Sounds of Thunder Volume 24 Number 2

Volume 24 Number 2

September / October 2014

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President’s Report

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Club Calendar

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Events Calendar

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Editor’s Report

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New Members

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Club Run to Hinze Dam

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Cooly Rocks On Nostalgia Festival

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Aloha from Hawaii

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All American Independence Day

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32nd Annual All Ford Show

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Technical Talk - Bill’s 69 Landau Project

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Parts and Service

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Merchandise

On the cover..

Birds in Paradise - TOQ Facebook group member Joseph Schoniwitz from Hawaii owns this stunning 1965 Thunderbird.. Read more about Joseph and his pride and joy inside.

www.tbirdregistry.com

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Hi Folks Harley Davidsons were a flavour of the day at Lakeside for the All American as the Sunshine Coast Chapter of the Harley Owners Group parked up adjacent to us for this classic show and drive event at Lakeside Raceway. Great to see the Harleys now part of this event. I always like catching up with that American classic. SCH members Jeremy and Pam Bycroft where there with their Harley and their classic Raven black 1960 Thunderbird in the TOQ line up, a gorgeous car, we have to get all the Squarebirds together one day soon. It would be terrific to see them lined up at an event.

Come join us on our combined Club Run to Mt Alford with the All Classics in September. We’re always keen to have a few combined runs through the year it’s a great way of catching up with other cars enthusiasts and their rides. There are some great people in their club to meet up with, grab a cuppa some lunch and a chat. Do join us on 28th September for a great day out with the All Classics Greazefest was another great day out, a huge turnout, food stalls, massive vintage markets, bands, fashion show, dancing and cars... cars... cars, we had eight members along. Jim Wong's collection included his excellent 57 Cadillac and 41 Ford Coupe. Rob Cupo and family were there with the newest addition to the stable, a fully restored Fiat 500 Bambino... A restoration that Rob’s children Alberico and Claudia had a big hand in. It was a real family affair on this little classic...

Congratulations on the great job kids.

We’re used to seeing Rob tearing it up in his hot rodded 63’ Thunderbird Hardtop.. What a contrast The club would like to give a warm welcome to new members..

Arnold Smith from Townsville, 56’ Mainline Utility and Adam Versteeg 73’ Lincoln Continental...

See their rides along with the members we welcomed last issue on the new members page.

Keep an eye on the club calendar, there is lots on…

Caboolture Historic Village, Sensual Indulgence Café evening run, combined run to Mt Alford with All Classics, Samford / Mt Nebo touring run, Tropical Fruit World picnic in northern NSW to name a few.

Mark it on your calendars now!! Thunderbirds of Queensland Christmas Party at Norman Park Bowls Club, set for the last week in November, Sunday 30th… one not to be missed. We’ve booked some lanes for after lunch so try your hand at barefoot bowls. Details out soon..

Keep those classics moving..

Kieran TOQ Club President

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September

 Club Committee Meeting & Social Night: Doug and Sandra McCammon’s place 7.30pm 14th  CLUB RUN: Caboolture Historic Village. Café on site or bring picnic lunch. Meet Shell Nudgee 9.00am for 9.30am Departure.

Run Coordinator Darryl Heiner 20th  CLUB RUN: Sensual Indulgence 50s and 60s Café for Dinner Saturday night. 8 Ross Court, 197 Bloomfield St Cleveland. Meet Cannon Hill Shopping Centre (outside Super cheap Auto and BCF) 5.30pm for 6.00pm departure. Run Coordinator Barry Ralph 28th  COMBINED CLUB RUN: to Mt Alford Pub with All Classics Car Club. Meet Caltex Goodna Brisbane Rd 9.15 for 9.30am departure Run Coordinator Anne-Marie Alberts

October

 Club Committee Meeting & Social Night: Barry and Libby’s Ralph’s place 7.30pm 12th  CLUB RUN: Samford / Mt Nebo Cruise Bring picnic lunch. Meet Harry’s Diner Newmarket Rd Windsor 9.30am for 10.00am departure Run Coordinator Tony Lake 26th  CLUB RUN: Tropical Fruit World Duranbah Rd, Duranbah Northern NSW. BYO Picnic. Meet Yatala Pies 9.30 for 10.00 am departure. Run Coordinator Bill Flanagan

November

 Club Committee Meeting & Social Night: Bill and Helen McGregor’s place 7.30pm 9th  CLUB RUN: Thanksgiving Lakeside. Meet Shell Nudgee on Gateway at 7.00am to cruise or meet at show. Gates open 7.30am.

We have our usual display area in front of Lakeside Convention Centre Museum and Café. Look for club flags. Run Coordinator Kieran 16th  CLUB RUN: Yankee Doodle Cruise to Royal Hotel Harrisville.

Meet BP Truck Stop Boundary Rd Rocklea 9.30am for 10.00am Departure. Cruising via Ipswich Motorway and Centenary Hwy. Run Coordinator Dave Bain 30th  Thunderbirds of Queensland CHRISTMAS PARTY Norman Park Bowls Club 43 Norman Ave Norman Park. Arrive 11.15am Onsite parking for classic cars. This is a pre paid event. Invitations and details sent to all members by email. For more Information Contact Bill McGregor

5th

3rd

7th

Get those rides out on the road and have some fun...

September  13th - Gympie Historic Auto Club Swap Meet and Car Show, Gympie Showgrounds, gates open for public on Saturday at 6am for $4, car show from 10am $10 per car includes 1 adult. Contact 07 5482 2303 or 0408 708321 for swap  14th - Annual Beaudesert Swap Meet, Beaudesert Showground, gates open 6am, unlimited sites, no booking required for swap sites, camping available $15 per vehicle plus $3 per person, entry to swap $3. Contact 0414 066121 or www.beaudesertswap.weebly.com  21st - Eliminators Hot Rod and Muscle Car Show and Swap Meet, Beenleigh Showgrounds, Beenleigh, swap meet from 6am, car show from 9am, trophies 1pm, no vehicle movement until noon please, admission $5 per adults, info Ph 0413 755 130

October

 5th - Chrome Bar Bonanza, Lakeside Park, Kurwongbah, spectator admission $10pp, kids 12 and under free $10 per car to park in the infield and participate in Show & Shine and public cruise session.  18th Decades Festival 50s - 90s Car Show and Shine. Pine Rivers Park Strathpine www.decadesfestival.com.au  19th - Harrigan’s Rod and Custom Show, Harrigan’s Drift Inn, Calypso Bay, Jacobs Well. Hot rods, classics, customs and street machines. Entrants $15 for your car and two people and spectators $5, judged cars $5, contact Elton 0417 791 595

November

 2nd - Customline Picnic. All 1949 to 1959 Ford Customlines, Mainlines, Fairlanes & Thunderbirds, meet at Aspley Hypermart at 08.30 am, leaving at 9am for a cruise north to Aussie World, then on the Captain Cusso's place at Traverston, BYO food or BBQ lunch and drinks available at reasonable rates, please phone to confirm if lunch is required Lon 0147 736500  9th—Wheels of the Century Automotive Show, Redcliffe Showgrounds. All historical cars, trucks and bikes welcome. Gates open for exhibitors and stallholders 7.30a.m, public 9.00a.m entry $10 per vehicle (Incl driver) Public $5, under 12 free, Contact Cheryl 0427 313 458 or Brian 0412 744 354

Friday Nights Munchies @ Elizabeth Street Shops, Acacia Ridge.

Petrie Country Markets Historic Village.

Ferry Rd Diner, Southport on da Gold Coast.

Saturday Nights Kosmos Kitchen, Browns Plains Rd, Opp Grand Plaza.

Ferry Rd Diner, Southport on da Gold Coast.

Ol Skool Cars n Muscle Machines First Saturday of the month Supa Centre 314-344 Morayfield Rd, Morayfield.

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It’s the height of show and season and of course the perfect time of the year for that with dry weather and comfortable daytime temperatures. Inside you will find reports on Cooly Rocks the All American at Lakeside and the All Ford Show at Willowbank. All were a hit! On top of that we had Greazefest in early August that a number of members attended and really enjoyed. Check out the designated events calendar, there are still more to come, Harrigan’s Rod and Custom Show the Eliminators Show and Decades Festival to name a few. Not to mention swap meets if your looking for that illusive part for your project. We also have a packed club calendar that’s planned out through until our Christmas Party in late November, there is something there for everyone. Information on the Christmas Party at Norman Park Bowls Club will be sent out soon. The date is 30th of November, a day not to be missed.

I hope you all enjoyed the full colour July August issue of Sounds of Thunder. We’ve had lots of positive feedback which will help us plan for the future of our publication. In the meantime its back to black and white until we have the budget necessary. In the meantime I urge you to keep an eye on the club website for the online edition which is uploaded straight after the hard copy is mailed. It’s in full colour and will often have extra content that I can’t fit into the magazine’s allocated 24 pages.

I’m very excited to announce that the Thunderbirds of Queensland Inc. is now an official Chapter of the International Thunderbird Club. We now have just over the minimum number of members that we required signed up. The Annual Convention has just been held in Charlotte, North Carolina and our own Darryl and Mindy Heiner were there to represent us. Next issue I hope to bring you a report on their experiences at the convention and trip to the USA and Canada. Have a look at the website.. http://intl-thunderbirdclub.com/ and consider being part of the ITC. The TOQ Facebook group continues to grow with now over 200 members. More and more of our club members are getting on board and contributing which is great to see. It’s a fun way to share our experiences with like minded people from all over the world. Within hours of a club run or even while it’s on photos are uploaded of the day’s proceedings. Thanks to Nathan Miller for the great photos he always seems to capture and upload to the group. www.facebook.com/groups/TOQinc Until next time.. keep Cruisin’

Johnny

Neill Ford - 1960 Thunderbird Convertibles 1 red 1 black 6

Ben Allen - 1979 Ford F100 & 1975 Ford LTD Station Wagon

Blake Steven - 1971 Galaxie LTD

Arnold Smith - 1956 Ford Mainline

Melanie Devoy - 1965 AP5 Valiant

Adam Versteeg - 1973 Lincoln Continental

When Arnold sent us his membership application from North Queensland, he sent a note along with it to introduce himself and some photos of his beautifully restored 56’ Mainline. He says..

“ I always loved the 50s look. Seven years ago I bought a 1956 Mainline Utility it’s been a slow process but it’s now ready for rego” Our club was recommended to him by his good friend and long time TOQ member Barry ‘Shorty’ Millard and after he retires he’d like to venture down our way and join in with some of our events.

That would be awesome Arnold! We’d love to have you visit us in the deep south..

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When we left home it was rather cool..

Club Run to

Hinze Dam

I warmed up reasonably quickly when I realised that Ted & Merle were behind us in the little Cobra - no windows, no roof brrrrrrr!

There was a great roll up already at the Pie shop by the time we arrived and after a few more joined the classic line-up we headed off for Hinze Dam. I like to think that we must all be famous the number of people you see taking photos of us whilst we are cruisin’ down the highway, but then Dennis goes and spoils it all by saying that it is the cars attracting the attention not us - damn that dream of stardom has been busted!

Once at Hinze Dam we took a quick drive up to the top car park - just to show the cars off and then back down the hill to the picnic area at the base of the dam wall.

Dennis quickly claimed ownership of a table in the sun with an adjoining flat grass area to set up the tents. And wow, did you see how fast those tents went up - everyone pitched in and before you could blink the tents were up and the TBird banner was being added as the finishing touch. I’m sure the other picnickers wondered what was going up and if we had the relevant building approvals!

After building up their energy levels with some tasty treats and fruit, Kevin, Nathan and Kylie ventured to the top of the dam wall with Nathan getting some terrific pics, but the rest of us were too comfortable in our chairs, coffee or cold drink in hand, having a good old fashioned chin wag with friends both old and new.

The 12 cars were all lined up glistening in the sunshine (except Kevin’s, he just had to park on his own) and provided a very impressive impromptu mini car show.

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The peace and quiet of the afternoon was interrupted by the arrival of a group of Toyota ‘buzz boxes’ - one, two, three umm ran out of fingers and toes to count on. There had to be at least another set of fingers and toes required, they just kept on arriving, I had to give up counting, it all got too difficult. They were everywhere, but as they are small they could squish two to a car park, not like the giants we all turned up in!

The hands on the clock had done many rotations since our arrival and it was time for the ‘ants’ to dismantle our tent city and head for home. Another great day out - good friends - classic cars - tasty food - terrific weather - great location. This is our reward for completing the Monday to Friday ‘working for the man’.

Until next time, stay safe, healthy and rug up - it’s getting cold again… Cheers Merron

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It was that time of the year again, the week leading up to Queens Birthday weekend in June. Time for the biggest nostalgia festival we see in this part of the world. This event attracts people from all over the country and overseas and it runs for a full week and more.

This is a one event I like to rock up to nice and early 7.30 am, get a car park close by then head off for breakfast. For a change this year it was dry with just a nip in the air typical of early winter in South East Queensland. After a coffee, some breakfast, and a leisurely read of the local paper it was off to check out the cars on display, the vintage markets, and the collectable shops at the top end of the Coolangatta strip.

2014

This event was as big as it’s ever been; some saying it was the biggest yet. The crowds were massive and as always there was plenty of live music, dancing, street entertainment and interesting sites making for a fantastic atmosphere. Having only done the length of the esplanade with so much more yet to see, time had disappeared as it does when you’re having fun and it was approaching 10am, time to pop across to our club morning tea at Breezes Café Twin Towns.

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We had 25 attend this year’s get together, which is a nice opportunity to get out of the wind, sit down and take in the canal view and strike up a chat about our favourite subject, everything American auto. Again we had the pleasure of spending some time with a couple of the boys, Dave and Giovani Lizza from the Jets Classic and Customs Car Club, in Melbourne. It was also nice to catch up with some local members we hadn’t seen in a while with some really good conversations being had amongst all that were there…. Cooly Rocks On was huge this year and a great place to be.

Till next time Folks… keep those Classic’s moving Bill and Lyn with Dave Galloway from The Jets Classic and Custom Car Club

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Kieran

Greetings from Hawaii My Name is Joseph. My family and I live on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai and I am a member of your TOQ Facebook group. Johnny has asked me to share the story of my Thunderbird ownership with your club‌.

I’d like to share some photos of my third Thunderbird that I purchased last year. My first Thunderbird was a 1987 which I had till 1995, my second Thunderbird was a 1962 which I purchased in 1990 and ran as a driver until 2002.. it was a sad day when we said good bye to that car. This was another chance to have my dream car, a 1965 I purchased off of eBay. Saying goodbye to my 1962 Thunderbird was not easy, but at the time had two children who were getting ready for their college years, so the budget had to be focused in that direction. My son graduated in 2013 & when reviewing our finances, thought OK, time to start looking again for another dream car. I considered two options, Oldsmobile Toronado 1966 1968 model or Thunderbirds from 19611969. Ever since a child I have collected Thunderbird toy cars and eyed them growing up. Checking out Thunderbirds on eBay has been a passion on and off for years, just to see what is available, so this is where I looked again when I considered purchasing another. After looking for months at hundreds of the above options, I came across my current Thunderbird. First thing that caught my attention, was the colour combo, vintage burgundy with white interior! The shots presenting the car on eBay were fine, but really do not do the car justice. The second interesting thing I found was that it noted in the listing if purchased for the "Buy It Now" price, shipping would be included anywhere in the USA! I was so excited about that, not only was it the best looking Thunderbird I had come across, what a sweet deal if shipping was included!!! We started negotiating the purchase but the seller quickly backed off & apologised for not thinking that someone in Hawaii would be interested, since shipping from Indiana would be approx $2100.00!!

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God must have had a hand in the transaction. When all was said and done I actually got my "Dream Car" for $1000 under the "Buy It Now" price and still had the shipping included! My friend Bobby that rescued a hubcap off my 1962 Thunderbird from the dump (just to have something from that experience) assisted in repairing, repainting and undercoating the new Tbird to make it better equipped to handle the Hawaiian weather. We also had our garage renovated to accommodate the size of the new Thunderbird. Our old 62 Thunderbird just didn't fit inside so the weather ate the car up‌ Thanks again for liking the photos I posted on Facebook and for making my car a "Cover shot" for your magazine and an international car of interest! I've already taken the cover proof you sent me and made a framed canvas print which is now hanging on the wall. My wife again reminding me that this was to be the last addition to the collection of photos or art to be added to our walls!!! haha, gotta love her for putting up with my passion for vintage "Thunderbird" automobiles!

Mahalo, Joseph

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All American Independence Day

Another beautiful day and another great turnout of members to this annual event at Lakeside Raceway. We had our usual display area outside the café and function room with easy access to, and a great view of the track. Kieran was there first thing as the gates opened along with Craig and Karin Roberts and myself to set up the club shades, banner and flags. Just how good does our setup look these days!! No one can mistake where the Thunderbirds of Queensland are with our superb 5 metre high chrome Thunderbird emblazoned feather flags.

Alan and Adrian’s 66’ Tbirds sittin’ pretty..

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The on track action kicked off bright and early. Mae and I jumped in with Barry in his MKIV Lincoln Continental Silver luxury group. WOW! That big block 460 hauls that beauty along no worries at all…

Some of these guys push the limits a bit in their cars once on the track. A guy driving a 57 Chevy must have thought he could give Barry a good go on the main straight but by the time we got to the kink he was out of brakes and talent and onto the grass taking a closer look at the concrete safety barrier… luckily he saved it. We had booked a cruise session for later in the morning with a couple of other clubs. That made for less traffic ensuring the viewing public got a good look at the Thunderbirds and other club cars as they circulated.

Doug came along in his recently acquired 79 Mercury Cougar XR7. This is a genuine low mileage survivor car and quite a rare sight in Australia. There was a 78’, regularly seen at shows around Brisbane a few years ago that had been owned by singer John Denver but it seems to have disappeared.

Jeremy Bycroft brought along his lovely 1960 Hardtop, his wife Pam was on her Harley with their friends from the Sunshine Coast HOG Group. The bikes make a great spectacle on track and really add to the all American theme of the day. The next All American day celebrates Thanksgiving on November 9th. We’ll definitely be there again.. These events are just to much fun Johnny

Carlos in his 66 and Barry this time in his 70’ Chevy prepare to enter the track for the club cruise session

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32nd ALL FORD DAY Willowbank For as long as I‘ve been involved in the old car scene the All Ford Day has been held at your local footy ground or somewhere similar. For over 12 years now The Kedron Sporting Club has been the venue and as nice as it is the size of this show had out grown that facility.. not to mention the problem getting into the ground. Last year people were turning around and leaving due to the queues waiting to enter the ground. It was announced earlier this year that Willowbank Raceway would be the new venue and that this would be an all new much larger All Ford Day with the added activity of runs on the drag strip for those inclined. There has been a number of shows move to this facility and take advantage of the extra room and the drag strip, the added attraction of seeing the cars in action being a big drawcard. The loss of another local show to Willowbank Raceway and the distance to travel from Brisbane initially drew some criticism. All I can say is that it was well worth the trip!!

A small group of club members met on the rather chilly morning at our usual Rocklea BP departure point and headed off on a leisurely cruise via the new Centenary Hwy extension that brings you back onto the Cunningham Hwy at Yamanto only a few kilometres from Willowbank. The entry process for both entrants and spectators was smooth and before long we were parked and setting up our gazebos, flags and banners. Below is an aerial view of just some the show area. We’re located at the bottom of this image. The display was spread far across to the right then on to the swap meet area.

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There is always a big turnout of Falcons & Mustangs but I felt this year that other American Fords had a good showing. There were some standouts for me, some rather rare in Australia. One being this 60 Mercury Commuter Country Cruiser hardtop wagon & one of my favourites this 1959 F100

The drag racing was a real hit! For just $20 you could do constant runs for up to 2 hours. The Christmas tree wiring had been damaged by vermin the night before so the starts were left to the old school flag drop. Even better! Fortunately the timing system wasn’t affected.. there were some cars there running in the 9s. The crowds flocked to the grand stands to watch the runs. They reportedly had over 3000 spectators through the gates and over 620 cars on display. The whole day was really well organised. The Falcon GT Club must be congratulated for holding such a successful inaugural event.

Two of our members came away with trophies. Max Herbert received three awards BEST UTE, BEST 70's FORD and BEST PRIVATE DISPLAY for his customised XB Falcon Ute ‘Destiny’ Craig Roberts’ 1963 Thunderbird Hardtop draws accolade where ever it goes. Its so meticulously restored. He received sponsors choice BEST CAR IN SHOW from MB Installations. Congratulations guys!!

What a great day we had.. The All Ford Show had it all. Hundreds of Fords on display, a swap meet, live music and drag racing. Next year it will probably be even bigger... Can’t wait!! Johnny

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Bill’s 69 Landau Project Thunderbirds of Queensland club member Bill Flanagan recently purchased this beautiful midnight aqua 1969 Tudor Landau from the original owner in Ohio USA and shipped her back to Australia.

He had seen the car for sale online and was keen to buy it. An inspection was arranged. The report came back that the car was immaculate inside and out BUT! it had rust in the chassis. Bill was in the process of buying a few Glamour Birds to import into Australia and was actually heading over to the USA to inspect in person the cars he was keen on purchasing. He has extensive experience in car restoration and when saw this car and the potential it had he made the decision to purchase and have the rust damage to the chassis repaired. So started a project many of us would shudder to think of taking on.. Not Bill!

The project begins. Bill and his trusty offsider, wife Lyn who is just as handy in the garage as in the kitchen, raise the body off the chassis of the 2+ ton Thunderbird revealing the extent of the rust damage. The salt and sand they use on the roads in that part of the USA to curb the icy roads during winter had played havoc with this cars left hand chassis rail. Surprisingly the body is totally rust free.

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After consultation with local mechanical engineer Grant Jenkins it was decided that due to the extent of the rust damage to the chassis rail it would be advisable to locate a donor car. Luck had it that fellow club member and Thunderbird expert Glen Henderson had just what was required. A parted out 1965 Galaxie Sedan. On close inspection the piece of chassis required was basically identical to the damaged piece on the Thunderbird but in perfect rust free condition. Bill went about removing the side he wanted carefully grinding it off the Galaxie. The parts were then delivered to Grant’s workshop along with the Thunderbird frame for the repair.

This chassis rail was replaced all the way from the front to the rear over the axle and spliced in with the original rear section where there is no load.

The chassis is repainted, reassembled and ready to go back under the body. The front end is refurbished with new bushes and ball joints, much easier to work on with the body off the frame. The underbody has been cleaned and resealed... Bill doesn’t muck around.. as I write this the car is now reassembled, rolling and nearly ready for rego. Chances are you will be seeing this fine Thunderbird on a club run any day now... It is a testament to Bill’s restoration expertise and determination to save this wonderful car.. Johnny

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We have compiled a list of repair or service shops who have been found to be of great help in the restoration of our Classic Cars, this is not a commercial ad nor do the Thunderbirds of QLD Inc. take any responsibility for workmanship or service! However if you have found a good shop that has provided what you require then let us know and we shall list them for others to try out.

          

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BHSS TBS - Brakes & Power Steering. 38 Smith St Capalaba 3620 6555 EXHAUST INNOVATIONS - Custom Exhaust Systems. 5/33 Steel St Capalaba. 3390 3200 ANNVID Auto Upholsterers - 24 Smith St Capalaba. 3390 3444 COL ROBINSON & CO - Power Steering Box Rebuilds. 2/19 Kitchener Rd Kedron 3350 5000 GLEN HENDERSON - Parts & Advice Anything Thunderbird. Greenbank 3297 5342 KEITH 4 WHEELS - Whitewall tyres, wheels and quality wheel alignments by Kiwi Pete.

11 Smallwood St Underwood. 3841 6244 (See advertisement below) INNOVATIVE AUTO DESIGN - Specialising in compliancing of American & European Classic Cars. 3/14 Lapis St Underwood. 3290 2177 or 0411 311473 ACCESS TOWING - Tilt Tray Service. Parkridge 0418 721987 KNIGHTS OLD SCHOOL BRAKES SERVICE - Wynnum Ph 3393 3188 OZ RODS - Hot Rod and Street Machine Specialists. 3805 7155 www.oz-rods.com BRIAN ARMSTRONG AIRCONDITIONING 0447 349495 AH 3802 2994

Thunderbirds of Queensland Inc. Club Polo Shirts NOW AVAILABLE !!

Check them out on the TOQ web site..

Just click on the Merchandise link choose your colour then follow the instructions to download the order form.

Not online contact me, Johnny directly on 0412 458434 and we’ll post you an order form

Club Stickers..

Need extra? $1.50 Stew, Doug and Gary wearing their club polos at the All Ford Day

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JOIN THIS GREAT CLUB

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