Kustom Builds: 1964 Ford Thunderbolt
Even though our owner, Carl Moyer, is known as a Chevy guy, he used to race a 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt. Set up for drag racing with a 427 cubic inch V8 motor, just 100 of these cars were ever built. That’s why when he found another one, we decided to make a series of videos about the car.
A Short History Of The Ford Thunderbolt
In 1964, Ford built a special Thunderbolt version of the Fairlane for drag racing. The cars included a 425-horsepower 427 cubic-inch motor and were lighter than their stock counterparts with fiberglass body panels. Approximately half of the cars had an automatic transmission, and the other half used a four-speed manual. The lightweight Thunderbolts made a real impact on the NHRA, capable of running sub-12 second quarter-miles, and were the cars to beat in 1964.
Restoring The 1964 Ford Thunderbolt
The goal of the restoration was to return the Thunderbolt to “race-ready” condition. Most of the effort went into cleaning up an older restoration, fixing rust or poor-quality work, and making the car look new. Everything was stripped down, restored, repainted, or returned to its original condition. The biggest challenge was restoring the original fiberglass hood and fenders.
“It takes extra work to get it right… the way these cars were made, you got to hand block everything. All the body lines are taped and everything is aligned and hand sanded until it all aligns perfectly.“
– Ed Birmingham, head painter
Karl Kustoms rebuilt the engine, going through the engine block, crankshaft, rods, and pistons. They installed new hardened valves and guides for the car to run better on today’s unleaded fuel. Finally, they decided to go with aluminum cylinder heads and purchased a set from Caroll Shelby’s shop.
The final step was to add sponsorship decals to the finished car. In 1964, all the decals and lettering were hand-painted on top of the original paint. However, the decision was made to paint the car and add a clear coat on top of the paint and decals. The Karl’s Ford dealership decal uses seven colors, so Birmingham traced out the logos and masked them for each layer.
“It took 12 different masks to apply the colors for the decals. Each door probably took 8 to 12 hours, in addition to the base coats and five coats of clear.“
Throughout the process, Carl was very involved down to the last detail. He was very specific about what he wanted – a restored and race-ready Thunderbolt that would take on all comers at the strip.
Let Us Help With Your Auto Restoration
Whether you’re looking to upgrade the look or performance of your ride or have an original car you want to restore to showroom new, we can make your dream a reality.
Our team does everything from engine builds and upholstery to complete restorations. No other shop can match our service and the expertise of our staff. If you have questions or would like to find out more, call us at 866-697-7805 or contact us online to find out how we can help with your project.