THE THUNDERBIRD HAS RETURNED!

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
09/19/2020 at 02:07 • Filed to: Thunderbird

I finally got to drive Phoebe back from the mechanic today! And HOLY CARP, the difference is night and day. He replaced the intake manifold and made a few adjustments to the timing and the carburetor , and it worked wonders. I loved this car already, and now it’s ten times better. For one thing, the engine sounds completely different. By which I mean it sounds A M A Z I N G. And it’s so much more smooth and has so much more power and torque now. That also means the transmission is now shifting properly and isn’t clunky anymore. This was the best drive I’ve had in ages. Actually, the best drive I’ve ever had in this car. I always had fun in this car but this is a new level of fun, more fun than I ever imagined this car could be. No joke, I was giggling like a deranged schoolgirl the whole drive back to campus! For so long, I’ve felt like the car was fun but tired and worn; a shadow of her former self. But not anymore. She may look a little battered on the outside, but she drives like the luxury car with the spirit of a muscle car she was when she was brand new. She feels 54 years younger. She feels joyful. Thank you, Mechanic :)

So my car is finally back and living her best life , and I now have a dog. Today has been a very good day :)

DISCUSSION (22)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 02:27

Carburetor? What's that?

Jim Spanfeller > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
09/19/2020 at 02:35

Black magic sorcery box.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 02:57

It’s nice to get something running smooth. Then there is a crap load of sorcery going on in my Z! I do consider balancing triple carbs sorcery, I totally fucked it up when I tried to do it alone.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 06:19

need a short video of it running

shop-teacher > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 09:12

That's fantastic!

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 10:25

Those cars are absolute spaceships in the best way.

Jim Spanfeller > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
09/19/2020 at 12:39

Yeah after all the time we spent messing with this one, trying to get three to work together sounds like quite a job.

Jim Spanfeller > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/19/2020 at 12:43

Agreed. It even has space age-looking gauges on the inside. And with the headlights on, the interior lights up in thin neon green lines so it looks like something out of Tron :)

Jim Spanfeller > pip bip - choose Corrour
09/19/2020 at 12:44

I’ll try to get that at some point. I have a video of her running after I rebuilt the engine, but now I know it wasn’t quite running right then.

The Snowman > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 13:41

Is it a new to you stock intake or is it a aftermarket aluminum intake? On something like a 390 I would imagine aftermarket could have a large gain on the butt dyno.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 13:44

Did you rebuild it? Some carbs just never stay in tune once they get old, I got three new ones after messing with the three that came with it.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 13:53

It’s official. This is a platform for Thunderbird generated content. Welcome back, Phoebe!

So glad you have her back up and running perfectly. It must have been like that first drive home all over again except better.

arl > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 14:13

Sweet! Old T-Birds are cool.

Jim Spanfeller > The Snowman
09/19/2020 at 15:28

It is indeed an aftermarket aluminum intake. Only the best for my baby.

Jim Spanfeller > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
09/19/2020 at 15:32

The carburetor is an aftermarket four-barrel that was installed by a previous owner at some point. Turns out, it didn’t need to be rebuilt, it just needed to be tuned by somebody who knows what they’re doing. Also, the engine had other issues that affected things, so now that those are all dealt with, it’s easier to actually tune it properly.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 15:37

It is an art, I used to be pretty good with old Vespa carbs. I would do it by listening to it.

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/19/2020 at 15:44

Actually the first drive was kinda scary... I didn’t have my license yet and wasn’t sure how the car would behave, but my mom had driven cars like that before, so she actually drove it home with me in the passenger seat. She found the car absolutely terrifying, especially since we were driving on fast, twisty roads. Not the ideal environment for a tired old American car with dried, cracking tires... My first times driving Phoebe were slow trips around the neighborhood to get used to the handling. But this most recent trip felt like I was finally seeing Phoebe’s true character, and it was amazing. The first drive of the “real” Phoebe...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 15:59

The first time I ever drove Geoff it was a long dark drive at night in the pouring rain but on decent tires so that was exciting. If you discount the driver’s ed Civic which was mind numbingly boring to drive, then Geoff is still the most modern car I’ve ever driven while also being the cheapest to buy so there was a lot to be happy about there.

Hmmm yeah dry rotted tires aren’t conducive to fun driving dynamics, especially in the twisties. How does Phoebe actually handle going around a corner now? Is she sort of a point and shoot car or can you actually carry some momentum through the corners?

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/19/2020 at 16:55

She is about the furthest thing from a canyon carver. Everything you hear about old American car handling is absolutely true here. She’s got new tires now so that’s not a concern, and she can handle most corners just fine at the speed limit, but there is noticeable lean in the twis ties. She was built for cruising in comfort, and that she does extremely well. Other than that, acceleration is not bad, not quite muscle car levels of fast, but there’s plenty of torque and power and she definitely isn’t slow. And the brakes are excellent. F ront disc brakes came as standard on fourth-gen Thunderbirds, so she stops like a modern car.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller
09/19/2020 at 17:04

So it is true! Big boaty handling and comfort isn’t a bad thing at all. I feel like the Thunderbird is pretty well positioned to make a reason able daily driver in modern traffic. The disk brakes in particular are probably a life saver as people don’t seem to realize most classics don’t brake the same as modern cars when they cut in front of you.

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/19/2020 at 17:16

Yeah, I’m very thankful for my powerful brakes. They’ve already come in handy more than once. Mpgs aside, she’s a pretty good daily. Cruising is relaxing and enjoyable, and even when you have to come to a stop, accelerating back up to speed is when the engine makes the most fun noises :)

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Jim Spanfeller
09/21/2020 at 05:16

Fantastic! Have all the fun with her!