'57 Thunderbird Sitting for 10 Years; Want to Start it.

I inherited my '57 Thunderbird from my mother in 2003 and drove it some in 2004. It has been sitting ever since. I would like to start it and my youngest son and I plan on doing some restoration to it this summer. So, before trying to start it I am doing the following: removing carb and am having it rebuilt; changing fuel filter; replacing fuel pump; replacing battery; draining gas tank and refilling; changing engine oil and filter.

Questions:

Any thoughts on other items to repair or replace before trying to start it?

What engine oil and filter is recommended? What are any thoughts on using synthetic oil?

Do I need to use any gasoline additives with today's gas?

The upholstery was replaced many years ago and is red and white. I only find red upholstery kits. Was the red and white not an original option?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. It has a 292 with manual transmission and is dated 10/1957.

Hi Calbear,

I would pull the brake cylinders and either rebuild or replace them. I would then flush the brake lines. I would take out the spark plugs, pour a tablespoon of Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder and turn the engine over using a socket wrench on the harmonic balancer nut on the crankshaft. Assuming everything is smooth then put the spark plugs back in. As for oil, use Shell Rotella 15W-40 or equivalent. No need to go synthetic. Any good spin on oil filter will do the job. Motorcraft keeps you humming a Ford tune. I haven't used gas additives, but some are available that are said to help with today's gas. Use only the old style ethylene glycol in the cooling system.

As for the upholstery, assuming your is coded for the Flame Red interior (mine is) then everything is red, including the steering wheel. If you copy the information from the firewall data plate and post it here I can tell you what the car's original color combination was.

Regards,

Lew

Thanks, Lew. Just to confirm the oil. In researching the Rotella 15-40, most of the ads indicate it is for a diesel engine, though many reviews indicate use in a non-diesel. Is this the oil you are referring to? I checked the data plate numbers and the upholstery shows to be XH (flame red). The exterior shows to be R, which it states is torch red, as there was apparently a color change with late 57s due to a delay with the 58s which were torch red. Quite the quirk. Thanks for the info regarding the brake cylinders and the use of Marvel Mystery Oil.

The Rotella is made for diesel engines, but it is also fine to use in gasoline engines. It is what I use in my car. It has specific additives that will protect against camshaft wear that are no longer in most modern oils. There are other brands available such as Pennzoil, but whatever you choose should be up to diesel standards.

You obviously have a late '57 car. That is a great color combination, especially with the Torch Red. Do you have a hardtop? If so what color is it supposed to be?

Regards,

Lew

Thanks for clarifying the oil, the diesel thing confused me. Regarding the top, yes, I have a hardtop and it is painted red. I believe it is supposed to be red only because when my father bought the car used in the 60s, the top came with it and it was red. I do not believe the car had been repainted when my father bought it. Is there some other codes on the data plate that would verify what color the top should be?, or is there some other way to confirm?

If your car came with the hardtop the dataplate should read RR XH or RR6XH or RR7XH. The 6 or 7 were put on some later dataplates (between paint and trim) and experts believe this indicates whether the top has portholes or not. If your car came without a hardtop (softtop only) it would read R XH. I am interested to know what your dataplate says.

Regards,

Lew

Lew, you are a wealth of information. Based on your information, my car did not come with a hardtop as there is no secondary color designation. The data plate shows R and XH only. However, my dad, who also has a 55 and a 57 (he also had a 56 but sold it only because he ran out of garage space and it was deteriorating sitting outside), his 57 data plate reads AA and XK. I take this to mean the car and top is raven black and the upholstery is colonial white. His wife really wanted a pink Bird so he did a body off restoration and painted it pink/white.

On another note, what are your thoughts about the following: I see that some Birds are somewhat modified by either painting them different colors, changing the upholstery color, adding wire wheels (when not an option), adding power steering or brakes, etc. Do these modifications, if done well, ruin the car's value or not? I ask because some of my engine compartment accessories are chromed, and I was thinking of adding wire wheels, a carpeted trunk kit, an upgraded retro radio, an electronic ignition, maybe front disc brakes, etc. My thought is to make the car more pleasurable to drive but at the same time I don't want to trash its value. Any thoughts?

If the changes you are considering make the car more appealing to you then there is no reason not to do them. As long as you aren't cutting anything and can easily go back to stock then I don't see a reason not to do them. Your particular car is on the low end of value relative to other '57s because it has the 292 with 3 spd stick shift. I don't think you will be hurting the value as long things are tastefully done. I would think twice about wire wheels. They are great to look at but can be maintenance headaches. That isn't necessarily a reason not to buy them, just go in with your eyes open.

You are correct about the color combination of you dad's car. By the way, does your car have a soft top? I assume it must, but I was wondering what color it is. Of course, from the factory it would have been either white, black, or tan. Depending on its condition you may want to restore that also.

Regards,

Lew