1958-1960 Tonneau Cover Wanted....

[YellowRose]

If anyone has one for sale that fits the Squarebird, please call or PM me and let me know. We have a new to us 1960 Convertible owner looking for one. They are very hard to find these days since Pat Wilson no longer makes them for the Squarebird...

[Dan Leavens]

Convertible wanting a Tonneau cover I thought the convert was to take in all that open space that the HT didn't provide?

[YellowRose]

Ahhh, but some Tbird owners like the idea of turning their 4 seater Squarebird into a 2 seater!

[Dan Leavens]

Ray I thought that was why Ford made the Babybirds first and then introduced the squarebird to accommodate passengers?

[YellowRose]

Yup, that is true, the first Tbirds were 2 seaters, followed by 4-5 passenger Squarebirds, etc... However, people still wanted to make their Squarebirds 2 seaters. So someone came up with the tonneau cover to convert it from 4 to 2 passengers... It is whatever makes your boat float, I guess.... Or what flops your mop!

[Dan Leavens]

Agreed but if you have a convert bring as many people along as you can and let that wind blow in your hair IF you have any. LOL

[bird 60]

I like the Tonneau look. When it's only one or two people it makes the Bird a lot more sporty. The beauty about it is that it can be put on & removed easily. Would I get one if I had & Convertible? YES.

Chris.......From OZ.

[Dan Leavens]

Chris I think the Tonneau design was a brilliant touch and yes provides a sporty look for sure.

[OUR5T8BIRD]

Let me give you my perspective , if I may .Don't like steeling this post " looking for a tonneau " , but it does give it more coverage . We have two Thunderbird convertibles , a '58 and a '66 , both ends of the four seater convertibles . Both of ours have a tonneau cover . Not only do we get a lot of comments but most comments are that they have never seen one or knew they existed . ( '62 to '64 roadsters ) . The thunderbird convertible are referred to as " retractable convertibles " having a soft top instead of hard top like the '57 to '59 Fords . The tops go into the trunk the same way and take up room . This is where the tonneau becomes practical . When Carol and I go on a overnight show etc., we can put all the luggage , chairs etc. on the back seat under the tonneau and not seen . Great storage area . If we want to put the top down, no problem, and no luggage etc. to move around . Wouldn't be with out one .

Some time ago I did write an article , after extensive research , on a tonneau for the squarebirds that can be found here in the archives .

Just my two cents, and ' may the flight continue " .

Martin .

[YellowRose]

Martin, thank you for reminding me of the report on the Tonneau Cover that you provided me a couple of years or so back. That article has been in the Thunderbird Production History Forum since you sent it to me. Martin Brugmans ~ Tonneau Cover Authentication Report. For those who have not read his report on the history of it, you can find it there! History Of The Tonneau Cover. Rather than put the link here, please go to that Forum and you will find it there. It is very a very interesting read...

[ssj335]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F113859036070

Found it on eBay new

[YellowRose]

Kirsten, thank you for the heads up on the tonneau cover. I had been checking eBay every day and I did not find that entry. That tonneau cover is no longer available. According to him, this is new, and has been crated since the day he got it, and never been opened. More information on it, as we find out about it.

[gregz]

I was doing a search through face book marketplace and ran across an add from a person in Tipp City Ohio selling a fiberglass tonneau cover says it is for a '58-'63 Thunderbird. He said it was non finished fiberglass that needed prep and paint. asking price was $350.00 phone number 937 845-3450

[YellowRose]

The price sounds nice, but I would be leery of that... There was, to my knowledge, NO 1958-1963 Tbird tonneau covers made. First there was the 1962, and 1963 tonneau covers to give the Bulletbird that sporty look. Ford liked it and had created a 1964 Flairbird version and it stopped there. They offered no more after that. Then some aftermarket company decided to start making them and they created one for the Squarebirds. But each was a bit different from the others. Then Pat Wilson started making them for all three series of Tbirds, 1958-1960, 1961-1963, and 1964-1966. But he no longer makes the Squarebird one due to a defect in the mold, apparently. So they took it out of production. From my reading it says that the Bulletbird version is not a direct fit on a squarebird. Neither is the Flairbird versions, and vice versa. They would have to be, in the case of the 1964-5&6 Flairbird covers, go through a major and probably expensive modification process. For an excellent read on the History Of The Tonneau Cover, go to the Thunderbird Production History sub-Forum and read the nicely written account by Martin Brugmans there...

[YellowRose]

The guy who is selling them said that years ago, he bought 10 of these, for Squarebirds, Bulletbirds and the 1964 Flairbird, and a friend bought them also. The friend sold all he had, and Ken said he had just the two left. If I understood him correctly, they were Bob Mench versions, who was going out of business and wanted to get rid of his stock. Ken had one of them on his Squarebird and some of them were Bulletbird versions he had bought and he put one of those on his Bulletbird. He "had" two, may have just sold one, and has one left, it looks like. I just spoke with him again. He "thinks" the one that he has left is for a Bulletbird. If it is, he said it will have to be modified to fit a Squarebird, is my understanding. Also, the crating and shipping would cost more than the cover, about $500 he said is what it cost to ship the past ones. Take that into consideration. The uncertainty on his part as to whether it is for a Bulletbird, and possible extensive modification, or a Squarebird and the shipping...