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- Thunderbird Year
- 1979
Hello all, my names Charlie and I'm happy to be a new member of the community. I look forward to your insights to my rather pressing questions.
I'm looking for some guidance in regards to the future of my 1979 T-Bird.
The car has stayed in my family since it was new and it was originally bought as a graduation present for my mother, as she graduated in the class of 1979. The car lived a rather pampered and garaged life until the mid 90's when my family moved. After the move, it was no longer garaged, as we didn't have the room. It was during this time that it developed a carburetor leak and my grandfather mistakenly decided to start the car, despite knowing better. When he did this, the carburetor caught fire, and the car burned under the hood. The fire was contained to the engine bay, and did the most damage to the upper left area near the H/VAC and of course the carburetor and surrounding areas. When the car burned, I was around 3 or 4 years old, I'm 25 now. The car was handed down to me so I could restore the vehicle, and that's something that I fully looked forward to. But I'm in school and I work, and I don't have the money or the time to invest in the car. In the time since it burned its been parked outside and rust has caused even further damage. I'm looking to let the car go, but I'm at an impasse. I've been doing research on the car since I was a child, and I know this vintage doesn't command much resale value. Local scrap estimates from my area are $100.00 or less. The problem I have with that is that the car has to be worth more than that in the sum of its parts alone. All of its original parts remain, and no parts have ever been sold, and I know for a car of this age (40 years old now) parts, especially trim pieces, are going to be hard to find. I understand that the turbine wheels set can fetch around $300.00 by themselves If possible, I'd like to see the car in the hands of someone who can, at the very least, make use of its parts in the process of maintaining another T-Bird or similar Ford. I'm not looking to rob anyone, but I truly hate to see the car go for $100.00 and then know that it's going to be crushed.
Specs:
351 Cleveland V8
3 speed automatic without overdrive
96,499 miles
It was also equipped with nearly all the options. Except for a sun roof and rear defog
Thank you all for you time and responses,
Charlie
I'm looking for some guidance in regards to the future of my 1979 T-Bird.
The car has stayed in my family since it was new and it was originally bought as a graduation present for my mother, as she graduated in the class of 1979. The car lived a rather pampered and garaged life until the mid 90's when my family moved. After the move, it was no longer garaged, as we didn't have the room. It was during this time that it developed a carburetor leak and my grandfather mistakenly decided to start the car, despite knowing better. When he did this, the carburetor caught fire, and the car burned under the hood. The fire was contained to the engine bay, and did the most damage to the upper left area near the H/VAC and of course the carburetor and surrounding areas. When the car burned, I was around 3 or 4 years old, I'm 25 now. The car was handed down to me so I could restore the vehicle, and that's something that I fully looked forward to. But I'm in school and I work, and I don't have the money or the time to invest in the car. In the time since it burned its been parked outside and rust has caused even further damage. I'm looking to let the car go, but I'm at an impasse. I've been doing research on the car since I was a child, and I know this vintage doesn't command much resale value. Local scrap estimates from my area are $100.00 or less. The problem I have with that is that the car has to be worth more than that in the sum of its parts alone. All of its original parts remain, and no parts have ever been sold, and I know for a car of this age (40 years old now) parts, especially trim pieces, are going to be hard to find. I understand that the turbine wheels set can fetch around $300.00 by themselves If possible, I'd like to see the car in the hands of someone who can, at the very least, make use of its parts in the process of maintaining another T-Bird or similar Ford. I'm not looking to rob anyone, but I truly hate to see the car go for $100.00 and then know that it's going to be crushed.
Specs:
351 Cleveland V8
3 speed automatic without overdrive
96,499 miles
It was also equipped with nearly all the options. Except for a sun roof and rear defog
Thank you all for you time and responses,
Charlie
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