How to restore a Barn Find - 1969 Ford Thunderbird - #7 Rub Out + FLEX = 3D products



Barn Finds
Seems like every time I turn around or turn on the TV and watch shows like Chasing Classic Cars with Wayne Carini, I hear someone in conversation talking about some classic car they discovered untouched sitting in a barn for years and even decades out of sight and out of mind.

Here's an example of such a find. Just down the road from Autogeek a gentleman purchased a house and according to the deal he received not only the house but the old car in the garage. The old car in the garage is a 1969 Ford Thunderbird that was parked there in 1992. As of the year I'm writing this article it's 2016 and that means this car has been sitting in the garage untouched for 24 years!

It's all original. Original engine, original transmission, original interior, original vinyl top and even the original single stage metallic enamel paint.


The new owner - not a car guy
The new owner contacted my personal friend and owner of Grasso Garage, a hot rod shop that specializes in both car restorations, hotrodding and customs builds with a focus on muscle cars and resto-rods. The owner, not being a car guy, asked Paul to take a look at and to get his opinion as to what to do with it. Paul inspected the car inside and out and said the first thing would be to check out the engine and drivetrain and see if she runs and if she runs well enough to put back on the road. Long story short, after changing all the fluids, belts and other normal wear parts the engine fired right up and purrs like a kitten. A 429 Ford Big Block Kitten that is! The transmission works fine but the entire brake system needed to be overhauled and after that was taken care the next step was to evaluate the appearance.


Interior
The interior looks like it had not been cleaned since the car was delivered to the dealership from FOMOCO. It's more than just dirty it's gross.


Vinyl top
Just like the interior, the original vinyl top was originally white but now it looks tan and even brown with years of dirt accumulation staining and lack of even minimal care.

PaintThe paint while intact shows zero sign of care or regular maintenance. Every square inch is filled with swirls, scratches and oxidation. The scratches and swirls are so bad it looks like someone washed it with a garden rake.


Ring ring!
A few weeks ago my phone rings, it's Paul and with some excitement in his voice he asks me if I'd be interested in a barn find car that needs cosmetic restoration for one of my detailing classes. Paul is actually an alumni student of my 3-day detailing classes here at Autogeek in Stuart, Florida. He also knows I have a passion for restoring antiques, classics and muscle cars with the original paint still intact. Of course I asked him what kind of car and some history and a few minutes later I was on the road driving over the Grosso Garage to check it out.


That's one ugly Ford!

After arriving to Paul's shop I met Paul and had my first look at the old Tbird. Now I like classic cars and I'm fond of some variations of the Ford Thunderbirds but in my opinion this 1969 Tbird with the dark green metallic paint and white vinyl top and interior was nothing short of ugly!

I don't think there's anything even the famous Chip Foose could do to this car to make it look even a smidgen better looking. I mean this car is just plain flat-out ugly. What was Ford thinking in 1969?

Be that as it may... I do love a challenge and barn finds with the original paint are my favorite. So after inspecting the paint, the interior, the top, the chrome and even the factory original hubcaps, I said "yes" I would be happy to take the car on for one of my detailing classes.

While my classes focus on all aspects of the car detailing industry, I know from experience my students love the opportunity to work on these old classics because they don't come along very often. Plus the challenge to take a diamond in the rough and turn it into a glistening gemstone makes the hard, arduous process to undue decades of damage and neglect very rewarding.



It's a date!
Before leaving the shop Paul and I set a date for Paul to bring the car to Autogeek and upon returning to the office I created a sign-up thread on the AutogeekOnline.net discussion forum and as usual, it filled up quickly with local car guys and even a few people from other states all eager to be a part of my competition ready extreme makeover team.