The seller notes paint repair to the top of the driver’s door and behind the rear bumper. Additional features include chrome bumpers, vent-style door ornaments, a driver-side mirror, a front fender antenna, a single exhaust outlet, and Roadster-specific front fender and tonneau emblems. The body was repainted in Corinthian White (M) in the 1980s and has a matching power-operated soft top along with a Sports Roadster tonneau cover for the rear seats. This Thunderbird Sports Roadster is now offered by the seller on behalf of the owner’s estate with a clean Iowa title. Service in preparation for the sale included changing the oil, draining and refreshing the fuel, and replacing the points, ignition coil, brake master cylinder, and front wheel cylinders and hoses. The car has reportedly been in the same family since new and was acquired by the owner in the 1980s. The body is finished in Corinthian White, and equipment includes a Chestnut leather interior, power-operated white soft top, body-color fiberglass tonneau cover, air conditioning, AM/FM radio, front bucket seats, and chrome wire wheels. Not sure when the engine will be ready, but I am hoping to be able to drive the car to the March 2017 RSSVTC meeting (fingers crossed!).This 1963 Ford Thunderbird is one of 455 Sports Roadsters produced for the model year and is powered by a 390ci V8 paired with a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission. Parts are slowing going back on the car, with the rebuilt steering gear box being the first. The second photo shows the repainted valve covers and air cleaner cover in the correct 1963-only Castillian Gold. The car came out of the paint shop on January 16 the photo shows how much better it looks with body color in the right spots. Since the engine needed to be rebuilt (another story all by itself) I decided to have the appropriate areas painted while the engine was out at the machine shop. Later I learned Bullet Birds (1961-1963) are supposed to have the engine bay painted body color (with late 62’s & all 63’s having a black firewall). My car had the engine bay and underside of the hood painted black. When I bought my Bird in 2011 I didn’t realize the paint scheme was not correct. Update on restoration of 1963 Thunderbird convertible I have found a wonderful like-minded group of Thunderbird enthusiasts in the Rainier South Sound Vintage Thunderbird Club, and I encourage to you to join us in the enjoyment of all things Thunderbird! But it is a labor of love and despite all the challenges I wouldn’t trade my car for the world. Currently the engine is out for a rebuild and it is in the paint shop for the third time. Over the past 5 years I have learned (painfully!) just how many deficiencies my baby had. Yes, it blew smoke and yes, it needed a new interior-but I was in love! I figured I would just put in a new interior and then enjoy driving it around the beautiful Pacific Northwest (we moved to Federal Way in September 2012).įast forward to January 2017. It came with the 1963-only two-tone seats (medium blue and light blue) and I was hooked. The color is Diamond Blue (light blue, almost robin’s egg color) and had been repainted but seemed original and complete. I found my Bird (located in Massachusetts) on eBay and took a look at it in person. I was also pretty adamant that I didn’t want to take on another project car, but we all know about good intentions. While living in Atlanta in 2011 I started seriously looking for a convertible Bullet Bird with a light colored paint scheme and a light interior. I have always been a Ford man at heart, and have long loved the looks of the 1961-1963 Bullet Birds. Over the years I have owned and restored a wide variety of cars, among them a 1974 Triumph TR6 and a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.
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