Ford : Thunderbird Sports Roadster

OVERVIEW:

This is a true 1963 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster. It is registered with the T-Bird Registry under # 4073. and has been verified by Lois C. Eminger.
It was a very original and complete car prior to its photo documented restoration being completed by its third and current owner in 2004. He acquired the car in 1999 from its second owner. who at the time was president of the Southern Ontario Thunderbird Association. At that time it had registered just over 60. 00 original miles. Part of the reason for the low original mileage was that the first owner had parked the car for a period of 22 years.

It was built at the Wixom. Michigan plant and retains its original factory invoice dated June 11. 1963. It was originally sold new in Canada by Rankin Ford in London. Ontario. It is one of 455 Sports Roadsters built that year. weighing in at 4. 95 lbs. and riding on a 113” wheelbase. and is equipped with its original 390 ci. 300 hp. V8 with 4 bbl. carb and Cruise-O-Matic transmission.

Included on this car are power Swing-Away steering. power brakes. power windows and driver seat. AM/FM push button radio. tinted glass. and wire wheels with knock-off spinners. The car also has ‘SelecctAire” air conditioning. but presently disconnected at owners choosing.
The door pillar data tag provides the following info:
Body 76B. Trim 55. Color G. Date 13F. DSO 81. Axle 1. Trans 4
Serial # 3Y89Z160335.

The restoration process included full disassembly. proper metal and bodywork. paintwork in its original Silver Mink color. professional restoration of engine and mechanical components. new seat covers. carpets and top. and new and restored brightwork.

This car is not a trailer queen. it has been and remains a very roadworthy and reliable driver. having been driven over 20. 00 trouble free miles since restoration. It has participated in numerous local club events. shows and outings. been on longer distance highway tours where it easily stretches its long legs. and it runs and drives very smooth. Under the current owner. the car has never been winter driven.

The car has won numerous awards and trophies when shown. including Best of Class. First and Second Places. and Peoples Choice.

This is an eye catching roadster in every respect. It shows well and is a definite head turner where ever it goes.

CHASSIS:

This T-Bird rides on a 113” wheelbase. and is 205” in total length.
The unibody undercarriage was sandblasted clean and new front floor pans welded in. and then epoxy primed and undercoated for protection. as it was originally. and as preferred by the owner. The undercarriage is not super clean or highly detailed. and shows the road dirt of its miles. but there is no evidence of rust out. rot. or any other significant issues.

Other than dual exhaust in very good condition. and rear air shocks. everything appears correct and in good condition. and as original equipment.
Suspension system was fully restored. including new front coil springs. rear leaf springs. and shocks.
The steering box was adjusted. and many front end components were replaced including upper and lower ball joints. tie rod ends. idler arm. etc.
New A-arm rods and bushings were installed along with new strut rod bushings.

The complete power brake and hand brake systems were professionally overhauled by Alberta Brake and Clutch. with new components as required. including the brake booster unit.
New fuel lines were installed. and the fuel tank was removed. flushed. and sealed with a liner. It does have one dent.

The tires are a matched set of 5 Good Year Diamond Back P215/70/R14 wide white radials in like new condition. they are only 2 years old.
They are all mounted on 56 spoke wire wheels from Roadster Wheels of California. and have spinner caps with correct 1963 black centered medallions.

A small hitch at the rear was used only for pulling a mobile Coca Cola cooler on wheels. It can be easily removed.

DRIVETRAIN:

 The ‘Z code' Interceptor 390 ci. engine is factory rated at 300 horsepower. and was professionally rebuilt by Moores Machine Shop of Calgary with a . 010 over bore. The rebuild included rings and valves. along with new timing chain and gears.

Ignition has been upgraded to Pertronix electronic ignition. In keeping with a light hearted ‘silver bullet' theme. the coil has a removable Coors Light wrap. which the owner likes to refer to as ‘beer injection'.
Equipped with its professionally rebuilt original 4 bbl. carburetor. the engine starts well. sounds good. and runs smooth and strong with no smoke or irregular sounds.
All components under the hood are either new or rebuilt and appear in very good roadworthy condition.

It has a new under hood insulation pad. and originally correct decals and tags appear throughout.
With a 3. 00:1 rear axle ratio. this car can cruise at 80 mph no problem.

The factory 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission was professionally rebuilt by National Transmission and is equipped with a transmission cooler.
Overall there are no serious leaks evident on the underside. just the usual minor ‘sweat' drips that one finds on any driven vehicle.

A 4 core radiator was installed with 2 electric fans which are controlled with a rheostat. ideally suited to its parade duties.
Although not originally equipped. the owner did install correct “SelectAire” conditioning at time of restoration. Since then the compressor and condenser have been removed because of its frequent use in parades. and the owners choice to avoid any overheating issues on those slow moving hot days. These components are easily put back into service if desired as hoses are still in place and have only been blocked off.
As is correct with any of these birds equipped with a/c. the power steering fluid reservoir is mounted on the inner fender.

BODY & PAINT:

Although this was a relatively solid car prior to restoration. it did have some minor rust issues. These were addressed with either proper metalwork rust repairs or panel replacement. Rather than patch work repairs. the owner opted for replacing front fenders and quarter panels with either NOS or good solid used originals.
As such it is now a very solid car with no hidden surprises or weak areas. Being as the work is over 10 years old. any inferior repairs would have shown up by now. none have.

Body and paint was performed by the present owner to a good. above average amateur level.
The body and all panels on this car are overall quite straight. with only the most minor of blemishes and imperfections if you look for them closely.
Hood. trunk lid and doors were fitted to achieve nice even clearance gaps.

Quality materials. primers. and paint were used in the refinishing. The finish is done in original Silver Mink color using DuPont Chroma Base/Clear.
It is quite nice. smooth. and has good luster. The paint is in overall good condition. It shows very little in the way of scratches or chips from its miles of use since completion. but there are some minor ones here and there.

The owner did some minor polishing after painting. and indicates that it has a good amount of clear coat and could be further enhanced with some additional wet sanding and polishing.

The left rocker is the original. The right rocker panel was replaced after restoration due to curb damage. so there is evidence of paint repair down low. At this time both rockers had paint touch ups due to inadequate coverage down low under the rocker during the initial paint job. If you get down low and look close you can see evidence of the masking. Also. at the rear end of the driver side rocker there is a triangular area of color mismatch. this is the only real visible area when viewing the car curbside.

The stick-on bullet hole decals on the trunk lid were put on to mask a couple of small soft dents that were acquired over recent years. and they do that job well.

The car is equipped with its factory original tonneau cover with built in head rests. It is in excellent condition. and is adorned on both sides with a subtle ‘Silver Bullet' decal.

Various new rubber items and weatherstrips were used throughout the car as required.
The car sports its original rubber filler strips between the front and rear bumpers and the body panels. The front ones are a bit lumpy as the metal cores are swelling from rust. Reproductions are available which do not have a metal core. and the owner was not impressed with them and so opted to leave the originals on.

ELECTRICAL:

The wiring harness is original and is in very good condition. A new battery was installed a year ago.
The alternator was professionally rebuilt as an upgrade to 80 amps. Combined with a larger CCA battery it provides for much better operation of electrical components.

The originally equipped optional Fomoco windshield washer system and bag is located under the hood. The owner bench tested the washer motor and it worked fine. but he has never put fluid in the bag or used the washer on the car.

All power and electrical items are in working order except for the clock. and it has a great heater.
It is equipped with an original AM/FM push button radio and there is a 6 CD stacker in the trunk which is tuned thru one of the FM stations. It has good volume and a nice sound.

Stock gauges and instruments are all in excellent condition. both operationally and esthetically.
All plastic lenses are in very good condition.

INTERIOR:

The interior on this car is wonderful. very nice and appealing to the eye. Its very good original condition was a testimonial to the low mileage when the owner first purchased the car.
It is now a combination of very good original and correct patterned new. showing only the most minor of blemishes here and there.

This roadster is equipped with the famed Swing-Away steering column. bucket seats and console. and passenger side dash grab bar.
The bright trim in the interior is in very nice to excellent condition.

The original dash pad is in super condition without any cracks. as is the original console.
The owner made a custom matching removable cup holder without any modifications to the console.
The original steering wheel is also very nice. with only 2 minor hairline cracks which don't even go all the way around the rim. Nice horn ring and button as well.

New correct seat covers. carpets. and door panels were installed and remain in excellent condition. and the car is equipped with seat belts for 4 passengers.
The rear interior side panels and arm rests are the originals and are also in very good condition. They were re-dyed to properly match the new seat covers and door panels.

The original sun visors and bolt-on headrests of the tonneau cover are in very good condition.
Front carpeting is protected by nice accessory Thunderbird script red floor mats.
New repro sill scuff plates were installed. but prove to be of thinner material than the originals as during restoration and over time they have suffered dings. nicks and scratches.

Reproduction door weatherstrips at the time proved fairly hard and dense. affecting fit on the right door. so a portion was replaced with a generic piece.
Glass sweeper whiskers were replaced with new. Division bar channels and vent window seals are original.
All glass on the car is original and in very good condition. including the windshield.
It sports its original plastic vent window deflectors in good condition.

HIDE-AWAY TOP:

A new Robbins convertible top has been professionally installed and the fit is very good. With the top up it looks right. not too loose. not too tight.
The owners material of choice for the top was Mercedes Hartz cloth canvas as opposed to vinyl.
The top has a vinyl rear window. which has a couple of horizontal scuff lines from being in the folded down position.

The convertible top bows assembly is original and in good condition.
The header and top rail seals are original. The main header seal has a slight fold over at the center but it seals well and does not leak. The top rail seals. although not perfect as they are original. still serve their purpose.

All aspects of the lift mechanism are in good working order and its operation is smooth. with proper alignment of all related components.
The top goes up and down as it should. The trunk lid also performs flawlessly and secures itself with a nice fit over the weather seals. The front latches are in good order.

The top mechanicals. including roof switches and limiters. relays and solenoids. were all bench tested and replaced as required.
Top hydraulic system was flushed and filled with new fluid. There are no leaks or problems.
The trunk area is very clean and tidy. with new trunk mat and side paneling. The original jack with tire iron is secured behind the left side trunk panel.

BRIGHTWORK:

Most stainless and aluminum trim. and chrome items on the car are either new. re-chromed. or excellent originals polished and restored to new condition.
The pot metal grille is excellent original condition. straight. with no breaks. The same applies to the hood scoop grille. and the headlamp doors.
The hood leading edge stainless molding shows minor dings.
The 2 piece front bumper and headlamp bezels have been beautifully re-chromed.

All other chromed pot metal items such as hood and trunk birds. fender emblems. and quarter panel Thunderbird scripts are in excellent condition.
The stainless belt line edge moldings are nicely polished.

New plastic inserts are found within the hood and trunk birds.
The rear bumper and tail light surrounds are also in beautiful re-chromed condition.

The windshield stainless trim is in nice original condition.
The aluminum triple hash marks on the doors are in quite nice original condition with only very minor blemishes visible.
The chrome wire spoke wheels and spinners are in beautiful condition.

Included is a 1962 Shop Manual along with the 1963 Supplement. a Tune-Up Spec sheet. and an original Sales Brochure.

As an added bonus. the owner has agreed that should the car exceed the reserve price by $500 or more he will throw in his color matched 1963 Thunderbird pedal car. Minky Bird.

SUMMARY:

If you are looking to drive a classy. and highly desirable top down roadster. this is it!
The body lines and distinctive styling of this car clearly help one appreciate why Thunderbirds of the day rated in the upper echelons of sporty automobiles.
The 1963 Sports Roadster has all the markings of a rare collectible and investment vehicle.

This striking Silver Mink '63 T-Bird is a proven crowd pleaser. and is ready to cruise and show.

The owner says he would have no hesitation to drive this car across the continent. it's that reliable.
  The complete file of pictures and receipts will go with the car to the new owner as testimonial to the significant amount of restoration work and money that has gone into it.

Having restored and subsequently enjoyed driving this car for the last 11 years. the owner has other projects he would like to complete. and has therefore decided to make this special car available with a very reasonable reserve. set well below its appraised and market values.
You could not begin to find and restore a limited production Thunderbird Sports Roadster to this level for the reserve price.

Auction results for the last number of years show these ‘true' Sports Roadsters selling for appreciably more.

This is opportunity knocking!

PAYMENT TERMS:

This collectible bird is being listed on behalf of the owner. Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus. net' or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. All information listed has been gathered from discussions with the owner. and a test drive and visual inspection. Over 160 pics are available for viewing at www. carsgoneby. com/PhotoAlbumsPro/1963TBird . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing. with the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or wire transfer. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. Any deviation from. or changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable. and should be requested. discussed. and agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding. and please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a clear Alberta vehicle registration (title) document and bill of sale.
The car is located in Calgary. Alberta. Canada. about 3 hours north of the Montana border. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding. quotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth. hassle free experience by arranging all inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide. the majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!

Also published at eBay.ca

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