The person who buys this Ford Thunderbird will have some decisions to make. It has undergone a color change, so they will need to decide whether to leave it as-is or return it to its original shade. It also has some trim and mechanical issues to tackle, but it has the potential to be returned to active duty reasonably quickly. I have to say a huge thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for spotting the T-Bird for us. It is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. There have only been two bids submitted, which have pushed it to $520 at this point, and the reserve hasn’t been met.
The Thunderbird is currently finished in Rangoon Red, and whoever changed it from its original shade of Champagne has been thorough about the process. It appears that they elected to pull the engine and repaint the engine bay while the door jambs have also been done. There’s no doubt that we will have some people who will approve of the change, while some won’t. It isn’t clear whether any rust issues were addressed before the repaint was performed, but the panels look pretty clean. There was some rust in the floors, and while most of this has been patched, there are still some small spots that require attention. Most of the external trim is present, but items like the bumpers will need to be aligned to gain a better fit. There are also some additional pieces in the trunk, so there are some spares for the buyer to sort through to ensure that the best parts are fitted to the car.
The T-Bird comes equipped with a 390ci V8, a 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. With 300hp on tap, the Thunderbird might not have been muscle-car-fast, but it could still romp through the ¼ mile in a reasonable 16.4 seconds. Sadly, it is here that the news takes a turn for the worse. The seller slipped a battery into the engine bay, but the 390 does not turn. It appears that the starter solenoid clicks, but that’s as far as it goes. It might be something as simple as a faulty starter because the seller doesn’t indicate whether he has tried to turn the motor by hand. The rear wheels are also frozen, so the buyer will need a trailer to cart this one away.
Life inside a ’63 Thunderbird is usually pretty pleasant, but this one will need some work. It appears that someone commenced converting the interior from its original Gold to Black, but they didn’t get very far. The seats look decent, but the original Gold dash pad is still in place. There is no carpet, no door trims, and the headliner needs replacing. Whether the buyer chooses to continue with the color change will be a matter of preference, but regardless of which way they jump, the shopping list will be pretty long for this interior. It also isn’t likely to be particularly cheap. A set of new door trims won’t leave much change from $690, while you can add $180 for a headliner, $170 for a carpet set, and $530 for a dash pad. There will almost certainly be plenty of smaller parts required, so if the buyer isn’t in a rush, it would be worth browsing sites like eBay or Craigslist in the hope of finding someone parting-out a T-Bird with a good interior.
I would love to see this 1963 Thunderbird returned to active duty, but the interest in it has been rock-bottom. The sad truth is that these are not big-dollar cars, and values have remained static over the past few years. It shows promise, but the person who takes it on will probably have to be careful if it is to remain a financially viable vehicle. It isn’t hard to find some nice examples for around $20,000, and some stunning ones are available in today’s market for under $30,000. That means that what this Thunderbird needs is a new owner who can perform most of the restoration work themselves. Are you up for that challenge?
Thunderbirds do not seem to attract big money for some reason so I can’t imagine the color change means a whole lot in terms of dollar value. I would definatley want to sort out the interior though.
Not a particularly appealing shade of red. It’s as if the fire chief decided he wanted something a little snazzier than his usual Ranch Wagon.
I don’t mind a color change as long as one sticks to a color available by FoMoCo of the car’s era. In the 60s some dealers would let you spec a car with a color of your liking that wasn’t available for that division that year.
As mentioned above 60s T-birds don’t seem to command much $ and are plentiful. IMO this gen is a very nice design that deserves more attention. Nothing wrong with a red car, they’re just everywhere like white and black too. If you don’t fancy the red then move on – with patience one should be able to buy much T-bird at 10k
This car only makes sense at the right price. That, however, isn’t likely going to happen. The dealer selling the car has over 1,200 completed listing on their eBay store over the last 90 days, with only 52 shown as “sold”. That suggests prices higher than the market typically wants to see.
Steve R
Why are these cars all so low to the ground? 3 people in the back seat or a big load in the trunk might not be a good idea. lol
Could you get a manual trans in any year thunderbird with a back seat? I don’t think i ever seen one.
You could get a three on the tree with overdrive 58-60 but not later
The ’61 – ’63 Tbirds must have been very popular if you go by the number of promo models available on eBay. (I collect model cars, so I consider myself an expert…LOL)
I have two. They have about 100k miles each, largely on-carpet and on-bedspread usage. Their condition matches their mileage.
Thunderbird production/sales started a downward slope with the 61 after the very robust 1960 model sales. They wouldn’t pick up again until the 77 model year when sales went through the roof with over 318,000 sold.
These Thunderbirds aren’t bad looking cars, but if they are as heavy as people say they are, and therefore need a large thirsty engine, my guess is that unless they are featured in an upcoming tv show or even better, movie, their values will be a long time in escalating.
My first car in 1970 was a 61 Bird and I have had a lot of 61-66 models since. Currently own a 63 convertible. They are extremely well built and heavy cars. They are also hard to repair properly once they have been in a serious wreck so must look that front and rear bumper align properly as well as body gaps. This particular car would have to be free to new owner if they want to get it to a decent and drivable shape. Very nice hard tops can be had for 10k. They have never retained much value which is unfortunate considering what good cars they can be
There’s nicer out there, unless you have a rotted out parts car w a good interior and motor, and you do your own work, your gonna be upside down real quick, if the motor turns, it still needs more work than it’s worth
This would have been the body style to put a turbine in – maybe with a Ford FX Atmos rear end! – if Ford was into turbines like Chrysler was back then.
These are cool looking cars.
But enough already with the red repaints!
It would be interesting to see what percentage of cars, any cars, came red from the factory, versus the number of cars that turn up at fancy auctions painted in red.
Completely aside from this T-Bird, the dealership looks like a fun place to visit and a great use for an abandoned shopping mall.
The seller is a dealer but couldn’t make the effort to (A) turn the engine with a breaker bar, or more importantly (B) pop off the rear wheels and free them up.
With no pictures of the bottom of the car, maybe it sat in a foot or so of water, which would lead to even more problems that those which have been admitted.