This ’63 Thunderbird has a few cosmetic flaws, but overall it appears to be in nice shape. And to make things more interesting, this car made an appearance in the movie Lords of Dogtown. The seller Martha E states that this T-Bird is in nice condition overall and that it runs and drives. It’s going to need a tune up and some service to be a good daily driver, but that shouldn’t be a huge issue. Martha is asking $10,000 for this Blue Bird, which is currently in Altadena, California. If you’d love to have it as your next project, you can contact Martha via the form below and if you have any question, please leave them in the comments!
The odometer of this T-Bird is currently showing 50,092 miles and given the overall condition, it seems possible. The interior is showing some wear, but much of it was replaced about 10 years ago, so it isn’t a great indicator of mileage accuracy. It looks to be complete, right down to the floor mats. There are a couple tears in the upholstery, but if you fixed them and installed new carpets, you would have one sharp and comfortable interior!
Martha didn’t provide any photos of the engine bay, but the Ford 390 is a relatively common engine with decent parts supply. For 1963, there were two versions of the 390 offered, with either 300 or 340 horsepower. The 340 horse dual quad equipped cars are exceptionally rare, so it isn’t a surprise that this one has the 300 horsepower version. Martha says that the engine was replaced about 10 years ago, but doesn’t state whether it’s actually a whole new engine or if the original was rebuilt. Hopefully it’s the numbers matching engine, but as long as it’s running and has good compression, it shouldn’t be a huge issue for a daily driver.
There is some work to be done to get this car ready for the street. Martha recommends changing all the fluids, going through the brakes and installing a new coolant reservoir. Given the leak, you might also want to change the auxiliary belt and alternator, but they wouldn’t be necessary to drive it. It would also benefit from new window weather stripping to keep moisture out. Martha also admits there is some rust under the passenger seat. As long as it’s just surface rust, this car looks to be in #3 condition, which Hagerty values at $11,300. The connection to Lords of Dogtown probably doesn’t add a lot to the value of the car, but is still a cool part of the car’s history. Given the condition though, the $10k asking seems realistic, but you will want to contact Martha to answer any questions you might have!
Our thanks to Martha for listing this Thunderbird with us! Hopefully we can find a new home for it and that the next owner will keep us posted. If you have an interesting classic that needs a new home, please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
Asking Price: $10,000
Location: Altadena, California
Title Status: Clean
Always loved these and the “Square Birds” before them.
You are correct on the horsepower of the 2 engine choices (300 and 340) however the 340 horse motor was not a dual quad. It was a 6 pack (three 2 barrel carbs). Nice car.
Had a 61 45yrs ago in the same color. They would cruise all day at 75, seemed like only a Mercedes would challenge you cross country.
Those sills are going to fall off
One of my favorite style of T-Birds, and I’ve had a couple. Seeing those vent windows, that’s one thing I really miss on present vehicles. Best of luck on the sale, looks like a great car.
I like these ’63’s too, just wish I had a bigger garage and some time to work on them. These two converts are both solid, not a speck of rust anywhere that I can find; the white one is fully optioned including vac door locks. Also have a ’63 monaco floating around that runs great.
That is no way to treat those Birds!
Depending on price I could be interested in one of those.
Ditto to all . always liked the squarebird design.
I love my T-Bird. I have a 63 convertible.