1963 Ford Thunderbird

1963 Ford Thunderbird 390 FE V8, Blue on Blue, White Vinyl Top


Why This Car Is Special

The 1963 Ford Thunderbird sits at an interesting crossroads in the model's history. It was the final year of the fourth-generation design that Ford had introduced in 1961 a car that moved the Thunderbird away from the two-seat personal luxury formula of the late 1950s and into a longer, more formal four-seat hardtop body. That 1961-to-1963 generation is now often called the 'Bullet Bird' by enthusiasts, a reference to the pointed, projectile-like nose treatment that distinguished these cars from the Square Birds that preceded them. Ford sold 42,806 Thunderbirds for the 1963 model year, making it a reasonably successful final run for that body style before the completely redesigned 1964 cars arrived.

What makes this specific 1963 Ford Thunderbird worth your attention is the combination of its powertrain, its color presentation, and the condition of its undercarriage. The car wears blue exterior paint paired with a white vinyl top a classic two-tone pairing that was popular among Thunderbird buyers of the era and the interior carries through in coordinating blue vinyl throughout. Underneath, the car has been treated to a coated undercarriage that is clearly visible in the underside photos, showing solid structure with no signs of rot or significant corrosion in the floor pans or frame rails. That kind of foundation is not something you can take for granted on a 60-year-old car, and it changes the calculus considerably when evaluating what you are actually buying.

The VIN on this car decodes to confirm it is a 1963 model year Thunderbird hardtop, built at the Wixom, Michigan assembly plant, which was the sole production facility for the fourth-generation Thunderbird. The engine code in the VIN confirms the 390 cubic inch FE V8.


Features List

- 390ci FE V8 engine
- 300 horsepower 4-barrel carburetor
- 3-speed SelectShift automatic transmission
- Power steering
- Power brakes with front disc brakes
- Swing-Away steering column
- Front bucket seats
- Front console
- Rear bench seat
- Power windows
- AM radio
- Dual exhaust
- Custom alloy wheels
- Cooper Cobra Radial tires
- White vinyl top
- Blue vinyl interior throughout
- Chrome front and rear bumpers
- Coated undercarriage
- Thunderbird emblems throughout


Mechanical

The 390 cubic inch FE-series V8 was Ford's primary big-block offering during this era, and it was the standard engine in the 1963 Thunderbird. Rated at 300 horsepower through a single 4-barrel carburetor, it produced more than adequate torque for a car of the Thunderbird's character this was not a drag racer, but a comfortable high-speed highway cruiser. The FE engine family had roots going back to 1958 and was a well-sorted, robust design by 1963. It would go on to power everything from full-size Fords to the GT40 race cars in modified forms, which gives you a sense of how much headroom the basic architecture had.

The engine bay on this car has been cleaned up and presents well. The photos show a finned aluminum valve cover on the passenger side and what appears to be a Thunderbird-script rocker cover on the driver's side, consistent with factory dress. The firewall and inner fenders are painted blue to match the body. Chrome details on the engine dress give the bay a finished appearance without looking like an over-restored show car.

Backing the 390 is a 3-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. Ford's SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic was a significant selling point on Thunderbirds of this period because it allowed the driver to manually select gears when desired, giving the car a sportier feel without committing to a full manual gearbox. This was considered a genuinely advanced feature in 1963.

The front disc brakes listed here are particularly noteworthy. Standard 1963 Thunderbirds