Yes Ford was ahead back in 83 when the future jellybean shapes were coming out : Tempo/ Topaz, Taurus/ Sable, Thunderbird/ Cougar to name the main ones. They are 80s cars but looked like something 90s then.
How about a super sleeper? Big ass hubcaps, a kleenex box in the package tray, an ARP and AAA sticker on the bumper and a Summit Gold card hanging from the rear view mirror.
My grandma has a thunderbird super coupe that has sadly been sitting in her driveway for over ten years. Hoping that I can get it into my hands someday so I can restore it
Man I’d really hate to say it but damn, you scored! Wow what a cool find. Every time I go up a canyon I dream of flying up in a fox body. You’ll do great things with this gem.
331 stroker cost too much for the HP you gain...... i would go with Bored .30 over, a Nice B303 Ford Racing Street Cam if the Stock Block is already Roller Lifter Ready, Decent set of Heads, Decent intake, Edelbrock or Holley Carb, But Edelbrock has always Ran better on 302's for me...... MSD Distributor, I ran mine at 14 Degrees Timing Stock and 16 Degrees at the Drag Strip, it Ran Amazing and alot better than the O.E.M 8 to 12 Degrees Recommended Timing
I remember test-drive new a Tbird turbo 5 speed, another with autom, each several miles. Impressed the floater feel was gone - very crisp handling but not jarring. Power was good too. While driving it, I was reminded of my 71 Opel Manta coupe and 73 Manta Rallye, both autocrossed - but were waaay stiff, even with stock suspension.
Being they are fox chassis, there are endless possibilities for drivetrain combos. My bro has an '88 with a coyote swap and a T-56. My '85 cougar has a 351w with a 5-speed.
I’m not gonna lie, I was extremely tempted to buy that car. I’m in Missouri so it’s not much of a drive. It was a great looking car for the price, but my wife is picky. I can’t wait to see what could’ve been.
@Scotty secretly loves Chryslers I mean, I could buy anything I want, but then I’d have to hear her shit about it anytime I had to work on it, if something breaks on it, or if I had to move it out of the driveway to drive another car. I’d rather agree on a vehicle together, that we both like, than to deal with that. She’s my filter. I would also have a car lot driveway if I impulsively bought every car I liked. If I was rich, I’d be like Jay Leno. Lol
very rare with the 302CID 5.0l V-8 most of them had that crap Essex 3.8L V-6 that was under powered and always blew head gaskets. The Essex 3.8L V-6 as not enough engine for this heavy car is was a dog
When you get the title, the Plano dmv usually is empty mid morning (930-1045a). They will give you tags too. It will be really cool to see you do a full restoration on it.
I want a Fila Edition I had an 1985 Mustang GT That was white and charcoal two tone:) Back in the early 1990’s Mine was built too 71 windsor ported head with solid lifter cam 7,000 rpm shift point
Build it in stages… Meaning - save the original engine and transmission… The get another Roller 5.0 GT 40 And Kenne Bell blower :) The coyote swap is too much trouble in my opinion. Truck out the suspension too:)
Wow, that's cool! I always loved that era of the 80s T-bird and Cougar. Reminds me of when I was a kid in the 80s. When I was 16 in 1993 and we were looking at my first car, I was eyeballing a grey 86 cougar 5.0 a person had nearby FS. Dad said nah, ended up with an 87 Escort instead.....probably better off for a 16 yr old....lol! I was a little more stupid and crazy back then, probably would've wrecked the cougar being v8 and RWD. I noticed the OEM Ford stickers in the side windows....the "get it together" seat belt reminders.......that also sticks out in my memory bank of the 80s Fords.
I like your old car:) A guy had one, it was midnight blue It put a built 400 SBC in place of the Ford 302 Man she was a Beast… Midnight blue car with an orange engine …
When we bought our 1988 Turbo Coupe, was original. We bought it from the first owner, it even had an old title from 1988. Our Thunderbird had 230k miles on it. Everything worked, even the shock adjustment system
Old school American Racing Equipment wheels!!! They stole my car when I was 19 for my gold honeycomb ARE wheels. Damn I even had those MAXI-GAURD car alarm stickers.
It looks sharp with those wheels. It runs like crap, tune that bad boy up. Carbed? Single point Fuel Injection? I do prefer the Lincoln Mark VII LSC's with the HO 5.0 Should have kept mine!
The whole car was built Chrome tower brace 2 point roll bar Sub connectors Polished aluminum Accessory Brackets Chrome alternator Hurst shifter She was a pretty perfect car.
My friend had an 86 or 87 5.0 Multi port T-Bird new. Red with red interior very nice car. I did general maintenance on it for a season or two until he moved out west. His younger brother purchased a new 87 Grand Prix 305 CID 4 barrel that was medium blue upper with silver lower paint. The Pontiac looked like a Shark with its PMD rally wheels. It’s also in California and he still owns the car.
I had one of those Thunderbirds in the 90’s. Originally it was a six cylinder and the person I got it from put a drive line from a 92 Mustang 5.0. It was done right, even the suspension was upgraded. It had the AOD in it and eventually that went like they all do and we put a C 4 in it. The way that C 4 was geared woke that Thunderbird up! It would lite em up all through first and half way through second. That’s a good starter project you got. Tie the frame first and put some proper dual exhaust on it. I’m watching as I type and the more I see that car the more it brings back memories. You don’t see those anymore. That’s a bada$$ ride you got. 👍🏼💯👍🏼💯
I had an 85 crown vic. Those CFI systems are complex and and a PITA to maintain as they get older. Wonder if you can even get parts - like the EGR solenoids. No data streams either. They are ok though. I think 86 went to SEFI.
Awesome find! I would leave as is & repair whats needed. Makes me miss my 92 Thunderbird 5.0. It was a great road car. Love the muscular look of the car ! Enjoy your new toy!
You can tell that this car has been well cared for. Even quality parts down to the ford battery. Funny how looking under the hood of a vehicle, makes you hear the story the vehicle has. Fuckin car whisperer! Good buy, she's pretty mint for the age, and it's been kept up from what I can see. I'll be honest, I impulse buy shit, and ask for forgiveness later. It's easier that way most of the time.
This brings back memories. I had 2 86 cougars with the crappy v6. My folks had a t bird, also an 86 with the 5 liter in it. That had port injection, looks like yours is throttle body? That's a damned nice car. I would just clean up the surface rust and rock it as is
That is a beautiful 85 thunderbird. I would put a 331 stroker efi motor build aod trans with big brakes all around and rebuild the suspension with performance handling all around. I would put like 17’ inch mustang any type of wheels for the stance. Then u will have a proper super cruiser touring car. It is essentially a fox body underneath. I know that’s a lot but take ur time to make it great.
I've built a few cars. I'm kinda going with the folks that say restore it. You get a lot of points for an older car that's clean clean. After you run thru the car, and I know you will, then think about performance. If you think you're going to hit the 1/4 mile, it's amazing what gears and headers will do. Just need an engine that will rev a little. You know, like past 4000 before it's tongue starts hanging out.
My girlfriend had one of those back in 1991 or 1992....I remember changing her heater core on the street, in front of my dads house, in the winter. Good times! And did it without opening up the A/C system
I had an '83 w/ the 3.8L, had the rust in the exact same place as this back window, and much more. Ford's "aero" front ends were awesome technology back then.
Had a 84 Mercury Couger that could get up and go, wifey had it get up and went through a national forest Park wooden sign, body shop fixed it then I sold it for a 88 Ford thunderboyd,
Ask NASCAR if they approved of Bill Elliott going 212.8MPH in that Thunderbird at Talladega Superspeedway? While Bobby Allison's Buick Regal went airborne into the fence May 3rd and started the restrictor plate era of NASCAR.
This i look forward to., cuz i always like this body style. This goes back to when Nascar ran these, you could tell the different brands on the track. I miss those days !
It always comes down to your personal preference... But for me I always like the idea of making her stock as possible. Especially when it's clean and as straight as this one is.
Man the way it starts to the sound of my 85 Thunderbird Elan is exactly the same. Never get tired of hearing it. Good to see more of these thunderbirds cruising around.
I prefer the t-bird model in this era over the cougar although similar design and same engine. The cougar had that weird side rear windows. The t-bird design flows perfectly
Haha. I did the same thing with my 2002 continental. Found it on marketplace and after lots of thought, decided to go see it. After I saw the condition of it, I had to have it. Lol. Didn’t need it, but wanted it. The bird you picked up is super nice. Good thing you found it before I did. I may have wanted it too! Lol
Man that IS clean. Underside is pretty clean too. I'm impressed. Combo dash pretty cool. I say just hop up what's there, for now. Might wait to gut and refit the block. Buddy had one but his was a 3.8. Had a helluva time with issues. His were mostly self inflicted. Maybe change the rims too.
Strengthen the known weak points of that model, and treat that surface rust. Maybe you can make a few episodes of rust treatment with mechanical and chemical measures, with the intent that it does not come back, if possible in any way. Most body shops only do hush hush work and the brown pest comes back after six months or so. The over all look of that car is so mint, like everything on it fits together or matches each other. I would - if at all - conserve the looks as much as possible, if these are not that common in that condition (I'm not that familiar with US cars, sittin' here in Germany). Could become like a conservation project, because - correct me if I'm wrong - the town car is like the performance project.
Had a 96' with a 4.6L and the independent rear suspension. Still the nicest driving car I've ever owned. Bad torque converter and a coolant leak eventually did it in
I heard that your model after this one and I'm starting to have issues with my brakes like I just changed them and I'm still having hard issues with stopping my car
![[UNCUT] “บอสณวัฒน์” ลากไส้!! ใครหนุนหลัง "แม่ตั๊ก ป๋าเบียร์" I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 30 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QlD7mU2KKRk/mqdefault.jpg)
That style really looks nice. Restore it. Seeing some of these 30 and 40 year old cars makes me realize Ford may have been ahead of its time.
Yes Ford was ahead back in 83 when the future jellybean shapes were coming out : Tempo/ Topaz, Taurus/ Sable, Thunderbird/ Cougar to name the main ones. They are 80s cars but looked like something 90s then.
Restore it to original these are rare! its a cool car.
Keep the original look of car and make a sleeper out of it that’s a really nice bird
7.3 Godzilla swap would be a modern pushrod big block perfect for the car
How about a super sleeper? Big ass hubcaps, a kleenex box in the package tray, an ARP and AAA sticker on the bumper and a Summit Gold card hanging from the rear view mirror.
My grandma has a thunderbird super coupe that has sadly been sitting in her driveway for over ten years. Hoping that I can get it into my hands someday so I can restore it
Man I’d really hate to say it but damn, you scored! Wow what a cool find. Every time I go up a canyon I dream of flying up in a fox body. You’ll do great things with this gem.
331 stroker cost too much for the HP you gain...... i would go with Bored .30 over, a Nice B303 Ford Racing Street Cam if the Stock Block is already Roller Lifter Ready, Decent set of Heads, Decent intake, Edelbrock or Holley Carb, But Edelbrock has always Ran better on 302's for me...... MSD Distributor, I ran mine at 14 Degrees Timing Stock and 16 Degrees at the Drag Strip, it Ran Amazing and alot better than the O.E.M 8 to 12 Degrees Recommended Timing
Loved my 1985 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with the 2.3 L and 5speed manual. Awesome find and it looks to be in nice shape!
I remember test-drive new a Tbird turbo 5 speed, another with autom, each several miles. Impressed the floater feel was gone - very crisp handling but not jarring. Power was good too. While driving it, I was reminded of my 71 Opel Manta coupe and 73 Manta Rallye, both autocrossed - but were waaay stiff, even with stock suspension.
Being they are fox chassis, there are endless possibilities for drivetrain combos. My bro has an '88 with a coyote swap and a T-56. My '85 cougar has a 351w with a 5-speed.
You should put a 460 in it.
I love that body style man!! So glad you got it!! Sure wish I had one like that, love the color also!!
I’m not gonna lie, I was extremely tempted to buy that car. I’m in Missouri so it’s not much of a drive. It was a great looking car for the price, but my wife is picky. I can’t wait to see what could’ve been.
@Scotty secretly loves Chryslers I mean, I could buy anything I want, but then I’d have to hear her shit about it anytime I had to work on it, if something breaks on it, or if I had to move it out of the driveway to drive another car. I’d rather agree on a vehicle together, that we both like, than to deal with that. She’s my filter. I would also have a car lot driveway if I impulsively bought every car I liked. If I was rich, I’d be like Jay Leno. Lol
very rare with the 302CID 5.0l V-8 most of them had that crap Essex 3.8L V-6 that was under powered and always blew head gaskets. The Essex 3.8L V-6 as not enough engine for this heavy car is was a dog
And the 3.8 had trouble cracking exhaust manifolds. Had a 1993 Taurus wagon and loved the 3.0 Vulcan. Glad not a 3.8.
Great looking car for being in the rust belt. I would keep the exterior as it is and put all the work into engine and drive train.
Time capsule worth saving.
I wonder... in their day there were zillions of these on the road. Now... damned scarce. What caused them all to disappear? Rust?
that & cash for clunkers
Nice buy man. Good looking car 👊👍
And it’s got column shifter; most V8s that year had center console shifter as I recall & majority T-Birds/Cougars sold in that era were V6.
When you get the title, the Plano dmv usually is empty mid morning (930-1045a). They will give you tags too.
It will be really cool to see you do a full restoration on it.
460
Love it! Had an 1983 heritage edition tbird in high school. Brings back memories
I want a Fila Edition
I had an 1985 Mustang GT
That was white and charcoal two tone:)
Back in the early 1990’s
Mine was built too
71 windsor ported head with solid lifter cam
7,000 rpm shift point
Build it in stages…
Meaning - save the original engine and transmission…
The get another Roller 5.0 GT 40
And Kenne Bell blower :)
The coyote swap is too much trouble in my opinion.
Truck out the suspension too:)
Wow, that's cool! I always loved that era of the 80s T-bird and Cougar. Reminds me of when I was a kid in the 80s. When I was 16 in 1993 and we were looking at my first car, I was eyeballing a grey 86 cougar 5.0 a person had nearby FS. Dad said nah, ended up with an 87 Escort instead.....probably better off for a 16 yr old....lol! I was a little more stupid and crazy back then, probably would've wrecked the cougar being v8 and RWD. I noticed the OEM Ford stickers in the side windows....the "get it together" seat belt reminders.......that also sticks out in my memory bank of the 80s Fords.
I like your old car:)
A guy had one, it was midnight blue
It put a built 400 SBC in place of the Ford 302
Man she was a Beast…
Midnight blue car with an orange engine …
When we bought our 1988 Turbo Coupe, was original. We bought it from the first owner, it even had an old title from 1988. Our Thunderbird had 230k miles on it. Everything worked, even the shock adjustment system
Old school American Racing Equipment wheels!!! They stole my car when I was 19 for my gold honeycomb ARE wheels. Damn I even had those MAXI-GAURD car alarm stickers.
That bird is beautiful..... They don't make'em like that anymore.. I myself have a big body Lincoln Town Car 1997 and that bird looks small
It looks sharp with those wheels. It runs like crap, tune that bad boy up. Carbed? Single point Fuel Injection? I do prefer the Lincoln Mark VII LSC's with the HO 5.0 Should have kept mine!
The whole car was built
Chrome tower brace
2 point roll bar
Sub connectors
Polished aluminum Accessory Brackets
Chrome alternator
Hurst shifter
She was a pretty perfect car.
My friend had an 86 or 87 5.0 Multi port T-Bird new. Red with red interior very nice car. I did general maintenance on it for a season or two until he moved out west.
His younger brother purchased a new 87 Grand Prix 305 CID 4 barrel that was medium blue upper with silver lower paint. The Pontiac looked like a Shark with its PMD rally wheels. It’s also in California and he still owns the car.
I had one of those Thunderbirds in the 90’s. Originally it was a six cylinder and the person I got it from put a drive line from a 92 Mustang 5.0. It was done right, even the suspension was upgraded. It had the AOD in it and eventually that went like they all do and we put a C 4 in it. The way that C 4 was geared woke that Thunderbird up! It would lite em up all through first and half way through second. That’s a good starter project you got. Tie the frame first and put some proper dual exhaust on it. I’m watching as I type and the more I see that car the more it brings back memories. You don’t see those anymore. That’s a bada$$ ride you got. 👍🏼💯👍🏼💯
I had an 85 crown vic. Those CFI systems are complex and and a PITA to maintain as they get older. Wonder if you can even get parts - like the EGR solenoids. No data streams either. They are ok though.
I think 86 went to SEFI.
those Thunderbirds have great lines 👍🏼
Modernize that 302. Put a more modern EFI. See how much you can increase fuel mileage and performance. Looks like a nice comfortable cruiser.
Awesome find! I would leave as is & repair whats needed. Makes me miss my 92 Thunderbird 5.0. It was a great road car. Love the muscular look of the car ! Enjoy your new toy!
You can tell that this car has been well cared for. Even quality parts down to the ford battery. Funny how looking under the hood of a vehicle, makes you hear the story the vehicle has. Fuckin car whisperer! Good buy, she's pretty mint for the age, and it's been kept up from what I can see.
I'll be honest, I impulse buy shit, and ask for forgiveness later. It's easier that way most of the time.
That Thunderbird is a pretty decent
Car for being 36 years old....
Those old Thunderbirds are Cool !!
Thanks for your videos !!!
My mom had a Turbo Coupe and my Stepdad had a 85 Tbird 5.0 just like this in red. LOVE these cars. GREAT find!
It's a foxbody !
This brings back memories. I had 2 86 cougars with the crappy v6. My folks had a t bird, also an 86 with the 5 liter in it. That had port injection, looks like yours is throttle body? That's a damned nice car. I would just clean up the surface rust and rock it as is
That is a beautiful 85 thunderbird. I would put a 331 stroker efi motor build aod trans with big brakes all around and rebuild the suspension with performance handling all around. I would put like 17’ inch mustang any type of wheels for the stance. Then u will have a proper super cruiser touring car. It is essentially a fox body underneath. I know that’s a lot but take ur time to make it great.
I've built a few cars. I'm kinda going with the folks that say restore it. You get a lot of points for an older car that's clean clean. After you run thru the car, and I know you will, then think about performance. If you think you're going to hit the 1/4 mile, it's amazing what gears and headers will do. Just need an engine that will rev a little. You know, like past 4000 before it's tongue starts hanging out.
It needs Sport Coupe wheels dude. Those gotta go imho
I've had four of those '88 TC's.... if he needs any help. Mine unfortunately we're rust belters.
My girlfriend had one of those back in 1991 or 1992....I remember changing her heater core on the street, in front of my dads house, in the winter. Good times! And did it without opening up the A/C system
I had an '83 w/ the 3.8L, had the rust in the exact same place as this back window, and much more. Ford's "aero" front ends were awesome technology back then.
Godzilla or leave as is.
My Dad still has his 1985 ThunderBird TurboCoupe
Had a 84 Mercury Couger that could get up and go, wifey had it get up and went through a national forest Park wooden sign, body shop fixed it then I sold it for a 88 Ford thunderboyd,
I had this model. But 1983 with the electronic dash! It was my first car. Ran like a top! Loved it!
1985 The "Jelly Bean" Shaped Ford Era...👍
Ask NASCAR if they approved of Bill Elliott going 212.8MPH in that Thunderbird at Talladega Superspeedway? While Bobby Allison's Buick Regal went airborne into the fence May 3rd and started the restrictor plate era of NASCAR.
1996-99 Taurus was the worst Jelly Bean!
This i look forward to., cuz i always like this body style. This goes back to when Nascar ran these, you could tell the different brands on the track. I miss those days !
It always comes down to your personal preference... But for me I always like the idea of making her stock as possible. Especially when it's clean and as straight as this one is.
Okay I watched the longer video 1st, but definitely a nice old bird, looking good mate, Rj in Oz
Man the way it starts to the sound of my 85 Thunderbird Elan is exactly the same. Never get tired of hearing it. Good to see more of these thunderbirds cruising around.
I prefer the t-bird model in this era over the cougar although similar design and same engine. The cougar had that weird side rear windows. The t-bird design flows perfectly
Boy, someone sure loved that car and it obviously was well maintained. It's a beautiful car. 👍
Keep the car stock appearing. Work on the motor for more hp. Get rid of the emissions. GT40 heads, cam, intake, carb and headers.
Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. 🦅
My first car was a 84.I would restore it.They won't be many left in a few years.
Haha. I did the same thing with my 2002 continental. Found it on marketplace and after lots of thought, decided to go see it. After I saw the condition of it, I had to have it. Lol. Didn’t need it, but wanted it. The bird you picked up is super nice. Good thing you found it before I did. I may have wanted it too! Lol
I always loved that generation of Thunder Chicken!
Hell ya! Nice ride. Mom had one when i was a kid, love that 80's interior lol. I would clean it up and drive as is. Looks damn good already.
Rodstoration! Keep it nice and sweet, but fast . Luxury hot rod . Ya know the sexy thinner sister to the Town Car😉😎
Man that IS clean. Underside is pretty clean too. I'm impressed.
Combo dash pretty cool. I say just hop up what's there, for now. Might wait to gut and refit the block. Buddy had one but his was a 3.8. Had a helluva time with issues. His were mostly self inflicted. Maybe change the rims too.
Is this the Elan Model?
I think it is because of the wing window vents, but I thought those were all 2.3 turbo?
Idk
I'm new to these Thunderbirds in the 80s most of my experience is with the fifties and sixties
Love your car it’s beautiful thunderbird gonna be my next car
I had an '89 Thunder Chicken, man that thing would just float down the road.
Awesome Tbird! Have no regrets on the purchase! After all its a 302 fox body in a tbird dress.
Very nice find. I had a 65 with the 390 up until a few years ago...
My opinion. Daily reliable driver that runs mid 13s.
A friend of mine had a 5L T-Bird from the ‘90s. It was a fun/fast car. It was white.
My dad had one of these back in the 80s and I loved it. It had a digital speedo, it was dark blue. It was like the car of the future.
I remember being a kid and riding in one of those. I was so amazed at the digital speedometer 😂
I would put fuel injection on it. Holly and MSD to name a few makes a plug n play system
That is a super sweet fox body. Good luck.....
Holy shit, what a beautiful car. Great find! 👍🏽
Cool Deal
A four eyes fox body Thunderbird:)
Us old timers still in the trade.... that’s what we cut our teeth on. Shit I did warranty work on that car. Lol. Under warranty
Back when ford built real cars ;)
I owned a 1980 thunderbird. It was not nice at all and now they sell for over $8k.
Clean looking fox body bird 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Perfect sleeper... It's already got balls, give it some teeth lol👍
I like the thought of a 331 STROKER, very cool brother
I say leave the outside stock and put those rims on the town car to see how they look, nice catch. God bless you
1985 Thunderbird 5.0...............A classy old lady
Nice find! Do whatever you like, but I vote for a restore video series.
Strengthen the known weak points of that model, and treat that surface rust.
Maybe you can make a few episodes of rust treatment with mechanical and chemical measures, with the intent that it does not come back, if possible in any way.
Most body shops only do hush hush work and the brown pest comes back after six months or so.
The over all look of that car is so mint, like everything on it fits together or matches each other.
I would - if at all - conserve the looks as much as possible, if these are not that common in that condition (I'm not that familiar with US cars, sittin' here in Germany).
Could become like a conservation project, because - correct me if I'm wrong - the town car is like the performance project.
Yeah true
Hook up a turbo with some nitros and scare the hell out of people. Thanks
I HAVE one in white, but only 3.8L hhEHHE
Just repairing that rusty stuff would be interesting
Looks svelte/nimble next to the TC.
I had a Merc cougar 87 nice cars ! Put the stock rims on and refresh that motor.
Super clean!
Had a 96' with a 4.6L and the independent rear suspension. Still the nicest driving car I've ever owned. Bad torque converter and a coolant leak eventually did it in
That thing is mint my man. Gorgeous find
I heard that your model after this one and I'm starting to have issues with my brakes like I just changed them and I'm still having hard issues with stopping my car
I don't know much about these yet
Omg God I have a dodge to and just got a Thunderbird same year love the car bring back memories of your grandpa driving those cars before good car
I'm trying to get rid of my Thunderbird now
Neighbor has a freshly gone through 460 with marine heads that will just squeeze in there if your interested, not that far from you.
Depends on $$$
What journey?? That thing is prime
To bad it's not a turbo coupe! Shove a coyote in it!