1964 Ford Thunderbird

1964 Ford Thunderbird Convertible There is a completely new Thunderbird for 1964. New styling set the Thunderbird mood. Inside it is maintained by advances that make even Thunderbird veterans sigh. New contoured shell front seats cradle you in luxurious Thunderbird comfort. Instruments are positioned and lights for flight deck clarity. From a 1964 Thunderbird print ad.   For consignment, a 1964 Ford Thunderbird convertible showing 13,923 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This car has been owned by our consignor for 30 years and was the recipient of a frame off restoration.  Exterior The car's original color, Rangoon Red, now presents in two stage precision and excites the personality of this Flair Bird veering from all of the period's advertisements that showed the birds in more subdued tones. Bright and augmented by the wrap-around chrome bumper that swoops downward in front of the dual headlights which are slightly set back in the same way your eyes are set back. The long, straight shoulder line flows back, while the decklid contours over the defined dip of the tail treatment, fantastic chrome framed tail lights with the Thunderbird symbol and a chrome center that unifies area like a wide span ornament. The rear valance holds the reverse lights, and the black canvas top is in good shape and houses a clear, plastic rear window. Those 15-inch Kelsey Hayes chrome wire wheels really bring it all together in period style. Imperfections include cracking near the hood scoop and other parts of the hood, edge chips, various chips, scratches and inclusions throughout, a sizable scratch on the valance, and evidence of filler.  Interior The 60's are in full swing and that's evident when you swing open the doors! An angular polished trim piece adorns a black vinyl door with a ribbed upper insert over smooth material and courtesy lights below, artful in its design and clean in its presentation. Black buckets are propped up front with robust metal trim and a tall base, and both are in great shape. The removable hard tonneau covers the rear seats, also in black vinyl and also in nice condition. Up front, a two spoke steering wheel frames the wild dashboard with a horizontal band that indicates speed on numbers embossed on the plastic over barrel style gauges in individual pods that are unlike just about anything produced before. Typical for Thunderbirds of this era, the mid panel sweeps right and turns to form the center stack, here backed in black and holding an AM/FM radio and climate panel along with window switches on the center console. Under the dash pad, aeronautical levers drop down while the black panel of the dash continues on its way to front the passenger. Black carpet covers the floor and the trunk is finished with gray cloth coverage.  Drivetrain The show- worthy bay reveals a 390ci V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and 300 horsepower. It's backed by a Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission that routes power to the Ford 9 rear with 3.00 gears. The car has power brakes and power steering and the appropriate gold painted valve covers.  Undercarriage  Generally driver quality underneath with typical age and surface rust, along with some residual oil film on the pans. Power drum brakes are at all four wheels and the dual exhaust travels through stock style mufflers on their way to the back. Suspension is made up of coil springs in front and leaf springs in back.   Drive-Ability Upon start up, we note some exhaust leaks and continue our short lap around the test loop. The pleasing interiors and sleek design of these birds are finally reaching their potential in the collector world and red has been a favored color since the 50's! Other than the exhaust leaks, the engine runs good and provides really nice power. We note the car pulls right on braking, the front end wobbles quite a bit, and there's some slop in the shifter. Also of note is the trunk opens but the top does not retract and the radi