Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

[Hdamaall]

I have a '63 bird that three days ago that sat in climate controled garage for 40 years. it was recently bought by the man's neighbor who had it repaired after all the sitting, however it is all completely original. the white leather seats are in pristine condition, the power seats and windows work, the A/C has just been recharged, and the engine and car have 20,100 documented miles on it. Now the question I have is this. It was painted a copper color a long time ago. Would it hurt the value of the car to paint it a factory t-bird red when the original color was the ford white? or should I just paint it back to the original color of white?

[00mustng]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

...Well Adam....nice find!...Do you plan to show it? Will you have it judged? and please say you are going to drive it! These questions will affect what the refurbishment will include. No doubt you've heard the phrase "It's only original once". Given the condition of the car, I'd be inclined to return it to the original colour...Did the bronze repaint include under the hood, trunk, door jambs etc.?....whatever colour you choose the application would need to be spot on. There are already plenty of restored red cars of all types out there!....just a final thought....make sure the re-commissioning process was absolutely thorough....from experience....particularly the cooling system... I and I'm sure others here would be interested in reading about the refurbishing progress....Have fun! Cheers!

[FUN X 3]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Adam, first off, welcome to the Nest. This is a great site for Bird lovers.

You will find many many opinions here, I'll offer mine, and you should know I'm not an expert.

Paint it whatever color you'd prefer to own and drive if you have the car to enjoy and drive. Paint it white if you want the value of the car to increase as a classic. If it truly has just 20K original documented, that's probably a good car to restore, and find another more experienced old Bird to drive and enjoy.

There are many classic owners here, I'm sure they'll chime in and give their $0.02 worth.

[Hdamaall]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

...Well Adam....nice find!...Do you plan to show it? Will you have it judged? and please say you are going to drive it! These questions will affect what the refurbishment will include. No doubt you've heard the phrase "It's only original once". Given the condition of the car, I'd be inclined to return it to the original colour...Did the bronze repaint include under the hood, trunk, door jambs etc.?....whatever colour you choose the application would need to be spot on. There are already plenty of restored red cars of all types out there!....just a final thought....make sure the re-commissioning process was absolutely thorough....from experience....particularly the cooling system... I and I'm sure others here would be interested in reading about the refurbishing progress....Have fun! Cheers!

not sure if I'll show it, I hadn't really thought about it. but yes, I will be driving it. It sat for entirely too long to not be driven now. the paint on it now isn't under the hood or the trunk, but they did get the door jams. the man I'm having paint it now only restores antique autos for an auction group here in hampton roads. he's going to do a superb job. I'm leaning more towards the original white tho, b/c the top is the original paint and is pretty amazing. I'll keep ppl updated w/ the resto.

[LBPatt]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Since it was painted, it is not considered original. Would have been more valuable as a survivor. Should have never been painted, now it doesn't matter. For value, go with the original color.

[Steve Legel]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

You own it ...you paint it whatever color you want. There will not be substantial value difference between original, hot rod red or the copper, or a custom color. The car sounds like a great find and might someday, for the right person, be a great restoration candidate and they can bring it back to original...
They are only factory original until the first oil change...or any repairs after that.

[snowbird]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

not sure if I'll show it, I hadn't really thought about it. but yes, I will be driving it. It sat for entirely too long to not be driven now. the paint on it now isn't under the hood or the trunk, but they did get the door jams. the man I'm having paint it now only restores antique autos for an auction group here in hampton roads. he's going to do a superb job. I'm leaning more towards the original white tho, b/c the top is the original paint and is pretty amazing. I'll keep ppl updated w/ the resto.

Have you had the information on the data plate de-coded yet.? Also, if you pull out the back seat and or the backs of the back seat, you will probably find the factory assy. line ROT sheet which will tell you just how the car came off of the line at Wixom. Makes for interesting research on your car. Very nice find and have fun with the project.
MartinB.

[2Redbirds57/02]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Adam, that car would look great painted torch red with a white top and if you ever decide to sell, it would most likely sell quicker and for more bucks that if painted some other color. However, it is your car and you should paint it whatever color you like.

[Jim Young]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Oh heck, paint it merlot and really make it look good...:sun:
Jim

[Hdamaall]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

I didn't have the entire vin decoded, but my neighbor is a ford nut and he said the "w" on the door jam info meant it was originally white. and I agree, I think a bright red will look amazing with the white top. I just dont want to devalue it.

[Skip]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Adam:

You might try contacting Mark Sitko @ mesitko@yahoo.com. He is the ITC Technical Advisor for 1961-63 TBirds. He can likely fill you in on the advisability of changing colors, etc. Martin Brugmans, who has already posted to this threasd, can shed some light too, I'm certain. Mark might also be able to shed some light on what the color code means on the car. I agree with what others have said. It's your car, paint it whatever color you want. The only place it might make a difference is if you enter it for concours judging. And even then, many clubs are OK with changing the color, as long as it is a color available for the year and model of the car. Have fun!

Skip

[Skip]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Adam:

Paint code W for 1963 is Rose Beige. It looks like this car is the original color, or at least close if it is a repaint. The color code for white is M.

Skip

[snowbird]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

I didn't have the entire vin decoded, but my neighbor is a ford nut and he said the "w" on the door jam info meant it was originally white. and I agree, I think a bright red will look amazing with the white top. I just dont want to devalue it.

Actually, the exterior code "W" for 1963 is a rare 'Light Pink Metalic' or the 'sales name' , "Rose Beige". You may have had a two tone as you say the white roof is original. The white code is "M" and in '63 was sales name, "corinthian white" . That would have been one pretty car. What is the interior of the car (code ?).
MartinB.

[Hdamaall]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

I'm an idiot lol....I just went and checked, and you're right, the code on the door is "m"

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: Got a Question that needs asnwering.....

Here are the Ford paint color codes for 1963. Toward the bottom is a link to the paint chips so you can get an idea what many of the colors looked like.

http://www.lovefords.org/tech/Vin/paint/ford/63_f.htm

If it were my car, I would probably go for one of the original 1963 colors. But in the end, do it in whatever you like. Most of us that restore vehicles aren't looking for a magazine quality concours restoration; just something to enjoy in the evenings and on the weekends.

Looks like a sweet car though and I look forward to hearing about your progress with this car.