Lonnie’s 1960 Thunderbird

Modern Rodding Feature

Larry Watson Would Be Proud

By Dale Moreau

Photography by THE AUTHOR & Anthony Scales

L

onnie Gilbertson is widely recognized in the hot rod and custom car community. His debut project, a red 1923 Ford roadster pickup from 1971, earned him America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award. He elevated his craftsmanship, and the same vehicle won the AMBR trophy again in 1975. Today, it’s on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

As a young boy building model cars, he saw Larry Watson’s T-bird in Hot Rod magazine. He always liked the car. After a lifetime of working on cars, it was finally time to build that car. Starting with an original but rust-free 1960 Ford Thunderbird, Lonnie and his bodyman and painter, Tony Wilson, had some custom ideas to make his T-bird stand out.

1960 ford thunderbird larry watson tribute custom two-tone lowrider show car; 1960 ford thunderbird custom front end watson paint pearl white burgundy show build

1960 ford thunderbird rear end detail chrome bumper dual exhaust

1960 ford thunderbird Larry Watson tribute show sign display

1960 ford thunderbird hood scoop burgundy white custom muscle car restomod styling

1960 ford thunderbird front interior retro red white leather bucket seats billet controls

1960 ford thunderbird headliner interior red white two-tone stitching custom lighting detail

1960 ford thunderbird rear seats custom upholstery red white leather emblem detail classic cruiser

Starting at the front, they removed and filled the bumper guards and smoothed the area, unlike the Watson car, which added bullets. Additionally, instead of the egg crate grille used on the Watson, the guys installed a sleek tube grille. If you compare the two paintjobs, you’ll notice the paint on the sides is rounded off at both ends; however, on Lonnie’s car, the ends follow the curves of the body. They took some liberties with the hood scoop, making it sleeker and more flush with the hood. Running along the side, just above the side pipes, the original door handles have been removed. Lonnie chose a Red Rock color from PPG, paired with a Pearl White from Toyota’s truck color palette, for the T-bird’s paint scheme. The grip indentation has been filled and replaced with Pontiac door handles. The side chrome has been removed, but the “V” emblem on the top side remains. From the rearview, Lonnie and Tony reduced the taillights from three to two, as Watson did.

1960 ford thunderbird custom engine bay polished valve covers chrome alternator vintage build

1960 ford thunderbird engine chrome pulleys gold valve cover v8 custom resto-mod detail

The frosting on this cake is the fantastic pearl-white vinyl interior designed and stitched by Dan Leisy topped with the stock steering wheel crafted by Pearl Craft in Australia. Check out the modified 1965 Mustang console and the custom ceiling console, both designed and built for this car by Leisy. Wiring for the stock gauges and the Vintage Air system is supplied by American Autowire and installed by Danny Murray in Portland. The T-bird chassis features stock power brakes and a Borgeson steering box. Power comes from a 1961 Ford 390ci engine rebuilt by Paolo Engine Service, equipped with a Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft and Cal Custom valve covers. This hauler is powered by a Ford three-carb manifold topped with a Holley carburetor and a PerTronix distributor, along with a Concept One serpentine belt system. The drivetrain includes a Ford C6 transmission and a 9-inch Ford rearend. This outstanding car rolls on 14×7 steel rims, 8.00×14 wide whitewall tires, and Dodge four-bar spinner hubcaps.

Looking at the quality of the overall project delivered today, one must think Larry Watson would just love it.

Modern Rodding

VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 67 • 2026

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