So I've got someone that wants to buy my non-HAMB '66 Skylark, which means I'll be in the market for a new car again. I've always been partial to the four-seat Thunderbirds, and right now I've got my eye on a '63 Principality of Monaco special. It's all original, there appears to be little to no rust, and the price is very right. I don't know a whole lot about this era Fords, and I haven't seen the car yet in person-- are there any red flags to be on the lookout for? Other pros/cons?
Slop in the shifter. Mine will fall into reverse or not stay in park and roll when not running. Always use the parking brake. I should Probably should fix mine sometime.
A 'Princess Grace' T-Bird, huh? A bit of a relic of the 'Kennedy Mania' at the time, it was a color/trim package applied to the landau top version, it's more of a curiosity than anything else and valuable only if you're planning on a restore; even then, it won't add much to the value. Things to watch for... well, rust for one as these are unibody cars, front suspension rebuild parts are expensive (but available), and if the vinyl top isn't intact, I'd be a bit worried about rust under it. Lots of power accessories to troubleshoot. Unique intake manifolds.
It seems to me with T-birds of that era you can buy a real nice running, driving original car for less than the cost of the paint job on a behind the barn find. That's not counting getting the clunker running and driving. So be careful what you are buying.
Mine was Met blue with a black padded top - Cragars and narrow whites and twice pipes Great car other than the steering being too light at the wheel so it would kinda wander, but now days you could put in a different box if needed DND
heavy cars with a 390 not built for quick speed - put in aftermarket intake, carb, ignition - if not done, be ready to go through the entire brake system - yep, electrical is common headache - seat upholstery kits available but, finding the correct foam is a challenge - vinyl roof=rust
Well, the car in question sold before I could get rid of my Buick. Still thinking Bird, will keep this info. handy, thanks all.
A somewhat rare Thunderbird indeed.... I myself had a 61' T-bird for several years....the rear springs tended to sag with the weight and needed replacing...I could NEVER keep the darn fender skirts on!...others had the same problem I found out....and the interior was very expensive to replace....mine was an odd-light aqua color, which I could never seem to get anything replacement, correct in color most of the time! (I ended up calling it Seafoam) It was a heavy car, and fast as all get out on the freeway....the faster I went, the lower it was to the ground. I liked the car, but replacing the dash, door panels and rear interior cost me more than the price of the car! Looked nice in the end, but never made my money back on it.....they just don't seem to be valued like a Square bird for some reason....the only place I had rust was near the front fender well & rocker plate ''meetup'' point, on both sides. I would imagine issues 'under' the landau top if any other rust is evident on your car inspection...best check it good! I also was ALWAYS adjusting the bands on the transmission...even with proper repairs, I had slippage occurring once in a while. I drove my car on the interstate when I first got it running....took it up to 115 mph, and scared the sh*t outta me, when a car in front of me decided to slow down and I had drum brakes all around...squirrely is putting it mildly!!! Fast car for it's size....I really liked the car, but it was so low to the ground, and was always bumping things underneath with 'normal' driving ...maybe because it was so long! (both front and rear bumpers had scrapes underneath from ordinary driving) Anyways....just a few thoughts in passing along.
I had a guy that lived in Rockford call me up and wanted a quote on replacing the floor pans on his 62 T birds. He had 2 converts, and he had replacement floor pans for one of them. I went and looked. It was too bad there wasn't anything left to attach the new floor pans to. For sure you want to check the condition of the sheet metal under those cars! Those 2 converts may have been good prospects to swap in some kind of frame under, and build the car off the new to it frame, the outer sheet metal looked pretty good on both cars. Gene.
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