Identifying your 1964–66 Thunderbird
Flare Birds: 1964–66 Thunderbirds
1965
1966
GRILLES
The 1964 grille has horizontal bars.
Horizontal and a few vertical bars make up the 1965 grilles.
The 1966 Thunderbird grille has a rectangular pattern and a 2ft bird emblem.
HOOD ORNAMENTS
The “THUNDERBIRD” hood letters uniquely identify a 1964 Thunderbird.
The 1965 bird emblem sits on the hood.
The hood scoop “V” is the only 1966 hood detail.
FRONT FENDER ORNAMENTS
The 1964 turn signal fender lights have a forked bottom and sit above the headlights.
The 1965 turn signal fender lights are the same as the 1964.
Rather than a forked bottom of the 1964 and 1965, the 1966 turn signal fender lights have flat bottoms. They sit above the headlights.
SIDE ORNAMENTS
The “Thunderbird” script is the 1964 front fender panel detail.
The “C” and feathers are a unique 1965 Thunderbird detail. They are front fender panel ornaments, while the “Thunderbird” script is on the quarter panel.
The “Thunderbird” script on a 1966 is also a quarter panel detail.
HARDTOP ROOF ORNAMENTS
The 1964 bird emblem is the hardtop roof detail.
1965 hardtop bird emblems are encased in a rounded rectangle.
The 1966 Thunderbird hardtop bird emblem has longer wings with a long, thin black bar compared to the 1964.
LANDAU ROOF ORNAMENTS
The ellipse bird emblem insert is in the center of each 1964 Landau bar.
Opposite to the 1964 and 1966 Landau bars, the 1965 bar doesn’t contain an insert.
The circular bird emblem is the insert in the 1966 Landau bar.
TAIL LIGHTS
The 1964 tail lights have two bird emblems, one in the center of each tail light. A “THUNDERBIRD” emblem separates the tail lights.
1965 tail lights use a tail light retainer with a bird emblem as a separator.
There are three tail lights on a 1966 Thunderbird and the center is covered with a bird emblem.
HUBCAPS
The 1964 Thunderbird has the spinner and non-spinner hubcap styles. The non-spinner has a black center while the spinner has a red center and three prongs.
The spinner and non-spinner are the two styles of 1965 hubcaps. The spinner has a tricolored center with three spokes, while the non-spinner just has a silver center.
The 1966 T-bird has a five-sectioned, red-centered spinner and a red- and black-centered non-spinner.
1964–66 Thunderbird VINs
The VIN, on a 1964 Thunderbird, is located on the driver’s side door. The year is the first digit in the VIN.
Example: 4Y85Z100001
The first digit is a “4,” signifying a 1964 Thunderbird.
The VIN, on a 1965 Thunderbird, is located on the driver’s side door. The year is the first digit in the VIN.
Example: 5Y87Z100001
The first digit is a “5,” signifying a 1965 Thunderbird.
The VIN, on a 1966 Thunderbird, is located on the driver’s side door. The year is the first digit in the VIN.
Example: 6Y83Z100001
The first digit is a “6,” signifying a 1966 Thunderbird.