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.
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.
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
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!
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 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 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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Those wheels were on my thunderbird and my friend was who you bought this thunderbird from, sold him the wheels when he bought it. cool to see where they're going and excited to follow the build
Well it's been on hold, I started pulling apart the motor and the inside of the motor is toast So now I'm going to build it into a street rod, just have to get it to my shop and pull it away from the dealer
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.
nice find, it's a very stock clean old school car, put a Holley sniper EFI and dizzy and some extractors and a good free flowing exhaust and some new shocks and she would be a great driver 👍
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.
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
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.
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 !
Yup! I had to put an antenna in mine too. I did that when I put a cassette player and radio in it. Leave it the way it is! Just watch your front shock mounts. Once that start squeaking they'll never stop. Don't let the distributor cap developed cracks. The muffler and exhaust looks good though. Mines fell off 4 months into me getting it. I got it used in 94. I loved that car.
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
Awesome. Worked with a guy that had a Thunderbird Super Coupe. His father was a Cadillac man and called it a Thunderchicken. The Torinos and the Thunderbirds from back in the day are probably some of my favorite Fords.
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.
Super Coupe Turbo Poop Potato potahto they were both Thunderbirds and they were both forced induction and they're both slow LOL but for a sixteen-year-old kid learning about cars and modifying them it was a good place to cut your teeth
I don’t blame you for flying over there and buying that T-Bird. These cars were always classy. Ford was really into sleek aerodynamic designs that looked good at every angle. I’d freshen it up, repair what’s needed and enjoy it. I saw one of these one time with a later model Mustang 5.0 H.O engine in it. The car ran strong.
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
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.
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 …
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
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.
Nice car! Brings back memories for me. I had an '83 Thunderbird, the first year of that body style. Ordered it as soon as I saw that new style because I thought it looked so cool! Mine was in white with the same color interior as yours. Sure had a lot of fun with that car...And I hope you have lots of fun with yours! Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do with yours!
I had an 87 which was had the pointy nose, but actually liked this body style a little more. Mine had the 5.0 EFI, it was slow but got 30 mpg if I kept it around 65. It got severe hail damage at around 5 years old and 75K. I decided to use the insurance money to buy a 90 SC and kept the 87 as a daily. It was quite the conversation piece as it looked like a golf ball. I gave it to my Dad who drove it to work across town for years and eventually sold it cheap to a friend who needed a car. The 1990 was a totally different car, much faster and handled way better, but the 87 rode like a Caddy. I'd love to have either one of them back, well maybe minus the hail damage.
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.
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:)
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 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
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.
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.
Boy, someone sure loved that car and it obviously was well maintained. It's a beautiful car. 👍
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!
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.
That Thunderbird is a pretty decent
Car for being 36 years old....
Those old Thunderbirds are Cool !!
Thanks for your videos !!!
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 had this model. But 1983 with the electronic dash! It was my first car. Ran like a top! Loved it!
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
I love that body style man!! So glad you got it!! Sure wish I had one like that, love the color also!!
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!
I always loved that generation of Thunder Chicken!
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 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. 👍🏼💯👍🏼💯
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.
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.
Super cool. Nice color. Good find.
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.
Nice buy man. Good looking car 👊👍
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
Love it! Had an 1983 heritage edition tbird in high school. Brings back memories
Keep the original look of car and make a sleeper out of it that’s a really nice bird
I had an '89 Thunder Chicken, man that thing would just float down the road.
Very nice find. I had a 65 with the 390 up until a few years ago...
7.3 Godzilla swap would be a modern pushrod big block perfect for the car
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.
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
That is a super sweet fox body. Good luck.....
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.
Holy shit, what a beautiful car. Great find! 👍🏽
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.
Those wheels were on my thunderbird and my friend was who you bought this thunderbird from, sold him the wheels when he bought it. cool to see where they're going and excited to follow the build
Well it's been on hold, I started pulling apart the motor and the inside of the motor is toast
So now I'm going to build it into a street rod, just have to get it to my shop and pull it away from the dealer
those Thunderbirds have great lines 👍🏼
Congrats! Loving both 🤩
Beautiful Thunderbird
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.
nice find, it's a very stock clean old school car, put a Holley sniper EFI and dizzy and some extractors and a good free flowing exhaust and some new shocks and she would be a great driver 👍
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.
Time capsule worth saving.
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
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.
I say leave the outside stock and put those rims on the town car to see how they look, nice catch. God bless you
Clean looking fox body bird 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
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 !
Yup! I had to put an antenna in mine too. I did that when I put a cassette player and radio in it. Leave it the way it is!
Just watch your front shock mounts. Once that start squeaking they'll never stop. Don't let the distributor cap developed cracks. The muffler and exhaust looks good though. Mines fell off 4 months into me getting it. I got it used in 94. I loved that car.
Im going to freshen her up a bit
@@FordBossMe Yaaayyy!
Nice find! Do whatever you like, but I vote for a restore video series.
Loved that car.
Clean car. Very nice.
I remember being a kid and riding in one of those. I was so amazed at the digital speedometer 😂
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
Awesome. Worked with a guy that had a Thunderbird Super Coupe. His father was a Cadillac man and called it a Thunderchicken. The Torinos and the Thunderbirds from back in the day are probably some of my favorite Fords.
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.
A friend of mine had a 5L T-Bird from the ‘90s. It was a fun/fast car. It was white.
My first car was a 1988 Thunderbird Super Coupe..alot of good memories
88 was TurboCoupe
Super Coupe Turbo Poop Potato potahto they were both Thunderbirds and they were both forced induction and they're both slow LOL but for a sixteen-year-old kid learning about cars and modifying them it was a good place to cut your teeth
My Dad still has his 1985 ThunderBird TurboCoupe
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.
This reminded me of a 86 Mercury cougar I had for 2 yrs. Same interior. Thanks for the memories
I don’t blame you for flying over there and buying that T-Bird. These cars were always classy. Ford was really into sleek aerodynamic designs that looked good at every angle. I’d freshen it up, repair what’s needed and enjoy it. I saw one of these one time with a later model Mustang 5.0 H.O engine in it. The car ran strong.
Love your car it’s beautiful thunderbird gonna be my next car
Sweet ride... keep as is.
Nice car Rich. Can't wait to see what you will do with this bird. Let it fly!
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
Okay I watched the longer video 1st, but definitely a nice old bird, looking good mate, Rj in Oz
1985 Thunderbird 5.0...............A classy old lady
Clean ride
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
I like the thought of a 331 STROKER, very cool brother
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.
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 …
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.
Sharp car, should be a fun project
Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. 🦅
I had a Merc cougar 87 nice cars ! Put the stock rims on and refresh that motor.
Super clean!
Cool Deal
A four eyes fox body Thunderbird:)
You should put a 460 in it.
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
Clean up the under-side and undercoat it...then make the rest like new! WOW, what a nice ride!
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.
my old car awesome of love these cars....
Awesome Tbird! Have no regrets on the purchase! After all its a 302 fox body in a tbird dress.
Digging the wheels.
That dodge sounds really good by the way!!....
Tyvm
Modernize that 302. Put a more modern EFI. See how much you can increase fuel mileage and performance. Looks like a nice comfortable cruiser.
Look like the old girl has aged well. Look forward to watching her progress down the road 👍
I had an '86 Turbocoupe, manual trans with the 2.3, fun as hell to drive around. Wish I had kept it.
Nice car! Brings back memories for me. I had an '83 Thunderbird, the first year of that body style. Ordered it as soon as I saw that new style because I thought it looked so cool! Mine was in white with the same color interior as yours. Sure had a lot of fun with that car...And I hope you have lots of fun with yours! Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do with yours!
Great addition to the channel!
I had an 87 which was had the pointy nose, but actually liked this body style a little more. Mine had the 5.0 EFI, it was slow but got 30 mpg if I kept it around 65. It got severe hail damage at around 5 years old and 75K. I decided to use the insurance money to buy a 90 SC and kept the 87 as a daily. It was quite the conversation piece as it looked like a golf ball. I gave it to my Dad who drove it to work across town for years and eventually sold it cheap to a friend who needed a car. The 1990 was a totally different car, much faster and handled way better, but the 87 rode like a Caddy. I'd love to have either one of them back, well maybe minus the hail damage.
had a 83, it was great, sold at 234k miles.
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.
Congrats man... sick car
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:)
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
Perfect sleeper... It's already got balls, give it some teeth lol👍
Love it. Very little rust from what i see.
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
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 $$$
looks like a great car to cruise around in
or twin turbo
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.
i got a 30th anniversary one of these sitting in my garage!