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1960 Ford Thunderbird Barn Find

barn-find-1960-ford-thunderbird

Known as the Squarebird, the second generation Ford Thunderbird isn’t the most sought after car and as a result can be had on the cheap. Styling aside, these Birds offered lots of features and solid performance. This 1960 Thunderbird barn find has been listed here on eBay, with a BIN of $2,250. The seller doesn’t offer much information, but it obviously needs a full restoration.

1960-ford-thunderbird-barn-find-front

Thunderbird purist typically weren’t fans of the 1958 redesign, especially with the addition of backseats. Even without their support, T-Bird sales rocketed in ’58 and continued to climb for the next three years. This example appears to be solid, but it’s difficult to know for sure given how dirty it is. The only detail the seller provides, is that it has the 300 horsepower 352 V8.

1960-ford-thunderbird-barn-find-interior

The Interior is just as dirty as the rest of the car and has likely been infested by mice and other critters. If the sheet metal is relatively rust free and the engine isn’t seized, this could still make for a great project. If anyone lives in the Sunset, Texas area, please stop and take a look and let us know if it’s worth tackling.

Comments

  1. Avatar R Van Hoose

    That interior looks disgusting! Imagine the damage rats and mice could have done to the wiring. Scary project.

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    • Avatar Bob Brown

      Ron from Ravenna? If so I heard you died years ago…..

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  2. Avatar eric catoe

    if it i had the 430 maybe …. may still be worth it! ….

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  3. Avatar Andacar

    Oh man… it’s a mess, and as R Van Hoose says, it’s undoubtedly full critters, nests and, well, other things. Still, I can see working on one of these. It would never go as an “investment” car, it would be fun. I can’t see spending $2500 on it though.

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  4. Avatar Guido

    A great parts car, and down there, likely rust-free.

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  5. Avatar paul

    Yikes I can smell the rats nest from here.

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  6. Avatar Tripleo

    That part of Texas? I’d look for snakes too.

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  7. Avatar christian

    i work at a restoration shop and we have had WAAAAYYYYYY worst cars than that and we still bring them back the right way. you would have to redo the interior and electrical anyways so why complain about it in the first place. i mean we even restore cars that have nothing on them some even without engines or chassis and they are wayyyyyy worst but we still do it and make money doing it.

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  8. Avatar Mstngdn

    I think it would make a perfect stock car replica racer project!

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  9. Avatar Catfish Phil

    Naww! Oughta clean up purty easy! Heh.

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  10. Avatar I Want please

    Not 62′ Vette ,,,But I would give It a try cuz I have nothing but time on my hands!!!!

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  11. Avatar Artinoz

    Off to the detailers. A quick buff and polish then vacum the interior and Armor All in a shine.
    Nice.

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  12. Avatar TCat

    Can NOT believe some of you QUESTIONABLE ‘Enthusiasts’ would forget this jewel over a few mice???? What happens when you encounter fire or drowning? Sounds alot like the ‘credit card bikers’ of today, surprisingly knowing where the gas goes n how to sport that brand leather but no idea what it’s real function is n lord forbid ANY thing go wrong with it at all that they won’t have to call someone n pay THEM to do it..WIRING??REALLY? A REAL enthusiast doesnt pay someone else 10’s of thousands dollars to do all the work n then …OH FORGET it, you would NEVER understand.
    1 Garage Cat

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    • Avatar B. Obama

      Smarty britches

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  13. Avatar tim

    DIDO TCAT SAID !!! THAT LOOKS LIKE SWEET PROJECT YOU WOULDNT HAVE TO SPEND ALL YOUR TIME WELDING ALL NEW METAL IN IT ,IM SURE IT HAS A FE AND THAT ALONE IS AWSOME THE WEAK AT HART SHOULD NEVER RESTORE OL CARS AND TRUCKS LEAVE IT TO THOSE WHO CAN SEE THE FINISHED CAR BEFORE YOU EVEN DRAG IT OUT OF BARN ,I SEE THE SWEETEST SHOW CAR CRUISE IN DRIVER .. IF YOU DONT YOUR IN THE WRONG HOBBY GO PLAY GOLF !!
    LEAVE THESE LOST RELICS TO US WHO LOVE EM !! THESE ARE MORE THEN INVESTMENT TO REAL CAR GUY THEY ARE A WAY OF LIFE !!

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  14. Avatar geomechs Member

    It’s amazing how much a pressure washer can make the entire project more viable. Just washing away all those years of grime makes it much easier. Of course, if you have rodent nests, you have to be aware of the Hanta (?) virus as it can be deadly. We’ve gotten into a few projects where we use respirators and lots of bleach while stripping and cleaning.

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  15. Avatar Lynn Barnes

    This looks to be a good solid body that doesn’t need major body work. Take a day with bleach, detergent and a pressure washer and I think one would be amazed. Make a really cool 60’s mild custom. This car would need a new interior and wiring even without the rodent damage.

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  16. Avatar Ramone de V8

    Ya, this thing is far from over. Not really valuable as a resto, but great for a mod with a bad ass FE. I’m thinking do yer own thing inside and out-no rules.

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  17. Avatar J. Pickett

    1. If there is a snake, no mice. 2. Like to see it washed. 3. the 300hp 352 was the standard engine. I think these squarebirds are underrated.

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  18. Avatar scot

    ~ Mstngdn pegged it. don’t plan on doing much to this unit without doing everything. easy decision.

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  19. Avatar Catfish Phil

    Actually, it looks pretty complete, like nobody picked it over for doodads. New interior, lots of mechanicals to do but hey, nice patina on the body. Would like to see a photo of the rear, and hope there’s no underbody rust despite being parked on dirt all those years. Only $2,500 for a complete relic.

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  20. Avatar FRED

    I’M WITH EVERYBODY THAT SAID THAT IT IS NOT AS BAD AS SOME OF THE JUNK WE ALL OR MOST OF US HAD TO WORK ON. THE ONLY NEGATIVE IS SOMEBODY MENTIONED SNAKE AND IN MY OPINION SNAKE OWNS THE CAR UNTILL THE VERMINATORS GIVE IT THE ALL CLEAR SIGN.THEN GALLONS OF BLEACH ,FANTASTIC,ENGINE DEGREASER,BRAKE CLEANER,DUPLICOLOR INTERIOR PAINT AND THE PRESSURE WASHER AND I BET IT LOOKS A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER RUNS BETTER SQUEEKS LESS AND YOU COULD DRIVE AROUND WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE….

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  21. Avatar Deviant1

    I love the square birds. They look great done in a satin black with stripes and wide whites… Gangster. I think the price is a little steep for the condition. Be a good buy around 1500 based on the information given.
    On a side note: why’s everyone yelling? I haven’t finished my first cup of coffee yet and the silly caps lock stuff grates on me.

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  22. Avatar will

    Why do some people feel the need to cave in a hood scoop. That m ay be tricky to straighten without ruining paint.

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  23. Avatar Richard D. Hord

    You need to check your resources! The “Squarebirds” are the most sought after. http://www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/auctions/car/1960-Ford-Thunderbird/28#!/

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    • Avatar Jesse Mortensen Staff

      The auction house states that they are “increasingly sought after”, not the most sought after. Most collectors still prefer the earlier cars.

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      • Avatar David G

        …And/or the *later* cars. Turbine’birds and Flair’birds of the 60s are also under-rated imo.

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  24. Avatar braktrcr

    I think it’s a bargain, looks solid, granted the seller doesn’t tell much about the car, but his phone number is right there in the ad. How many of us have, or known folks that spend more than $2250 on a short vacation, or lost that much and a lot more in 10 seconds, while driving a new car off the dealers lot? This car will be worth a bit more every day, and if it’s as rust free as it looks, it is a gift. Clean it up, learn about it, enjoy the hobby, enjoy the history. 58- 61 were pivotal years for Ford GM and Chrysler too. They all had some interesting and unusual body styles in that era. I happen to like this body style, and I think Ford made an honest statement with the change to a 4 seat T-Bird realizing they could not keep up competeing with the Vette

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  25. Avatar mstngdn

    I agree, easier restoration than most out there. My first car was a ’60 Bird, 430, leather interior, factory sunroof, $300! And it drove fine. It sounded a lot better than it was, but I sold it to an Air Force SSGT for $800 six months later (1971). I was working at a used car wholesale lot when I was sixteen, fell in love with a new project car every other day! Good thing I left there before I went broke.

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    • Avatar salguod

      The 430 sunroof cars are among the rarest of all Thunderbirds. Just a few hundred made. You had a rare ‘Bird back in the day!

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  26. Avatar conservativesdefeated

    @ Mstngdn: Always wanted one of the very few sunroof ’60 birds… Had my ’60 Cadillac in an auction in the late eighties in Orange County and crossing the block in front of me was a sunroof squarebird… Sold for a song.

    I had a cherry 430 squarebird with the desireable red interior in the early seventies drove it up and down the East Coast to college… Of course gas was 35 cents a gallon. But boy was it cool. Absolutely cherry.

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  27. Avatar Mark W

    I’d take a bullet bird first and every time. These are butt ugly. They looked like they were designed by someone in the middle of a heated argument.

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  28. Avatar Karl

    I have a soft spot for the Squarebird because it is the first car I can remember as a child. My father was a bodyman with a friend who ran a junkyard. The friend got two Birds, one wrecked in the front, one in the rear. Daddy took both, cut them at the firewall, and spliced the two undamaged ends together to make one. This was easier than it sounds because Ford had designed its first unibody cars, the Squarebird and the 58-60 Lincolns, to share the same front clip and firewall structure, but have different rear structures, so there was a major weld joint at just the right spot for Daddy to carry out his transplant surgery. Our Bird was dark blue, and mighty pretty it was with the chrome trim setting off the paint finish. I hope somebody that feels like I do snaps this baby up.

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  29. Avatar salguod

    I’ve got a ’60 Convertible. These are becoming more desireable, highly restored convertibles bring into the $40Ks and a couple convertibles recently brought six figures in recent auctions. Coupes won’t bring that, but they are still distinctive cars.

    These are unit body cars, check the floors and especially the rockers before buying.

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