RE: stories from Steve
Fast forward, after dental school, establishing a practice, married with a first born, and my desire for a special car resurfaced. A project car 1955 Thunderbird came my way. Far more severely gone than my '65 Plymouth, I saw in it the potential reborn. Held together by only the transmission hump, my Thunderbird Blue '55, became my tuition car as I learned the ins and outs of restoring a Classic Thunderbird. Once bitten, but not satisfied with the outcome, I sought a better raw car to restore. That is the car featured here.
This Dusk Rose 1957 Thunderbird (orignally Willow Green) was advertised for sale as a rust free California car. I was eager to build a true show car and having experienced the frustration of the rusty 55, this seemed to be a perfect project. The car was indeed rust free, and to its credit, it did have a black California license plate in the trunk. As I stripped the many layers of paint and body filler, it became apparent why the car was rust free. Every body panel had been replaced in whole or in part, at least once. Once stripped, I counted no less that 18 times the car had been hit. There is a body man in heaven who had sculpted so nicely the blending of imperfectly aligned body panels on this car. The car was completely disassembled, body left bolted to the frame. I spent 3 years preparing the car and enjoying the quiet personal time tinkering away, and the sense of accomplishment seeing each part come back to life.
Tha amature restoration is 10 years old. The body panels do not line up perfectly, the doors are hard to open and close. The hardtop remains disassembled. The engine is not original. The laquer paint is showing cracks and pops. The chromer ground out the rust, and the bumpers are wavy. The engine, brakes and gas tank need overhaul. It has, in its time, been persnickety to run.
Yet it is a head turner, and always a show stopper when I take it out. This car has atteneded the Revvin' with Ford Charity Previews at Woodward Dream Cruise, the Thunderbird Unveiling Day at Ford World Headquarters 2001, the Ford Centennial 2003, and recently the St. Ignace, Michigan Antiques on the Bay show, featuring Ford Thunderbird 1955, 1956, 1957. The car shows well to passers by. I think driving it as an open roadster (and yes, I've been caught in the rain) welcomes folks to take a look. The Dusk Rose color is popular with the ladies, and they always tell me they "love my car". When parked with classic Thunderbirds belonging to other members of our local American Road Club, I immediately see that other cars have straighter lines, crisper dash, more recently detailed engine bays. Yet, it is my car that folks take photos of. At the Ford events, I routinely invite folks to sit in the Thunderbird, and I'll take their picture with their camera. Thunderbirds make people happy!
Life goes on. My family grew, so did my dental practice. My Dad, also a Dentist, retired from the family business. I had purchased some other classic cars (59 Chevy El Camino and 1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE 440 Magnum). I had purchased commercial buildings to store and restore the cars, as well as establish a full-blown working shop complete with hoist, welders, sandblasters and engine lift. I can talk the talk and walk the walk. In the mean time, priorities changed and working on the cars was sidelined. In its place came collecting Thunderbird memorabilia and its inadvertent fame.
In 1999, a patient of mine, who does commercial video work was freelancing at the Detroit Auto Show. He was given one of the original 1999 Thunderbird concept press packs, which, he in turn, gave to me. I started collecting memorabilia pertaining to the new Retro Thunderbird with a passion, and never looked back. In 2000, Mike Lamm was commissioned to write a book about the history of the Thunderbird in anticipation of this new generation auto. Unlike previous books, Lamm's effort focused on the dev