Welcome to Squarebirds, Matt! Matthijs hales from the Netherlands and does not own a Tbird yet. It is always good to have another member from your country. We have 6 other members there, most of whom own Squarebirds or Flairbirds. If you are looking, let us know what year, model, color, etc., and we can help you find one. If you do find one, look at the Technical Resource Library (TRL) on this Forum. Down at the bottom of it next to last, you will find the Vehicle Check List that members created to help someone who is looking to buy a Tbird. The link to it is always part of my signature element. Print it out and go over it. Take it with you, if you wish, or at least learn what to look for when inspecting one of these old Birds as a prospective buyer. The check list can help you select or reject the car you are looking at. It might save you a lot of money and headaches down the road or confirm that you think the car is worth buying. I would recommend that you save my phone number should you ever need to contact me. Should you have any problems navigating our Forum, please contact me, or Dave Dare~simplyconnected, our webmaster. Enjoy The Journey!
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Welcome, Matt !!
Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
https://faye.rayclark.info/index.htmlTags: None -
Hi Ray, thanks for your friendly welcome.
I'm looking for a 1960 Thunderbird with the following specs...
Convertible
Technically and optical in good state. (I only can handle a poor quality upholstery)
Spare tyre Continental kit (can those easily be bought and mounted afterwards?)
Spoke wheels
430 engine preferable.
Color light blue preferable, but black could also be an option.
Is there an interesting website where these cars can be found? Is Hemmings the place to be? I've found some there.
I can't wait... :-)
Cheers, Matthijs. -
Hemmings is a good source.
Also try googling 1960 thunderbird convertible for sale.
That'll bring up cars from a variety of sources.
Add craigslist to the search parameter and search again.
Also try autotrader.com and ebay.Comment
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Welcome, Matt !!
Jack gave you some good ideas on searching for Tbirds. Here is another link you might want to check into. If you click on the down arrow, it will allow you to search Craigslist by Region, or eBay or others. http://www.adhuntr.com/
Yes, there is a Canadian company that markets Continental kits for Squarebirds. I will attach a picture of that company with this. You might want to read this information on the pro's and con's of having a Continental kit on a Squarebird.
http://squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=5623
As for wanting a Squarebird with a 430MEL engine keep this in mind... They did not make that many 430MEL engines compared to the 352ci or especially the 390ci engines. Parts for the 430MEL are harder to find and usually more expensive. If I were looking for a Squarebird now, I would look for one that has had a 390 and a C6 engine installed in it instead of a 352 or 430MEL. 390 and C6 parts are much easier to find so I am told. It is a far more common engine and tranny. Speaking of the 390 and C6, have you considered the Flairbird, especially the 1966 Flairlbird? They have some improvements that the 1964-1965 did not have. Flairbirds, to me, have a much more luxurious looking interior, and styling. The 1966 also offers a 428ci engine that comes with a C6 tranny instead of the COM.
As for spoke wheels.... They look nice but require a lot of maintenance to keep them clean and looking that way. A friend of mine found a set of wheel covers with the spokes on them. They looked like the real thing until you got real close to them. When they got dirty, he just popped them off and put the set in the dishwasher to clean them... When his wife was not looking, that is! So, you might consider that.Attached Files
Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
https://faye.rayclark.info/index.htmlComment
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Hi Ray,
Well, today I've put someone in Holland in charge of the search. He imports Ford pickups and "special orders" from the USA. He has a specialized guy in the US that does all his searches. As he told me, the guy is a real Ford fan and seems to know a lot about the classical ones. He is approx. 70 years old and has been connected to the factory all his life. So I think I'm in good hands.
I already read the information on the continental kit. If I find a car with the kit mounted, I suppose the suspention will already be adjusted. If the car comes without... I'm not sure if I'm willing to cut the bullets. In fact I love those as well. So we'll see that later.
About your suggestion to look for a Flairbird... that is not going to happen. I LOVE the Squarebird with all its typical looks. So more luxury and big engine will not get me away from my passion :-)
But I take your advice on the engine very seriously. I will adapt my "search" parameters accordingly. I will forward your comment to the searchteam. Perhaps they also have their opinion on that matter.
And the spokes.... True, hard to clean. I had a '74 Cadillac Seville. The spokes were quite rusty. But it gives the car the typical classic classy style. And a car like the T-bird needs its maintenance much more than the Caddy needed. Hope I can keep them neat...
Well, I keep u posted on the development.
Btw, I like the trunk mounted antenna. I read that you wanted to mount one on your car. Are those easy to get, if not already equipped on the car?Comment
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Welcome, Matt !!
Hi Matt, I see you found someone there to help you search for a car, which is good. It does sound like you are in good hands.
Regarding continental kits, if the car comes with one, I would think that any necessary suspension adjustments will have been made. Regarding the bullet tips, I recall reading that the manufacturer will either provide those and save yours for you (at a cost, I would think), or you can provide a spare set to him that can be cut and they will save the ones that came on the car.
Regarding the Flairbird, I only suggested it because of improved engineering over the Squarebird and the looks, and the newer engines and tranny available for it, instead of the 352 or 430MEL. Perhaps some of the guys who really know their engines can comment on this also, like our webmaster. It is my understanding that the 390 and 428 and the C6 tranny are far more common, and better engines, as is the C6. It is also my understanding that it does not take much to put a 390 into a Squarebird engine bay. You are more likely to find a 390/C6 combo than a 428. Or a 390/COM combo. What is important regarding Squarebird or Flairbird is not what I like but what YOU like.
As for the trunk mounted antenna, the only reason I did not add one was because I have a big winged customized Thunderbird panel attached to the underside of my trunk lid. But you should be able to get one from Carl Heller ~ partsetal on here, or perhaps from one of the Tbird parts shops. Speaking of them, all the Tbird parts houses are listed in the Advertisements Forum, and when you get your Tbird, you will want to email them and ask for their free catalogs so you can price and availability compare. Good luck with your hunt and let us know what you find!Last edited by YellowRose; December 3, 2013, 01:06 AM.
Ray Clark - Squarebirds Administrator
The Terminator..... VTCI #11178 ITC #6000 Yellow Mustang Registry (YMR) #12188
Contact me via Private Message for my email address, or Call (Cell) 210-875-1411
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm
Faye's Ovarian Cancer Memorial Website.
https://faye.rayclark.info/index.htmlComment
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Hi Ray,
In the mean time I found myself a nice black 1960 convertible T-Bird. It has been restored in the USA and arrived in The Netherlands last January.
It needs some technical adjustments to get it approved for the European road laws. I wanted to post a picture but I am not able to. Saw that im not allowed. What are the actions to be taken to get full acces? Thanks for your reply.Comment
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Matt,
To be able to post pictures directly you need to become a paid member which is $20 USD a year. If you want to become a member go to the link in the upper right corner "Donate to Site". This will take you to paypal to complete the transaction.
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htmComment
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