I am looking for a good solid 57 ford custom 2dr. would take a 300 but prefer the little custom. nothing real high dollar just looking for a good driver or a solid car to make a driver. prefer 272 standard shift but will consider all. have some good cars to trade or will buy outright. thanks
A good solid Custom (or300) is getting really hard to find. Of the 22 models Ford made in 1957, the top 3 in demand in recent years are the 2 dr Customs, 2dr wagons,and the soft top....followed closely by the Ranchero and then the Fairlanes. Most of the '57 forum guys consider the "Holy Grail" to be the Business coupe (70D) with a f code supercharger...."Thunder Road" type legendary.
That is and has been my ''holy grail'' for ages, had my 1st one back in '70 and my current one is waiting in the wings for now.
Here is one posted on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=294508647397005&set=pcb.568676026577810&type=1&theater
Jeff, that's a Fairlane cl***, first give away is the hardtop and second is the sharper fins. Definitely not a Custom.
This also is a Fairlane, beautiful example however not a Custom or Custom 300. 1957 is the first year for Ford to have 2 different (but similar) cars and 22 variants of those. The Retractable hardtop introduced that year required a longer car in order to have room to stow the top. So you end up with 2 different wheelbases the longer are Fairlanes and the shorter are customs, wagons,rancheros, sedan deliveries. There are no ''factory'' custom convertibles though a few have been built by enthusiasts. One of the most obvious differences is the shape of the fin. The Fairlane fin is finer and sharper and the Custom fin is softer and rounder on top. Personally the Custom has always looked better to me, the proportions look right which am ***uming (no proof) was the original design, and it was stretched for the retractable. That being said its hard not to appreciate how gorgeous a 57 convertible looks with the top down.
You know we agree on what you said above, one thing I'd like to add to the fin description...to me the most noticeable fin difference is the leading front edge. On the Custom, the fin is straight all the way starting just behind the door, on the Fairlanes, the fin curves downwards significantly as it approaches the door. I'm surprised how many times guys have told me they weren't aware of that...seems to be, for me at least, a major difference. Customs' model numbers include 70A, 70B, 70D...there is no 70C. It was rumered at least, the missing 70C was to be the convertible, which as you mentioned, never happened on the Cusom platform. Equally surprising to me is '57 never had a Fairlane station wagon. I tried to upload pics, but keep getting "error uploading file" message.
I'll try again...The top pic is my Custom, the bottom pic is a Fairlane taken at "Summer's Last Blast" cruise/show in Vernon Texas a few years back...
Great shots showing the difference. Am also amazed how often I see 57-8s customs advertised as Fairlanes. Seems to many (even Ford guys) they're all the same. When I went searching for my 57 was led by friends to several years, Fairlanes etc..... when my goal was that ''holy grail'' business coupe. Lots of dog trails to follow sheer stuborness finally led me to my ''grail''. Gave you a ''like'' Tex, you deserve a few more. Had to come back to add the following. To me its sort of a ying-yang kind of thing. The customs have that All-American blue collar swagger that knows no defeat and gets the job done. And the Fairlanes are the prom queens, pretty and flirty, with just a bit too much make-up.
True,but someone may have an interest in buying it he posted it was going to be parted out that would be a shame it should be brought back to life.
No argument on trying to save it, 57s can be real rust buckets and often look better in pictures than in person. sad to say but parts cars are a very necessary and vital part of our hobby. few months back I bought some parts off a 2 dr wagon that was in great shape. good gl*** , floors and slight surface rust. Wished that I'd found it first but it was already half gone and a couple days away from the crusher. My responses to this thread were based on the OP request for a custom series coupe, he's not settling for that over a Fairlane, the custom is the object of his desires. And hopefully to educate a few people on the difference. I've seen more than one salvageable car parted or s****ped because the current owner was either clueless or too lazy to file for a lost ***le. Have to wonder why that Fairlane is headed down that road.
thanks for the info guys, I am a ford fan for about 30 yrs now. I already have a 57 2dr htp. I just want a plain jane custom. sold a rust bucket 58 300 to a friend this winter. patiently looking for a good solid car . have some good cars to possibly trade as well.
What part of the country are you in? I just got a line on a guy who has two 2dr customs for sale in Childress, Tx. Childress is about 125 miles south of me, but I'll be going thru there next weekend for a cruise/show/swap meet in Vernon. If your interested, tell me how I can get his phone number to you, and if it sounds like he's got something your interested in, I can see if I can meet up with him and have a look for you. The guy who gave me his number thinks they are "solid project cars". but he is from Michigan, LOL.... What's often considered solid up there is looked upon a little differently in the south.
I know what you mean about solid meaning different things in diff. places. I am in central Kentucky but am willing to travel for the right car. If it is no trouble for you that would be great, but only if its extremely conveneint for you. I am patient and will wait a while to get the right car. thanks, you can PM me thru here if you find something.
I'll pm you his phone number. If you can contact him and whatever he's got sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know here, and I'll send you my phone number so we can talk about specifics you're looking for. It wouldn't be any trouble at all..I never mind looking at Ford stuff, and I'll be going right thru his town anyway. Rich
I have struck a deal on a 57 custom and am looking forward to getting it home as it is out west. thanks for all the help.
Great news.. mine was out of Denver, OG from San Jose Ca. The cars in the east... not worth looking at due to the rot issues.
Great..was it one from the guy in Childress? Looking forward to pics! you next step, btw, join www.57fordsforever.com.! (click on forums, there's nothing much on the home page) I did run across another one for sale...didn't see it, just talked to the guy. It's a 2dr Custom 300. He thinks the body is sound, but needs the floorboards replaced. It's located about 25 miles south of Taos, NM. I don't know what he was asking for it...forgot to ask.
the guy in Childress never called me back, nice guy but I think he was pretty busy into a project. I got one from a fellow hamber in NEW MEXICO. Dad got one out of far west Texas. I am already on 57 Ford site . thanks
All things being equal, I like the '57 better than the '59. But mine came along and I'm happy with it. It'll be real nice eventually.
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