57 on BAT

[Hoosier Hurricane]

I have a '58 bumper on my '57 Fairlane, and I really like it.  NHRA and IHRA both accepted it when I was running in stock eliminator, it just looked right to them I guess.   John

[59meteor]

I think the 58 rear bumpers look good, I never really cared much for the huge rear bumper that Ford used on the Fairlane models. Funny how the 57 Fairlanes had a slender front bumper, with a huge rear bumper, but all 58 Fords had a huge front bumper, with a slender rear bumper. I also like the ribs in the 58 roofs, even though I have no idea why they did that. Even on the very long roofs that 57 Ford station wagons and Sedan Deliveries had, don`t ever recall seeing any of them having an issue with a smooth roof. Also found it odd that on the Ranchero and Sedan Delivery models, Ford chose to use the round 57 tail lights, yet used the regular 58 cars dual oval tail lights on the station wagons.

[Ford Blue blood]

I always thought the 58 500 bumper is what should have been on the 57s.  Much cleaner look and the right proportion to the rest of the styling on the car. 

After deciding not to make a "Fairlane Ranchero" I looked long and hard at doing the 58 wagon tail gate/tail light on the Ranchero.  Turns out finding the correct parts in an inexpensive manner deleted that idea.  Add to that as progress occurred the idea slowly faded into the abys......

[FiveSevenLiter]

Agree on the nice car.
Agree on the needs chrome bumpers.
Great tutone.
Prefer the Custom 300.

You guys need to get the decal I made up more than 25-years ago.  After walking around a 2,000+ car show, and having a couple beers along the way we came up with an idea.  We saw clubs called the Vintiques, Antiques, Rodtiques and we decided we needed to start the Critiques and came up with this catchy motto.  All in fun.  One of the slogans that did not make it was 'Did you buy it that way or screw it up yourself?'

Terry
 

[mustang6984]

One of the reasons I refuse to participate as a judge in car shows is because of the way people tear down other people's cars.
I have always believed that even if I don't like the way a car was built or looks...it is not MY car. So...if that is what the other guy likes, and it make him happy...then it is fine.
I am not gonna be a judge and award or subtract "points" from the car.

[rmk57]

Agree on the nice car.
Agree on the needs chrome bumpers.
Great tutone.
Prefer the Custom 300.

You guys need to get the decal I made up more than 25-years ago.  After walking around a 2,000+ car show, and having a couple beers along the way we came up with an idea.  We saw clubs called the Vintiques, Antiques, Rodtiques and we decided we needed to start the Critiques and came up with this catchy motto.  All in fun.  One of the slogans that did not make it was 'Did you buy it that way or screw it up yourself?'

Terry
 

    You can get into trouble for thinking out loud at a car show. Usually when a sbc is in an older Ford and you say "you should've left the hood closed".

 


   

[mustang6984]

You can get into trouble for thinking out loud at a car show. Usually when a sbc is in an older Ford and you say "you should've left the hood closed".

THAT...is the ONE thing that will get a rise out of me. Every rule has an exception...and my rule...about "it's his and"...put a bow-tie in a Ford...I WILL turn my nose up at it. And in a show where the spectators are the ones casting the votes...it gets nada from me.
Case in point, there was a '57 Ranchero for sale on a car lot in Olympia WA about 25 years ago. I wanted to buy it, price seemed reasonable, $11k...until I opened the hood and found a 350 bow-tie between the rails.
I told the lot manager I would buy the car, and give him $8k for it...AFTER he pulled the boat anchor out of it. He wouldn't even consider the idea. I told him he'd be sitting on that car for a LONG time then. He didn't think so.
A year later...it was still there. I heard it was eventually wholesaled off to another dealer somewhere out of state.

[KULTULZ]

Just an observation, but the PATENT PLATE is not correct to the vehicle -

It is from an early fifties pickup truck.

[Jeff Norwell]

Well. it sold for $21500.... I say someone got a deal..... Thats a paint job around here.....

[59meteor]

Yeah, not a bad price if the paint and bodywork is as nice as it appears in the photos. Wonder if the new owner will leave it as is, or put his own touches on it. Around here, most guys seem to buy cars already done, some change a few things, others don`t, but it seems the people that don`t personalize them, often sell them after a year or two. I guess if you buy an already done car , from the same area that you live, it will always be "Bob/Jim/George/Pete`s old car". That`s the nice thing about building them yourself. Although as I get older, I can see the attraction of buying a car already built, rather than "rolling your own". My 59 took almost 18 years of on again, off again , as money and time allowed, to build. At 66 years old, I doubt that I have another long term project in me, and as a retired "old age pensioner", the bank balance says that I should be hapy with what I already have!