keiser31 Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Saw this nice 1957 Thunderbird today on my walk to the post office. It belongs to a friend of mine.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 55-57 Birds seem to almost be undervalued nowadays . I've seen some pretty nice ones for the same 20's range they have been for the last 10 years. I've even seen some pretty decent drivers in the mid teens. A number you couldn't find one for 15 years ago. I drove my 57 Quite a bit when I had it. I think I had it 7 or 8 years. It was a pretty good road machine. I wouldn't mind getting a 55, one of these days in a stick. Black or that 50's seafoam type green would fit the bill nicely. Hopefully the next one will have a soft top and no hardtop. I redid the hardtop on mine and only put it on the car the day I sold it for the new owner to get it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) Admiring the Oregon T Bird, I can tell you looked for 6 months, when searching for my 1969 Corvair. The BEST cars, condition wise, were always found in Oregon ........ 2,700 miles from my home. Edited November 10, 2017 by bobg1951chevy (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorialynn2 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) 38 minutes ago, bobg1951chevy said: Admiring the Oregon T Bird, I can tell you looked for 6 months, when searching for my 1969 Corvair. The BEST cars, condition wise, were always found in Oregon ........ 2,700 miles from my home. There’s a weekly show at PIR in the summer that has 2k+ cars at times. There are definately some beautiful cars here. Texas is another gold mind. Edited November 10, 2017 by victorialynn2 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Lots of nice cars in the Northeast as well, but most were imported from the south and west, except the few summer estate cars. I've imported a few myself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 54 minutes ago, auburnseeker said: Lots of nice cars in the Northeast as well, but most were imported from the south and west, except the few summer estate cars. I've imported a few myself. Southern Oregon is a light rust to rust free area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Nice color (haven't seen it on a T-bird before). The '57 is my favorite of the 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957Birdman Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I love those west coast T-Birds. Inca Gold (yellow) is a nice color that also looked good on the full size 57 Fords. As for values, the early T-Birds "suffer" these days from the fact that so many of them survived over the years. There were a little over 53,000 manufactured during the 3 years of production and I believe that at least half that number have survived. That is the main reason Corvettes of the same vintage go for higher prices. In 1955 Chevrolet produced 700 Corvettes and Ford produced 16,000 T-Birds. The other thing that has happened is the internet. When I was first interested in getting one of these cars the only place I had to look was in the local classifieds. Then there was Old Cars Weekly and Hemmings. Now you can look on the internet and see several hundred cars for sale any day. There a number of things that have gone down in value since the advent of the internet. The good news is that the selection allows someone to be more selective on the car they buy. Selection plus an excellent parts network will be an advantage of owning an early T-Bird for the foreseeable future. Lew Bachman 1957 Colonial White T-Bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 On 11/10/2017 at 12:08 AM, victorialynn2 said: There’s a weekly show at PIR in the summer that has 2k+ cars at times. There are definately some beautiful cars here. Texas is another gold mind. What is PIR, V.L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 1 minute ago, bobg1951chevy said: What is PIR, V.L. Portland (Oregon) International Raceway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 May be me, but I have never understood the PORT HOLE round window. It's so distracting, IMO. I keep thinking, if I look in, will I see some fish swimming? Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 1 minute ago, smithbrother said: May be me, but I have never understood the PORT HOLE round window. It's so distracting, IMO. I keep thinking, if I look in, will I see some fish swimming? Dale in Indy Could maybe have to do with portholes on an airplane to incorporate the jet age look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 5 minutes ago, keiser31 said: Portland (Oregon) International Raceway. Ah ...ok, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Well for whatever reason, I really feel it is very distracting. Go fish go. Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 I have to be 100% honest here ...... I have not been a "Ford guy" during my years with the car hobby. But these '57 T Birds are a car I would love to own, but am betting my moth filled wallet could not take the hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 7 minutes ago, bobg1951chevy said: I have to be 100% honest here ...... I have not been a "Ford guy" during my years with the car hobby. But these '57 T Birds are a car I would love to own, but am betting my moth filled wallet could not take the hit. Exactly the same goes for me on all counts. They just have a nice, clean look and balance....with or without the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorialynn2 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 2 hours ago, keiser31 said: Portland (Oregon) International Raceway. Yes! I should have specified that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957Birdman Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 The "port" windows as Ford called them serve a real practical purpose, to eliminate a hazardous blind spot that 1955 T-Bird owners complained about when the driver needed to look back over his left shoulder. My car has them and they definitely help with visibility. Why round windows? That seems to be because they solved the problem of visibility with little additional expense. It also gave the car a bit of a nautical flair. There was another design that was tried but it didn't work as well as the port holes. You could order a 56 or 57 with or without the portholes, but most had the portholes. The better option is the soft top, just because it stores with the car and the owner does not need to worry about where to store the top when not in use. Lew Bachman 1957 Colonial White T-Bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcarnut Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 I guess I will jump in on T-bird talk. In 1957, my Dad ordered a new T-Bird as he had just finished restoring a 1911 Ford and wanted a car he would keep and not have to restore. It was ordered with the porthole delete and radio delete but with the 312 engine and overdrive. That year my parents drove it to Colorado from Ohio where they developed a life long love of the West and old Ghost Towns. That trip was the only time the car was in the rain. I came home from the Hospital in the T Bird in 1958. Two years ago after my father passed, I inherited the car with 24000 miles and even two of the original tires (recapped) on the car. Only a couple tires, mufflers and battery have been replaced. It is like a brand new car. The paint is original and like new which is not as good as many over restored cars. You can see sand marks in the areas under the doors that was just painted over at the factory. It runs great and I get it out for short drives once a month. I also inherited that 1911 T along with several other cars to add to my own collection so I have not had time to do much to the T-Bird but change oil and antifreeze. Over this winter, I plan to replace all the rubber, belts, hoses and tires so I can feel better driving it on a local AACA tour. Yes I will hopefully get it to an AACA meet probably Auburn for an HPOF at some point. Dad had it undercoated when new which would be a deduct for regular judging. I also plan to take off the hardtop to make it easier to get in and store in the summer as it has a soft top that had not seen daylight for 40 years or more. One of these days, I will dig out some pictures of it when new and today. Tomcarnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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