1957 ford custom 300 2 door sedan parts...

Hey Y'all!
Curt (one of our Techs) just brought home a bitchin' new project. A 1957 ford custom 300 2 door sedan!
We have already started putting an ear to the ground for body parts and chrome, But I was wondering if anyone had pics of one of these done up 60's street racer style.
any input on this would be greatly appreciated.
no, we are not gonna put a chevy motor in it.

 

These cars just BEG for a 427 (or even bigger) FE motor. If I was putting one together today, I would use a Tremec five speed, or maybe a Richmond five or six speed. Definitely needs disk brakes. Make it neat enough, but not so pristine that it looks like a blue ribbon show dog. Steelies and dog-dish caps would be my choice, but that is only one idiot's opinion.

 

That is pretty much what we are goin' for. I am still tryin to talk him into dumping some obcene big block in it, but he has a running 5.0 for now.
5-speed is a must. It will probably end up some variation of black while we get the body lined out...which is severe, but not that bad, if you know what I mean.
I just realized I have some pretty sweet buckets for it,too

 

My buddy runs this '57 Ford. It has a straight axle, whitewall slicks and a 383 sbc motor.

Dave

 

That car was supposed to be MINE. haha. I'll swing by sometime and check in on the progress...

 

Sweet! I doubt we will be putting a straight axle under it,tho. Think big rake, nose down,ass up, not-too-obnoxious meat out back and a decent sized front tire.
and dingle balls around the windshield.

 

you guys are in austin aren't you????? or is it el paso.......????????????

 

Ok, ignore the big tires, this car has been on the street since it was in the '65 Detroit Autorama. Originally a 406/ 4 speed with tri-power it now runs a 390/4 speed/ 4 bl.

CC

 

Put A Mopar In It!!!!!!

 

put a poly or a flathead in it. then you will have a real pos.

 

since its gonna be black, put some red steelies on it along with an iron cross painted on the doors. You can also run the iron cross mirrors that Mooneyes sells...that would ROCK!!

 

Shit yes! what a great idea!!!!

 

I had one of those a few years back,sharp cars. FYI, any FE block (332, 352, 360, 390, 427 ETC) will bolt right in there without mods.

Get motor mounts for a 58 ford with a 332 FE.
Then pedals etc for any 57/8/9 ford, 4 speed, and your all set!!


Sweet!

Scot

 

I always thought it would look great to tunnel the headlight on one of those...

Hey wait a second, can't you run edsel front fenders, hmmmm, quad headlights
==0==

-Nate

 

that's just cruel,thomas.
besides, the dingle balls will surely match the serape' interior.
(a serape' is a mexican blanket for all you whitey's out there)
how's about a GREAT BIG HOODSCOOP with an itty bitty two barrel under it?

 

I drive a '59 Custom 300 '60s super stocker with a 429 mill in it (oh it goes good). Heres some pics I have of it....
http://public.fotki.com/HotRod28/32_roadster/
And on at the bottom of this page.....
http://members.aol.com/cgearannex/ROTRShow2005.html
And here.....
http://www.cmctees.com/CTDRAG.html
-Dean

 

That'd end up being a 58 or 59 Fairlane.

 

Here's my buddy's 57, stroked 312, Paxton supercharger and tremec 5 spd.

here's a couple pictures of it at the Roundup

and

 

If you wanna make some real power, you gotta get that Y block outta there. Cool motors, but a streetable Y block will make no more than 400 hp no matter what you do to it, and a VS57 Paxton-McCulloch will not support much over 350 hp. I have one sitting on my shelf that i was gonna put on my Y block, then I put the 383 in it. I'm comfortable with that decision. The FE is an a easy swap. If you wannabe real nostalgic about it, use a 410 Mercury. Otherwise 390s get it done just fine, put a 4 speed behind that and rip some shit up. You should already have a 9" in that unless someone took it out. DO NOT use a Trac-loc. An Auburn pro-series or Detroit locker would be a much better choice, and you can get them for the 28 spline axles.

shoot me a pm with the stuff you're looking for. I'm looking for a few things myself

 

the car came without a motor, so no problem there.

 

i dont buy it.... why wouldnt a Y block make more than 400hp on the street?

sure, the oil system to the rockers is shit but there are kits to remedy the problem... this is the only set back i can see preventing anyone from going fast with a 312.

a more accurate statement would be, vintage motors will take a lot more money to go fast than your usual late model engines.

id say if gobs of power are to be made on a budget, put a big block ford into it. putting a dinky supercharger on it wont do a whole lot for anything.

 

There was one awesome 57 2dr in Pistons' Rumble last summer, I tried to search a picture without results. I hope you will get the idea of this one (thanks Jake).



bigger:

 

I LOVE THAT CAR, i saw it at road agents

 

I've followed a load of Y block builds, here's the specs on a 330 ci y block:

330 Cubic inch Vintage Road Race engine

Tested 7-2004 on ESI Racing Engines Superflow 901

Bore: 3.800" Stroke: 3.640" Compression: 11.0:1 Heads: 5752-113 ported Manifold: Blue Thunder

Cam: 290° advertised 244°@ .050" 110° separation .525" lift Carb: 750 Holley double pumper

376 ft lbs torque @ 4500 rpm 400.2 hp @ 6500

A 12.5:1 compression, 340 ci version made 451 hp, with still less than 400 lb/ft of torque. Really, less than stellar numbers considering the profile of the cam, compression and lightened internal parts. 11:1 is the highest compression I'd want to run on pump gas, and even that's pushing it.

The oiling problem can be overcome simply by using a modern synthetic oil.

400 hp isn't something to sniff at, but there aren't too many more tricks to pull out of your sleeve to make much more NA power.

 

Go with an fe ford 390-428 or a merc 410.mike

 

Yeah thats a really good lookin -57, all I found was this pic. I thought I'd seen it somewhere with a stock grill, but might have been dreaming that?

If I had a -57 I'd probably could'nt resist using F100 headlight rims either, instant "bugeye" remover...

 

The '60 Dodge tail lights look kick ass in a '57. Slowandlow63 even has em on his '63 Fairlane and they look great. Lee lenses, those crazy 4 bullet lenses, 60 Dodge...all look great. 58 Edsel wagon taillights are my favorite though, but don't fit too well with the street racer look.

I think that gorgeous 57 Fairlane on the cover of the new Rolls and Pleats uses reversed 54 Merc head light rings which is a nice look too. No better than the 56 F100s though, which are pretty much a bolt in.

 

I agree, when going for a Gasser/ Racer look customizing should be kept to a minimum. Losing bumpers & radius wheel wells, mods that got a practical purpose rather than looks...

 

Yeah, Kevin has had it at the Road Agents a couple of times. By the way Do you still have the Dodge wagon? That was my Dad you bought the car from.

Dave