Hot Rods Pix of '55-'57 Ford Gassers - the "other" Tri-Fives

So today i went and bought a 55 ford, story was it was a 60s gasser, i get to bring it home in the next week or so, it had a 390 in it back in the day i guess, straight axled, its pretty damn cool, and i want to thank all of you guys for all of this inspiration, i never read this thread untill tonight and now i cant stop day dreaming about what i am going to do....

 

Cool thread!

 

Hey guys, glad this thread has had something to offer you. I got it going a while back when I was doing research for my own 55/56 build, and realized pretty quick that there wasn't much out there about these beauties. Barrett - post some pictures of your new project when you have a chance, alright? - Jones

 

This is the car now, It was my sons car back in those pictures, then he sold it, and I got it back a few months ago, looked pretty much the same with a few things added. I changed most of it up and heres how it stands as of this month.

 

Early Times that is one bad ass '55! What drive train are you running?

 

Agreed. Thanks for posting the pics! That is one bad ass Ford to be sure. Makes me remember that I need to get back to work on mine.

 

350 SBC, comp thumper cam, double roll timing chain, lifters, holley intake & carb, electronic ignition, 55 chevy wheel well headers, 350 trans, needs a converter, ford 9 inch with 410 gear.

Will take some new pictures soon, has different wheels and little odds and ends on it since those pictures were taken.

 

Don't take it personal

 

"needs a converter",No,It needs a Ford engine and Ford transmission.

 

Haha, I knew some of the Ford guys might comment on the sbc. I'm a Ford guy myself but my '51 Ford F1 project came with a 350/350. I plan on dropping in a Y-block in a year or two. The chebbys are okay I guess but a move to a Ford motor is a move up! I imagine a 390 or 427 & toploader would really put a grin on your face. Looking forward to the new pics.

 

here is my new gasser project. i just picked up this 55. it came out of north highlands Ca, story is it was built in the 60s.. econoline axles front and rear. and steering, had a 390 and a 4 speed, the trunk lid is shaved with a choke cable pull to release the trunk, battery was in the trunk. its pretty solid.

once again thanks to everyone in this thread for inspiration..















the last tag on the plate was 1965

 

Dang! That's a real-deal street freak. Somebody put some money into building that somewhere in the past. Congrats on the find! - jones

 

stupid question. difference between a street freak and a gasser.

 

J not stupid at all,seems many dont know the differance.......gassers were a class of drag car with set-ups for racing,however street freaks were a "over the top" version of what we saw at the track,mostly higher and wilder in paint etc. it was to get attention when crusin...........the first two i believe are gassers.......the others are streek freaks.....

 

Meatball, Thanks for the response, looks like my street freak is going to get transformed into a gasser, lower in the rear, cut rear fender wells, 429 with a 4speed hopefully.

 

thats too bad its got a bitchin stance and the body is very cool,hope you can copy or save the inside,looks like a super tach cup on the dash,,,,,,,Im stuck with the high and mighty look my self

 

my plan is to do the interior to look like it does. get all the garnish mouldings rechromed. body will stay as stock as possible, i really like the thrid one in your last post..

 

I driven a couple that were really nose up,didnt care for it,hard to see and didnt handle all that great even compared to my 56 chevy.....good luck

 

i will keep that in mind. Thanks!

 

Man that ought to be fun to drive when you get it done! Good idea with lowering the rear end, might consider the front a little bit too. Meatball has a good point, if the nose is too high its hard to see around. From what I remember when I was a kid, (uh oh!) lots of the gas class cars had the rear end at or near stock height, with the front end raised just a few inches. A slight nose up won't hurt. The street freaks were popular in the '70s, but I remember the street cars in the early '60s that copied the Gasser class cars didn't have a whole lot of height in the front.
Here's a suggestion; take a picture of your car from the side with the sun behind you, or at least no shadows, and I'll photoshop a couple different versions for you. If you can, use a digital camera as the pictures are clearer and easier to work with.

 

awesome. i will get tha picture this weekend! thanks alot

 

I'll keep an eye out for it. Btw, last year I photoshopped of a '55 Crown Vic into a gasser style look and its in my Photoshop album. This may give you an idea of the front and rear height I was talking about.

 

i just looked in your photoshop album , the crown vic has the perfect stance in my opinion. you are handy with photoshop. last time i tried to photoshop a car it looked like a 5 year old did it.

 

Here are some for a look at. All were good fast cars and all made some lasting impressions on the competition. The '56 Ranch Wagon was from Ford Racing and it has a triple duece 312 with a four speed. It garnered some serious attention from many. The parked black on is a blown 312 and he regularly took home the first place trophy for his class.
Normbc9

 

Thanks, its definitely a learning experience and I'm still learning.
I really want to build a '55 or '56 Crown Vic like the photoshop, with a 427 side oiler and toploader. Maybe someday..., thats why I like this thread so much, it keeps the dream alive.

 

that would be bad ass!!!!!!!! a friend of mine has a 56 crown vic sittin in his collection and slowly being built, but he is building a 59 ranchero gasser right now. 429 4 speed, its going to be bad!

 

Can't go wrong with big block Ford power. The '56 F-100 that is my avatar had a 1970 429 and toploader in it. It was a blast to drive and passed everything but a gas station. I have another one on the engine stand now and its hard not to drop it into my '51 F1 but it'd eat too much gas. Darn!

 

Man that Ranch wagon motor is some SERIOUS eye candy!

 

Hey Early Times-

Do you know if there were any issues with 55-57 Chevy headers in a Ford? I have a set for BB Chev in a 55-57 that I was hoping to use on my 460 by changing the flanges. I was hoping that the 55-57 Chevy chassis is similar enough to the 55-56 Ford...

 

All though I lean towards chevy power but like em both the 429 is a killer motor Had one also in a 56 bigwindow torq out the ass and tough motor to kill.Something most people dont know the 429 was like 11.2 to 1 compression and came from the factory rated at 365 horse in big thunderbirds.weakest part on the 429 was the push rods bent a few but I was prone to wind it to tightWould definitly do another one,the heads on the 429 are sweet biggest intake ports you will see and smooth they look as if they were ported