Reviving a 1966 Thunder Bird last driven in 1977. Will it run and drive?
We pickup up a 66 Thunder Bird that was last on the road in 1977 and see if we can get it running and driving again.
00:00 Game plan.
01:45 On site first walk around of the 66 Thunder Bird
04:45 Getting the T bird on the trailer and cleaning it up
09:23 Looking over the car in the shop
19:45 Checking the motor over for spark
20:05 Attempting to start for the first time in years
35:33 Cleaning out the inside of the T bird
38:41 Working on the brakes
54:49 Taking the T bird for it's first drive in 4+ years
Music
Bohemian Beach - Chris Haugen
Backwoods BBQ - Chris Haugen
Shine Your Little Light - Mini Vandals
Who's Using Who - The Mini Vandals
Bleeker Street Blues - Chris Haugen
Cancun - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
Love in Mexico - Carmen María and Edu Espinal
Blakey's Burnout - John Deley
The Jam - Slynk & Mr Stabalina
High Speed Dating - Single Friend
Drop Pablo or Brent a line: brent @ halfasskustoms.com
Instagram: / halfasskustoms
Facebook: / halfasskustoms.56
Website: halfasskustoms.com/
Ship us things if you wish:
Halfass Kustoms
20 Brandt street, Unit 3
Suite #103
Steinbach Manitoba Canada
R5G 1Y2
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.
That's one clear lookin pond you got there. Love the car
There is nothing better than the feeling of this thing RUNS!!
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.
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.🛠🇺🇸🛠
Best interior ever in this car!
55:40 Such a gentleman to open the door for your dog and let it in first.😀
Pablo has an old soul; coolest dog on the planet.
Pablo is an Australian 🇦🇺 Blue Heeler, best dog ever!
The General is looking great !!
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!
The Best year of THE BIRDS!
Ohh.. 57 T Bird is to die for plus mucho $$. 😎 but yeah this t bird is in surprisingly good shape! Nice one Brent. 😎
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.
Love when someone ruins the Vid in the first comment 😅😀
@@ronaldhenderson9106 1958-1966 WERE.
I don't know but there is something about Pablo that makes me smile ☺️.
1956 and 1966 are my two favorite T-Birds .
Those cars have an awesome top end, mine would run 120 all day long I got the speeding tickets to prove it
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!
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!
RESTOMOD!!!!
@@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
Those shock towers always make me smile.
One other first videos I saw you do was your truck. That is cool and you do good work.
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.
Correct. Check the VIN, 5th digit letter Z = 390, Q = 428.
It was called a Town Landau.
@@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
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.
@@mrbrooks9969 Might of been a Police Interceptor 390 that was 330 hp, or the HP 390 with 335 or 340 somewhere around there
She's a runner! It's nice when one plays nice. Thanks Brent and Pablo!
Welll big buddy..... it seams that you hit a home run..... great cruiser.... have fun.
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.
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 👍
Love your videos... power steering works the windshield wipers
Thanks for saving my sunday from being completely boring. Great video.
I love the way your dog comes with you
The body looks clean, and the chrome is pristine.
Somebody can completely restore this good car. Imagine driving it new.
Oh yes, one of my all time favorite cars... Love it...
That engine is sweet love to see her fully restored .
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.
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.
I love it! Old Fords never die!
Nice to see you got it away from the crusher. This car deserved a second chance and you did it. Nice job!
That is the new Pablobird! Anytime the pups won’t get out, you know its a keeper…👅🐾🐾
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 ...
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
A great find. Saved from a slow death . Well done👍👍👍👍😃🇦🇺
Sweet machine this '66 T-bird nice to see it run and drive! Thanks for this video Brent!
I’d love to hear about ur your private blue lake / pool - looks sweet!
What a cool car, I want one! amazing how complete and rust free it is
Thanks for resurrecting that ole "T-Bird". I love those old "babies". Unfortunately, they just don't make cars like they used to. Good to have guys like you around that like the old cars too.
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 😂
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.
Unbelievable Brent lol. From the pasture to driving it! I hope there’s more to come from this car
My best friend in high school 1976-1980 was in love with 66 t birds. He bought one with a 428 in it saved all his money to rebuild it 40 over everything new. Could never get the thing to run cool. I had a 59 vw bus that I drove to school (not that cool in that day). Some random guy came by and wanted to trade my bus for ( what else ) a beautiful 66 t bird. My friend who never got to drive his more than a mile was thoroughly pissed. Sorry Robert.
A man, his dog, and some rolling artwork! It doesn't get any better than that!
Do a semi restoration , paint, clean floor work fuel system, it would be great to watch your take on how to do it verses building a old school hotrod. Which you do a marvelous job at.
Great find! love the old tbirds. great video, thanks for sharing!
Remember The T Birds 🐦 on the Show room Floor my Dad Bought a Yellow 2 door 66 Fairlane 289 V8 for Mom 👩 Loved those T Birds . Beautiful cars rode so nice
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 !
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!
It was fun to watch you work on a "new" car. I hope that you continue with this one until completion.
Once you stick a magic tree in itll be like a brand new car . Sweet ride
Power steering hoses route through the fire wall to feed the windshield wiper motor, that is right, these cars came standard with hydraulic wipers that had infinite speeds from creep to very fast, this was activated by fluid flow through the wiper motor by moving the wiper knob forward to accelerate and rearward to slow and stop & park the wipers.
Two of us were in town now we can see huge red music from every time
Interesante 👍
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!
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.
Agree with you mr Moore
I love this channel. Nice work, Brent. Made my day seeing the pooch jump straight into the drivers seat! lol
A diamond in the rough great find Brent 👍👋🇨🇦
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.
Galaxy 500 is a nice looking ride. Wish I could wrench on one of those in the garage with my son.
That really runs great considering the length of time it was laid up. Well done Brent.
You really have fun with these cars! It's always exciting to get one running that hasn't for a while!
I love to see this old iron being saved from the crusher! Great job!
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
Great salvage, your "pond" looks epic.
Great video. Looking forward to some more on this old girl
I love the pure glee in your laughter. You do love what you do and so do I.
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!
Another cool old car. Great find , can't wait to see more on this one.
What a great find. It lives again. Top job. Cheers
I sure do love how much time you spend with your dog he just loves hanging out with his bestfriend
Surprised how good it ran after sitting in the woods that long. Fun and interesting video, Cheers from Texas ! 🤠
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.
@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.
One of the very few channels that plays real music.....awesome!
It's so sad that people leave cars to rot like that. You are an automotive hero.
One of the big reasons I watch your channel Brett, is the "HE'S REALLY GONNA TRY AND USE THAT PART!?" moments. LOL! It's incredible to watch you breathe new life into all the rusty, crusty and mangled parts that lesser men would just replace without a second thought....👍BTW, The "I'm not sure how they (the raccoons) got in." statement, followed half a second later by the "here's where they came in, I'm pretty sure about that." conclusion really made me laugh... I don't know what your vision is for the old Ferd, but I can see it looking pretty awesome creeping down the road slammed to the ground looking rough but running like a top...
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.
I am to the end
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.
I love those 64 to 66 T Birds. Before we were married we dated in a 64. Great old cars.
Nice revival. You really lucked out. This should make a nice car, finished. As always, thanks for the great work and interesting content.
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.
Absolutely great video. Love your channel cus you actually fixing things and not just throw new parts at it.
Fantastic score on the big block, Brent. Pablo clearly enjoyed the car VERY much. 😊
Those were nice looking cars. Great job of saving it.
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.
The shifter needs to push up just past the park position.
Ah That's what it is I know my parts car just goes to park and I can swing it
Can't wait to get the one I'm buying
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 ! .
@@HalfassKustoms ?¿??? no lol
It’s a bit newer that most cars you work on. Interesting project.
I souy the apach fix and glad see you back in the grov
Beauty!!!!! Great drone video on the ride. Love the Budweiser beer bottle storage too.
My wife and I dated in a 64 T Bird. Matter of fact our first born was conceived in it. Thanks for sharing .
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
Hearses got the landau bar idea from these T Birds......
This looks a very interesting project Brent,looking forward to seeing it back on the road,after many welding hours to the floors I suspect! Lol.
Ah the Landau T bird well, I approve!! Man that could be fantastic for not much effort Brent!
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.
Hellyeah Brent! That is AWESOME! Such a cool looking car. I loved those ol T-birds with the convertible hardtop, amazing to watch. Yeah them front disc brakes were really cool, four piston calipers. Pretty sure that’s a 390 in her, not a whole lotta power but plenty of torque to get that ol car down the road in style. Great video man! Keep on keeping on!😎💯
In 66 there were two engine options one was a 390 and the other is a 428, which is very desirable motor
The power steering pump is probably an Eaton product.
@@kevinjohnson8758 I think in 1966 they changed the power steering pumps. My parents had a 64 Thunderbird and the power steering pump and reservoir was separate. To where in 1966 it was all one unit.
Coolest interior ever made,swivel steering column, and the curve around backseat area WOW!!!!! Loved these cars since i was a kid,I like the 64 body style a little more.
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.
Pablo does one heck of a job flying the drone. Or do you guys switch and he drives while you fly?
Double calipers. I bet that engine flew. nice work Brent.
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! 👍👍👍
I really like seeing these old cars getting some love again. Enjoyed your video Sir ;)
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 👍😎.
I have seen far worse than this one restored. Having fabrication skills makes a huge difference on the pocket book.
WOW! Great work, great save! I had a 1964 T-Bird Landau. A real cruiser. I can't wait to see this finished.
My first car was a 64. Wish I had it to cruise around in now.
I JUST LOVE THE GENERAL MR HALF. All the work you put into that deserves all the attention it gets..
What a Cool story, i love happy endings. Thanks for Saving her. She's a Beauty.❤️