I recently picked up this 62 tbird project. Currently I am replacing the fuel pump and attempting to get the drivers side exhaust manifold bolts out to replace the gasket. Plans are to order a new set of 15" 2.25" whites for it in a couple of weeks, and add a set of lancer hubcaps to it. Lowering it a little is a must and a good detailing of the interior. Hoping to shave it and replace some of the chrome parts. I know this car belonged to a fellow hamb member before the guy I bought it from. It already has new window motors, trans pan, heater cable and valve.
Love the old Birds lie this and the interior looks pretty good. From the looks of the rear bumper and tail light housings it looks like you need to make friends with a chrome plater. HRP
Picked up some steel 15" wheels from the junkyard and painted them up. Got the new db tires mounted for the tbird this week. Not sure on runnin these hubcaps or not, they were still new in the box from the last project.
I always wanted to put flamethrowers in the center of the tail lights. Watched too much Batman as a kid I guess...... Nice Bird. Love that body style all the way up to 66.
Got the engine back togeather today. Next step is to get under the hood sanded down and painted to get it prepped to drop the engine back in.
Love the bullet birds, I have first chance at my cousins 62, its an original Black & gold plate California car. Haven't got the asking price yet.
Made a patch panel for under the battery this week and got it welded in. Finished stripping all under the hood down to bare metal and painted it with eastwood's underhood black. Next steps are to make an alternator bracket and get the engine back in next weekend.
Got the engine sitting back in the car today. shooting to have it running again by the end of the month.
Not my car, yet I do have some opinions: Shave the sides, but move the "Thunderbird" script to the rear, in place of the triple 'whatevers'. Leave the upper trim, it's impossible to not love that detail. Put a button under the trim to release the door and remove the pushbutton that you can see. Paint the very lowest bodyside reveal black, to visually lower the car's silhouette and bring out the rocket shape better. Skirts are a must, the factory's are great. The car cannot be black, it'd lose the effect of the paint outs, and that shape must be a color. Lose the inner two taillight chrome rings, but leave the inner and outer cone and trim. Shave the decklid. Shave the 'T' bird from the hood, paint out (or cut) the center horizontal slat from the scoop, and paint out the windshield trim to leave just the driprail and a narrow trim around the windshield. Lose the bumper guard, and mount the license plate behind the grille, which is perfect as it stands. Oh, OK, possibly lose the horizontal elements, but the squares have to stay. Maybe paint the side bumper to leave just a bit of chrome, to roll the upper trim around the front fender in the same proportion. Body color or black for the flat trim around the headlights, but leave the chrome hood edge trim. Move the signals back an inch, and cover with more grille. The interior is nearly perfect, a bit of simplify to the whole, and you're good. But that's me. Cosmo P.S. I'd PhotoShop, but my computer's gone wacky, gonna have to get a new model soon.
The engine is back in the car this weekend. Now to start putting it all togeather and get it running. Cleaning up things to make it more tidy as I go too.
Cosmo, My plan is lower the car 3 inches put on the wide whites with the flipper hubcaps for this year, remove the front bumper guard, add fender skirts, disk brake coversion, and drive it. Long term plans are: shave the trunk shave the tbird and the 3 rectangles from the side of the car shave the door locks shave the push button for the door and possibly replace with the spiral lincoln style push buttons shave the bird from C-Pillars add a small chrome bullet to the center of the tailights or put something custom in their place. possible 3" chop paint: thinking a pale purple, or Inca gold, probabally a flaked roof of a different color than the rest of the body. If you could photoshop it for me that would be awsome! I do like the idea of moving the turn signals back and recessing them behind the grill!
I have the opportunity to purchase a 62 stock clean sand beige running driving original. I dont need another car but hate to let this one get away. Any advice?
Can't wait to see it! I've been looking for a bullet bird for a couple years. Finally found one online and made a deal on it. Waiting to get my hands on it. Probably not gonna put it on the road this year, but....we'll see!!! Show us what you got!!! More pics please!
Tin Can, great car to start with. buy it ! you'll regret it if you don't My oldest brother had an eggshell (?) white 63 with black interior, stock 390. Like HRP said, those interiors are just beautiful. IIRC, the tires were something called "run-flat" ...let you keep driving even if the tire went flat.
I used a set of DJM blocks. The bottom hole needed to be opened up to 1". I added a sleeve to the pin from the hardware store. .5" ID with a 5/8 OD. Hammered it over the pin and filed it down to 9/32 to fit into the hole in the rearend. Also painted some more parts to finish up under the hood.
Good looking project. Not a cookie cutter car. Keep going, you're doing great. Keep us posted with photos and words.
Havent updated this in a while. I got the engine back in the car and running, converted the front end over to disk brakes over the winter too. Found some great buys at a swapmeet a couple months ago for the car, and the car made the 535 mile round trip with no issues to Symco. If anyone has a passenger side exhaust manifold they would like to get rid of with the numbers like the one attached I am looking for one. Mine is pretty cracked. Customizing pics to come soon. I am getting the bug to start shaving and customizing this thing.
Hi Tin Can, I owned your 'Bird prior to the person you bought it from. I bought it from a person that had owned it for 25 years. It was originally a CA car. I sold it because I needed to concentrate on getting my '32 sedan on the road. I checked it out at the Scrap Drive and Symco but never was able to catch up with you to talk. You are doing a great job with it. Hope to meet you soon. Mark
I bought a brake conversion kit off of ebay. It came with everything including a master cylinder and booster. I had to modify the mount on the firewall from the original booster to make it work per the mounts they provided were not correct.
finkster, I hope to catch up with you soon. I have some big plans for subtle mods on this car over the winter. Maybe I will see you at Iron Invasion. Scott has been keeping close tabs on where I am with the car.
Decided after iron invasion to start tearing the car down. Got the passenger side stripped down thinking this is the worst side. Started filling trim holes and using up logs of studs for the stud gun to get all of the dents out. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I got the metal work pretty much done on the fender and the door. Made a frenching up for the Lincoln push button and got it welded in. Hoping to finish up metal work on the quarter this week and start sanding some filler. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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