Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

Don’t forget the dreaded “check engine” light. If it’s on you automatically fail regardless of what it is.
Several years ago when I was buying my 1997 911 from a friend we had agreed on the price and the day before I went to pick it up the check engine light came on.

Apparently, in CA if the check engine light is “on” the smog test is failed and the car can only be sold as a salvage vehicle. Neither of us wanted that. So off to the mechanics it went. Turns out the Secondary Air Intakes were fouled up (tiny little passages that allow a percentage of the exhaust to renter the combustion chamber for a second burn. It’s a stupid design and a known problem area. It does not impact the performance or function of the car in any way but it’s a smog system so it has to work to pass the test required at the time of sale. Could have probably rodded it out with a bit of finesse and a few hundred bucks in labor, but then it’s only a matter of time before it returns. The seller and I agreed to split the cost of doing it the right way - pulling the engine, sending the heads to a machine shop to have the secondary intakes reamed out and enlarged, replaced all the valves and completely went through the entire top end replacing everything that wasn’t at spec or was worn. $9000 later it didn’t run a bit better (already ran great), but no check engine light and has passed every smog test period since then. Goofy CA rules.

But I'm sure you felt and slept better knowing the impact you had on the world, universe and beyond. Thanks for doing your part!

Only have people who have owned at least one Chilton's as friends.

 

[5StringBlues]

Anyone ever use this?

The original versions had great instructions like , "while the engine cools you and your chick could ball in the back of the van" and "roll a number while you wait for.......".

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

What bass is that?

like V said, S.D. Curlee…..USA built..

 

[KaraQ]

Note - looks like Epiphone model with the shoulder anchors.

Hard to be sure without seeing the bottom (should have machined recesses for the shoulders on the Epi inserts, but smooth for Gibsons).....but the inserts look similar-ish to the Gibson ones i have......


(Babicz inserts/screws on the top, the ones on the bottom came with the chrome 3-point that's on my CP)

Epiphone (black - originals from the CP)

Gibson (chrome - bought from a guy that pulled them from his to put an aftermarket bridge on)

 

[GBassNorth]

But I'm sure you felt and slept better knowing the impact you had on the world, universe and beyond. Thanks for doing your part!

Only have people who have owned at least on Chilton's as friends.

I had a Chiltons for my ‘65 Mustang, my 1974 Fiat 1800 Spider, each of my VW Bugs, my ‘73 Javelin, both Corvettes, my ‘86 Alfa Romeo spider, my Jeep Cherokee and I think I even had one for my Mercedes 560 SECs. My first non Chiltons car was probably my 1997 Audi A4s, and that was most likely because at that time I was on the internet as a member in a forum called Jett’s A4, so I got repair info there.

The other publication that was a must was the JC Whitney catalog.

 

[GBassNorth]

Hard to be sure without seeing the bottom (should have machined recesses for the shoulders on the Epi inserts, but smooth for Gibsons).....but the inserts look similar-ish to the Gibson ones i have......


(Babicz inserts/screws on the top, the ones on the bottom came with the chrome 3-point that's on my CP)

View attachment 4788753



Epiphone (black - originals from the CP)

Gibson (chrome - bought from a guy that pulled them from his to put an aftermarket bridge on)

View attachment 4788749

To the best of my knowledge, all the Gibby inserts have flutes that go all the way to the top face of the insert for a flush mount when installed properly, and all the Eppi inserts have flutes that terminate at the under side of a flange that rests on the surface of the bass when installed properly. The ones in the pic look like Eppi inserts to me…

That’s not to say you can’t use this bridge on a Gibby, you just might need to buy the proper inserts and or bolts. IIRC the Eppi bolts are metric and the Gibby bolts are SAE, but not positive about that.

 

[RedVee]

Can’t say I’ve ever seen that Alpine before. I’d rock that ride!

The current (? From about 2018) Alpine is a redo on the A110 and looks similar. Renault Megane sport 1600cc turbo engine.
Supposed to be a Boxster competitor (at a much lower production volume).
They were on our market for a little while but removed when tougher side impact laws came in. Alpine had made a design choice to chase lightness and therefore omitted side impact airbags.

Renault bought Alpine out a long while ago now, and this year renamed the F1 team to Alpine. I think they did a Le Mans car as well.

 

[KaraQ]

To the best of my knowledge, all the Gibby inserts have flutes that go all the way to the top face of the insert for a flush mount when installed properly, and all the Eppi inserts have flutes that terminate at the under side of a flange that rests on the surface of the bass when installed properly. The ones in the pic look like Eppi inserts to me…
View attachment 4788770
That’s not to say you can’t use this bridge on a Gibby, you just might need to buy the proper inserts and or bolts. IIRC the Eppi bolts are metric and the Gibby bolts are SAE, but not positive about that.

Yes, that's why I put that second pic in

All the Epiphones I have, the inserts look like the black one, with a shoulder that sits on the surface of the bass.
The chrome one in the pic were pulled from a stock Gibson Thunderbird, and are currently in my CP (flush-with the surface):

.....that being said, I've never seen ferrules exactly like that.....the top part looks like the Gibson sets I have, but the bottom is different?

 

[PillO]

Well, how have the codes changed from '59 to present, and does Gibson reuse codes like serial numbers?

Reader on my modern Thunderbird yielded "Faulty player" breaker has been overused.


(Of course finding a place to connect the reader on the '59 would be a bit of a challenge.)

Gee, my OBD codes just tell me that I have an emissions problem...

 

[PillO]

You can do almost everything yourself on those cars:
View attachment 4788603

As much as I appreciate an exploded view, I prefer this kind of exploded view.

 

[RedVee]

That was just a pic I grabbed off the net. This is mine:
View attachment 4788318

New tranny mounts, throw out shaft bushings & throw out bearing. (Also clutch/pressure plate) I’m hoping to get the engine back in today.
View attachment 4788320

Nice wheels!

Yes I do. Thanks, I’ll come down off the ledge now.


Sweet! Always loved the look of those. One of the few convertibles that looks as good with the top down as up.


As a musician, and especially a bass player, not likely unless she rises to the top 1% of her field.

watching a video on Saturday at uke lesson to get a strum pattern. Teacher (a pro guitarist) comments “he is a bit out of tune. But I bet the bass player is bang on”. I just smiled and said “bloody guitarists” and he agreed!

Could it be a 2015 Gibson? That had two switches.

I was wondering if it was a Firebird wiring map???

 

[Stealth57]

Gee, my OBD codes just tell me that I have an emissions problem...

That’s more info than I used to get before I had a scanner. Jumped a multimeter across OBD pins and counted pulses.

 

[PillO]

We started with tail pipe tests. Then the dyno companies bought off the politicians so anything less than a 4WD had to go on a dyno. That put a lot of smog stations out of business due to cost. Now, all they do is plug into OBDII and ask the car if it passes. Then cars started lying…but, yes, still have biannual smog tests in most of CA. Oh, we also so have a visual inspection. If your aftermarket parts don’t have a CARB sticker you fail.

All my possible comments would get me banned...

 

[GBassNorth]

That’s more info than I used to get before I had a scanner. Jumped a multimeter across OBD pins and counted pulses.

…the heartbeat of America, is todays Chevrolet!

 

[PillO]

Don’t forget the dreaded “check engine” light. If it’s on you automatically fail regardless of what it is.
Several years ago when I was buying my 1997 911 from a friend we had agreed on the price and the day before I went to pick it up the check engine light came on.

About half of conditions that set the check engine light are "smog" related. IIRC, it was CA legislation that required that any pollution control fault set the light.

 

[GBassNorth]

All my possible comments would get me banned...

I was thinking the same thing

 

[PillO]

Hard to be sure without seeing the bottom (should have machined recesses for the shoulders on the Epi inserts, but smooth for Gibsons).....but the inserts look similar-ish to the Gibson ones i have......


(Babicz inserts/screws on the top, the ones on the bottom came with the chrome 3-point that's on my CP)

View attachment 4788753



Epiphone (black - originals from the CP)

Gibson (chrome - bought from a guy that pulled them from his to put an aftermarket bridge on)

View attachment 4788749

The camera on your phone is awesome! It picks up all the cat hair on the carpet...

 

[GBassNorth]

About half of conditions that set the check engine light are "smog" related. IIRC, it was CA legislation that required that any pollution control fault set the light.

Yep, largely smog equipment related. Not necessarily smog reduction related. If a car maker calls a blue screw under the hood part of their smog equipment, you darn well better have a blue screw there when you go for your smog check, otherwise in CA you fail regardless of the emissions coming out of the tail pipe.

 

[PillO]

Yep, largely smog equipment related. Not necessarily smog reduction related. If a car maker calls a blue screw under the hood part of their smog equipment, you darn well better have a blue screw there when you go for your smog check, otherwise in CA you fail regardless of the emissions coming out of the tail pipe.

Start your engine without the gas cap on and it sets the check engine light (because of "smog" rules). And replacing the gas cap does not turn off the check engine light. You need an OBD reader to reset the light.

 

[JIO]

This is the exact type of B-25 Mitchell with the same branding (Burma Bridge Busters) that my dad, Captain Edmund Leo Kitta commandeered in the South Pacific at the end of WW2.

(sorry for the de-rail... just found this vid and know we've posted such here in the past..)

mis-spelled his name (no s) in this book about the BBB.