When we first saw this Pro Street 1978 Thunderbird the first thing we thought was “WTF?”. But at the same time, the lines somehow worked and we were intrigued. Was it a real deal Pro Street machine? Or just a big tire with nothing to back it up? Well it turns out that this giant beast does in fact have some stones to back up the big 32×17.50 Mickey Thompson ET Streets as it has been down the track in 11.01 seconds at almost 125 mph and that was just a shakedown pass. The owner is confident it will run in the 10’s as is, and were pretty sure that some spray would make this thing a deep 10 second if not 9 second runner. That would be fun in a barge this big. It is perfect for Rocky Mountain Race Week!

This thing is not a show car, nor is it a trailer queen. It’s a big beast Pro Street 1978 Thunderbird that we think would be a bitchin ride to take cross country.

What do you think?

Here is what the seller has to say about it: CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ORIGINAL AD

1978 Ford Thunderbird

The engine  is a 545 ci BBF  built in 2007  with a forged 4.5 stroke crank, Eagle  6.8 H beam rods and 0.030 over custom Diamond pistons 12.25: 1 compression.   Comp Cams XR304 solid roller cam 266/272 duration @ 0.050 lift  .690/.700 lift  Comp Endure X roller lifters. The passenger side lifter bores are bushed to improve oiling, other items used are  a Canton deep sump oil pan, Melling HV oil pump,  Romac billet double roller timing set

Professionally  ported and polished  TFS Street heads  done by Scott Johnston  of RHP in Seattle WA with 2.25 / 1.76 stainless valves, Comp Springs, titanium retainers.  Comp Hi-Tec stainless rocker arms, 3/8 pushrods and Jomar stud girdles.   Ported Victor intake  Pro Systems 1350 cfm SV-1 carb

So far the engine has around 400 miles on it and is doing well.   It holds 60-70 psi oil pressure at cruising rpms ( 3,000 rpm ) and 20-30 psi at idle  ( 950 rpms ) .  The spark  plugs and valve lash  are routinely checked.  For regular street driving 93 octane pump gas and a  quality octane  booster have worked well.  I have used 110 octane fuel for racing.   I do not have any idea as to how much power it is making but a good guess is  around 625-650.   I have only had the car to the track once with this motor and it ran  11.01 @ 124.6 mph.   The  trap speed suggests the car should go mid 10’s as is.

C-4 automatic transmission fully rollerized, extra clutches, Kevlar bands  reverse manual valve body  PA servo, PA input shaft.  Edge 4300 10″ stall converter with anti balloon plates for nitrous  Mark Williams billet yoke  TCI  deep pan  the transmission was freshened in 2004 and has about 500 miles on it.  I moved the trans cooler to the rear of the car and added a spin on filter that holds an extra quart of fluid.  I used stainless braided teflon lines for that.

The rear end uses 33″ adjustable ladder bars and  QA1 coilovers for the suspension.  I had   Currie make the rear end housing.   The  rest is a Moser  “N” center section  4:30 gears, full spool,  Moser 33 spline  gun drilled axles with 5/8 studs  Dayton pinion support  and a 1350 forged pinion yoke.  Dyno tech  3-1/2 aluminum driveshaft

Other noteworthy items:

MDS 6AL2 ignition, MSD distributor MSD HVCII coil,  MSD start/retard box,   Taylor 409 wires   Crites 2″ primary headers  Borla stainless oval  XR1 Sportsman mufflers   Jaz 15 gallon fuel cell  Mallory Comp 250 electric pump,  Mallory 4 port regulator and filter.  Griffin aluminum radiator Moroso electric water pump Mark VIII electric fan.    I  had the steering box rebuilt to operate as a manual steering box, the  brakes are manual as well.

The brakes front and back were done during the backhalf and most of the lines were replaced.

Interior:  8 point roll bar,  Simpson harnesses  Jeg’s racing bucket seats  full assortment of Autometer Pro Comp gauges,   Hurst Quarter stick 2 shifter  new headliner.  The upholstery/ carpeting needs finished.

The body is not perfect but there is very little rust and filler anywhere.   It was painted Viper Silver Pearl metallic back in 1996,  it is ready for paint again  now that the back half job is finished.  During the backhalf  work, the  vinyl  top was removed and painted with tough gard,  the guy did a great job and  everybody thinks its a new vinyl top.

The chrome and trim is a mix of old and NOS, the window trim and bumpers will need re-plated to be perfect.  The grill, hood ornament and tailights  are NOS parts purchased within the last seven years.  If you look closely the front and rear bumpers have been  moved in from the stock location to improve the lines of the car.

The wheels are  Weld Aluma stars  front and rear,   fronts  are 15″ x 4″  the rears are 15″ x 14″ and drilled for screws.   The tires are Mickey Thompson 28″ x 7.5  Sportsman fronts and  the rears are 32″ x 17.50 ET Streets with tubes.

Please feel free to ask me any questions,  additional photos can be taken and the car can be seen upon appointment.