1955-1966 Thunderbird

The Thunderbird began life in February 1953 in direct response to the Chevrolet Corvette. Thunderbird went from idea to prototype in about a year, being unveiled to the public February 20, 1954. Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car focusing attention on the car’s comfort & conveniences, rather than its inherent sportiness.

For owners restoring these 1955-1966 models, classic and vintage thunderbird parts can help keep the car complete, accurate, and true to its original style. The right classic Thunderbird parts also make it easier to replace worn pieces, refresh key details, and preserve the comfort and character that made the Thunderbird stand out.

In 1956 a few changes were made to the original design. The most notable change was the continental-style rear bumper in order to make more storage room in the trunk & an optional porthole in the removable roof.  1956 also saw the introduction of a 312 cubic inch –  Y-block V8.  In 1957 the front bumper was reshaped. It sported a larger grille and tail fins with larger tail lamps. The instrument panel was re-styled with round gauges in a single pod and the spare tire to be positioned back in the trunk.

Alongside the original two-seat Thunderbirds of 1955-1957, the Thunderbird was offered as a soft-top convertible option in 1958 to 1966.

The 2nd generation Thunderbird was redesigned as a four-seater for 1958. Though retaining a design as a two-door hardtop coupe/convertible, the new Thunderbird was considerably larger than the previous generation.  Along with a new, more rigid uni-body construction was new styling, including dual headlights, more prominent tail fins & a bolder chrome grille.  Powering the Thunderbird was a new 352 cubic inch FE V8.  In 1960 the Thunderbird was given another new grille and other minor style changes along with a new, optional, manually operated sunroof for hardtop models. Dual-unit round taillights were changed to triple-units. Thunderbird parts can support careful restoration for two-seat models, hardtops, convertibles, and Landau versions from this era.

The 3rd generation Thunderbird was redesigned for 1961 with sleeker styling that gave the car a bullet-like appearance.  A new engine, the 390 cubic inch FE V8.  In 1962 a vinyl-roofed Landau option with simulated S-bars was added as was a Sports Roadster package for convertible models.  The Sports Roadster included Kelsey Hayes-designed wire wheels & a special fiberglass tonneau cover for the rear seats which gave the car the appearance of a two-seat roadster.

The 4th generation Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off appearance.  The new model retained a similar grille design & dual headlights.  It was still offered as a hardtop, convertible, or Landau version.  In 1965 sequential turn signals were added along with front disc brakes.  In 1966 we saw a stylistic revision with an egg-crate style grille and rear brake lights restyled to appear as one unit. The right thunderbird parts help owners replace worn pieces while preserving the look and feel of these 1955-1966 models.

The Importance of Experience

We have been in the business of helping 1955-1966 classic T-bird owners restore their babies since the early ‘70s.  Call us today to order parts or to talk to our parts experts about your restoration needs.