Sweet Bird of Youth

Karen S. terms herself a “car-head.” Even as a child, she would stand behind the front seat (no longer legal, I must note) and name the makes and models of the cars she saw as her father drove. Studebaker, Rambler, Plymouth and so on. When she saw her first Thunderbird, she wanted one. Since she was six years old, she needed her parents to buy it. Although she was an only child, the seating was limited and her dad said if he bought it she would have to ride in the trunk. Willing to give it a shot, she went with her dad to the car dealer and crawled into the trunk. She decided to wait until she could ride up front.

Cut to the Downtown Grass Valley Car show in 2002. Karen saw a ‘57 T-Bird for sale by Roamin Angel Don Day. She told her husband Landon she had to have it. Now she owns it. Although the car is basically stock, they have replaced the original balky three-speed with overdrive manual trans with a smooth-shifting five-speed one from a Mustang and it now has air conditioning. Karen says they prefer functionality over purism. That’s why they replaced the mechanical fuel pump with an electric one after vapor-locking on I-80 coming from Hot August Nights in Reno one night and barely getting out of traffic. Previously they have kept the Bird local, but now they have confidence in their Bird and hope to take it on one of the long-distance road trips the Roamin Angels have.  And now Karen will not have to ride in the trunk.

Although it was originally black, then copper, the T-Bird is now Willow Green and Colonial White, stock T-Bird colors for the year. It has Kelsey-Hayes wire-spoke wheels, which were an option for 1957. Karen likes it with the porthole top on.

The dash is a “‘57 only,” not used for any other year T-Bird. Extra gauges were added below, but the dash itself was not altered. Sounds come from a modern AM/FM/Cass.