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History Anyone recognize this old Texas Thunderbird custom - somebody should save it!!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by SuperFleye, Mar 4, 2010.

  1. SuperFleye
    Joined: Jul 17, 2005
    Posts: 2,053

    SuperFleye
    Alliance Vendor

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    Today somebody sent me a copy of the march issue of "The Antique Expression - Gulf Coast Region, Houston, Texas" The cover of that magazine shows a customized 1956 Ford Thunderbird that recently was found in the "Cypress Area"... Hidden behind some dead plant life, the new owner was able to buy the car from a lady named Connie. Connie had gotten the car from her dad while she was in the 8th grade. She got the car so that she could use it when she started high school. After getting the T-Bird, the first thing Connie told his dad was that she "wanted it souped up"...

    OK, It seems like the new owner wants to restore the "ugly duckling" back to original. That's too bad, so if anyone have a stock thunderbird laying around, maybe you can arrange a trade and save this old custom!!

    Here is the full story from the magazine:

    ""A Diamond in the Ruff" or "A real Ugly Duckling""

    By Jim Johnston
    Believe it or not folks, it's a 1956 Thunderbird. You just have to look beyond what you see!!!!!
    And now, the rest of the story. In my "hobby job" as Sandra calls it, I travel all over Spring, Conroe, Hunts- ville, Madisonville, Calvert, Hearne, and the Cypress/ Hockley areas. With that said, let's move forward to when we had what we can now call "our annual Decem- ber snowfall." A few days after the "Texas Blizzard" had moved on, I was traversing through the Cypress area in
    my newly acquired Ford F150. I was traveling down a road that I had driven on, if it was once, it must have been 100's of times. And as we say in the old car world, always scanning left and right for what I might find. Then all of a sudden, "THAR IT WUZ." I could not stop, so I found a turn around and went back. After pulling into the drive- way up to a locked gate, I could see that my eyes had not deceived me. Sitting there just behind a large pile of dead-from-the-freeze plant life, I could tell it was defi- nitely a 55, 56, or 57 Thun- derbird.
    Then I saw a person working in the yard and got out to ask if the car was for sale. He at first said no, but then said yes it was. When asked how much, his reply was $20K. I then realized, he really didn't want to sell it. So I moved on about my daily tasks. Maybe two weeks or so later I was telling some of our club members about the T-Bird at dinner just before our January meeting. Of course Jack Malpass immediately asked where it was lo- cated. I just told him "out A Diamond in the Ruff
    cleaner, and the AC compressor.
    The car was built in Dearborn and delivered to a dealer in Louisville, Kentucky. The car rolled off the assembly line as the 68,941st 1956 Ford vehicle built, and as Thunder- bird # 1,675 of 15,631 T-Birds built in 56. By the way, that production total of 15,631 happened to be 4 times the production total of the 56 Corvette. Our car rolled off the as- sembly line on the 16th of April. On that date, it was Raven Black with a Snowshoe White top, and Black and white interior trim, which it still has. Sandra's overall favorite car is a Peacock Blue (turquoise) and white Crown Victoria. I had to give up on getting her one of those. But with that said, her second favorite is a 56 T-Bird the same color. Well, we can paint the T-Bird like she wants it, but for now, since it's red she'll just have to call it her "V alentine."
    in the Cypress area." I saw it in his eyes, and deep inside, I guess I had- n't given up on getting it, so "Cypress area" is all he got.
    Now jump forward to January 18th. I drove past the house once again, this time finding a different person out front of the house and the gate open. I stopped and pulled in and asked if the car was for sale. He took a look at it, we were still over 100 yards from the little bird, then he said, "Well, it belongs to my sis- ter; she just might sell it". He left me in the drive to go in and get her. Then Connie came out and after in- troducing myself, I asked her if she would like to sell the car. Without hesitation her reply was, "Yeah, I'll sell it." At that point, we started approaching the vehicle. I had been able to see what looked like fins for a 57. The car was mostly hidden by a very old torn and ripped car cover. The only thing that was exposed was part of the passenger side windshield and part of the door, and I could clearly see the side wind-vent door just to the rear from the right front wheel well. That vent was a new feature for 56 because of customer complaints of the heat when on the road.
    As we were approaching the car, Connie started telling me how little it was worth. That was confusing, until it was uncovered. Turns out, her dad had bought the car for her while she was in the 8th grade for her to use when she started high school. Her dad had gotten that car because she wanted a convertible. However, two things then happened. First, Connie told her dad that she "wanted it souped up." The second thing that happened was her dad told her "I can do that." Well ,you see evidence of what he did!
    Now we jump forward to the 20th. I called Jack Malpass to see if I could use his body shop experience, and told him about the car. Jack agreed to take a ride out to see the T-Bird. After we looked over the car, I took Jack's opinion that the chassy for the most part was sound, and he agreed with my thoughts that the real metal was lurking underneath the "mostly bondo façade." Of couse it built my confidence a little when Jack said I'm so sure about it, if you buy it and can't take it home, I'll give $1000 over what you pay for it." I bought the car the next day. Sandra did say we could keep it, but I can never mention the 64 Continental Convert- able, she wouldn't let me bring home. The next day, John Alkire brought his trailer to move it. After follow- ing him over to his shop, and seeing all the laughing, staring people on the road, I'm glad I was following. Once we got to John’s warehouse, Lee Brown showed up and suggested that I get it running and leave it the way it is. Maybe I should get it run- ning, take it to the Texas Tour, and make Lee drive it!!!
    Turns out it's a 56, with the 312 with a 4V card (missing), with a 3-speed with overdrive. It has the town and country radio, and an air conditioner, power brakes, and power steering. It only has the hard top without the side port-hole windows, which was an option for 1956. Except for the added attractions, the car appears to only be missing the carbuerator, air
     
  2. "Believe it or not folks, it's a 1956 Thunderbird."

    No way? Reeeally? I thought it was a Volvo for sure!
     
  3. Ob1
    Joined: Jan 21, 2010
    Posts: 411

    Ob1
    Member

    fixt
     
  4. SuperFleye
    Joined: Jul 17, 2005
    Posts: 2,053

    SuperFleye
    Alliance Vendor

    Fixt? Did you buy it?
     

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