1970 Thunderbird; 74k Miles; Second Owner; Very Good Condition on 2040-cars
Abrams, Wisconsin, United States
Body Type:hardtop
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:429
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
Number of Cylinders: 8
Make: Ford
Model: Thunderbird
Trim: 2 door hardtop
Power Options: Power Windows, Power Seats
Drive Type: automatic
Mileage: 74,096
Exterior Color: White
Number of Doors: 2
Interior Color: Black
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
This was my dream car; I like most Thunderbirds but especially like the '70 and '71 for that unique and distinctive Bunkie beak nose! I searched for a few years and in 2009 finally found one in decent shape with low miles from the estate of the original owner, an elderly Michigan woman. Unfortunately she stopped driving 13 years before and just parked it in her garage; it only had 69,000 miles then. When I got it, it barely drove and was in need of lots of basic maintenance. I'm selling because I blew out my lower back and since this car is very low to the ground, it is hard for me to get in and out. I've got over $7k in it; would like at least $5k (buy it now).
The car is sound and you can drive it 70+ mph without worries. Engine starts right up, just a little puff of smoke if it's been sitting for a few weeks otherwise clean exhaust; transmission shifts as it should. Plenty of power from the 370 hp 429 4bbl. Doors, hood, trunk shut with that nice solid thump. Little to no rust anywhere. Interior is nearly perfect. All the gauges, AM radio, fan work fine. Sequential tail signal lights work as they're supposed to. Originally optioned with the front amber running lights.
To get it driveable I did the following:
- new tires
- new coil springs front and back
- most of the dual exhaust, including mufflers, replaced
- new front suspension upper control arm bushings; otherwise everything else was very good; inspected and packed wheel bearings
- new brake master cylinder; otherwise front disk and rear drum brakes very good
- new gas tank, fuel gauge sending unit, gas lines, filters, rebuilt choke and 4 bbl carb (sitting 13 years ruined the whole fuel delivery system)
- new points, plugs, wires, distributor cap/rotor, coil, battery, alternator, voltage regulator
- every coolant hose, clamps replaced; flush and new coolant; new thermostat
- transmission filter and fluids flushed
Other work:
- I replaced the driver's side taillight lens and the red reflective plastic strip beneath; they were slightly cracked
- custom Thunderbird floor mats
- bought but have not installed the weather strips that go between the side windows
- bought but have not installed 4 new power window motors; I was going to do both projects at the same time
What I think still needs to be done:
- when I bought the car all 4 power windows worked but slowly; now only the front passenger window works, hence the new electric motors
- there is a small dent on the roof and the rear bumper's lower dust panel; I wanted to smooth those out, then paint the whole car; paint is ok, has a nice shine but there are a couple of blemishes
Ford Thunderbird for Sale
Auto Services in Wisconsin
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Auto blog
Ford and GM link bonus checks to quality scores
Tue, 29 Apr 2014The poor first quarter earnings of Ford and General Motors are having an effect all the way up the food chain. Both automakers struggled with recalls in the first three months of the year, and, according to The Detroit News, they have responded by increasing the percentage of bonuses tied to vehicle quality for salaried workers, including top executives.
GM announced that 25 percent of bonuses (up from 10 percent) for all salaried workers would be tied to its vehicle quality standards. The automaker revealed in its financial report that it spent $1.3 billion on recall-related repairs in the first quarter, and net income was down 86 percent.
Ford also increased the quality proportion of bonuses for about 26,000 salaried workers all the way up to CEO Alan Mulally from 10 percent to 20 percent. The company announced in its report that the amount paid out in warranty and recall claims was about $400 million higher than expected in the first quarter. Its net income fell 39 percent from the previous year. "The change reflects how critical quality is to our overall business," said spokesperson Todd Nissen speaking to Autoblog.
Pickup prices rising at 2x industry average
Tue, 11 Jun 2013We've said it before, but bears repeating: Pickup trucks are the financial engines of America's automakers. Good thing, then, that the segment is in rude health - in fact, Automotive News is suggesting that pickup truck sales are arguably healthier than they were pre-recession, even though the segment's volume is still significantly down from where it was before the bottom fell out of the US economy. That's because per-unit profits on full-size trucks are skyrocketing, outpacing the industry's average price increases by more than double since 2005. According to data from Edmunds, the average transaction price of a full-size pickup is now $39,915 - a heady increase over the $31,059 average price in 2005 - a gain of over 8 percent after inflation is factored in.
Just how important are trucks to automakers' bottom lines? Automotive News quotes a Morgan Stanley analyst as saying the Ford F-Series is responsible for 90 percent of the company's 2012 profits, and General Motors isn't far behind, with the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra twins chipping in about two-thirds of the automaker's earnings.
Automotive News points out that Detroit's automakers now have the money to invest in modernizing their full-size truck offerings, in part because they don't have the same overhead and legacy costs that pushed General Motors and Chrysler into bankruptcy. Certainly, the pickup segment has seen a lot of innovations as of late, including turbocharged V6s, coil-spring rear suspensions and active aero. Those improvements in important areas like fuel economy and ride comfort have given existing pickup buyers new reasons to upgrade. In addition, automakers are piling on the tech and luxury goodies, creating more and more high-content, high-profit models like the Ford F-150 King Ranch, Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn and Chevrolet Silverado High Country (shown).
Facelifted Ford Focus caught testing in the cold
Wed, 18 Dec 2013It's that time in the life of the Ford Focus to get a little work done - a nip-tuck here, some Botox there. Yes, Ford is testing a facelifted version of its global C-segment entry, which first hit markets in Europe and North America in May 2011.
Like the touchup on the Fiesta, expect Ford's gaping grille to make its first appearance on the Focus. Our spy photographers point out that this is likely to be a more comprehensive makeover than previous spy shots suggested, based on the additional camouflage seen here on the front and rear ends of this five-door model. New head and taillights are also likely in order, as are changes to the front and rear fascia.
The interior was also snapped and features a cleaner design with a larger central display. Other than that, it looks like some buttons have been changed, making us think most of the Focus' updates are limited to the exterior.