I tell my friends that they should be first in line when my wife holds the garage sale after my funeral. She has absolutely no idea what all the tools and cars and books and such are really worth. I also haven’t been very truthful about my spending, and my organizational skills are horrendous. The joke isn’t funny anymore after reading the eBay sale ad for this 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Part of an estate sale, along with all the other tarp covered cars you see in the pictures, this Thunderbird was shoved outside for disposal 45 days ago. The sellers, who are located outside of Winston Salem, North Carolina, cannot guarantee that all of the parts will go with the car you buy. It seems that they are scattered amongst the cars. At least the bidding is low, with the highest being $6,900 at just three days to go.
The whole situation is just tragic. According to the ad, these cars were being restored when the owner fell sick and died. This all happened an unspecified number of years ago. What we do know is that the former owner acquired them all between 1970 and 1976. Nearly every car was purchased in North or South Carolina, with one coming from Tennessee. While all of the major components on the cars are described as solid and present, it is the little pieces that are scattered amongst the cars. While it is easy to get bored with a restoration and end up with a desire to start another car, this is why you shouldn’t.
Looking beyond the grime and chipping paint, at least this Thunderbird appears to be fairly solid. The glass looks to be intact, all the trim is there, and it has a set of real wire wheels. It is also lacking the ghastly continental kit that so many of these cars have. While at first glance this seems to have been a Colonial White painted car from the factory, look closer at the chipping paint. The layer underneath the white is possibly Thunderbird Bronze. It was not at all uncommon back in the day to scuff down the paint on your car and spray another color over top. This may explain the chipping.
Looking inside, we can see that the car was equipped with an automatic transmission. The upholstery is black and white vinyl, and a Town and Country radio rests comfortably in the dash. A fan belt, insulation, and a set of side windows are sitting upon the seat. Reupholstering this car will have to happen. However, the trim pieces look quite restorable. The car is said to come with the folding convertible top, but there is no mention of an additional hardtop being included.
Under the hood rests what looks to be the optional 312 cubic inch V-8. This engine put out 245 horsepower and was usually paired with the Fordomatic automatic transmission. Other than the rust that is swiss cheesing the battery tray and the aftermarket voltage regulator, all of the parts and pieces seem to be present and in restorable shape. The car is equipped with power steering, but the braking system does not have the optional power assist. According to the seller, the engine turns over, and the odometer reads just 70,533 miles. There is one problem. Look at the fender. Does that look like a black fender? Is this the engine compartment of the car being sold, or is this a mix up with another car in the collection?
The trunk reveals the fifth wire wheel, a blower assembly, a grill, the fender skirts, and a few more odds and ends which may or may not belong to this car. The ad gives us a sense that the sellers are diligently trying to sort this mess out and give buyers the most complete car they can. For the average person, sorting out what part goes with what car isn’t that easy.
So, what are the big takeaways here? First off, this car may end up selling for a bargain price. While it looks junkyard ready in the photos, there seems to be a solid and restorable car there. The second takeaway is that you should only take apart one car at a time. There are just too many parts on one car to keep straight, let alone a storage building full. Finally, tomorrow may never come. I shudder to think what would happen to my beloved stuff if I kicked the bucket tomorrow. This may even drive me into the garage this weekend for some sorely needed cleaning and organization.
Will seeing this car in such a situation make you change your ways? What do you think might happen to your cars, tools, and parts if the end came tomorrow?
Well that’s a bummer…
PLEASE NOTE-THERE ARE 2 SETS OF ENGINE PHOTOS SHOWN IN THE AD. THE ENGINE PICTURES FEATURING THE MOTOR WITH ‘EDELBROCK’ VALVE COVERS ARE THE CORRECT PHOTOS THAT MATCH AND CONVEY WITH THIS CAR. SORRY FOR THE MISTAKE. THE PICTURES OF THE MOTOR WITH “THUNDERBIRD” VALVE COVERS ARE ON A DIFFERENT CAR-NOT THIS CAR FOR SALE.
Engine pic definitely from another car, you can see the wipers parked at the bottom of the windshield. The Tbird’s wipers are up.
Next, we’ll read “Oh, by the way, the price of $6,900.00 shown is not on this car. That price belongs on another car. The price on this car is $10,900”. It’s always best to have your ducks in a row before ever posting a vintage car or anything for that matter, for sale.
What a crying shame. The 1957 Thunderbird is one of my top 3 all-time favorite cars.
It would make the sales go a lot easier and the prices go a lot higher if the sellers would take enough pictures and give enough description. Maybe hire someone who knows about old cars to help out?
The black-fendered car may well be another T-bird. The car in front of the white one looks to be another ’57 with the taillight bezels off. But it’s not the black car since the black one had another parked directly to its left.
So I see the possibility of at least 3 ’57 Thunderbirds.
What a crying shame…
Are other covered cars listed anywhere?
My friend ran across a widow who s trying to dispose of her husband’s collection. After his death she began to recieve calls asking for garage rents. He had rented many alley garages and stuffed them all. I was given the chance to buy anything Austin Healey related
She showed me one garage. It had a Healey with the front end cut off through the frame behind the front suspension. The severed pieces were not there.The garage also had hundreds of wet piano rolls and several radiators.
The deceased had partially dismantled every vehicle and had comingled the parts in ols leaky garages.
My wife has already told me that if I die first, she’s calling my friends, opening the garage, and letting everyone take what they want. At least I know everything will go to a good place.
“What do you think might happen to your cars, tools, and parts if the end came tomorrow?”
My Wife has standing orders on who she is to call. Her plan is to stuff my car full of “all of my crap” in the garage (car parts, comic boxes, 8-track tapes, bins of Star Wars toys, tools, etc.). It is to be a package deal – if you want any of it ya gotta take all of it! LOL!
The writer of the eBay ad sure loves the word “convey”, although it wasn’t ever used correctly! 😂 A first gen Thunderbird has always been on my wishlist too, and I would think this would make a great project. More info, pictures, and an inventory of the parts that come with it would be necessary for me personally. Too many unknowns, but looks good overall. I would be killed if I bought a third convertible!
We have a spare bedroom that you walk through to go to our garage, on the other side of the house. Originally decorated for company, it has become a storage room with all kinds of parts I’ve bought for my two classic convertibles. If I were to croak, I’d hope that some of my nieces or nephews would be interested in the cars, and they could have them. But the 15-19 year old generation these days just aren’t really interested in our hobby, or at least not in my family. They aren’t even itching to get their drivers license. I got mine the day I turned 16 !! My better half loves the classic cars too, so I’m thinking they wouldn’t go far. Wait until they find all the expensive rare trim, gauges, accessories like a tach and a clock, and miscellaneous other goodies I haven’t unpacked since buying them. If they knew how much money is in all those boxes, I bet my nieces and nephews would be all over them!
???? AFTER your funeral????? Mine would be setting up the garage sale before I was cold!!!!
LOL are our wives related??
One of my two convertibles is a 62 Pontiac LeMans. I really didn’t know much about these early baby goats. I walk my Jack Russell around our suburban neighborhood, down to the dog park next to the American River parkway, been doing that here 9 years now. It’s a neighborhood built in the 50’s, and there’s still some original owners. Anyway, I would always pass this one house, the elderly couple always primping their yard. Occasionally the garage doors were open, and although they were obviously packrats (very organized hoarders!), I could see the outline of two cars with covers on them in there. I would always say Hi, and without pushing, try to get info on those two mystery machines under the car covers with flat tires and cobwebs. The gentleman wasn’t much of a “social” person (kind of your typical kooky grumpy old man), and didn’t want to talk about the cars or really anything else. So on the occasions when it was only her out in the yard (often smoking her Pall Malls), I’d try to engage more. She’s the sweetest (and toughest) old lady, kinda like Flo from the TV show Alice! So a few weeks passed where I didn’t see either of them, and then she was back with a couple of her grown kids visiting. Turned out, her husband had passed. She was fighting to stay in the house they bought new in the mid-1950’s, but her adult kids just wouldn’t allow it. So they were preparing to move her closer to them in the San Francisco Bay Area, dropping by now and then to help her pack. I offered several times to help her myself, as she wasn’t too pleased with her kids at that point! One day walking my dog by, I sat and chatted with her for hours, us drinking a couple Squirt sodas while she chain smoked her foot long cigarettes, and hearing great stories about her husband from times long ago. He was a car nut, and really gravitated to unusual cars of all makes & models. A Nash they owned in the 50’s, her favorite DeSoto wagon, and pictures of several others. She asked if I wanted the photos, and I turned her down saying that her kids would probably want them. Sharp as a brass tack, she said those kids of hers had no interest in the pictures, they’re not car nuts like their Pop. Finally the conversation came around to the two mystery cars in the garage, covered with boxes, long ago flat tires, cobwebs and wasp nests, and obviously hadn’t moved in at least a decade (turned out to be closer to three decades just sitting in there under car covers). He loved unusual cars with unique drivetrains and styling. But living frugally for many decades, they weren’t extravagant or anything, just cool and unusual. She finally let me see under the covers, and I found a 62 Pontiac LeMans convertible with the four cylinder engine (half of a 389) and rear transaxle Powerglide. The other was a 62 Buick Skylark convertible with Buick’s unique, all-aluminum 215 v8. Rats had obviously made homes (and restrooms!) in them, and clearly hadn’t been touched since the Reagan era or so. But I dig unique cars too, and was excited to check out some cars I had never seen before. I got to hear some great stories about driving old Highway 1 down the California coastline, camping trips with their kids, and other fun times. So I assumed her kids would be towing them over to where they live and at least cleaning them up to sell, or ideally keeping them since they were the old man’s babies. She told me her ungrateful kids were arguing about who would have to deal with the old “junkers”, and she was clearly pissed off about that. She asked if I would be interested in them, knowing I would totally fix them up and my family would really enjoy them. I told her that if she’s serious, I’d buy both. Went over there a couple weeks later, after she said it’s time for them to go, and she meant right then! Took my checkbook with a fair offer in mind, given that they needed….well everything. Called Triple A to have them pulled out and towed to my house. She wanted to get it done before her kids showed up. Anyway, I know this turned into a really long story, but the stored Thunderbirds brought back the memories of when I got my two convertibles after the car enthusiasts death, about 5 years ago now. And best of all, she wouldn’t let me pay a dime! Believe me I tried, but she wasn’t having it. What was most important to her was that they were going to someone who would restore them, take care of them like her husband did (before Alzheimer’s robbed him), and enjoy them for years to come. The Pontiac is done, the Buick is still a work in progress. But they are both cool cars, and a ton of fun to drive! She has since passed away herself.
Bop, loved your story…My Sunday Vette (if I die first) goes to my brother’s son in law. He and his dad always worked on junkers and went to car shows together and drooled..Now he has a little boy and very limited funds so I know he would appreciate owning something nice he and the boy could enjoy.
I was going to suggest you let her have a drive in the Pontiac, too late now. You could show her kids what they missed out on! Yes, rub there faces in it. Their loss, and your gain, great story.
I had the Pontiac purring like a tiger cub, new interior, new top, exhaust, chrome and some repainting. I live in Sacramento, about two hours from where she moved to. So we drove to the Bay Area suburbs where she lived with her daughter, and did take her for a ride! It was really cool, she was “so tickled” as she put it. It wasn’t long after that that she passed. Didn’t get the Buick done in time, but I was SO glad she got to see the Pontiac looking similar to when they bought it. Just wish he saw it too. Such fantastic people.
I like the idea that you took on the responsibility for doing something that you would think the kids would have wanted to do. More power to you.
I agree with the points you have made, and because I have a lot of tools and stuff, I have developed a plan in conjunction with my wife and kids, in the hope of making the time when I start pushing up miss Daisy easier on my family.
My big block powered Cameo goes to my son, and my airplane goes to my daughter, problem solved. I have lots of other tools and shiny stuff, such as a couple special FE engines and a real 435 hp Corvette 427, but I have them priced out for my son, who is my executor. Problem solved. It is still going to be a big job for them, and I am in the process of shedding stuff at a rate that I can handle. My two younger kids both care a lot about my stuff, so I have the utmost confidence that they will do their best.
At 75, I know I have to be responsible about getting things better organized, and I have a list that I am working at every day to keep myself on track.
Bob
BOP – love your story and your drive to do the right thing. WE would sure like to see some photos if you will. Thanks for the reflection. Chuck in NE Kansas
Trying to post pictures, but keeps saying my picture files are too big. Working on it…..
My garage…
The 62 Skylark….
The LeMans engine bay with its famous 195ci 4 cylinder engine. The tranny is a PowerGlide, and these are rear transaxle design….
The mostly restored or new LeMans interior……
wot a beautiful lady…money ment nothing to her even though it was needed … lovely story…your a lucky man!
I’ve always told people that “If you like old cars, model cars and tools, don’t miss the yard sale my wife holds the day after I die!” Seriously a buddy of mine and I have promised each other to help out each other’s spouse when the time comes so they can hopefully avoid being shortchanged and we both have kids who at least appreciate the old car hobby.
HA!! My wife knows what the 67 GT500, the BOSS 351 and the 70 mach 1 is worth! She is wringing her hands in anticipation of my demise! Too bad for her, I am selling my cars to my buddies for a buck. Who Gets The Last Laugh now????
My best friend ran a body shop that he inherited from his father and collected many examples of 60′ and 70’s muscle cars. Most GM such as every version of Chevelle from 66- 72, several 69 Camaros, 3 Corvettes (C2), numerous Chevy /GM trucks, Blazers, and on and on. He also had various engines, transmissions, transfer cases and other parts. You had to turn sideways to walk through his yard and I hadn’t been inside the shop for a decade or more. He suddenly died of a heart attack last December leaving his disabled brother to deal with clearing out all of this treasure. Needless to say, the brother did not want to deal with it so the best examples of the cars went to a local collector and the rest will likely end up at the crusher. Made me think about my collection and although i could have acquired some of these vehicles decided not to as I have too many now. Shame all the way around.
“It is also lacking the ghastly continental kit that so many of these cars have.” The 1956’s all had the continental kits; this is a 57, so it is not available from the factory. The soft top frame is worth about $5000 by itself. A finished 57 bird can still be had in the low 20k range, so be careful bidding this up.
I am 75 and only have two cars now, for many reasons many that have been discussed. I could probably write a book about all the stories I have heard about so and so and what happened to his car or collection. I loved bop’s story, but I think those are few and far between, Too bad.
I love the look of these cars but after owning a 55 for a very brief time and driving a friend’s 1957 these cars are built for women or very short men. At 6 feet tall these cars are hard to see out of and not that comfortable. You almost have to have a 30 inch waist to squeeze under the steering wheel just to get in. But they are pretty.
I just realized that no one in my family could care less for my passion.. So I sold it all last month to a friend for a third of what I paid.. I do not have to worry now…Now just help (bother) my friends with their projects.. Hahahaha…
I hear that! Both wife and daughter could care less about my “crusty old car”, and would be more than happy to see it leave the premises permanently. I told them to watch their tone or I would put it in my will that it goes to my (currently non-existant) grandchild.