Hello All!

I joined like 8 years ago, but I couldn't remember the name I used or the email addy, I think I only made a couple posts. My dad gave me the first car I ever worked on with him, a 67 bird. The poor girl blew the motor around 1989 and sat (mostly outside) forever. It was brought to my house in SC around 2010 in need of floors, quarters, doors, trunk, and entire front clip. I sourced rust free OEM doors, trunk, clip (including an OEM 400 hood I scored for $50!!!) a subframe, and aftermarket floor and rockers. Unfortunately, the car has sat since then. I was only able to tear it down. I simply don't have the time for a full on rebuild.

During the past 8 years I've done a lot to my 67 C10 that I bought 22 years ago when I was 15, turning it into a "shop truck." I also bought a super clean, no rust, all OEM Ford paneled 65 Mustang Coupe - I wanted a Camaro or Bird, but I paid about 1/3 for the Mustang as what a similar bird/camaro would have cost. I've built that car into a reliable, fun road trip car (It's been on 4 Hot Rod Power Tours for a total of +/- 12,000 miles).

I've also fully remodeled my home which is FINALLY weeks from completion.

So I wasn't really looking for another project when I found what appeared to be a clean rust free 68 Bird on Craigslist (those don't exist, right?)

Pics below are my dad's car. It's A LOT rougher than it looks, my C10, and My Mustang.

So I go to look at the bird. The seller is crazy high on price. It's a straight six, supposedly has a rebuilt motor (but runs like crap - so I always assume it deosn't run) but it's legit rust free. There's some scrapes and dings here and there, but overall its complete, solid, kinda runs.

The story I got (and have the documentation) was the it was purchased by a mom in 68 for "her car." Somewhere around 1972/3 the car was given to her daughter to drive. The daughter kept the car under a carport. It was last driven in 1983. In 1994 it's sold to a guy that has it repainted (very crappily, especially 24 years later) and he doesn't drive it either, it's kept in a metal storage container until 2017 when he sells it to the guy selling it in 2018. That guy supposedly had the motor rebuilt, but I think he quickly realized it was too much of a project for him, so he listed it for sale.

The first time I looked at it, I gave him what I thought was an honest fair number for the car, and he immediately came off his huge number to within 4K from my number. I thought I'd let it sit for a while and left.

Week later I get a text that he's down to within 2K of my number. I said I'd like to come look at it again, but I want to get the car up off the floor, look it over better, see all of the documentation, etc.

So he puts the car on stands and it's legit rust free. I've never seen an "origianal" car so clean. I'm sure they're out there, out west, cali, etc, but not in SC. Even here most that aren't restored need floors and quarters at a minimum. This car is 100% GM and has extremely minor rust in the lower rear quarters. The floor and trunk are ridicuously solid, fenders and doors are near perfect, the roof and around the windows are all clean. After some more bickering I agreed to his final price, only because of how clean the car was.

It still needs A LOT. The paint SUCKS, every rubber seal is shot, it needs a new wiring harness, the motor runs like crap, and the suspension/steering are dry rotted and shot, but it's rust free (mostly) and mine.

More pics.

After decoding the car, it apparently has a rare two tone top. I originally thought the top was a different color because it was originally a vinyl top (has the trim and tabs for a vinyl top) but the built sheet and body tag come back to color "T" Primavera Beige. It also has a deluxe steering wheel. One oddity is that is has the bird etched on the PS glass but not the DS glass. Obviously one has been switched out at some point, but not sure which is original to the car. It also has a manual 3 OTT which is a terrible idea because your hand hits the dash in 2nd gear.

Cool! Looks like a great score.

It was! I think I still paid a bit too much (my number was kinda as high as I wanted to go) but considering "rust free" cars that are somewhat original are almost impossible to find anywhere on the east coast, I still consider it a win.

One of my biggest fears is paying 25-30K for a "done" car thats either a bondo beauty or 100% aftermarket panel car. I actively searched for an OEM panel, rust free first gen mustang for almost a year. Most of the cars I looked at (and were $$$ too!) were tarted up cars with bondo or loaded with aftermarket panels. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're available and that people are making cars live again with them, but I prefer OEM. My C10 has aftermarket doors and front clip and it's going back to OEM (already have rust free stuff purchased) the next "go round."

I used a soft magnet over almost my entire mustang and this car and found very little filler on either. On the bird the only real filler I found was the lower rear quarters which have some bubling and a few small areas where there appears to have been some minor dent damage. I didn't find anything in the doors or fenders. There was a little on the roof, so there will be some repair work necessary, but nothing like my dad's car.

I forgot to mention my dad is a fairly young guy still (55) and he wants to take his bird back and have another go at it with all the parts I got for it. 3 toys is the max my very understanding wife can tolerate. She was on board with buying this new bird because of all the time it will save, but not OK with me keeping both birds.

The two tone cars had the chrome divider strip (like a vinyl top). I guess it was a 'poor man's' vinyl top, without the vinyl.
Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.
I have an extra driver's side 'bird glass. (actually have one in tinted glass, and one with clear glass, but only driver's side)
What month / week was your car built? The bird glass seems to have been included in mostly mid October to mid Dec '67 built cars. That is one year only glass, another of the '68 only COOL things like the arrow rear marker lights.
Good luck with the project, you found the BEST site!

3rd week of December, 1967. Google says that's the 11-15. It was built at the Ohio Plant.

If what you say is true, maybe they ran out of DS glass for my car, or someone goofed.

I worked at BMW on the assembly line for a few years when the economy tanked, even with computers and in this day and age, we had cars come down the line with the standard black lower trim on one side and the painted "M" series trim on the other. Or black roof rack on one side and aluminum on the other...

I have the original sales document and Pontiac Warranty Card, original title, and build sheet. It was purchased on March 17, 1968.

Yes, it had the trim in the trunk and the factory pegs for the clips. That's why I thought it had to be a vinyl top car, I'd never seen one two toned before.

My guess is the window glass was broken, or car broken into, and the only glass found locally was non bird glass (or worse yet, 'Maro glass)

I can't imagine the car leaving the factory with bird glass on one side only.

I completely agree, it was likely replaced at one time.

To your point though... some of those BMW's I mentioned above... made it to DEALERSHIPS before the wrong parts were noticed. In one case (the wrong colored roof racks) actually made it home with a customer before they noticed and brought it back. These items were brought up in our monthly quality meetings.

When you look at 250 cars over a 10 hour shift... you get tired of looking at the same car over and over and over...

It wasn't that long ago I saw on GM-Trucks.com that a Colorado was programmed with a GMC Canyons welcome screen that made it to the dealership.