Projects '57 T-Bird project

You brought up the point about taking off the roof. I helped my father hoist his off and up to the ceiling in our 1.5 car garage. I learned a lot of swear words......We owned it about a year....White with red /white interior. Single air cleaner....could pick "um" up and lay "um" down, very easily.

 

Yes, I have. T-Bird parts are twice the price of the early 60's cars I've worked on in the past and my current driver. I can do most of the work myself with a little help from friends to keep it manageable (I hope).

Joe

 

Really appreciate the input! Yes, the ragtop is in good condition and the hardtop is included in the price. Car has decent original interior but worn. Only a dashboard hack for a stereo! A very good cleaning and new carpet would do the trick to make it presentable. Biggest costs will be brakes and suspension, from what I can see. Needs paint, good straight bumpers could use re-chrome but okay for daily driver. Just trying to get it to #4 on paper and see if it's doable without going over value price. The value info is what I'm mainly interested in, knowing there will always be hidden costs. If I have a little buffer, it's a fair shake.
Thanks again!

Joe

 

If you're in it $25K when your done, you'll be just below break even up here in the PNW. Probably better with the 289 C4 than another combo (FE being a possible exception). The two worst ones I've seen were a sbc and an LT1. Those 2 guys couldn't give them away.

Be a little careful about how you do the disk, there's some bad conversions out there. I can show you the bills for the r&p (which works perfect, with no bump steer) and was a near total waste of money from a good, rebuilt 57 steering box.

If you want more info, shoot me a pm. Some of its off topic for here, but might be of use.

 

Resto mod, HAMB, don't see the connection. Lippy

 

Bad nomenclature on my part. Not a 'resto-mod' by modern standards. Original '57 T-Bird w/ '65 2894V & C-4 tranny. Only upgrades are for safety for my wife. Thanks!

Joe

 

Thanks for the input on prices! I'm looking just to get this car rolling with decent paint for now. To be honest, looks like the paint could have been wet-sanded and buffed out to a decent finish but someone started sanding to the primer on the hood for some unknown reason. If I can pull it off on the body, I may color-match the hood and just shoot it to get by for now. Just want a decent, safe daily driver that I can maintain without breaking the bank.

Joe

 

Sounds interesting to me. My wife loves the early thunderbirds too. I looked at a real nice 56 a couple years ago, but it was out of our price range. So, ended up with a squarebird as a daily instead I suppose. Guessing pics might help this crowd substantiate the cost the seller is asking, but it seems somewhat reasonable. Good luck.

 

Here's a few pics of the dirty Bird. It's been sitting in a shed covered with a tarpaulin for a few years.

 

If you buy the car, you better talk to someone who converted to rack-and-pinion steering before you pull the trigger. There are two ways you can go: swap to a r & p front clip, or use a bolt-on kit designed specifically for the T-bird. However, you're not likely to find someone who will honestly admit that the conversion was worth it. Even though they are small cars, they have a wide turning radius. The r & p conversion makes it worse.

I can understand wanting something better than the OEM hydraulic-boom power steering. Take a look at the Borgeson power-steering conversion. There's also an electric power-steering conversion. In both cases, the steering column will have to be modified. However, the electric components go under the dash, not under the hood.

By the way, I have a 55 T-bird that's been in the family for 50 years. It has manual steering, and it probably will remain that way. Admittedly, u-turns and parallel parking aren't fun, but it will never be a daily driver.

 

The folding top looks pretty rough. Also looks like it may have been stored on dirt. Kinda doubting that car is a driver, probably needs quite a few systems gone through. If I may judge a book by it's cover, $15K seems a little high. The ones that were for sale from the guy I used to work for were around the same price and I'd say they were in nicer shape, paint about the same but they definitely could have been driven home, and he tends to price things at the upper range. Unless there's a lot more to it that I'm not seeing, or if the underside is like super extra clean, I don't know if I'd go 15K on this one. 10 or 12 maybe, if I really wanted this particular one.

 

The steering wheel does adjust in and out, just loosen the chrome collar.

 

I just looked at the photos. I hope you have skills and a healthy bank account or good credit. If you have either, and time, I wouldn't recommend paying over $10,000. Once you start working on it, you'll find that the deeper you dig, the more problems you will find. I inherited my father's 55 T-bird in 2012. Although it looked good on the surface, minor repairs turned into a body-on restoration. It's now 2021, I'm 66 years old, and I hope I can put it back on the road before I die.

My advice to you, buy a car that looks nice and runs and drives well, not one that you may very well come to resent and never finish. Unless it's a rare model, like a 57 E or F-type, or it's been restored by someone Like Amos Minter, it will probably never be worth what you end up putting into it. Other considerations include sleepless nights, family arguments, loss of garage space, etc. If you do finish it, don't expect it to drive like a new car. On the plus side, most of the parts you may need are being reproduced, but they could be made anywhere, like China or India, not in America.

 

Looks like a fun project, you haven't bought it yet?

 

Getting both the soft and hard tops is a plus. The soft top frame is a bit hard to come by and expensive. I have both tops for mine. If you don't have some kind of lifting device, taking off the hard top is a two person job. My shop has tall ceilings so I put a Harbor Freight electric hoist in the rafters. I can remove and install the top alone, but it's nice to have someone help guide it on. Once we see sunlight out here, the hard top comes off and stays off till late fall.

 

I dig 55-57 T bird's as well but after seeing the pictures 15k is to much. In the current state I wouldn't pay more than 10k and I would feel good at 8500. Cars that have been half disassembled can be a big pain. You will find that many parts are usually missing and the fact that this car doesn't have the original drivetrain there will be many things that will need attention.
This is a big project.
Unless you want a big project I would take the 25k all in figure and just find a nice Bird that is good to go.

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I've owned a few early 60's cars but trying to break into the older market if I can. The info is a great help to me. I wanted to pick this up for my wife to drive if it was doable deal. She hasn't been out of the house in over a year due to ill health and I'm trying to get her motivated again without breaking the bank (or my back). The owner is 75 and in failing health as well. I met him 6 months ago and don't know him well. He has many old projects for sale (a few custom rods, as well) and I hate to see any of them go to the crusher. Ts on up. I may post a few here but won't be a third party to a sell. Thanks again!

 

I can understand wanting to see the sellers cars get back on the road. I think there has been lots of good advice given here coming from experience of how much money and time can be spent on something like this Thunderbird. In reality, a pretty nice driver 55-57 could likely be bought for less when considering all you would have to spend plus you could jump in now and see your wife enjoying it. I have failed a couple times thinking I was going to build something for my wife. I bought her a 67 Firebird convertible project and then a 62 Tempest convertible project before I just gave up and bought her a driver that she could enjoy without waiting on me to build it first.

 

Until the photos were posted, I thought the OP was looking at this:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1957-ford-thunderbird.1220889/

 

Strange timing...but just got an email with a link to a 56 that appears to be pretty nice on Ebay right now in TN that could possibly be bought reasonable.

 

I would look close, it may be simple to make it a driver, my ‘64 Chrysler convertible sat in a dirt floor shed for 30 years, it’s rock solid, took me a couple weeks to make it a running driving car. I put a ton of miles on it last year. I probably paid more than most people would have, it spoke to me though, it just “felt” right. No regrets


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

The best I've been able to do, after several failed attempts, is get her a later model sporty car.

Reality is a bitch, some times.

 

Exactly. After the two project fails...the third was a late model sporty convertible...that she enjoyed more than she would have either of the old cars anyway.

 

Good comments on the reality check Failed projects are always regrettable, sad to say. I've had a few myself. If I were 30 years younger, it would be a different story. The owner has a '40 Ford I would love to build (always loved 40s) but I don't know if I have what it takes anymore to complete a total restoration. Here's a shot of it-
The leads on the finished cars are much appreciated! My current driver is an older restoration showing 10 years of wear. Fun car, something to tinker on and enjoy. If it's not fun, it isn't worth doing. Bottom line is the fun factor

Joe

 

Something else to consider is the cost of registration. Will there be back fees? Does the owner have the title? Of course, this applies to any car that has been out of service for as long as that 57 T-bird has.

 

I own one. It was my dream car as a teen and when I turned 50 in 2008 the bottom fell out and they were cheap disposable income. So I shopped around found a nice one in Little Rock ARK. and drove it home to Seattle. I'm not 6' and riding with the top up or the hard top on is no fun. The seat is comfortable but the position it puts you in is not. I had to pit a nice aftermarket wheel in it because the original made getting in and out difficult at best. It is the noisiest convertible I have owned , road noise not engine. I still drive it but in the summer with no top up or on but the small of my back pays a price if i sit in it more then a hour. The 55 6 and 7 birds are one of the all time great fords but not for people over 5' 6 ' or 40 years old.

 

Hey Joe, Tell us about your 63 comet. I have 63 S22 myself.