Iconic ’50s Ford Totally Transforms After First Detailing In Over A Decade

With its portholes in the hardtop and distinctive V8 rumble, the 1957 Ford Thunderbird is one of the Blue Oval’s true ’50s icons. Sadly, some of the surviving examples are now sitting in long term storage, with unforeseen life circumstances meaning their owners can no longer enjoy them like they used to. However, with the right care and attention, these dusty, animal-infested examples can still be brought back to life.

A new video by WD Detailing explains the painstaking process that was involved in getting one abandoned ’57 Thunderbird back on the road. The crew had to clear away around 15 years of accumulated dust and debris before it could fix the mechanical gremlins needed to get the car in working order once again. One of the first tasks was clearing out the leaves that had built up behind the grille. The crew found out that there was no way to easily access the space, and so had to loosen the radiator in order to fit a vacuum hose down to get it clean.

The complications didn’t stop there either. The next challenge was cleaning up the original whitewall tires, which were so expensive that the team wanted to avoid buying new ones if at all possible. After carefully getting them back to looking white again, the team then moved onto the car’s exterior.

During the cleaning process, the crew found a few surprises along the way. One was the soft top, which was neatly folded away when they originally started work on the car, but cleaning the almost 70-year-old canvas was no easy task. Cleaning the interior proved to be an equally long-winded process.

When the team wanted to get the car running, even that turned out not to be a simple task. They found that the carburetor needed cleaning, and rather than simply using WD-40 and hoping for the best, they chose to use an ultrasonic cleaner to get it working. After that and all the other fluids were checked, drained, and refilled, the Thunderbird’s V8 engine cranked into life.

When the team took the car back to its owner, his reaction was intense. The car had previously been his father’s, but issues with his back and neck meant that Greg was no longer able to use it regularly, which is why it sat for so long. After he was taken for a ride in his newly restored classic, it was clear to see how much the project had meant to him. Some enthusiasts might associate the Thunderbird with movies or simply see it as a cool classic, but this happy owner, it was no simple car: it was a family heirloom, and one that was now being shown off in all of its glory.