Classic Sheet Metal sign on a brick wall, features silver oval frame with blue lettering and a stylized blue

Our History

Man holding a large, gray metal shield with a bird emblem in a workshop; he smiles.

Man in shop with metal pieces on workbench, a car in background.

Man in shop holding metal sheet, tools and welding equipment in background.

WHO WE ARE

For more than 45 years, our company has been dedicated to delivering quality sheet metal repair panels for Thunderbirds. Owned by Bob and David Jones, we began our journey into sheet metal fabrications in 1972 while restoring our first 1955 Thunderbird alongside our father. Recognizing a demand for these specialized parts, we established Bob's Auto Body in Akron, Ohio, where we commenced the production of a premium line of sheet metal specifically for 1955-1957 Thunderbirds.

In 1979, our father relocated the business to Merritt Island, Florida, renaming it Thunderbird Enterprises. Meanwhile, I stayed in Akron and launched my own venture, "Classic Sheet Metal."

My first car was a 1963 Thunderbird Convertible, which I purchased for $300. It required significant work, and I applied the skills I had gained from my dad, crafting small bird parts to create sheet metal products for the larger models.

In 1982, we relocated the business to Charlotte, NC, and my brother David joined me there. Our father passed away in 1989, and Dave and I were fortunate enough to acquire some of the equipment and dies we helped create in our youth, allowing us to reintroduce the 1955-1957 bird parts into our catalog.

We have broadened our selection of parts to encompass all models from 1955 to 1971. Recently, we have introduced new offerings for the 1963, 1964, and 1966 Galaxies. Our catalog is constantly expanding with new products, so if you cannot find what you're looking for, please reach out.

Best regards,

Robert L. Jones Jr.

Quality and customer service

Classic Sheet Metal, Inc. proudly celebrates 45 years of delivering top-notch sheet metal body repair panels specifically designed for classic Thunderbirds and Galaxies. Our expertise lies in: 1955-1957 Ford Thunderbirds, 1958-1960 Ford Thunderbirds, 1961-1963 Ford Thunderbirds, 1964-1966 Ford Thunderbirds, and 1967-1971 Ford Thunderbirds.

After three decades dedicated solely to crafting high-quality panels for Thunderbirds, we are excited to announce the expansion of our product line to include premium floor, trunk panels, trunk extension panels, and rear quarter repair panels for the 1963, 1964, and 1966 Ford Galaxies.

Why choose to purchase from the manufacturer? Our extensive experience in installing our panels equips us to provide you with the most effective installation methods for our products. We're also open to your suggestions to enhance our panels for your restoration projects. Don’t settle for merely order-takers.

THE PERFECT EXPERIENCE

Convenience of Choice

We'd rather avoid a cumbersome phone system laden with extensions merely to speak with a real person. That's why we promptly answer your calls whenever we are available. If we do happen to miss your call, we count on an answering service to get in touch with us. We thank you for your understanding, as we, too, face a multitude of spam calls that take up our time.

Competitive Prices

We produce these products in-house, allowing us to consistently provide you with the best prices. Should you find the same item offered at a lower rate, please let us know, as we are committed to preventing others from selling our products for less than we do.

Delivery to All Regions

We utilize UPS, USPS, and FedEx for our shipping requirements and will soon provide LTL shipping for our larger panels. Our products have been reliably delivered across the USA, Canada, and various countries in Europe, Australia, and Scandinavia.

Highest Quality of Products

By producing our own components, we guarantee the finest quality panels. Should you experience any problems, please let us know, as we can implement adjustments to improve your product experience.

TESTIMONIALS

"Great fit, quality and price"

Great quality product that fit excellent in helping me restore my 57 bird. Shipping was super -fast and the price beats out all other competitors.

Shane Felux

Excellent parts

All of the replacement parts I have bought from Classic Sheet Metal, and there have been many, for my restoration of my 1965 Thunderbird have been of superior qality and the fit has been perfect. This business rates a 10 out of 10.

James Beatty / NY

Bayden Cllssold
QLD Australia

I ordered two rear dog leg rust repair panels for a 66 Galaxie Hardtop. Only took 8 days from order to delivery in Australia.

What a surprise; top service, good looking quality and well packaged for the trip across the pond. Can't wait to get the job done.

Jim Pressick Poquoson, Va.

Thank you for producing such great products. The floor pans, inner and outer rocker panels, rear quarter extensions and the rear quarter patch panels you sent me for my 1957 Thunderbird all fit perfectly. As a result of this fit, it was much easier and took a lot less time to install them than I had anticipated, also I want to thank you and your staff for giving me personal attention concerning some technical questions I had. Keep up the good work.

Cheers,

Jim Pressick

John Buckman
Palmyra, Mo

Enclosed are some pictures of my 1970 bird during and after replacing quarter panels with your product. The car always looked good, but now it looks GREAT!! The body shop was very complimentary of the quality of your panels, especially the detail (i.e. the small lip on the lower bottom edge of rear quarter). I also passed along your catalog to another guy who has a 1964 convertible. Keep up the good work of helping save T-Birds!

Sincerely,

John Buckman Palmyra, MO

I have been restoring old cars for twenty-five years and have seen all types of workmanship and quality. Most of the true craftsmen are dead and gone and have been replaced by a much less skilled type of workmanship. I have fought with panels that did not fit and that were poorly formed and I have a constant problem with inadequate chrome plating. Upholstery people cannot seem to sew a straight line. It seems to be the norm these days. Therefore, it was refreshing to receive your fine quality panel for my 60 Thunderbird. Your panel is an appropriate gage and the fit and forming is outstanding.

Thank you for taking the time and having the desire to produce a very nice quality product.

Most Sincerely,

Jimmy Wilfong
Athens, GA

Jimmy Wilfong

These are without question the highest quality replacement panels on the market today. Having ordered a complete floor pan set for my 60 T-bird I was beyond impressed with the detail, quality fit and value of these parts. These are as faithful to the originals as you can get. Thank you for your outstanding work - Your pride is evident in your products.

Best Regards!

Jerrod Johnson

Good morning Bob,

Your sheet metal is being installed in my 65 Thunderbird. The trunk parts are in and the angle that you sent worked great to span the rusted corner. The welder involved said that the panels fit better than any he had seen in a long time. So thanks for being there to supply the panels.