What Ford car or truck uses the same brakes as a 1964 Ford Thunderbird?

Answer 1

The following research takes a bit of work, but this technique will help you find compatible parts from different vehicles for almost any car or truck.

1) Open TWO browser windows (Command-N usually does this) and arrange them side by side on your computer monitor.

2) In Window 1, go to Amazon's Auto Parts Finder or RockAuto, enter Car 1 (in your case, a 1964 Thunderbird, including engine size) and get a listing of brake parts.

3) In Window 2, do the same thing, but this time entering a different model Ford car or truck from the same year, and with the same engine size -- a 1964 Ford Galaxie, for example.

4) Compare the two windows to see if any of the parts match. If they do, perform a general search of a matching part, including manufacturer and number. The results are likely to reveal other Ford vehicles using the same brake parts. By comparing more cars to your Thunderbird, you're likely to find more parts that match.

5) Another way to find matches is to plug a part number into a search engine and see what pops up in listings on other parts sites. On Amazon, for example, there's often an option like "see what other vehicles this part fits." Ebay has a similar guide -- for many auto parts, you can check to see if the part fits your specific vehicle.

6) Still another way is to do a combined parts search for both vehicles -- for example, "brake cylinder Galaxie Thunderbird."

7) Bear in mind that brake parts can be different based on the exact model or engine size of the vehicles that you're comparing. So brake parts from a Ford Falcon with a 6-cylinder engine might not fit your Thunderbird with a big V-8.

8) In your case, a quick search seemed to indicate that the brake drums (on all four wheels) for your Thunderbird are unique to your vehicle, so presumably you won't find them on a Falcon or a Galaxie. But it's highly likely that more common parts -- hoses, master cylinders and wheel cylinders, for example -- will match up.

9) Finally, if you're considering swapping used parts from another vehicle to the Thunderbird, please think twice. Many of those used parts could be close to 50 years old, and are ready to fail. If they haven't been used for years, they're probably corroded on the inside even if they look OK on the outside. Old rubber seals (of which there are many in brake systems) are likely to leak. And some parts are really cheap -- I found many wheel cylinders for a 1964 Thunderbird selling online for around $6 each. Also, those old cars didn't have dual master cylinders, which means that a failure in one brake could cause the failure of ALL brakes.

10) The year 1964 was a good one for Fords. My dad had a 1964 Fairlane with a V8 and it was fun to drive. Hey, maybe those Fairlane brakes will fit your Thunderbird!