Hello everyone, I own a 65 hardtop with a 390. It has been sitting with family in California for 5 years and I would like to know any and all info you can give me about reviving this beast. Is there any issues I should look for when trying to fire up the engine and try to drive the car? I will only start with this since I will have a ton of questions when I get into restoring/fixing up this car.

JMO, I think safety is the first thing to establish. Brake system, fuel system, electrical, etc. Check everything you can then do it again. You are working with a 40+ year old piece of equipment. Confirm that ALL rubber parts are sound, connections are tight, fluids are clean and change filters as recquired. Then start addressing the engine. It many cases that will be the easiest step so don't worry about it until you are confident that the rest of the vehicle is safe. Oh, did I mention safe? I don't mean to be preachy but an avoidable mishap will drain your enthusiasm and bank account faster than the speed of light. The whole point of owning these cars is to have fun and stay, uh, safe! Enjoy.

Thanks Kandi..Do you think it will be ok for me to fire up the engine? Or should I drained and poured in new oil but never turned it over. Should I replace valve cover gaskets and cylinderhead gaskets before running the engine? Are most parts available from local chain stores like pep boys or kragen/schucks/checkers, O'reilly or should I get them from the mailorder companys. I have Concours Parts in Carson City, Nv about 30 miles from me.

I would replace the oil and filter. You might want to remove the sparkplugs and shoot a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder. Turn the engine over to confirm it is free. Replace the plugs and then try to start it. I have no idea what else you may need to do to coax her to life but in any case have a helper stand by and keep a fire extinguisher close by. Hold off on assuming that certain gaskets need replacing. Some may be just fine. Re. parts sources, everyone has their own favorites. For most ordinary parts, I purchase them at NAPA. For Thunderbird specific parts you will have to do a bit of searching because no one has a monopoly on everthing you will need. Post on this site and I think many others will chime in on their favorite vendors. Good luck with your project.