Vehicle Description
1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
The Thunderbird and the Corvette have a long and sorted history,
with both initially competing for the same customer space.
Eventually the Corvette went to racing, and the Thunderbird became
the boulevard king. The ultimate getaway car from the kids with a
two-seat configuration (rear seat is there but covered by cowlings)
with a convertible cruiser, it became the "it" car for early 1960's
suburbia. With design queues courtesy the jet age, its bullet like
front appearance, and jet engine tail lights was keying into the
upwardly mobile middle class, and growing suburbia.
Offered for consignment is a 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible in
Castilian Gold for the exterior and beautiful black vinyl for the
interior. 1962 was the second production year of the third
generation of T-birds. Of the total production for 1962, 75,536
units were produced, only 9,844 were convertibles. This consignment
comes with a detailed list of recent work done as well as its
strong points the car has to offer up.
Exterior
A respray of Castilian gold for this bullet bird model, this front
end has a blunt point framed by the bumper grille and hood. With a
white convertible canvas top, it presents in good overall
condition, has minimal areas of slight rust and a few scratches,
but remains overall in very good for the factory matching respray.
The mechanicals for this pop top are a marvel of engineering, as
the whole long expansive trunk section, and the top become involved
in the up and down operation and storage. This car was the
beneficiary of a new top in 2018 and a rebuild of the mechanicals
to put it up and down. When the top is down the car takes on a "
Batmobile" look, long and strong on the lines right down to the
fender skirts to accentuate the long look. 3 chromed faux jet
intake appliques adorn each exterior rear quarter panel and add to
the jet look. The tail lights also emulate the jet age mantra. Cue
Chuck Yeager! Chrome and bright work are correct, and in fine shape
having been rechromed and now have a near concours look. Thin white
sidewall tires wrap original factory hub caps with turbine styling
ribs.
Interior
A swing of the doors and we are in black vinyl heaven! The door
panels have black vinyl uppers and lowers with a ribbed aluminum
horizontal ribbed central panel. A long sleek black armrest is in
the center and the drivers side is coming loose from the door
panel. We also note power window toggles and the power top toggle
along with the actuator. Inside, the eating offers up with nice low
back black vinyl bucket seats in front showing with tuck and roll
inserts and smooth bolsters. The driver's seat is showing just a
bit of sag on the seat. A two seater bench in the same pattern is
in black. An undulating console makes its way to the dash, and
houses the vinyl covered console glove box, and ashtray. Horizontal
ribbed aluminum snakes its way up to the dash, and proceeds to
spread out from side to side over the dash front, and houses the
heater and air flow controls, light switches, logos and a very cool
swing away steering wheel. Above this are 2 black vinyl winglike
structures, (can you say bird?), that form the padded dash top. A
speaker, radio, and 3-gauge cluster is within these swoops, and all
appear in excellent condition. Below are a lineup of chromed pulls
and knobs and the original steering wheel fronts the dash. Black
carpeting shows a hole in the driver's side but is mostly intact
and from the factory.
Drivetrain
As true for any restoration, plenty of attention has been paid to
the engine bay. It has been fully restored, and the engine rebuild
took the liberty of painting some black on the block, satin silver
on the air cleaner cover, and it also shows a pair of Thunderbird
badged valve covers. Nice supple shiny hoses and wiring abound
here. Specs are a 300hp 390ci V8 fed by a single 4-barrel
carburetor. A 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission is
bolted to the back which sends power rearward to a Ford 9" 3.00
geared rear. All stuffed in between wide wheel wells and shock
towers in this bay!
Undercarriage
Some light surface rust is covering various parts underneath. We
see a newer fuel tank, aged rust proofed floor pans and a solid
unibody structure.Rear leaf springs are the back suspension,
independent coil springs are in front. This along with power drum
brakes on all 4 corners are noted. New shocks were added in in
2021
Drive-Ability
To the test track I fired this bullet bird up and shot through the
gate. Here it had nice acceleration, smooth shifting, and good
handling with only the factory clock being nonfunctional. This is a
very cool car which makes the driver feel very cool, especially
since you can have the top down in the middle of winter if you so
desire. Nicely preserved for that Sunday drive to plow through some
fossils.
A very cool retro mid century design, this 1962 offers an
opportunity to own an immediately recognized classic for a
wonderful price. So why not relive that fantasy of leading the "jet
set" lifestyle, driving a "jet age" style automobile, flying around
town, turning heads while doing so. Look up in the sky!!!...
2Y85Z148417
2-1962
Y-Wixom, MI Assy Plant
85-Thunderbird Convertible
Z-390ci 4bbl V8
148417-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 76A-Thunderbird Convertible
COLOR I-Castilian Gold Poly
TRIM 76-Black/Gray Vinyl
DATE 01C-March 1st
DSO 45-Davenport
AXLE 1-Ford 9" 3.00 Conventional
TRANS 4-Cruise O Matic
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
