Non-Running Project: 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Collector cars can be found in some unique places. For example, this ’62 T-Bird convertible is being sold by the Salvation Army in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Surrounded by donated trinkets, housewares, and a moped or two, the Bullet Bird is decidedly out of place, but it’s bound to be the most interesting item in the store. Let’s take a look.

Any car person worth the name will pop the hood to see what’s going on under there. It’s a 390 all right, and with the correct silver valve covers, it might even be original to the car. The air cleaner should also be silver, but it is the correct unit for a ’62. The sellers don’t supply many details about the car, but they say it hasn’t run in two years.

As the owner of a ’63 hardtop, I can say with experience that the engine compartment is unbelievably cramped for such a big car; after all, those spring towers take up half the space. This convertible unsurprisingly lacks air conditioning, which opens up some room in there and saves some money on repairs, which the buyer will certainly need for sundry items that are yet to be determined. If you can’t do without it, however, aftermarket air is available for Bullet Birds.

You can smell the interior from here, but it doesn’t look too bad in photos. There are some problem areas that a new buyer should know about. This is a power window car, as many T-Birds were, so motors, switches, and tracks might need some maintenance; these parts are available from T-Bird suppliers, but they’re not inexpensive. The ’62 also had the “Swing-Away” steering wheel, and the shift mechanism can be problematic. I spent many a frustrated hour repairing mine, but it’s a safety issue so you have to do it. T-Birds with sloppy shifters have been known to drop into reverse with the engine running, and that’s bad. When I bought mine, I had to finagle the wheel and shifter just so before I could get the engine started, so it’s a “first-on-the-list” project.

Once you do get things squared away, you’ll be looking at one of the best dashboards of the ’60s. Even the dash pad looks crack-free in this picture, and that is another problem area on Bullet Birds. All T-Birds had the three-speed “Cruise-O-Matic” transmission paired with the 390. These are not fast, efficient, or good-handling cars, but they cruise nicely at modern expressway speeds.

You’ll certainly need a convertible top, and who knows what’s lurking inside the complicated power top mechanism. You’ll want to give the front suspension a going over and you’ll definitely want to upgrade the steering idler arm to the beefier (but not beefy enough) 1964 version. Unfortunately, there are no undercarriage pictures of this convertible, but T-Birds did not have a traditional frame, so keep an eye on rocker panels, floors, and subframes.

This car is currently on eBay with a $15,000 starting bid, but nobody has bid on it yet. The ’61-’63 T-Birds are not extremely valuable outside of the Sports Roadsters, so don’t be shocked to see it relisted after the auction ends for a lower starting price. Or is it worth $15,000? They made almost 10,000 convertibles in ’62, but after all, you can’t find them at every Salvation Army these days.