Need help with a 1960 T bird

[Guest]

I am looking to buy my first T Bird and need help with the inspection of the car.

The car is a 1960 convertible with a new top. And a sport spair wheel carrier.

My queston is what do I look for when I inspect this car. The pictures of the car look good.

The car dosent have A/C or power windows. Can thoes things be added ?

Larry

[byersmtrco]

Rust !!!!
These cars are rust buckets!! Ford never heard of under coating or a way for water to drain. I can remember when I was 8 or 9 yrs old and the TBird (same age as me) had a rust hole in the qtr/panel right in front of the RH/Rr wheel opening.
And mine is a Calif car. Get the trunk open and look at the tops of the qtr panels above the wheel wells. Water gets trapped under the top pads on the qtrs. Bad bad bad. Look at the rocker panels (closely)
Then the windshield cowl area. Then obviously the floor pans.
If you get a rust free body, the rest is cake.

The only other hurdle is the conv top mechanism. Most of them didn't work by 1970, so you're dealing with ancient wiring, relays etc. If the top does work, use it. Run the top up & down at least once a month.

Good luck!!! Fun car. Drove my son to a CubScout event in Lathrop (Near Stockton Calif) to a Corn Maze last weekend. About 75 miles from here.
What a blast!! Love them big V8's. Been driving a V6 S-10 lately.

The ol' 390 went up the Altamont ( steep windy grade) like it wasn't even a hill.

[Guest]

Hey Lawrence,
Take you a flexible magnet with you! Take it around on different areas of the car, if it stays attached to the body it is probably decent. If it falls to the ground the body is full of putty or fiberglass!
Check behind the front wheels on the splash guards, rocker panels, the bottom of the doors, trunk under the mat, look underneath at the floorboards, raise the hood and feel in the holes in the leading edge of the hood, check the sheet metal behind the rear glass, also check around the top leading edge!
If engine has not been started for a few days, have someone else start her and you watch tailpipes for smoke!
Check lights, gauges, window operation, open and close doors and of course top operation!
Keep us posted!
Richard D. Hord

[lawyercalif]

Squarebird Convertibles are almost always worth saving no matter what the condition. However, that said doing so can get expensive. I bought a 59 Convertible on EBay for $7500.00 and from a distance it looked great,but what was hidden was a nightmare. See my post "Rust Be Gone" that will give you an idea of what to look for.

On a happy note all body work is done and my car is getting its Cashmere Blue paint today. I will post pics soon.

[DKheld]

I can answer the part about adding air. I am adding factory air to my '60 that originally didn't have it. It's been really difficult to try and re-create the A/C system as it would have been added at the dealership after delivery. There are a few parts that are VERY hard to come by at any price. The brake booster extender (a few of which have turned up lately) and the cardboard A/C ducts. I wound up making my own brake booster extension bracket and ducts from metal. My bracket would never pass in a judged event but you can't see the ductwork so they wouldn't matter.

On the other hand if the car would just be a driver - Classic Auto Air makes a kit - runs about $1300 for the kit plus install costs if you can't DIY.

Don't have power windows on my car but know from looking at ones that do - you would need quite a bit of wiring and to cut the console for the switches - plus you would have holes in the door panels where the cranks had been if trying to make it look like original. There are aftermarket style power window kits that would probably not be as difficult and the switches are usually placed over the crank holes or covers are included (at least the kit I am familiar with).

Hope you are able to find the right one soon. This is the place to be for info and answers - great bunch of folks !!!

Eric
registry 5347

http://www.tbirdregistry.com/ft.asp

[Dakota Boy]

If I lived in Idaho, I wouldnt worry about having A/C. These cars have those little vents down by the driver and passenger's feet that let in all sorts of nice air volume. The last vehicle I saw with those things was my dad's 1983 3/4 ton Chevy Scottsdale. A nice big puff of dust would hit you in the face every time you opened them! (farm truck; still runs; looks like **** though). Plus the vent windows can be opened.

The power windows sure are neat, but they might be more trouble than they are worth.

If you fix up a 50+ year old car now..... it's probably good for at least another 50 years....now think about THAT for a few minutes.... The dang car will most likely still be around long after you are gone!

[simplyconnected]

...The car dosent have A/C or power windows. Can thoes things be added ?

Do the manual windows work ok? If you need parts for manual windows, Howard Prout has all the workings.

I agree with Dakota Boy. Manual mechanisms tend to last far longer than electric. Glass runs and cat whiskers usually need to be replaced, but the mechanics tend to last forever. - Dave

[Howard Prout]

My '59 didn't have many power options when I bought it - even the power steering system had been removed. However I found a fellow (David Lindquist) that had a lot of squarebird parts and he sold me a complete AC system including ducts, wiring, etc., a complete power window system including wiring and switches and power seat systems for both front seats. Since everything was included, even all the screws (identified for where they were used), the installation went quit smoothly. The changes were made about 30 years so my memory is more than a bit sketchy, but as I recall, the most difficult part of the AC installation was making the hole in the firewall.