I picked up my 1957 Thunderbird back in 1966 when it was just a used Ford. I’ve become quite attached to it. We’ve been together through cross-country road trips, one restoration, 3 colleges, 5 careers, marriage, kids, grandkids and a recent second restoration.
My two young grandsons are fighting over which one gets the car. It would be nice if they waited until I’m gone! Speaking of being gone… I’ve left specific instructions for my daughter to have my ashes welded up in the frame of the ‘Bird. If I can’t take it with me, I’m going with it.
Originally, I started out with a 1955 T-Bird, but only kept it a year. Power steering, power brakes and an automatic transmission just didn’t cut it for me. I found the ’57 in Hickory Corners, Michigan. It met my vision of a “man’s car” – manual brakes, manual steering and a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive. That it looked good, with chrome wheels, sealed the deal.
I drove it full time during the summer months and parked it in the winter. During my time as a high school auto shop teacher, in 1972, I did a body-off restoration of the car. I used the process as a learning experience for the students – engine building, suspension and brake service, car assembly processes and painting.
Prior to the restoration, my college roommate and I drove the car to Durango, Colorado for the Thunderbird club’s bi-annual convention. When we passed through Colorado Springs we decided that driving up Pikes Peak would be a great idea – sort of. The three of us – car, Al and I – were wheezing and gasping by the time we reached the summit, at 14,110 feet. Al passed out and never saw the summit. We coasted much of the way down the mountain. The rest of the trip was anti-climactic.
Two years later, after the restoration, Al and I went on an epic trip to the same convention, this time in Palm Springs, California. We towed my little 1954-vintage Shasta trailer on this trip. Following the week-long convention, we headed up the California coast to San Francisco, then to Reno, Bonneville, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Badlands, Minneapolis and Chicago. In three weeks we added 3,000 miles to the ‘Bird’s odometer, which turned over 100,000 miles in Butterfield, Minnesota.
By 2019, age, miles and an early life on the salty roads of Detroit caught up. The body work and paint done in 1972 were failing. Since the chassis, painted with Imron, was still in good shape, I decided to do a body-on restoration.
Initially, the project was going to be just rocker panels and paint. However, the more metal we cut off, the more rust we found. Media blasting revealed the true extent of the damage.
Eventually, all the sheet metal from the belt line down had to be replaced. What was going to be a one-year job turned into five-and-a-half years (working Saturdays only). No student help this time. The 312 c.i.d. Y-Block engine was built by Koffel’s Place and I refurbished the factory dual four-barrel carburetors. The car rolled out in April, 2024 and is on the road again (no travel trailer anymore).
Great story, nice pictures! 😉