Buying a restoration project is one thing, but getting a second car to raid for parts can make the proposition considerably more interesting. That’s the setup with this 1955 Ford Thunderbird listed on Facebook Marketplace in St. Louis, Missouri. The seller is asking $6,000 for a package that includes the white Thunderbird, a second parts car, additional loose parts, and a rebuilt 312 engine. Thanks for the tip, Zappenduster!
The white 1955 Thunderbird is the primary project. According to the seller, its floor, trunk, and frame are “almost completely rust-free.” That’s encouraging language for a restoration candidate, although the seller doesn’t provide additional details about the body or specify where any rust is present. Facebook Marketplace categorizes the car’s overall condition as fair.
The listing also identifies a white exterior and blue interior, along with an automatic transmission. Marketplace displays 999,999 miles, but the seller doesn’t make any mileage claim in the description. With that unusual figure and no explanation accompanying it, there’s no reason to treat it as an indication of the car’s actual mileage.
Perhaps the most enticing part of the package is the engine waiting to go into the car. The seller says a 1957 312 engine is included and describes it as completely rebuilt. Better still, according to the ad, the engine has never been installed or fired since the rebuild. The listing doesn’t provide details about the rebuild, so prospective buyers would want to ask what work was performed and whether any documentation comes with it.
Then there’s Thunderbird number two. The seller describes the second car simply as an extra parts car, without giving specifics about its condition or what remains on it. It also includes some additional parts that aren’t pictured.
That combination could make this package especially appealing to an enthusiast hunting for a Thunderbird project. Instead of beginning with one car and searching individually for every missing piece, the buyer gets a second vehicle and extra parts from the outset. How useful those pieces will be depends on what’s included, so an inventory is worth discussing with the seller.
There’s still plenty to find out. The ad doesn’t state whether the primary Thunderbird currently runs or drives, how complete either car is, or what work beyond the engine rebuild has already been performed. Those unanswered questions make an in-person inspection especially important.
Still, $6,000 for two 1955 Thunderbirds, extra parts, and a reportedly rebuilt 1957 312 makes for an unusual Marketplace package and one that’s likely to get the attention of Ford enthusiasts looking for their next substantial project.
2 T birds for 6k? not bad
Having had my share of 55 & 57 Birds, rhey should have been designated parts cars from the factory.
Having had my share of 55 & 57 Birds, rhey should have been designated parts cars from the factory.
Why? I’m interested in what experience you had with them.
Wow this shows clearly what is coming to ALL collector cars. First it was the T, then the A, the tn the 40’s, then the 50’s. Soon the rest. Kids can’t drive a manual. Plus the people that were into these cars were never very friendly to getting their kids and kids in general into cars. They would sit in the back of their cars at car shows and ignore people hence young people stopped their interest. Those thunderbirds are a seal. But greedy shops that tell you they don’t want to work on them, even if paid well don’t exist. Lazy lazy lazy!!! I can go on and on.
Some young people do like and are buying old cars. They recognize what car makers are up to with engineered obsolescence, the lack of ability to work on newer cars ourselves and the insane prices.. and how the electronics spy on us. Check out the Youtube channel “The War On Beauty” and look for her video called Old Cars & The Analog Resistance. It’s awesome, and it gives me pause to consider that there may well be an old car revival happening in this country before long other young folks get fed up with the insanity too.
seems like a good deal if you want 1 of these birds. you will have your work cut out for you though.
The only way you buy these, is if you already have more than one.
Looks like a good deal. BUT it depends on the condition of both cars. I have been helping a friend with his early T-Bird and have a new found appreciation for the car. And I like the old “Y” blocks. Too far and too many other projects to consider this deal.
Yes, I would say that the white Bird and the engine are worth $ 6,000 !