Interested in purchasing 1957 Project

[IronHorseDriver]

Hello Folks,

Newbie here. I've had an interest in the early-model "Early Bird" T-Birds for some time now, and recently got a lead on a 1957 "barn find" project. It is a "D" code (312 c.i., 245HP) with a Ford-O-Matic automatic, power steering and power brakes. According to the owner, it has been sitting in storage for over 30 years, and he never got around to working on it.

As for the body, not much rust except on one of the rocker panels (don't yet know if it is rusted through), the bumpers will need to be rechromed, the fender skirts are missing, and there is a small dent in the nose. A close-up inspection that I hope to do this week will reveal the condition of the frame and underbody. The fiberglass top appears OK.

The interior is not too bad but obviously the carpets will need to be replaced and the seats will be reupholstered. The dashboard has a crack in the vinyl.

As for the engine, according to the owner (and pictures he sent me) the engine is disassembled and most parts are in the trunk with the exception of the block which is on a stand.

I have a number of questions for people on this forum. First, when I go to look at it, are there any areas I should pay close attention to? I plan on bringing a jack and jack stands so I can take a good look at the frame and underbody. Are there any particular areas that are prone to rust-through and/or damage? As for the bumpers, they appear to have surface rust, presuming there is no rust through what I can expect to pay to have each one rechromed?

As for parts availability, are engine blocks, heads, crankshafts, and/or camshafts (along with other parts such as bolts, connecting rods, pistons, etc.) readily available in the event that any of these parts are bad? I am particularly concerned about the cylinders being that it was apart for so many years, and the crank due to non-use (I know an excellent machine shop that may be able to do the work and I plan on calling tomorrow). How about other parts such as instruments, steering, front/rear ends, brakes, driveshafts/axles, and differentials?

As for what I would do, I am best-suited for rebuilding the engine and doing the electrical (thankfully, it does not have power windows or A/C so it is relatively simple). Not knowing the condition of the tranny, I would prefer to remove it and have it rebuilt presuming I can find someone who would be willing to do something that old. I have a friend who is highly experienced in body work and vehicle restorations, and he would be willing to do the body work. I will need to line up a painter if he cannot find a booth to paint it in. As for whether I would do a frame-on or frame-off restoration, I am not yet sure about which choice I would make. Frame-on would be less expensive and get me on the road sooner, but a frame-off would likely increase the value of the vehicle in the (hopefully unlikely) event I would need to sell it.

This vehicle will not be cheap for me to buy but if the rust is not too bad, and nearly all of the parts are there, based on "book" values I've read in various sites, the vehicle should be worth more than what I will have in it. I realize that I will not get this thing on the road in time for this summer's "cruise nights", but I am willing to make it a long-term project in exchange for owning a unique and rare classic.

Thanks in advance to all for your help and advice.

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[Dale Leonard]

That transmisson is so simple that you can rebuild it your self. It even has a torque converter that you can take apart and rebuild. It should also have two pumps in it. A front pump and a rear pump and that allows you to tow the car in neutral if need be and you can push start that car due to the rear pump. All parts are available for that engine. You can get a lot of the parts from rockautoparts.com.
I bought a 1955 tbird this past year out of California. Had beed setting for 20 years under a tarp under a carport. I bought it unseen for 10,000 $ Got lucky as it only had a small hole rusted in the drivers side floor board and no rust else where . Moisture had condensed and caused that problem. Originally it was a 292 with 3 sp. overdrive. Motor was replaed with 312 with 2 x 4barrels carbs. Had a boss mustang 4 speed and rear end. I also got the 3 speed and the original rear end with the driveshaft, soft top and hard top and a ton of extra parts. Hope yours is in as good of shape as mine.

 

[fordrodsteven]

It is possible to buy almost ANY part (reproduced) you might need. I have found that whatever I want to do is in direct relationship as to how deep my pockets are. If you want an idea of available parts you can look at the Thunderbird supplier sites. Check out Hill's, National Parts Depot, Concourse parts, Casco, Larry's Thunderbird parts. Some of those suppliers even have "kits".... for example a complete interior kit can be bought on line. I have even spoken directly with the technical department guys at Hill's and gleaned some great help from them regarding lifting my '55 body off the frame. If you want to go ALL OEM to keep it absolutely "original" you can find those parts and you can expect to spend a few more bucks. Another thing you should do is contact a Thunderbird club. I joined the classic Thunderbird Club of New England (CTONE) and have found them to be super informative and friendly. These guys often tell me tidbits of information that you can't find just anywhere. For example how the frames in 56 were having issues when the continental kit was hanging on the back. The Ford Motor Company then began welding bracing / plates to the frames to stiffen them up. A lot of guys start working on their '56 frames and cut off the bracing because they think some joker added the bracing when in fact it was from the factory. I can tell you that I personally would much rather stay with the early bird because of the plethora of parts and suppliers dedicated to that specific line of cars. You can't find parts for some other cars. For example I have a 1988 Buick Reatta and finding parts for it can sometimes be a huge problem. Try finding an intermediate parking brake cable or an ABS accumulator. Cable is as some of the Buick guys call it "unobtanium" and the accumulator ball for the ABS is only available when a manufacturer decides to make a "run" of parts in the manufacturing factory and the price sometimes fluctuates wildly!