Don't spray your engine with water!!

[Eagle 71]

I suspect a little more than some soapy water in that transformation.

Yup. A lot of my blood, sweat and tears brought the T-Bird's 'before' photo to the 'after' photo.

 

[Joedirtyshirt]

I've experienced sort of the same issue with My 2017 Eco Boost in heavy rain, it cleared up in minutes but really took me of guard when it happened, thought something broke and would be waiting for the hook , I've washed engine and didn't get same effect but this has happened 3 times 1 for me and twice for my wife , it must be something on the bottom side making it cut out

 

[drokmofo]

I appreciate all the comments and responses. That Tbird looks nice. That is how I like to have my engine compartments look. I've degreased and sprayed out engines from my '46 Willy's to '77 k1500, '96 k1500, 2000 k1500, '88 s10 blazer, '99 4runner. This 5.4 3v is the only one to give any real issues. Shoot, my '96 k1500 just turned 333,333miles and I won't hesitate to spray it out the next time I find some mud for it to play in. For the Expy I will just do the air compressor to blow the dirt away then just wipe it down with some cleaner. The bag method is sorta appealing also.
Thx everbody

 

[sesmith]

I used to work as an auto tech. It wasn't unusual for us to degrease engines with engine cleaner, let it soak for a few, and hose them off. Skips aside, I had one instantaneously combust. I was across the shop when I saw the flames under the hood. Couldn't get there fast enough! Surprisingly little damage that I got to fix on my time I guess the moral of the story is...engine too hot, they go boom.

 

[1955moose]

Eagle, can't tell from the pics, but does it have the 390 or 428 with the C6 or Fmx tranny backing it up? Nice car. T birds are one of my faves. A friend of mines dad had a 1960 with the 430 motor. We went to high school that was perched on top of a hill, with a freeway on ramp right in front. 4 of us went down that freeway at 120 plus. What a rush.i was 15 then. In a gentlemen's passenger car no less. Those birds really did fly!

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[bobmbx]

Eagle, can't tell from the pics, but does it have the 390 or 428 with the C6 or Fmx tranny backing it up? Nice car. T birds are one of my faves. A friend of mines dad had a 1960 with the 430 motor. We went to high school that was perched on top of a hill, with a freeway on ramp right in front. 4 of us went down that freeway at 120 plus. What a rush.i was 15 then. In a gentlemen's passenger car no less. Those birds really did fly!

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So....you were seated in a 6 ton steel-body and frame car without seatbelts, on bias-ply tires, most likely without power brakes or power steering, at 120mph.

Guys, you haven't lived until you've done that.

 

[Retiredusps]

My mom had a 1960 Tbird convertable with the 430 link motor.Use to sneak it out No drivers license never got caught. Sure did get up and go. not very good out of the hole.When i got license was only supposed to go short distance. You could pull ring from speedo and remove odometer 2 screws and they only thought i went 50 miles.Good old days.

 

[1955moose]

Yeah Bob, no seat belts that I remember. I sat in the passenger rear. It did have power brakes/steering if memory serves me. But yeah no speed rated radials, just the 14 inch bias plys of the day. F78-14's or 195/75r14 in metric numbers. Pretty scrawny tires, but that held the weight of 5-6 people. Radials didn't start hitting the scene here till early 70's. And even those weren't speed rated like an H, or V rating that car should have had. It was good for close to 125-130 mph on a good day, and good tune. And that was stock, with around 325 horse's or whatever the 430 had. Hard to believe how dumb we were, didn't think if tires would not blow, just how far we could push that 120 mph needle.

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[Eagle 71]

Eagle, can't tell from the pics, but does it have the 390 or 428 with the C6 or Fmx tranny backing it up?

Moose, mine had the Z-Code 390 and the C6 tranny in her. The Q-code 428 became an option in '66, and appx 30% of the '66 T-Birds left the showroom with that setup. The '66 also came standard with power steering and power disc brakes. She weighed a little over 4500lbs, and seat belts were also standard (mine came with them, and the belts were not listed as an option on my build sheet or window sticker).

 

[1955moose]

I looked up your 66, and the side oiler 427 was also an engine option. Nice car. Yours is the 2nd year with the sequential blinking tail lights correct? I always loved that feature, along with the Mustangs/Cougars of 68/69 that had that. The newer Mustangs brought that back. Maybe men's platform shoes will be back for all our vertically challenged males out there. God I hope not. Their was enough twisted ankles back in the 70's.

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[Cooper]

I clean my 2003 expy 5.4 every other month. While the engine is hot and running i spray her down. However I don't clean spark plugs I change them out. Have done with ever vehicle I ever owned mostly to see leaks as soon as they start.

Never had an issue but, don't spray vacuum lines, coils and spark plug boots.

 

[Eagle 71]

Yours is the 2nd year with the sequential blinking tail lights correct?

Correct. T-Birds had this as standard equipment starting in ’65 and ending with the ’68 model. When they worked as advertised, they were very cool. They were a PITA to troubleshoot though. Here's why:
The basic components of the T-Bird sequential turn signal and stoplight circuits were:
1. the turn signal switch, mounted on the steering column;
2. the turn signal indicator relay, mounted on the steering column support bracket;
3. the stoplight switch, mounted on the brake pedal support, and
4. the turn signal relay, stoplight relay and turn signal flasher and motor assembly which were wrapped in soundproof insulation and mounted in the trunk behind the left fender trim panel and the spare tire.
This flasher/motor assembly consisted of an electric motor, three cams on a shaft and three sets of contact points. The three cams are staggered, and each set of contacts is connected to one of the three rear light bulbs through the turn signal relay.

On mine, the sequentials worked for a while, but I eventually had to replace the flasher/motor assembly in the trunk. I ended up replacing all the stuff listed in #4 above with a solid-state aftermarket unit. Unless the car is flooded, that section at least should never fail.

Personal note: there is no doubt in my mind that that the wizkids at Dearborn hired Rube Goldberg to install this into the mid-sixties T-Birds. Same comment applies to the A/C and heater system.

As I read many of the things that go wrong on our Expeditions, it seems that Mr. Goldberg is still employed at Ford.

 

[Eagle 71]

I always loved that feature, along with the Mustangs/Cougars of 68/69 that had that.

Moose, the following is a quote from Alan Tast (“Mr. T-Bird”) from his book, Thunderbird Fifty Years:

“(The 1965 T-Bird’s) taillights were so well done that two years later, Ford stylists in conjunction with Shelby American would adapt them for use on the GT350s and GT500s, as well on such Mustang classics as the California and High Country Specials for 1968.”

 

[1955moose]

Its probably ole Rubes son or grandson. With that many parts to go wrong, no wonder Ford gave up in 1970. They keep trying with innovative ideas. Anyone here remember the retractable roof on the 1957 Skyliner Fairlane. My friend Nick had one back in the late 70's. But it never really took off. I think Ford ended it in 59. On the new Mustangs that have the sequential turn signals, at least they don't have contact points to burn up like on your 66.

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[Eagle 71]

Anyone here remember the retractable roof on the 1957 Skyliner Fairlane.

My next-door-neighbor had one. When I would hear his car starting up, I'd run to the front window of our house to watch and see if he was going to be retracting the Skyliner's roof. Since it was in SF, he rarely did (unless it was 'Indian Summer' - Sept/Oct - in SF!).

 

[Eagle 71]

Additionally, a lot of the technology for the Skyliner convertible operation was refined and went into the '58-'66 T-Birds and the Sixties' Continental.

 

[1955moose]

I'd forgotten you used to be a Fog City boy like me. Did Ford or Lincoln use a retractable roof? I don't remember that. Mercedes does these days.

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[Eagle 71]

Did Ford or Lincoln use a retractable roof?

Ford used the Skyliner hardtop technology (the mechanisms that pivoted the roof into the trunk) later on the T-Bird's and Continental's softtop/canvas roofs.
That said, there were several Mustang prototypes that used the Skyliner hardtop concept. One sold recently in the Midwest a year or two ago, with no rear windows. I'll check for a link and fwd if I find it.

 

[Eagle 71]

Moose, et al.,
Here's a link to the '66 Mustang retractable hardtop prototype I was thinking of. I guess it did have rear windows...

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/09/08/a-retractable-roof-1966-ford-mustang/

 

[Eagle 71]

And my apologies to drokmofo, for taking this thread way off line from his original post of engine cleaning. I got in my former T-Bird mode, so I couldn't help it!
That said, here's a close-up photo of my T-bird 'Liz's' engine compartment. Maybe the photo will get us back on track to what ALL of our engine compartments should look like. Well, it's a goal anyway!