1979 Ford Thunderbird from North America - Comments

Currently I am rebuilding the many times rebuilt tank of a car I have dubbed 'Albatross'.

I blew the tranny it came with which was a FMX 3 speed with split gear set.

Needs paint.

I destroyed the rear differential (tore 1 1/2 inches into the rotary differential housing.

I blew the alternator with a hefty stereo.

I blew up the radiator.

I blew out the rear main seal.

I blew up the carburetor.

The fuel pump and all the fuel lines froze one winter, and I had to replace all of that.

When I got the car it had bad brakes, tie rods and U-joints.

Gas tank and engine were both OK; still are..

This car is FAST. The fastest I ever had it was, believe it, 168.7 MPH. I am rebuilding it now with a manual drag tranny and all Detroit rear end. The engine has been modified, obviously.

Although it doesn't look it, these cars are curiously aerodynamic. I love the thrill of driving such a big car, with such a long hood. I got this car for $500 at the bone yard I used to work for. I had to fight the state to get the title for it.

I love this car. I think that these cars are close to the perfection of styling, and well thought-out body design. Drive one for a while and you will see what I mean.

After 360k, this car is very sturdy and has NO rattles - a very well built compliment to the Ford Motor Company.

How did you get it to go that fast? I've only gotten mine a little over 100, and that's with the 351!

My engine has over 400 horsepower.. Like I said "it's been modified".. I would start by rebuilding a 302 for it, and make SURE the engine was cast in Mexico. Get a 390 stroker kit and overbore the cylinders. Then get your heads done at a shop, shaved and ported.

Get a FMX transmission from a '77 to '79 302 Thunderbird; all of those have a split gear set in them. WORK ON YOUR DRIVELINE. New U-joints, bushings, springs, shocks, 4.11 gears (this is the best match) and a good differential that can take a lot of abuse. You should just rebuild the 9" dropout. New seals, bearings and races.

Make sure you have the rear sway bar still. Then rebuild your front end (this is important). Get new front end parts and stick with the techiest bushings and joints (polyurethane). It is very important that you have a tight front end and back end if you want to go fast.. Otherwise the car will shake, shimmy, and wonder all over the place. Not to mention a loss of power to the road.

After you do all of the suspension work, get it aligned by a VERY REPUTABLE shop.. This is important because I have found that VERY few mechanics are experienced in aligning the big old fisher bodies like the late 70's Thunderbirds.

Under 100 is a very bad thing, especially for that car.. That means you have serious trouble under the hood that needs attention. I could get mine up to 140 with 4 people in the car and the windows open without a problem. These cars can be made to move very fast without too much difficulty.. Don't listen the the idiotic Chevy freaks that think no Ford can go over 100. People tell me all the time that I could never have gotten that car to go that fast.. Well.. I don't really care what they think, but I will race them when I get the car back on the road ;)

Sir, your '79 is an inspiration to all of us with one of those "sleepers". There was indeed a reason they sold like hotcakes. Give the new one about 20 years to grow a hood, grow some corners & lose about $15K off the sticker; until then I think I'll keep the '77 I have.

Hrm... my 302 is still totally stock with well over 100k miles on it and although I've never really pushed it much I've had it up to at least 115... which isn't that fast, but its curious that a 351 would barely be able to crack 100.

Are your eyes brown? This is the biggest joke I have ever seen. There is no way that a 4000 pounds went 168mph. The 4.11 gear and the 3 speed trans will not allow you to get any top end speed. This is the biggest lie ever possible to be told.

I own a '79 Thunderbird, 83,681 actual mileage, and all I lack for its total restoration is repairing the electrically wound mechanical clock and rebuilding the heat-cracked steering wheel. I have over $9,000 in (a $600 car) it and most of the work I did. The engine is a 351 modified and the trans a FMX 3 speed. I have not driven the car more than 85 and probably won't go faster because I don't like high speeds. The automobile is beautiful, makes heads turns and is not for sale. ROLL TIDE!

I own a '79 T-Bird with a stock 302 and Motorcraft 2150 carb. When I bought the car it only a couple of years old, and I looked for one with the small V-8 because I wanted the best of both worlds. I wanted a big car that delivered decent fuel mileage.

Back in the days before mainstream fuel injection, our cars had carburators. That Thunderbird was the first big, V-8 powered car I ever owned that got over 20 miles per gallon. On my first trip in it, I drove it from Albuquerque NM to El Paso TX with the air conditioning on and it "sipped" the fuel at a rate of 24 mpg.

I decided to do some further enhancements and I downsized the carburetor jets by one size (a couple thousandths). This worked fine in high altitude since more air is needed in the fuel/air mix and I was able to get 27 mpg. But when I drove it to California (low altitude) I stopped along the way and put the original jets back in because I was afraid of burning valves due to too lean a mix.

I considered putting water injection on the engine, but I never found a design for one that would work properly. All the ones I've ever seen drew water into the intake manifold under vacuum conditions (the exact opposite of when it is needed, which is under engine load conditions). Some WWII bombers had water injection to increase their HP during takeoff, thus requiring a shorter runway to get off the ground.

I love the 302 engine. It was just the right size for both power and economy. I still own the Bird, having enjoyed it for many years. But our world has changed, and I think of basic transportation in a different light now. I prefer getting 50+ mpg, and my Geo Metro delivers that. (Yeah, I know that's quite a switch!) I can't wait until the fuel cell cars get rolling. With the hydrogen storage problem being solved, it looks promising, for our environment and for weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels.

Enjoy your T-Birds!

I almost bought a 1979 Thunderbird new back then. It was white with a dark green cloth interior and a two section green vinyl roof. Drive out was around $5,000. I didn't buy it because I dated a girl that didn't like gas guzzler cars. The girl didn't work out. A guy I knew had a Heritage edition that cost as much as a Lincoln. Really great looking cars.

Anyhow, the following year, I bought a 1966 Cadillac convertible, a real gas guzzler. Wish I still had it.

My aunt had a 1978, virtually identical to your model except for the rear lights. It was my first time riding in a brand new car. As a 9 year old, the TBird left an indelible image impressed upon me. The new car smell, that land barge smoothness, the muffled purring of the high torque (though not really fast by today's standard) v8 all worked in unison to mesmerize me. So in love was I with it my first new car was a 94 Tbird, and although it lost that opulent touch by then, I loved it just the same as my aunt's 78.

I've got a 79 T-Bird that I bought when I got out of the military in 2003. it had 78k when I bought it. Beautiful car, Town Heritage Edition. Burnt Orange Glow with red suede interior. everything on the car is original. I still have it, and just drove it down to Texas (where I moved to from Wisconsin in 2004 and the car was sitting in my parents garage) The car now has 83k on it, but is only a weekend cruiser. ON the way down to Houston, I got 19MPG. That's better than my truck gets. The car has a 351M in it, that runs beautifully yet. It's my pride and joy. I love my 79 'Bird.