1957Birdman

I’m surprised they didn’t put some kind of warning sticker on the trailer regarding what you encountered. I’m being a bit facetious, but have you seen the warning stickers on ladders today? At least with the internet it was easy to look up and confirm. For the good money you paid for the work they did, you shouldn’t have to go through what you are having to do now. We all share your frustration at this point. From the work you have done the end result is great. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Needs nothing except a return to the stock interior and wheels. I guess I don't get around enough, but I haven't ever seen an interior like that in any Lincoln I have seen. What is there looks like it is well done, however I don't expect it at the Hershey show anytime soon. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

The 1952 Lincoln’s were the first of the “Mexican” Lincolns that had big success in the Carrera Panamericana. The big problem with the 1952 models was the 160 horsepower V8. By 1953 it was 205 horsepower which made a big difference in performance. This car sure looks nice at the price. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

That car may have left the factory as Willow Green, but it is now painted Cumberland Green and Colonial White. Too bad it isn’t a Sunliner, a much better styled car IMHO. As always, adding a continental kit to the rear does nothing for the looks. It does have a Ford-o-Magic, power steering, and power brakes. Most likely a 292 with single exhaust. If it is an California car all its life would probably be a good car, but of course at a premium price. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Chris, the car looks great! I understand your frustration with the work done by the restoration shop. I would let the owner know what you found. As for the top, it does look really good. Trimacar might offer his opinion, but I think most shops will err on the side of stretching everything out and making the fit very tight. The reason is that any convertible driven at highway speeds (55 mph or more) could be subject to ballooning of the top in the front. You don’t see that too much these days but it did happen when a poor job was done on a replacement top. I think if you let it sit out in the sun for a few hours you will be able to work it a little more easily. Looking forward to seeing it at Hershey. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

If this car runs and stops well and it has only surface rust, then I could see it worth $18K to $20K. I am concerned there are no pictures of the engine compartment and trunk to ensure that nothing major is missing. Considering everything, you should definitely buy the best car you can afford because bringing this up to the next level will have you under water in no time. I'll give one example of that. It looks like the front seat was reupholstered in vinyl at some point. To get the original Bridge of Weir leather to recover the seats probably costs at least $8,000. Retrimming the seats would take a real professional to do the work, not an easy task and most likely very expensive. I love the looks of these cars, but I prefer to have its junior brother. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

You should also check out the writeup on the Holley 4000 carburetor. It is at www.ctci.org on Gil’s Garage. The late Gil Baurgartner was the CTCI authenticity chairman for many years and had a wealth of knowledge on these cars. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

It sounds like it could be an automatic choke that is not opening fully. You may want to take the choke apart to be sure that everything is working properly. It can happen that the inner works get gummed up and that obviously can cause problems. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Would like to see pictures of the engine compartment and trunk. The interior looks serviceable as it sits, but restoration needed. Also would like to know why the transmission lever is rusted like that. Seems a little strange for a hardtop car. This may be another situation where the most expensive car you can buy is a cheap (relatively speaking) Continental Mark II. Still would be worth a look if you live close to Blowing Rock, NC. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Does this car have an aluminum engine block? That is a new one on me if it does. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Ah yes, the "let's take pictures of the car in the rain". It sure makes it hard to see what the outside actually looks like. I am not a big fan of black cars, so it does not matter one way or the other. One interesting thing I notice is that it is a heater delete car. Makes sense in Arizona, not so much in Michigan. The price is a little high for a four-door sedan, but looks like a good entry level car for a younger, mechanically inclined person. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Can’t beat the price. I just have to wonder why they were left to rot like that? Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Bob, Does your car have a smooth idle at an indicated 500 rpms on your tachometer? If it does then I doubt you have a vacuum leak. The y-blocks are inherently balanced engines that should idle smoothly when everything is adjusted properly. I would also find out who did the carburetor rebuild. All rebuilds are not equal. I would also check the valve adjustment to be sure that is within spec. One last thing you can try it to advance the timing by a few degrees and see how it runs. If you car has a timing chain that has some slack could cause things to not be as they should. Hope one of these ideas helps. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

This is certainly an unusual car considering how it was optioned. I daresay there weren't many 4 door 69 LTDs that came with the 428 with 4 barrel and dual exhausts. I'm surprised it doesn't have the Police Interceptor package. I had a 69 Galaxie 500 sports roof which had the 351 Windsor and that engine provided plenty of power for the car. One little anomaly with this car is the placement of the radio. It is to the left of the speedometer and the driver is the only person who can access the controls. The controls are hard to reach being behind the steering wheel. Definitely not one of Ford's better ideas. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

I’m glad you found the electrical manual. That will help a lot. By the way, you have a bit of a rare car with the 428 engine. Most of them came with the 390 which probably provided plenty of power for that car. That is not to say they didn’t make a reasonable number of them, just not as many as the 390 equipped. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Looks like a pretty nice entry level 1964 Ford Convertible. I would probably prefer the 390, but I’m sure the 289 will do the job. I assume it was probably repainted, but looks like the body is straight and not a rust bucket. I think the price is close to right for a car seldom seen these days. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

No, I have no experience with this. I do have a suggestion. I would call either the manufacturer or the supplier you bought the new unit from and explain your situation. It may be that they sent you the wrong tach drive gear and a simple replacement would solve your problem. Let us know what happens. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

I have to go with the white 1956 Thunderbird, driven by “girl in T-Bird” Suzanne Sommers, in American Graffiti. I give honorable mention to the Model T hotrod driven on occasion by Ed “Kookie” Byron’s in 77 Sunset Strip. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

On my 57 T-Bird the negative battery cable is bolted to a stud on the firewall. I am pretty sure your 66 is setup the same way. The starter positive wire goes from the starter solenoid to the battery. The starter is grounded through the engine block that is connected to body ground by a wire at the back of the engine. I don’t have any pictures but hopefully this gets things going. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

The 352 may have been a Canadian car only option. I have a book that lists the available engines for the 1965 Mercury and it only lists 200, 289, 390, 427 and 430 for American spec cars. The 352 was available for the 1965 Ford only. More interesting variations. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

I think the owner meant that the 352 was the smallest FE engine available for the 1965 Mercury. The smallest V8 available was the 289, but of course that engine is not an FE. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

This car looks like it is trying to be a Cyclone wannabe, with the mag wheels mounted. A real Cyclone with the 390 and sportier interior would be an interesting find. The pricing on this car seems optimistic given the fact that the interior is shot. There is a lot of work needed there to make the car presentable. I guess the air cleaner is original except for the missing air intake, but where did that 289 * 2V sticker come from. I don't think it is a Ford produced item. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Here is a car that has an owner who knows how to market it. Really good pictures and copious amounts of detail indicate a gearhead owner. I am not sure about the price, but it may be negotiable. I am not a huge fan of the styling of this Maurader. I prefer the 1963 or 1964 models for styling, especially if they have the bucket seat interior. Still, it is a nice-looking car that does not look like has been abused. I would look at it if I was in the area. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Not exactly the Mercury version of the 1964 Fairlane Thunderbolt, but may be a good car if vintage drag racing is your thing. Ronnnie Sox campaigned one in 1964 with a good deal of success. Here is what I don’t get. If you are asking $25K why not at least pull the car out of the garage and take some decent pictures of it? It should be common sense, but common sense isn’t so common these days. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

No, I have never driven in one of the AACA tours. You may have seen my car at Hershey. I am in the DPC section, and the car is Colonial White with a red interior. I too have long legs and the key to driving the car comfortably is to pull the steering wheel toward you, which frees up space for your legs. I had no trouble driving the car 500 miles back in 2018. Having said that, if you want more room and want to stick with Ford you could do well with 1957 Ford Farilane 500 Club Victoria. It would certainly give you plenty of room and is a nice handling car for the time. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird