Reviving a 1966 Thunder Bird last driven in 1977. Will it run and drive?

[@scottmelanson3444]

That's one clear lookin pond you got there. Love the car

[@dave1956]

My wife learned to drive, back in 1967 on her father’s 1966 Thunderbird. She says that the 1966 will always have a place in her heart.

[@StirlingLighthouse]

She's a runner! It's nice when one plays nice. Thanks Brent and Pablo!

[@number7__879]

I don't know but there is something about Pablo that makes me smile ☺️.

[@bryanstruble8927]

That was a great find. Motor dosen't smoke, Trans works , dosen't over heat. They did have trouble with the wiring as I remember and the interiors were better looking than the Cadillacs. Hope you keep it going!

[@ronaldhenderson9106]

The Best year of THE BIRDS!

[@BillyJoeJimBob28]

Ohh.. 57 T Bird is to die for plus mucho $$. 😎 but yeah this t bird is in surprisingly good shape! Nice one Brent. 😎

[@williamd2738]

back in '78 a neighbor had a '64 t-bird and they were moving out of state, they weren't taking it with them and asked me if I wanted it. It was parked in the street, non running. I asked my dad if I could have it but because I was two years away from getting my drivers license he said no!!! I was not happy. The car was maroon with a black interior, not in bad shape. Sadly the scrap yard took it away.

[@bobbylong9001]

Love when someone ruins the Vid in the first comment 😅😀

[@tonyfriend7413]

@@ronaldhenderson9106 1958-1966 WERE.

[@stevedavis2751]

I love the pure glee in your laughter. You do love what you do and so do I.

[@pierrelataillade7564]

Welll big buddy..... it seams that you hit a home run..... great cruiser.... have fun.

[@mooosestang]

It's so sad that people leave cars to rot like that. You are an automotive hero.

[@larrythompson9607]

The body looks clean, and the chrome is pristine.

[@jjock3239]

Those were nice looking cars. Great job of saving it.

[@DarkFlamage]

Ah, a '66 390 car! I was 9 years old when these sharp cars were cruising around my part of the world in the summer of '66.

[@2tana22]

What a cool car, I want one! amazing how complete and rust free it is

[@diggerdog9096]

1956 and 1966 are my two favorite T-Birds .

[@frankleonard6570]

it is so heart warming to see someone who pulls an old abandoned car out of the bush and saves it from the crusher. and with minimal work gets it going and goes for a ride with his dog! now thats a good man right there! 👍👍👍

[@stevemclaughlin3043]

I do hope you do a full restoration on this awesome car! My dad had a 66 T-Bird that he bought new and was his pride and joy for many years. I'll always remember that car as a great childhood memory!

[@glennnickerson8438]

Could have had a 65 (I was 18 for $295.00 back in 1980) and it ran great! The old man shot that one down!

[@dionrau5580]

RESTOMOD!!!!

[@tonyfriend7413]

@@glennnickerson8438 That same thang happened to me in 1978 over a 1964 1/2 Mustang with a 260 V8 with a manual floor shifter.. 10/20/22 8.35 am cst USA

[@lablackzed]

That engine is sweet love to see her fully restored .

[@mikes6961]

My favorite t-bird. As a kid, my aunt had a white one, and I remember being in awe of it. Thanks for the memories

[@richardgadoury8452]

My brother had a 66 convertible back in the early 70's. Beautiful car...

[@kentmckean6795]

Almost certainly the engine is a 390ci. (315HP) although a 428ci was optional. You car is the "Town Sedan" model as it does not have the backseat side windows. It also has the Landau Trim Package, making your car the most popularly optioned 66 T-Bird with 35,105 so optioned cars made in 1966.

[@scottbenke7182]

Correct. Check the VIN, 5th digit letter Z = 390, Q = 428.

[@dj33036]

It was called a Town Landau.

[@m42037]

@@dj33036 With a vinyl top, which this one's top completely rotted away, I used to have a TL 66, Tahoe Turquoise with a white top and two tone white/turquoise interior, not many in that colour combo. I sold it in 95 I don't know if it still survived the Michigan weather

[@mrbrooks9969]

I had a 65 galaxie 500 with a factory four speed, it was also a 390,but I believe it had a little more than 315 horse from the factory.

[@m42037]

@@mrbrooks9969 Might of been a Police Interceptor 390 that was 330 hp, or the HP 390 with 335 or 340 somewhere around there

[@hectormacias8890]

Nice to see you got it away from the crusher. This car deserved a second chance and you did it. Nice job!

[@floydt2029]

Sweet machine this '66 T-bird nice to see it run and drive! Thanks for this video Brent!

[@paulous1325]

Everything will go with a bit of love,a pitty the rest of the world can't see this......keep them coming Brent.. New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@terrylewis8397]

It was fun to watch you work on a "new" car. I hope that you continue with this one until completion.

[@styline3]

The 66 T-Bird came out I was a Junior in high school. Couple of our teachers had brand new Corvette and a red T-Bird. Man forget the Corvette I fell in love with that T-Bird. It is a joy watching you wake that Bird up. Can,t wait for the next video ! Thank you so much . Terrific video. The pup better hang on when you get the Bird rolling !

[@blackbuttecruizr]

Great salvage, your "pond" looks epic.

[@markallen6543]

What a great find. It lives again. Top job. Cheers

[@mattm7257]

Great find! love the old tbirds. great video, thanks for sharing!

[@D.Guitar]

Honestly.... I've been watching Your channel for a bit over a year now, Maybe 2?.. and this. Grabbing a car that has been sitting since '77... And getting it running with mostly what you have around. Especially when You're not even a Ford guy... Seriously impressive 👍

[@clydepodvin5026]

Another cool old car. Great find , can't wait to see more on this one.

[@tomredmond]

Friend had one of those back in '70. Same color interior with a real light Green body paint. Sat here trying to recall all of the different items under the hood, but drew complete blanks on that. Should be either a 360 or 390 engine. Looks to be a nice project car.

[@andreaskarlsson73]

Absolutely great video. Love your channel cus you actually fixing things and not just throw new parts at it.

[@kevincostello3856]

Great one here, of course Im biased, Ive an 73 T-bird 429 4bbl and I just love that car. Great work and pool is huge. Just found this, just subscribed Thank you

[@jimsavage4296]

WOW! Great work, great save! I had a 1964 T-Bird Landau. A real cruiser. I can't wait to see this finished.

[@eliminator1978]

My first car was a 64. Wish I had it to cruise around in now.

[@Bobbyelijah]

Unbelievable Brent lol. From the pasture to driving it! I hope there’s more to come from this car

[@brandonmcguffin9716]

Hope to see more of this car. Really enjoyed watching.

[@mancsblue]

Love that these kind of vehicles can be saved ,I think it's really important that they are ! Had to turn the sound down though the 70,s music was an assault on my ears 😂

[@MrSafetybug]

There is nothing better than the feeling of this thing RUNS!!

[@grahamsmith753]

I love the way your dog comes with you

[@williamlopez4934]

Love your videos... power steering works the windshield wipers

[@usmclee65]

Watched again, still one of your best finds!

[@davidcraddock7011]

55:40 Such a gentleman to open the door for your dog and let it in first.😀

[@BA-wx6vs]

Great video as always, love the pond with the blue water and the beach. Let’s see a little more cleanup on the Bird, take it to the next level.

[@madmax412323]

One other first videos I saw you do was your truck. That is cool and you do good work.

[@briankinnear7461]

Love the older 'birds. With the big blocks they were a luxurious hotrod. Always good to have Pablo along for the test drive. He's a sucker for those plush bucket seats. Look forward to seeing more on this one. Be safe and stay well.

[@timothypaetsch8690]

Oh yes, one of my all time favorite cars... Love it...

[@paulgametech927]

I love to see this old iron being saved from the crusher! Great job!

[@als57chev76]

You made that look so easy Brent to get her running! Well Done. I am looking forward to seeing what you do in your videos.

[@ANOCKS]

Brent those cars had the coolest interiors I swear and the back seats were classic wraparound. I'm not sure but I think if you had the key and turned it to the on position it would unlock the steering lock for the slide on the column so the steering wheel would move over. Anyway it didn't take much she actually wanted to be on the road again. Man when you had one of those back in the day you were styling, no doubt. My dad always wanted one but instead ordered a Galaxy XL 500 with a 4-speed. He thought he was too young for that t-bird and automatic combo.

[@chriss1227]

Galaxy 500 is a nice looking ride. Wish I could wrench on one of those in the garage with my son.

[@connieschmitt714]

My husband told me about you and the work you do and I do really enjoy watching what you have done with the TBird I never thought it would start and run!

[@sandrapoyner1353]

A great find. Saved from a slow death . Well done👍👍👍👍😃🇦🇺

[@davidsolloway9349]

The General is looking great !!

[@bbay1977]

Yes it may have stayed here in Georgia for a little while but it didnt live here very long 😆. Them rails and all aren't rotted out yet. She is too great of shape to have been a car from Georgia for a long period of time, unless she was in a shop or barn. I have wanted a 65 or 66 for a while now. You have a great looking car for the age of her. Keep up the great work and content.

[@kevinmoore5116]

Can’t tell you how enjoyable it is to watch you make progress. Got a message from a friend about a 1963 tbird on auction in Arizona not an hour before you posted this vid. Literally laughed out loud as the engine turned over. What an awesome project. Time to invest in a really super shop vac. Cheers my good man. Great vid.

[@davfrui]

Agree with you mr Moore

[@PaulJFleischer]

Those shock towers always make me smile.

[@karlschachtner3575]

Beautiful car! Back in the day, I had a 67 mustang fastback with all the cool interior options, including a swing-away steering wheel. It was vacuum operated and actuated when the driver’s door was opened. All the heater and AC controls were vacuum actuated too. The system used a vacuum reservoir that looked like a coffee can, mounted in the engine compartment (recognized one in the video). That Tbird is in tremendous condition considering it’s age and sitting in the dirt so long!

[@VorlonFrog]

Fantastic score on the big block, Brent. Pablo clearly enjoyed the car VERY much. 😊

[@kenworth2343]

Not a Ford guy, although I think some of the design stuff was top notch. I love the interior design in particular on this vintage bird. And the body style was ahead of its time.

[@josephwatson2711]

I am to the end

[@grizzlygrizzle]

I have a friend who's been working on one for enough years to be an embarrassment. It's an odd car, a 5,500-lb unibody. Driving behind it on the highway, it looks like a low, sleek body with a Falcon roof grafted on top.

[@Bman2020]

A diamond in the rough great find Brent 👍👋🇨🇦

[@ronbunker5778]

You really have fun with these cars! It's always exciting to get one running that hasn't for a while!

[@davfrui]

I JUST LOVE THE GENERAL MR HALF. All the work you put into that deserves all the attention it gets..

[@jdeltoro518]

Nice find. Looking forward to your new project

[@johnds6621]

Thanks for saving my sunday from being completely boring. Great video.

[@astravanmk2]

That really runs great considering the length of time it was laid up. Well done Brent.

[@ericsanford5639]

thats one heck of a swimming pool,the drone footage is cool. very good video.

[@Phil222425]

My favorite car of all time, can't wait to see what magic you make with this one. Looking forward to this one, keep-up the good work ...

[@alanpaulick7815]

Thanks for sharing this video Brent once restored will be an awesome car.

[@stucook8622]

Cool rig! Great adventure. Thanks for bringing us along 🐾🍺

[@jimrky6062]

Nice revival. You really lucked out. This should make a nice car, finished. As always, thanks for the great work and interesting content.

[@mikesimon8094]

My second car was a 65 T-bird! Drove it in high school. Loved that car but I never saw the gas tank full and ran out of gas alot!

[@VintageTexas59]

Surprised how good it ran after sitting in the woods that long. Fun and interesting video, Cheers from Texas ! 🤠

[@JdougKnight]

Those cars have an awesome top end, mine would run 120 all day long I got the speeding tickets to prove it

[@SlyDellian]

Looking forward to watching this video. The fact that it’s over an hour long tells me you’re going to take your time and be thorough when reviving this old girl.

[@papeep2694]

Win! The swing away would move to the right, toward the console, when the car is in park. Can't remember exactly but the shifter may need pulled or pushed front or back to unlock the column after it's in park. Under the column there are a series of hide away plates that rotate as the column moves. They are hinged and from sitting outside might need a shot of penetrating oil. The revive is fun but also keep fabricating. That is where you really shine.

[@markmanna3780]

The shifter needs to push up just past the park position.

[@HalfassKustoms]

Ah That's what it is I know my parts car just goes to park and I can swing it

[@BMfixit]

Can't wait to get the one I'm buying

[@jerryparks6123]

My first car was a 63 Thunderbird with swing away column! ,If I remember correctly when in park the column would slide without touching the gear shift lever ! .

[@thomasgooch3641]

​@@HalfassKustoms ?¿??? no lol

[@jeffreylevin1266]

Brent, I was so excited when I saw this car! I own a 66 Towne Landau in this color. What I believe you have, is a Calais model with the rare 428. I’m sure you figured out it came with power steering LOL 😂. At 4200 lbs she’s a heavy girl. Please read about this car . It’s amazing!!! The car was so overbuilt that they have survived. Unfortunately, it’s not worth restoring. The price of parts would kill you. That being said, please do your thing and make the old girl amazing again. Love your videos 👍😎.

[@todddenio3200]

I have seen far worse than this one restored. Having fabrication skills makes a huge difference on the pocket book.

[@dennisbantz3747]

I love it! Old Fords never die!

[@study650]

Great video. Looking forward to some more on this old girl

[@synkraut9633]

My first time seeing a 66 T-bird; very nice looking car except for that hearse-like ornament behind the door windows. Love the dash and the interior

[@randallfelber6795]

Hearses got the landau bar idea from these T Birds......

[@emolahtimeeting1605]

Great episode! I found 2 weeks ago a Bedford CA Van, sitting in a ground for at least 45 year. Now it's got a subframe from Chevrolet Astro Van and later this week renovated 10 bolt diff with 3.73 gears. Soooo much more work than in case. But very interesting video, AGAIN!! BR from Finland 🇫🇮

[@chadkeller2144]

Super find, Brent! Interested to see what you do with the old 'Bird!

[@walliss34]

Cool video of a cool car. SO lucky to find one in that condition in Canada. I have a 66 T-bird rust bucket, think it lived in NYS its whole life, but its a project. You also have a nice shop. keep the will it run videos coming!

[@brianhdueck3372]

What a cool car! Loved these as a kid. Gorgeous interiors back in the day. 390’s weren’t the fastest engines of the day but dead nuts reliable. Love that pond!

[@josephdougherty2399]

I've had my fair share of the venerable 390 FE back in the day....always a ripper when they started to smoke a bit past the guides .... The thing I could never understand about the FE block.... particularly the 390, copious amounts of torque but the 360 FE (short stroke) was a complete slug that made horrible mileage, yet the 390 with all the onions made really good mileage for a big block ..15-16 MPG in town and 19-20 on the highway while the 360 did about 10 mpg everyplace

[@brianhdueck3372]

@@josephdougherty2399 Yup. I have a 76 F150 4x4. All redone as a nice driver. 360 4 speed manual. The power is actually pretty good for a 360 but yup, 10 miles per gallon. Starts and runs excellent. My daily for a year and a half. I love the truck, but the 390 is much more engine. If I had rebuilt it I would have changed the rotating assembly to a 390. I did change the gaskets and timing chain so I put in a straight up gear instead of the 4* retarded original so that helps torque.

[@oldsledpurgatory3595]

Nice save. Cool old T-bird. Excellent music choices as well.

[@hgbarnes1584]

Another EPIC build in the works. Super fun to watch Sir.

[@matthewanderson7766]

I sure do love how much time you spend with your dog he just loves hanging out with his bestfriend

[@QBRX]

Great looking car. Really nice interior. I was surprised how easy it was to get going. Good job!

[@charliepc56]

66 was a good year, as was 63, but I love all the old birds. That one was probably a pretty nice when it was parked.

[@donmcneil5201]

I have a 66 myself. The wipers operate on pressure from power steering system, that's why the hose goes through firewall.

[@1957kwick]

There’s a plate on the door of the Driver side .T-bird serial numbers check them to see if there’s a Q in those serial numbers .if there is a Q that means it’s a 428 I bought one of these one time and didn’t realize what I had until after I bought it. That’s why they call these Q code cars. If you went to the dealership and bought one of those new for another 40 bucks you can get a 428 versus a 390.🛠🇺🇸🛠

[@kapekodbob]

Love them T'Birds, great job. Hoping for a decent cleanup and road worthyness.

[@michaelg6686]

Double calipers. I bet that engine flew. nice work Brent.

[@davidarnette327]

I would love to see another video on this car. Especially getting the steering wheel to swing out of the way. That was an cool option. You and Pablo keep up the good work 👍

[@JestersGarage]

Man! What a good car, coming right back to life for ya! She's too good to chop up! I say wheels, tires, lower it, and fix all the things wrong with it and instant great cruiser.

[@JestersGarage]

@Jason hence why I said "she's too good to chop up" as Brent mentioned possibly cutting it up for parts for the interior, and engine and trans for something else.

[@tedzirbes6713]

They are beautiful cars, you scored a classic 👍🏻

[@johnhouseholder8978]

You’re amazing, loved the revival and any episode with the general and Pablo score!! Thanks John from Arizona

[@terryeustice5399]

Your amazing mechanic. Getting this old Thunderbird running. Like you said it is a project. Not a biggie for you. Saw. The Cobb County license plate. That car came from around Atlanta Georgia. Your right about the swing away wheel . There’s a lock out switch on it. So when put in park it will move out of the way. As long of ride you and Pablo took is a testament to you my friend. Congratulations!

[@jimbojones101]

I love this channel. Nice work, Brent. Made my day seeing the pooch jump straight into the drivers seat! lol

[@pgprice1663]

wow a lovey T bird right back to being kid thanks so much

[@markmckeachnie4484]

Man I love that year lol I was born in 66. Back bumper dragging and loud pipes . Such nice body lines front and rear are cool too

[@tjeffjenkins6226]

NICE Brent! What a lovely find and such a cool look.

[@Blgrsslvr]

One of the best looking years of Thunderbirds,in my opinion.Hope you do something with it.As always you have great video content.

[@markbrown6236]

Standard engine was a 390. In 1970 I drove across country with a friend and his mom in a 1965 T bird. Very nice car.