Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1967 ‘Boss Bird’ Ford Thunderbird

"I wanted to send in some pictures and information on my 1967 Thunderbird. I know in past issues, Angelo has talked about featuring more reader’s cars with “day 2” modifications. Mine is a combination of what the Thunderbird could/should have been and some day 2 mods. I was inspired since I was a little kid by the first set of Sweet 16 Hot Wheels. One of the first ones I bought was the 'Custom TBird,' with Cragar mags and power bulge hood. I always thought the “Glamorbirds” (’67-'71) had the bones of a muscle car and Ford should have offered a GT type model. This would have fallen right in line with the way they offered the Mustang with a base model, GT, Mach 1, and Boss Mustangs as well as the Mercury Cyclone with base model, GT and Spoiler models and finally the Cougar with base models, XR-7, GT, and Eliminator models.

I am the second owner of this T-Bird and have owned it since 1995. I used it as a daily driver for 3-4 years before it got relegated to the garage and wasn’t driven for many years. In 2015, I began the restoration to what it is today with my vision of the day 2 version of the T-Bird. My “Boss Bird” is numbers matching with 428 cid and C6 transmission and has dual quad Edelbrock carbs, with a functional Mach I shaker scoop, hotter Comp Cam, 3.70 rear gearing and 17” front/18” rear tires, but looks like it came from the factory with everything on it. The interior is stock with the exception of new carpeting. It was loaded with options including AC, power windows, power locks, pilot cruise control, overhead convenience console and was a special order paint (the VIN shows a blank where the paint color should be).

It always draws lots of attention at shows and many people believe it to be a Ford factory offering of what was available in 1967. The paint is a Ford Blue Pearl that changes color from blue to purple to black, depending on the light. It was accepted at the 2017 MCACN show in Chicago where Car Craft/Hot Rod Magazine voted it as one of the Top 25 of the show. I am very grateful when others really appreciate what I tried to accomplish with the car but I built it for me so even without any other accolades, I still love it and plan on keeping it for a long time."