NYsquarebird58' Tbird

[jax]

Bird

AWESOME SCORE!! Keep us posted on your progress. The guys on this board have immeasurable knowledge on keeping these birds alive!

[NYsquarebird58]

Jax, this forum and community have already been a tremendous resource. I feel like I’ve learned so much in the past few days.


Today was a big day for my 58’. It is the first time in probably 20+ years that she’s been registered and insured – now I have to see about getting her running.

[YellowRose]

NYsquarebird58' Tbird

Hi Marcelo, we had competing threads going regarding your '58 Tbird so I just merged them into one. It is not necessary to start a new thread unless the subject is different from this subject. When you want to reply to something in a thread, click on the Post button to reply. You could continue to post questions regarding restoring your Tbird under this thread heading. Or if you had questions regarding the engine, I would post them in the 352CI Engine Forum. Assuming it has a 352 engine in it and it probably does.

If you find your Data Codes (they should be on the Data Plate under the VIN # if your Tbird has the Data Plate in place still) look in the TRL under Decoding Casting Numbers and you will find the explanations for the Data Codes and also a breakdown of what the VIN # means. Just click on the TRL link under my signature. Let us know what you Data Codes are also. They will tell you what the car had in and on it when it left the factory so many years ago.

[jax]

bird

Have you checked the Tbird registry to add your car, or update it?

[NYsquarebird58]

Have you checked the Tbird registry to add your car, or update it?

I sure did! I registered last night. Once I’ve been issued a number, I will proudly display it on my signature line.

[NYsquarebird58]

I noticed that my 58’ has no provisions for side view mirrors on the doors or fenders. I know many old cars only came with the driver’s side mirror, could it have been the case that this car came from the factory with only the rear view mirror?


I saw a picture on the net of a squarebird with side view mirrors that were mounted off the top of the vent window. I’m not sure if that was custom, but I like the look. Any ideas of where I can source a set?

[YellowRose]

NYsquarebird58' Tbird

Hi Marcelo, congratulations on getting your Tbird registered in the Tbird Registry. Did you find your Data Plate and get the information off it?

As for mirrors, I have seen pictures of Squarebirds leaving the factory on auto transporters with a mirror installed or no mirror at all. I understand that when the mirrors were not put on, they might have been in the trunk. Or that when they got to the dealer, you could pick from a few mirrors in stock and they would put them on for you. If you look at this picture you will see that the black '59 Squarebird in front has not mirror. The middle one does and it looks like it is mounted on the door. I have also seen them mounted on the fender in front of the door. The rear Tbird and bottom Tbird do not have any mirror installed on them.

As for sources for mirrors, most or all our vendors have them. Look down in the Advertisements Forum and you will find a long list of Tbird parts houses where you can order from.

[Anders]

I sure did! I registered last night. Once I’ve been issued a number, I will proudly display it on my signature line.

I propose you pay the 10 bucks as well for the membership on this site, so you will be albe to see and post pics. You hardly get this much for 10 bucks anywhere

Ray: i totally LOVE the pic of that transporter filled with ´59´s. The suspension looks lower and softer than I though it was.

[NYsquarebird58]

I propose you pay the 10 bucks as well for the membership on this site, so you will be albe to see and post pics. You hardly get this much for 10 bucks anywhere

Ray: i totally LOVE the pic of that transporter filled with ´59´s. The suspension looks lower and softer than I though it was.

I just paid for my membership via paypal. It was $20.01. Glad to support the site.

[YellowRose]

NYsquarebird58' Tbird

Thank you, Marcelo, for your support of the Forum. You will notice that there is now a Member icon near your user id indicating that you are a Paid Member of the Forum. You are correct that it is $20 a year. The .01 is there to tell John ~ driller that you are a Squarebird member and not a Lincolns Of Distinction (LOD) member. We share the server with LOD. As a Paid Member, you will remain one until one year from this date. As a Paid Member, you now have the ability to upload pix of your Tbird directly to the server. If you do so, please put the pix of what your Tbird looks like in the Our Rides Forum. If you are working on a problem and want to post pix of what you have questions about, then, of course, put them here. Or if it is an engine problem, in the FE Engine Forum. You also have the opportunity to have your own 20MB of webspace for your Tbird and a Squarebirds email address if you want one. If you do, please contact Dave Dare ~ simplyconnected, our webmaster. Thank you again for your support. BTW, you will be receiving something in the mail in a bit from Dan Leavens.

Did you find your Data Plate on your door post? If so, what did it say in the way of information on it?

[NYsquarebird58]

Here’s a pic of my data plate. Looks like the build codes read:

63A Z XE 07E 4 1



Here's what I've decoded:

Body type: 63A 2-Dr. Hardtop
Body Color: Z Regatta Blue
Interior Trim/Color: XE Blue/White Vinyl
Day of the Month: 07 07
Month: E May
Transmission: 4 Cruise-O-Matic
Axle Ratio: 1 3.10

VIN number: H8YH113252

Now the history on this bird is starting to come together… Looks like she started out life on May, 7 1958. She was purchased and titled soon after on May, 23 1958 in Pennsylvania where she remained with the original owner until a new PA title was issued in 1989. Sometime between 1989 and 2010, this Thunderbird ended up in New Jersey and then in 2010 in New York, and on February, 5 2012, I took ownership. The exterior color was changed from Regatta Blue to a non original metallic purple. The interior was also changed from blue and white vinyl to black and white with later model door panels and non-original seat upholstery.

[NYsquarebird58]

Thank you, Marcelo, for your support of the Forum. You will notice that there is now a Member icon near your user id indicating that you are a Paid Member of the Forum. You are correct that it is $20 a year. The .01 is there to tell John ~ driller that you are a Squarebird member and not a Lincolns Of Distinction (LOD) member. We share the server with LOD. As a Paid Member, you will remain one until one year from this date. As a Paid Member, you now have the ability to upload pix of your Tbird directly to the server. If you do so, please put the pix of what your Tbird looks like in the Our Rides Forum. If you are working on a problem and want to post pix of what you have questions about, then, of course, put them here. Or if it is an engine problem, in the FE Engine Forum. You also have the opportunity to have your own 20MB of webspace for your Tbird and a Squarebirds email address if you want one. If you do, please contact Dave Dare ~ simplyconnected, our webmaster. Thank you again for your support. BTW, you will be receiving something in the mail in a bit from Dan Leavens.

Did you find your Data Plate on your door post? If so, what did it say in the way of information on it?

Thanks for setting me up and look forward to receiving my packet from Dan.

[YellowRose]

NYsquarebird58's Tbird

That looks like the original data plate and has never been off the car from the looks of it. Looks like you got it figured out, Marcello! The VIN # tells you this: H=352CI Engine, 8=1958 Y=Wixom plant H=Thunderbird. There is always a 1 in front of the serial number, so your SN is the 13,252nd '58 Hardtop made. There were only 35,758 Hardtops made, compared to nearly twice that in 1959 (57,195) and more than triple in 1960 (78,983). Hence, the 1958 is the rarest of the three years. The date that it was built, 7 May is the date the shell was scheduled to go on the line. It might have gone on early or later than that depending on if they were ahead in production or behind. But it was "scheduled" to be made on that day.

I see someone changed paint and interior on her. What are you gonna name her? When you start your restoration, you have several choices. You can restore her to her original status according to her Data Plate when she left the production line, and you can make her a "numbers matching" Tbird again. You can restore her and keep the paint and interior you have, and get her running to make a good show car out of her. You can restore her, keeping the paint and interior, to the point where she is a good daily driver. Or you can modify her, and/or customize her to your desires. The choices are yours. You paid the money and now you get restore her to life again in the manner you wish. Perhaps the cheapest way is to restore her the way she is now, same color, same interior. You might want to modernize her some by putting an alternator on her, maybe go the front brake disc brake/dual MC/Dual Power Booster, electric windshield wipers, route. Things like that. About the cheapest way to go would be to keep her as she is, get her running well, a paint job, and maybe, if needed, fix up the interior.

The radio speaker you can get from any of our parts vendors. I have a spare OEM Squarebird radio that is available that is a working radio, including the audio amp/power supply assembly which is hard to come by. You can't get the diodes for it anymore. That unit is up behind your dash panel right above the hood release handle. Some people have a modern radio put in instead of the OEM one. There is a lot more to tell you, but think about how you want to restore her...

[NYsquarebird58]

I really like the look of Steve's Raven black with the red interior. I was thinking some dog dish wheels and tinted windows for mine.

[YellowRose]

NYsquarebird58 Tbird

The Raven Black and red or red/white, maybe red/black interior really stands out. Especially if you put the external chrome pieces on the curved tail fins, and the "eyebrows" over the tail lights. As for dog dish hupcaps, first you have to make sure that your rims have the nubs on them to pop those dog dishes in place. Mine did not, so I switched rims. I needed to anyway, because the OEM rims I had on mine were not made for disc brakes. I found some 14" rims off of a disc brake equipped Ford that worked. You might not want the gold ones like I have, if you go with black, but the ones with the white centers. You can find them, but they can be a bit pricey. Here is what my "Yellow Rose" looks like with dog dishes and fender skirts.

Regarding a mirror, I would put it on the fender, but not to far up the fender that it gets in the way when you are working on the car. Just on the other side of the break between the fender and the door, so you can see it. I found with it on the door, I had a hard time using it because of the vent window blocking the view. So I had it moved to the fender instead. There are several different OEM mirrors to choose from. You will also want to get a '58 Shop Manual, and other manuals you will need to restore your Tbird. Most of our Tbird parts vendors have them. You will want to look them up in our Advertisements Forum, and call them to ask for one of their free catalogs. Then you can see what the various vendors have and do some price comparison also.