1957 Ford Thunderbird

Convertible

v-8

Automatic

D7FH285202

Clear

I sure hate to see this one go. I bought her about 7 years ago and had a ton of restoration done, but some financial issues force me to sell. You know the old saying about antique cars... "Buy one done". Well, this one is pretty much done. At least as a very nice car show cruiser. Here are the specifics: I bought this T-bird because I fell in love with the idea of driving one. I'd never owned one, and it seemed like a good idea. It has a rebuilt engine, and although I could tell that the paint and body were not strong at all, the guy wanted a very reasonable price so I went for it. Then I took to to my local pro for some paint and body work, only to find that there was a significant amount of bondo all over the place. There were a couple of panels that were virtually fabricated out of plastic. I wanted it done right, so we cut out every body panel that had rust or bondo and welded in new ones. As you can imagine, that was not cheap! Also replaced the hood with a better one because the nose had been crunched at some point. So all in all, she has one new rocker, one new rear quarter panel, one new door skin, one new front fender, a new nose and a new (used and reconditioned) hood. Of course we replaced all of the chrome and badges as well. Might as well do it right! Then it was painted the original cream white. Bumpers have been re-chromed too. And honestly, I have no idea how much money I spent. I really don't want to know, and I sure don't want my wife to know! I figure that if I never total the receipts I'll never have to lie about it... good plan, right? Also put brand new tires on her. And then had the interior worked on. New carpet professionally installed, new embossed dash panels ($600 for the set!), dash professionally repainted, new smaller steering wheel (I have the old one, but unless you're 5'9" and skinny, good luck getting your thighs under it), all new rubber on doors, trunk, and hardtop. New portholes on the hardtop - perfect chrome on those. Then repaired some other mechanical stuff... new gas tank, new front end bushings, new battery, and the carb and linkage have been rebuilt. She starts wonderfully, no smoke (of course, because the engine has been rebuilt) and runs like a champ. As I said, I've never totaled up what I spent on this thing. But I'm dang sure that I threw well over 40k into this car between the purchase and the resto, and I am going to be significantly upside down when it sells. That's why you "Buy One Done!" My loss, your gain. Let me be clear - This is not a high-end resto - it's not a 98-point car. There are still some rough edges. Some interior chrome is a bit pitted, electric windows are sometimes balky, the seats are nice but not perfect, the hardtop was refinished and repainted but has one small paint crack near the left porthole. I have the convertible top frame but it is not installed and has an old top and window on it. You'll need to install the frame and replace the canvas and probably the plastic window if you want a functional soft top. But Old Cars Price Guide lists a #3 car's value (with hardtop) as $31,050 and this is certainly better than a #3. And you can have this one for a lot less than that. By the way, I really don't know the mileage. The speedo stopped a while back - the previous owner told me that there is a little gear that I am missing. I ordered that sucker 7 years ago and promptly lost it before I installed it. I would not guarantee the odometer reading even if it was working, but the true mileage is kinda irrelevant with a rebuilt motor and all new body work. Feel free to come take her for a spin. I'm the sentimental type and I want her to go to a new home. I've bought cars on Ebay and I know that it's tough to start thinking about spending five figures on something you've never seen. I'll work with you on pictures, a mechanical inspection, whatever makes you happy. Just hit me up. Happy bidding!