68 Glamour Bird Questions

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BayouBird
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:58 pm

68 Glamour Bird Questions

Post by BayouBird »

Had a quick look at a 68 Thunderbird the outside was gorgeous except for the landau top but the interior was not in good shape. Called the gentleman who owns it and the 429 was rebuilt in the last couple of years.


The downside is the interior is a but rough. The center console and the dash are faded and the drivers seat looks like a bomb went off. Doing a little research and it seems like parts are non-existent which might explain the 1200 dollar price.

So the question is would this be a nightmare to restore? Would I need a donor car?


Edit: forgot to add notify when...
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Alan H. Tast
Posts: 4214
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
Location: Omaha, NE

Re: 68 Glamour Bird Questions

Post by Alan H. Tast »

Nightmare? Depends. Upholstery kits with presewn covers may not be readily available, but a competent local upholsterer should be able to recreate the original construction/patterns and, if you're patient, vinyls and fabrics can be sourced from places like SMS Auto Fabrics (but be prepared for long waits and less-than-stellar customer service. Not a lot of the T-bird parts vendors carry post-'66 parts, and those that do may have limited availability of new parts. There are some mechanical and chassis parts that will cross with a Lincoln Mk III, meaning you may want to also investigate Lincoln parts vendors. In short, if you have experience in restoring cars, are resourceful and know how to search for parts, as where to go to for them, you should do fine. Restoring a post-'66 'Bird is not like restoring a Mustang or '57 Chevy from a catalog.
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
BayouBird
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: 68 Glamour Bird Questions

Post by BayouBird »

Let me preference this that I tend to collect cars and fix them up. I've done a 68 Mustang, 67 Fairlane, 84 Ford Bronco, and 79 Fiat Spider. The Fairlane was the hardest to source parts for. Junk yards in Louisiana tend to not have that much in them that isn't rusted, rotted, and or faded.

The only car that has given me real fits is my Fiat. Not the parts but the electrical. I don't know whoever thought that not having a common ground was a good idea.

My main concern is the the sun faded center console and dash. I think I might run down and take some pictures and post them. Like you said knowing where to get parts is half the battle but so far, through searches, it looks like a tough hill to die on.


Thanks
SABLT194
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2016 3:45 am

Re: 68 Glamour Bird Questions

Post by SABLT194 »

You might consider custom mixed vinyl spray dye for your dash and console (assuming they're not cracked of course) The guys that repaired the seat in my 69 found the correct texture fabric (vinyl) and used spray dye to match it up to the existing. Came out very nice. Apparently they use spray dye all of the time on restoration projects.

Regards,
Steve
BayouBird
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: 68 Glamour Bird Questions

Post by BayouBird »

Thanks, I think I waited to late which is just as good. After my 79 Fiat Spider, I want something that somebody has already dealt with.
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