Hello all, James77 here, just joined. Looks like a pretty cool place. I'm interested in 57 Fords, I'd like to have me an old car some day. Gotta get the family car paid off first though. So, all I can do right now is research...LOL! What I wanna know is what are the going prices for 57 Fords, like the 2dr hardtops and 2dr sedans? Are they out of reach for the common joe? I know it'd be cheaper in the long run to buy a more complete car. Love cars from the 50's.......love that time period anyway. I hope their not like Tri Five Chevys!! Thanks in return for your answers, may the Lord bless you!!
What's a tri-five chevy?
Welcome! hahaha
James.
Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of helpful and informative people here. Depending on your abilities, try to find the most complete car that you can find for the money that you can afford to spend.
"I hope their not like Tri Five Chevys!! Thanks in return for your answers, may the Lord bless you!!"
I honestly don't know what a Tri Five Chevy is though. Hope it's not contagious.
May the good Lord bless you also. Jay
What I was meaning by not being like tri five chevys is the prices. I like all old cars, just some seem to be out of reach though for an average guy Hope that's not the case with 57 Fords!
I'm sure you can find a 57 Ford to buy more affordable then the Chebbie. Parts may not be quite as plentiful. As a general rule of thumb with any classic, you buy one for $5000 and invest $10,000 more and when you are done you have a $5000 car :005:
Welcome to the board, I am fairly new here also. There is a lot
of great people on here that are very knowledgeable about the 57 Fords.
Take a look in the forsale section, and you can some idea what these are going for.
I searched for quite awhile before I got mine. And from what I have seen I don't
think you can buy one for under $6,000 that you can hop in and drive.
Its looking like anything under $4,000 needs floors, fenders ,drivetrain,and
interior.
best of luck to ya.
Welcome, a guy posted a fairlane 500 today, if it is what he says it is, it would be hard to build it for that . Many of us find a good deal for 2--5K, but by the time you get it where you want it, you have 10-15K in it. Mark
Welcome to the board. In the process of a resto that started 25 years ago when I was sixteen. I think it's close to 15k and climbing so far and we haven't turned the key. We look at 57's for sale and ask ourselves what the hell are we doing.
OK...I haven't been doing much posting lately, got a ton of stuff going on, unfortunatly none of it '57 related. Super tired, falling asleep at the keyboard, but....
There's probably not to many car guys / owner-builders / etc. that got into it for a profit. It seems like it's always gonna cost more building a car piece by piece over the years than going out and buying a completed car as most sellers are willing to take a loss. It's easier to budget in a car piece by piece however, than coming up with the big bucks all at once.
That said, this is for most of us a hobby, a labor of love, and the pride you can't buy. Being able to say "I did it" is worth every penny. I stopped keeping track of my expenditures along time ago.....don't want to be looking back thinking "I spent WHAT on sandpaper, etc.
Also I've seen big jumps in at least the asking prices of alot of '57 Fords. Not that they're getting it, maybe some are, but at least prices are on the rise. Not sure I could say that about the tri five chchchechev's.
Welcome to the forumn James 77!
LOL...I haven't posted for three days and my karma went up a point! Somebody trying to tell me something?
After reading these posts he may not return :003:
I don't keep receipts for two reasons.
I don't want to know.
I don't want the wife to know :003:
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2013-08-22 19:26
After reading these posts he may not return :003:
I don't keep receipts for two reasons.
I don't want to know.
I don't want the wife to know :003:
I'm still here!!!! LOL! :003:
I should have added...It's still a way better cost to equity than buying a new car...hands down, and you end up with something unique.I think of it as building a new car piece by piece, as far as costs go. What's that 30K '13 gonna be worth in '23? If you keep improving or at least maintaining your '57's, It's sure gonna hold it's value a lot better than a new car.
Quote from: James77 on 2013-08-22 19:30
I'm still here!!!! LOL! :003:
Good, I really wish you luck in finding a 57..
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2013-08-22 20:45
I should have added...It's still a way better cost to equity than buying a new car...hands down, and you end up with something unique.I think of it as building a new car piece by piece, as far as costs go. What's that 30K '13 gonna be worth in '23? If you keep improving or at least maintaining your '57's, It's sure gonna hold it's value a lot better than a new car.
I couldn't agree more Rich. I have never bought a new car or made a car payment, and I'm sure all my old clunkers are worth more today then what I have invested.
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2013-08-22 20:45
.I think of it as building a new car piece by piece,
building it the Johnny Cash way, shouldn't cost you a dime
Zap- :unitedstates:
Quote from: Zapato on 2013-08-22 23:53
building it the Johnny Cash way, shouldn't cost you a dime
Zap- :unitedstates:
And you will know it's me when I come through your town :003:
Hey James, welcome. They are out there, If you are not picky. I found my 4dr for 1500. Invested about 500 to get it back running (new floors, wheel bearings, brake parts, etc) but I also have a long way to go, I can just drive it now as I work on it. They are out there. I almost gave up on Ford and committed to a 56 buick that needed more work. Then the day before I was going to commit, I found my Ford. They are out there. Just be patient. I LIVE for craigslist. And don't know where you live but I use statewidelist.com. It searches CL by state and I am not afraid of some travel (car trailer rental here is about 100 for the day) so I also look at the states surrounding me. There was just a 2dr post that was farm fresh, but the body was straight, needed floors and engine work for 1400. didnt last a week.
So I guess what I am saying, save your pennies, when you get close, start looking and don't lose hope. They are there.
Sprink brings up some points to consider. Where you live makes a huge difference on what you'll be able to find and for how much. The condition of what you'll find being the major factor.
Avoid buying one online without a look-see if at all posible. There are specific areas on '57 fords that are rust prone and not so easy to detect for some buyers. We've had threads going occastionally on what to look for. Don't make the mistake a short-time member made about a year back. He lived in Texas (one of the better places to look), got impatient trying to find what he wanted, and bought one online sight unseen from New York (?). He was not a happy camper when he received the car after paying 1200(?) to have it shipped. The car may have been better than average for a New York project car, but real iffy for a southwest project car. How much rust, and where the rust is is probably the major factor in resto costs and time. I ended up spending 3-4 years repairing rust on mine (wasn't a Texas car).
One major thing that would make a difference on what you look for is what your plans are for the car. driver/race/show/stock/custom/. I would think your plans on a build would be a major factor on what you need to look for.
We have many members in many parts of the country, that posibly could help you out if you find something your serious about. A few years back two of our members, Bob and Rick, in Orange County went up to L.A. to look at a car for a new NY member.
So, where do you live and what model are you looking for?
Okay, a foriegners opinion based on 57 Fords & Tri-Chevy's I've seen over here. If you're after a Chevy there are more to chose from, BUT a "restored" Chevy often contains more bondo and fibreglass than any 57 Ford will. Chevy buyers are like magpies, they get attracted by all the new shiney stuff bolted onto the car and fail to see that the side trim is held on with sealant and the floor pans are cardboard laminated with fibreglass matting. You might well find those kind of "repairs" on a 57 Ford but it will be advertised for half the price of the Chevy......
I also find Ford owners a lot more approachable than Chevy owners, having previously had a 60 Impala I've seen it first hand.
You're in the right place here, ask lots of questions before jumping in and buying a car, it will save you a whole load of grief and money in the long run!
My best advise....save as much as you can and buy the best you can afford.....
Quote from: Jeff Norwell on 2013-08-28 09:30
My best advise....save as much as you can and buy the best you can afford.....
and learn to do as much as you can. I learned a long time ago you can put a butt load of material on the floor for the cost of one hours labor! Also get all the technical manuals you can find.....
Also, if you are buying a "project" take a good look at your tool cupboard. A MIG welder, grinder, good aviation cutters, drill etc are the minimum, along with the usual decent socket set, spanners etc. Also see if you can find somewhere that sells patience and buy more than you think you'll need!!!!!
^^^all^^^ very good advice^^^^