Paranoia

[michigangeorge]

Right now my Bird is fully operational, I love the car and hope to keep it for many enjoyable Northern Michigan summers. However, reading this great forum has made me paranoid about future repairs, lack of parts etc.
There must be well over 50,000 of these cars still on the road, most with owners who love them and want to keep them going.
This got me to thinking: how would a custom car builder (Counts Kustoms from TV comes to mind) address the problems? Would they fabricate an entirely new suspension? Replace or delete many of the problematic electronics? Save the looks but take the car back to 1960s simplicity?
If all of us 50,000 + owners chipped in a few bucks it might be interesting to find out.

[wcoates]

George I am confused as to the concern that lack of parts will sideline our cars. I am of the opinion that most mechanical parts can be found from the major aftermarket parts providers. We have an interesting thread that the search engine can find on a variety of vendors who will repair our electronic modules. I believe that Ford has authorized new FEMs to be produced.

Get familiar with the retro parts for sale Facebook site that our member Brad (Bob Sinickas) has developed. Think there are at least 3 members there that are parting out thunderbirds. Body panels should be available at re-cycling yards for the cars destroyed.

1960's simplicity-- plenty of 60s Birds out there for sale. Rest easy my friend. PITA tracking parts down for sure but part of the cost for owning a Retro.

[EllisonCal]

I totally agree with what Bill Coates just said. I've owned two 1952 Cadillac Fleetwood 60S sedans.The first one I bought was 13 years old in 1965, the second one was 22 years old in 1974. I had occasional repairs and I always was able to get the parts I needed to keep them running. I sold the second one in 1978 for more than I paid for it 4 years earlier. Relax and enjoy your Thunderbird, and like me, you may want a second one after you're tired of the one you have!

[Tbear]

Don't worry about parts, enjoy your car. They are old cars and will have issues. You just take car of the issues as they happen. I have not had any problems at all finding parts for mine and they are all in that 100,000 mile category. I would not be afraid to drive anywhere in the country in any of them.
Be careful though. There are some that buy more than one Thunderbird. They are in a lot of ways like potato chips. Its hard to have just one.

[Sealy]

. . . you may want a second one after you're tired of the one you have!

Are we talking Thunderbirds or women?

[Frank Dreano]

I needed a lower dash steering column cover for my '02 Bird and couldn't find one anywhere; I posted my need on here and made a deal on a pristine example in half a day.... I think the parts will be available in one form or another for as long as I'm still able to drive...

[EllisonCal]

Are we talking Thunderbirds or women?

2002-2005 THUNDERBIRDS! Happy with the wife I have been married to for over 50 years. Gave up bachelorhood in 1968 when I grew up at 26.

[Howlandd]

No one, as yet, has even mentioned that there are many parts, used in building our Birds, that are common to the Lincoln LS of the same vintage. I had a 77 MGB until about 4 years ago and had no problem finding parts for it. A couple of examples that I had to replace or get repaired - lever action front shocks, ignition switch, Zenith Stromberg carburetors,left side view mirror, fuel pump and gas gage sending unit. The list could go on and on. All on this list were since about 2010, so that would make the car over 33 years old. BTW I had no problems finding the parts new, rebuilt or used. Not worried about parts for my 17 year old TBird.