This is Phoebe, my '66 T-bird.

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
12/07/2019 at 15:37 • Filed to: None

It occurred to me that I haven’t made a post about my actual car yet, so here she is. Her name is Phoebe, and she is a 1966 Ford Thunderbird Hardtop Coupe. She’s also the first and only car I’ve ever bought. After working hard for a few years to save up for a first car, I found myself dreading the idea of buying a boring (aka practical/normal) car like a Camry or something. I didn’t like the thought of hating my first car for not being interesting, but around that time I had started taking automotive classes, so my parents agreed to let me buy a classic car since I wanted one and they’re easier to fix, which is good for a person learning to fix cars. Not long after, they showed me a Facebook marketplace advertisement for a 1965 Thunderbird and asked me if I was interested. I said yes, and immediately began researching fourth-gen Thunderbirds. After going to look at the actual car, though, we determined that it could be restored, but not by someone like me. Which sucked, because in doing all that research, I had fallen in love with that generation of Thunderbird. I had been bitten by the T-bird bug, and upon arriving back home, I began browsing craigslist in the hope that maybe another one would be for sale. To my delight, there was! The price was a bit of a stretch for my budget, but almost everything on the car worked, and it was certainly in much better condition than the other one was. A short drive later, I found myself the proud owner of a 1966 Thunderbird. I now love this car so much that I don’t think I’ll ever sell it. It’s not perfect, but it’s everything I hoped it to be. It’s the most wonderful “bad” decision I’ve ever made :)

DISCUSSION (18)

SiennaMan > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 15:46

Cool story and a beautiful car, an easy first car to justify never selling.

E92M3 > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 15:59

I love it! If you’re not already a member, you should join the “ International Thunderbird Club” facebook group. I h ave a 5 6 that I inherited from my dad a little over a year ago. It's been quite the project to get it roadworthy again after sitting for 15 years.

$kaycog > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 16:00

Hi, Phoebe! You’re a beauty!

Jim Spanfeller > $kaycog
12/07/2019 at 16:09

She says thank you :)

fintail > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 16:18

390? These cars are a lot of style for the money. Nice looking, and hubcaps will really set it off.

The first car I regularly drove was a 66 Ford, but a Galaxie.

WilliamsSW > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 16:19

Very cool!! I love these T Birds. I was like you when I was younger- saved my $ for that first car, and I wanted something older, classier, and simpler. Ended up with a 65 Cutlass that was the oldest car in my high school (well there were 3 65 GM A bodies) - and that was in 1984. The car looks great - enjoy it!

Jim Spanfeller > fintail
12/07/2019 at 16:38

Yup, it’s got the 390. It was originally a two barrel, but one of the previous owners upgraded to a four barrel. I had the original hubcaps, but they kept falling off, so I stopped putting them back on. I sent them to be repaired, but that was a long time ago. Not sure if I’ll see them again.

Jim Spanfeller > WilliamsSW
12/07/2019 at 16:40

Nice! My next door neighbor has a Cutlass, though I’m not sure what year. It might be a 65. He bought it almost completely disassembled, and he’s been slowly putting it back together for a while now.

fintail > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 17:31

Nice. Probably not too hard to find another set of caps. I think the 66 Ford I drove might have also been a 4bbl, if memory serves me right. 10-12 mpg no matter the speed.

WilliamsSW > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 17:51

Nice! Maybe it’s a 442, not sure many people would buy a disassembled plain Cutlass, but I do love them.

Jim Spanfeller > WilliamsSW
12/07/2019 at 18:27

From what I remember, I think he said the person he bought it from bought it to take apart and part out, and then sell the rest for scrap. But my neighbor thought it was too nice to suffer that fate, so he bought the whole thing from that guy, after it had already been taken apart. Or it was something like that. From what he’s said, it seems to be mostly rust-free and complete, so it should be pretty nice when he eventually gets it all put back together.

WilliamsSW > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 18:43

That’s great! Olds made some strong V8s, and they’re really nice cars. Hope it’s back on the road soon!

wafflesnfalafel > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 19:04

my 8 yo niece is named Phoe be - she lik es unicorns and rainbows . 390 motor car?

shop-teacher > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 22:02

That's really cool!!!

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Jim Spanfeller
12/07/2019 at 22:53

I never liked those cars.

However, that is very cool. Please post up some more pictures.

It looks pretty straight on the d ri ver side and that for a 50+ year old car is great. My Mom had a brand new 1967 Ford Country Squire station wagon with a 390. It moved all that station wagon steel along pretty good. It was gone by the time I learned to drive in 1975, but I spent a lot of time as a passenger in it. Probably got about 12 mpg. Gas was cheap until 1974 or so.

As far as bad decisions go I think you did pretty well. I hope you improve it and keep it forever. As a driver with less that 5 years experience you have to work hard to not get in an accident. Please be diligent. There are plenty of things working against you; friends, phones, and youth ful indiscretion. I may or may not have done some really stupid things behind the wheel between 16 and 21. If I got to do it over again I wouldn’t mind buying a 10 year old 1966 T Bird in 1976 and babying for 4 3 years. The fact that I didn’t perhaps was a bad decision.

P lease post more pictures soon and as you improve it I’d love to see yo ur progress.

Jim Spanfeller > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
12/08/2019 at 00:13

Funny you mentioned it looking straight on the drivers side. I photographed that side because the other side has a big dent in the door. It doesn’t bother me too much since the dent only has one bend so shouldn’t be impossible to fix, but time, money, etc... I’ll get around to fixing the dent eventually. I do plan to keep improving the car over time as I save more money. At the moment, though, I’m mostly just focusing on making sure it runs reliably, since it’s my almost daily driver.

Jim Spanfeller > wafflesnfalafel
12/08/2019 at 00:30

Yep. 390 with an aftermarket four-barrel carb.

Jim Spanfeller > fintail
12/08/2019 at 00:34

I seem to recall the previous owner telling me the hubcaps were worth about $100 each, w hich is one of the reasons why I took them off after they kept falling off. I don’t want $400 to fall off my car every time I drive somewhere, lol.