Thirty years ago, we spent the '70s fondly remembering the '50s. It was fashionable to dress up in '50s attire with a leather jacket, butch waxed hair, and a t-shirt with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve. The great American classic, American Graffiti, debuted in the winter of 1973. We thought of that passion for the '50s when we saw this Bright Red '57 Ford sedan. It reminded us of James Dean-tough, charismatic, and ready to take on everyone and anything that got in the way. Call the '57-'58 Ford sedan Dearborn's tough guy-simple, muscular, no nonsense.
Bob Rose of North Carolina was seeking a slice of that '50s magic when he snapped up this Ford sedan several years ago. Bob was a young stud when Ford was building the best-selling '57 Fords. He watched them roar onto Ford showroom floors from coast-to-coast. But that was about all he could do in those days. It would be a long time before he could own and drive one.
Believe it or not, Ford outsold Chevrolet in 1957 by a wide margin. That makes a lot of bow-tie buffs scratch their heads, considering the overwhelming popularity of the collectible '55-'57 Chevy shoeboxes today. The '57 Ford sold so well, yet it didn't endure as the hot collectible '57 Chevy did. In recent years, '50s car buffs have been rediscovering the other '57-Ford's own Custom Fairlane sedan.
Bobby Munn worked the body and applied generous coats of Ford's Bright Red urethane to Bob Rose's '57. We like it.
On the ground is a favorite memory from the '60s-14-inch Cragar SS mag wheels wrapped in more modern BFGoodrich 235/70R14 Radial T/As. Huge '78 Mercury Cougar single-piston front disc brakes stop the vintage action.
Modern action roars from under hood in the form of a 385-series, 429ci, big-block V-8 married to a C6 transmission. The 429 was bored .030-inch oversize to true up the cylinders. A Lunati Streemaster hydraulic camshaft bumps the valves, MSD fires the mixture, and all is right with the big-inch world. In back are 3.25:1 cogs inside a 9-inch housing. the first year for the removable carrier 9-inch rearend was 1957. It would ultimately prove to be the world's toughest rearend. The 3.25:1 gears allow Bob the benefits of holeshot gearing, coupled with great cruising potential for the open road.
Inside, Bob is surrounded by nice amenities that remind him of long ago with red-n'-white rolled and pleated vinyl. The Grant steering wheel, that looks like those old Cal Custom wheels we remember from the '60s, helps add to the vintage feel. Tied to the steering column is a Sun Super Tach, just like we remember. Custom Autosound loves the classics too, which is why Bob bought an AM/FM cassette deck from them. they fit right into the classic Ford dashboard where the old AM whiner used to live.
Bob likes to reflect on the memories he cherishes most, "I love the raw power, ride, and handling. There is no other car that relates to my teen years better than a '57 Ford. This car elicits more comments and discussion than any other car I have owned." Well said, Bob, well said