (which was odd) and it was crazy quick if you could keep the the back ties from spinning. Bigger ties helped. I may have carried my first Thunderbird in this car.
I had a ‘73 With the 318 that could hold its own against anything. But I bought it when I moved to Sacto in ‘83 because it had the coldest AC on the planet. It was a great car for the money. One of the few I actually miss.
 
Congrats! The bridge will work just fine for most. I've got two with the 3 point and they are fine, an '06 with a hipshot. I do like it better, but the others work and I have no intention of changing them. As for sustain...a Thunderbird has plenty, most of the time not needed. I honestly can't recall when a note faded and I was out of luck. I just have never run into sustain being an issue on any bass, certainly never on a neck through. To me it's just a preference thing if you wanted to change the bridge, and certainly not needed.

This is a real Thunderbird bridge. ;)
QSZwaWQ9QXBp
On my CP, the Hipshot got the silks off the bridge, which let notes bloom a bit better and sustain a bit more.
 
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I love the car part of this thread, i'm about to pull the trigger on a NR bird, the sparkling burgundy one, and here is my 65 Midget. Did a 13 year, yes 13, lol, ground up restoration on it...i was bored, oh and its unibody too lolView attachment 4681834

Aha! A Spidget!

Do you have the 1275cc Cooper S
(A series) engine in yours?