My 60 Bird

[dgs]

Nice paint! Any pics of the front? I'd love to see how you resolved the two-tone around the headlight. As Anders said, the strip of dk. blue along the bottom and over the wheel lip is a nice touch.

[brandonian]

Well, this is my preferred solution for the around the headlight area. I think it looks pretty good. I've also attached another option below, which I don't really care for, but have considered.

[KULTULZ]

Your option (color keyed headlamp doors) does improve the appearance.

FORD did not offer TUTONE in the BIRD line?

[Anders]

Booth works, but the top one is my favorite. No doubt. I realy like the way it goes under the door and around the wheelarch. Even the wheels are nicer on the top one. Not sure, but it looks as the lover one have a dark roof as well. I guess that is harder to change back, but booth works, as well as white ( Tritone! ). The plus with a darker roof is that the chromed sail is more obious. I see you got your scoop inlet chromed as well as the steering wheel darker. Nice!
Love that car!

[Dan Leavens]

Brandon the top picture definitely enhances the headlight and grille areas. I also like the chromed hood scoop trim and I am going to get that done on my 60HT over the winter as I am pulling out the tail light assemblies to have them rechromed.

Dano Calgary,Alberta Canada

[dgs]

I definitely prefer the upper image, it respects the lines of the car much better. Very nice.

[YellowRose]

My 60 Bird

Brandon, I definitely like the upper picture better than the lower one.

For those of you who are considering chroming your hood air scoop, consider this... It is pot metal and difficult to chrome. I did not chrome my original one. I set it aside and bought a spare. You may want to do the same. It was chromed, and it bent slightly on the left side. It was not possible to put it back on my Bird. They tried to fix it, but it was not much better. I got it on, but it is not on as well as the original one goes on. Working with pot metal is very difficult for chromers, because it overheats and bends easy. It gives them fits. I had the same thing happen to one of my tail fins, but was able to get it on.

[bcomo]

I vote for the top image also.

[dgs]

It is pot metal and difficult to chrome.

Dad has the '57 Eldorado my Grandfather bought in '59. Grandpa had a cosmetic restoration done a few years before he died and the rear bumpers were pot metal. The chrome had flaked of badly and the metal was very pitted. It was going to be pricey to chrome and they wouldn't promise anything, even though this place I think specialized in pot metal (I'm doing this by memory from maybe 12 years ago).

He got lucky, though, as another '57 Eldorado owner had sent in better bumpers that were done and not paid for them. They sold him those and kept his.

[brandonian]

I'm going to get this pair of birds on Friday, the 10th. I don't really need them, but the price was ohhhh so right!

[Guest]

Hey brandonian,
They look pretty good from the picture! Do you get the parts with them?
Richard D. Hord

[Coral]

NOT FAIR!!!!

I've been hunting about for 'dead' birds and have come up with nada and here you have 2... wanna share one?

More on your original 2 tone bird....the paint, I really am wanting to do something like that with coral... were you hands on in that or did you just turn it over to the guys at the shop?

[brandonian]

Hey Coral, I been looking for a backup bird for about 2 years now too. I have found one practically in my back yard, but the guy wanted 800 bucks. It had a busted windshield, no motor, no transmission, no front or rear bumper, and no interior to speak of, but the body and metal were in EXCELLENT condition. I just couldn't see paying that much for the condition it was in. All the spare parts I needed had already been robbed off of it. Then I found a guy that's 30 miles away, he has 6 squarebirds in his salvage yard. One convertible I really wanted, but he wouldn't sell me. I've bought parts from him, but he's bought out a lot of small auto stores as they went out of business and bought up a lot of stuff at auctions and estate sales. I got a new old stock headlight switch from him for 20 bucks. They're out there, just a matter of looking. By the way, I found a 58 on craigslist, 20 minutes away, went to go look at it but as I pulled in, someone else was loading it on the back of a trailer. Talk about ruining someone's day!

I've tried to be hands-on with the car, and I've done what I can, but ultimately I turned it over to the guys in the shop.

Hey Richard, I get whatever parts survived the tornado. These birds sat in a storage shed, and the shed was blown away. Luckily some parts were in the trunk. I do get a new dash matt, which in a catalog runs 350.00. I'm buying each car for 400.00. Can NOT beat a deal like that! Red one is all matching numbers and it runs.

[dgs]

If you're parting and either has decent seats, send me a message.

[Coral]

Now, just hold on there dgs, I asked first!

LOL


4 clams a piece, now Im mad atcha...