Outsiders may not realize this, but car guys are definitely camp guys.
In other words, you’re committed to the Ford Guy camp, the Chevy Guy camp or Mopar Guy camp.
That’s not the case with this ’62 Thunderbird.
Jerry Sutherland
Ray Reinbold is the proud owner of this early 60s Ford classic—but he’s also a hardcore Mopar addict. He worked for a Chrysler dealer for years doing things ranging from mechanical work to property management. Ray had owned some classic Chrysler products over the years and most of them were legendary muscle cars.
Ray said he, “Always loved the ’62 Thunderbirds, but he couldn’t find a good one”—until he spotted this one. It was sold in the States, then it migrated to Saskatchewan (Canada) so it spent its life in dry climates.
This is a 390 cubic inch four-barrel V-8, so it has the power, but pays for it in gas mileage. The T-bird is close to survivor status, but it has had one paint job in factory Medium Chestnut Red.
The leather interior is original and mint–this ’62 Thunderbird clearly had owners who cared about its maintenance and storage.
Ray had a few things to address with his car despite its history of car and attention. He put a new radiator in it and replaced the power steering pump. Ray admits that’s a pretty short list for a 62-year-old car—he said he “just keeps it clean—nothing major”.
It’s the kind of attitude that helps Ray sleep at night because his T-bird is a really nice driver but it has enough real-world scars to not worry about driving or parking it. Ray admitted if he put too much money in the paint, he’d be afraid to drive it. He said an attempted break-in on his Thunderbird did some damage, but it would have been a lot worse if Ray had invested in a five-figure paint job.
Ray did update one thing on the Thunderbird. He replaced the factory 14” wheels with 15” hi-tech, low-profile tires and wheels. Ray said the ride “is a little harder, but it handles a lot better”.
As mentioned, Ray was an auto tech so he knew upgraded tires would make a big difference when he was behind the wheel of his ’62 Bullet-Bird’.
Ray also added an electric fan to the front of the radiator because the car heated up during a parade. The mechanical side of Ray told him extra cooling was a lot better than a cooked engine.
This ’62 Thunderbird also sees real world freeways and Ray said it handles highway speed with ease. You won’t see him chugging along in the slow lane at ten under the speed limit.
There are lessons in this owner’s story. The first one is to be patient because it took Ray years to find the right one. That patience paid off because Ray ended up with a short list of things to do.
Another lesson is keep your investment down and your fun factor up. That’s why Ray’s not sweating about protecting his car—he’s picking car shows to attend.
That’s also what the car hobby is all about.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
