OUT THERE ON THE FRINGE OF INTERESTS - 1959 THUNDERBIRD RACER

[Mark Mundorff]

I saw an article on hood and fender side vents on the forum here discussing the pros and cons for each. The 59 T-bird is at least in the Ford family !! I have had the car since 1967 and it has large and very well cut in front fender vents going directly into the engine compartment. You can look from the engine compartment , thru the vents, and onto the pavement. There is also a small reversed hood vent on the passengers side about midway back on the hood. None on the drivers side. The workmanship is show car quality. No one knows anything about the where or why of the car. It looks like a show car but has double shocks per wheel, traction rods, pan hard rod, open wheel wells on the back side fully exposing the tires, 3 speed overdrive and 430 Lincoln engine. No other power options except radio and heater. Top speed I have driven it is 160 mph and was staying on the ground. All body work seems to be lead. Question: do the vents really help or just for looks ??

Thanks for any responses and comments on what this car was built for. I got it in Omaha in late 1966 with 30,000 miles mark

 

[VoodooBoss]

I'm sure the vents work but photos would be helpful. You can upload photos directly to the forum by using the "Upload a File" button at the bottom of the post box.

Welcome to TMO. Were you at the Mustang Roundup?

 

[Mark Mundorff]

Ok, lets see what I can find for pictures of the 59 T-bird

 

[Mark Mundorff]

Rick, the picture of the car is scanned from a 35 mm picture taken about 1972. I added the mags. Originally it had reversed and rewelded steel rims. The vent picture is on a lift rack and looking up thru the vent with the hood open. The little hood vent is another picture and the interior is as I got it except I replaced the floor shift from the column location. Thanks for you interest. I just think it is lost to history.

 

[VoodooBoss]

My bet is someone modified the fenders at some point. Maybe either @TMSBOSS or @blacksheep-1 might have an idea what's going on there.

 

[Mark Mundorff]

here is a picture of the spare tire and reversed rim as came with the car. also a picture of the little hood vent as seen from the passenger seat. When it rained, water would come out the vent and just pass by the edge of the curved windshield and not splash the windshield at all .

 

[302BOB]

I never realized T-Birds came with a manual..........Cool...............

 

[Mark Mundorff]

I never realized Tbirds came with a manual..........Cool...............

a hand full of them did by special order and only with the 352 and never the 430. The t-birds that raced in the first Daytona 500 all had 430 and manual transmissions and modified by Holman and Moody. A 59 T-bird was initially declared the winner of that first race but was pulled back and given to Richard Petty instead. That first T-bird was out of Omaha. The t-birds in that Daytona were very heavily modified and this one is not. This one is fully street legal. It has a 4:11 set in back and can go from a dead stop to 140 mph starting in 3 rd gear and dropping into overdrive and never touch the clutch. Rumor is that some T-birds built with the 430 & manual went out the back door for racing purposes during the racing ban still in effect at ford about that time. Ford says not...…..?? Who knows. The title shows only one owner in Omaha and they passed away decades ago.

 

[VoodooBoss]

What is the writing on the center console by the ashtray? I also see a tach, what are the other gauges and what's the brand used? BTW I sent a link to this thread to a friend of mine and if anyone knows what's going on here he will.

 

[Mark Mundorff]

I put a tach in where the clock was. the other gauges are a original fuel and temp on the far left and the 2 small ones almost out of site are ammeter and oil pressure in lieu of idiot lights. There was a little piece of paper that was included with the invoice when we got what little paper work there was with it and called Thunderbird Special. I had that engraved in a brass plate and put it on the console. I was 15 when we got it and Dad actually was the one who talked to the dealer, a Studebaker and Avanti dealer in Omaha. My dad said that he was told that another one like it was wrecked in a race ?? Also, there had been discussion about making it a convertible ?? And finally, and hard to really believe, that it had been officially clocked at 180 mph ??? To a farmer from central NE, all of this did not make much realistic sense and was mostly forgotten. The owners manual did have one oddity , a hand written note where the stock 3:91 gear ratio was listed and it notes 4:57. Right now it has the 4:11 matched to a T-85 overdrive. It runs about 33 mph per hour per 1000 rpm in overdrive with the oversize tires (15 inch) The factory 430 red lines at 4800.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Maybe either @TMSBOSS or @blacksheep-1 might have an idea what's going on there.

Sorry to disappoint. It does look like venting for competition. My brother had a skyliner with the 352 as used in NASCAR. No venting in that car.

The work looks like someone knew what they were doing. Who?? No idea. Sorry.

 

[VoodooBoss]

My friend didn't have much to add other than a manual is rare.

From looking at old photos of Holman-Moody cars I don't see any that have those mods on them so it's doubtful they modded this car. It's most likely a custom from the previous owner. If you could somehow tie it back to Holman-Moody, or one of the other race shops from that period, it would increase the value of the car significantly. Regardless it's a very cool car and I hope you enjoy driving it often.

 

[302BOB]

T-Birds were Ford's answer for the Corvette. That didn't exactly happen..................

 

[302BOB]

Every tyme I hear or see the word "Fringe" I think of the song "Lunatic Fringe" and all of the Trackrats out there.............

 

[Mark Mundorff]

Good morning and thank you all for responding to my first comments. 10 + years have yielded no information about its past. And when it might have been possible way back, we just did not grasp the need to dig into it's past. It was not until the 90's that I began to realize how unique it was. And since the mid 90's, I have searched and searched and found nothing. I sent pictures of the suspension mods to Holman and Moody and they said it kind of looks like what they might have done for private customers but those who would have known are long gone. When I was down in Charlotte and Mooresville area on business, I had a chance to stop into the Penske place that has the wind tunnel for testing. They said they would really like to have me bring it down and see just what those vents are about. As I mentioned, I have had it to 160 or so, ie 5000- 5200 rpm for short couple miles on brand new black asphalt and was amazed. My Dad and I would routinely take it to 140+ on the speedometer on that smooth asphalt road by the farm. And we would just talk about how it was doing and how steady it was as we hit 140. I think back and both of us were crazy/ irresponsible to do that routinely. At least I had brand new Michelins on it.

 

[Stangra]

Every tyme I hear or see the word "Fringe" I think of the song "Lunatic Fringe" and all of the Trackrats out there.............

Red Rider!!

 

[blacksheep-1]

Someone radiused the rear wheel wells, as I recall they came with fender skirts, it looks like the fenders were raised and the skirts discarded. The side vents look "Oldsmobilish" it was not uncommon to cut a panel out of another car and weld it into another type vehicle. The hood has also been modded. The T bird ran in both coupe and convertible classes at Daytona, however, I think this one is a mild custom, not a race car.
Last time I had my hands on one of these was around 1972, 312 Y block and 2 4 barrel carbs.

 

[Daegoba]

Good lord, Blacksheep, you are a BADASS. Ain’t everyday you see an OG Holman Moody racecar!

Lots of the tricks those guys came up with are still used in NASCAR to this day...

 

[blacksheep-1]

remember what I said about cutting panels out of one car, and adding them to another, look at the original pic, it looks like they found some new front fenders, cut out the fenderwells, and welded them to the rear fenders, replacing the originals. Pretty cool car though, especially with the 4 speed.
Back in high school a friend had a 405HP 406 Galaxy with a 4 speed, it had over 100K on it and he bought it for $300. It was all there, just needed to be restored...they probably cut it up and made 5 thousand Toyotas out of all the metal.

 

[302BOB]

I never saw a T-Bird race...But I'm sure if it was fixed right it could move...I'll never forget that '69 Charger in my high school days at the beach parking lot....Nobody could touch it!!!!!!!!!!