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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: robhaerr on 2014-01-21 19:12

Title: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: robhaerr on 2014-01-21 19:12
On the 210 Freeway westbound around Claremont, CA today (Tues Jan 21)...anyone here?

Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: Frankenstein57 on 2014-01-21 19:25
Probably thinks you were the NSA, taking pics
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: Ecode70D on 2014-01-21 21:03
It's beautiful.   That's the way they used to look in the old days.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: hiball3985 on 2014-01-21 23:43
I haven't seen that one in my travels. I wish there was some way to find out exactly how many are still out there..
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-22 17:13
Has the California rake like my sedan has. Don't particularly like the rake as it changes the front wheel caster among other things. Will reverse my shackles later this year.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: RICH MUISE on 2014-01-22 17:25
 Isn't reversing the shackles going to give you the rake you don't want, or are they already reversed, and your going to reverse-the-reverse (Change them back)?
I'm not sure a lowered front end gives the same handling problems raising the rear does. I guess I'll be finding out. Way back in the 60's when I had a '58 Fairlane, I reversed the shackles...huge mistake...road racing doesn't like the higher rear ends too much. Took about a week to figure that out and put them back where they were. My friends dad, said "I told you so". LOL.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: 65kcode on 2014-01-22 18:07
Isn't it amazing how smart our friends' dad's were? lol

Kevin
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: Ecode70D on 2014-01-22 19:21
  Reversing the shackles has a tendency to make the back part of the leaf spring sag downward instead of the usual upward shape.  If it's reversed for a long time, the only way to fix the leaf springs is to rebuild them.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-22 19:54
Yes Rich, I am going to reverse the reverse. I had the car shipped to me from Michigan and didn't notice the rear end hike in the pictures before I bought it. That didn't really matter because I will just do the reverse when I get to it. Too many other things to do right now. This car should make me a nice sedan cruiser.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-22 20:09
Here is a picture of my raked up sedan a few days after it was shipped to me back in 2012. Haven't posted any pictures yet, so hope it works.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: RICH MUISE on 2014-01-22 20:49
That's a great looking car...glad you "finally" got around to posting a pic. Is the rest in as good a shape as the outside?
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-22 21:11
Thanks Rich. Looks are deceiving. Just about every part of that car needed some attention from replacing most of the floor panels, 2 window glasses, vent glass, fuzzies, channels, windshield, headliner, seat upholstery, painted dash and all inside metal trim, inner and outer rocker panels, half of each quarter panel plus inner wheelhouses, under side of hood rusted through where hood meets upper grille panel, trunk floor outer sections, fabricated spare tire well, plated inner and outer trunk edge at the emblem section, rebuilt the trunk lid hinge attaching points on both sides of the lid, did the complete under side of hood and painted the engine compartment. Many other things as well. Just tried to post 2 more pictures and it said the size was too big. Will send some singles until I find out how to get more than one on.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: RICH MUISE on 2014-01-22 22:06
Ouch!!  I'm amazed at how many cars the members are posting about that look great, but...

Do you need help/info on resizing your pics? There's a 4 biggibite total size limitation per post, so to post 4 pics, they need to be 1 or less.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-22 22:13
Thanks Rich. Will look into that in the near future.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: hiball3985 on 2014-01-23 08:17
I remember in my high school days in the early 60's reversing shackles was the quickest, cheapest mod you could do and everyone did it  :003: and then people started painting the bottom of the gas tanks white.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: geraldchainsaw on 2014-01-23 08:44
like the rake,  but its to much,  mine back in 1959 had a rake,  but only about 2 or 3 inches,  everyone, well back when i just got out of the svc,  and the late 50's and early 60's when customs were the thing and we did our own work,,  O wwelll,  what can i say,  those were the good old days,  no matter how hard i try,  i can't go back,  but i'll try till the day i die.      jerry
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: clusterbuster on 2014-01-23 09:00
Beautiful ride Jerry. The dark green is same as my sedan. I love the color.
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: gasman826 on 2014-01-23 09:48
Just after I turned 16, I was occasionally entrusted with my mom's '64 Galaxie.  As I was leaving home, I would slip a wrecking bar in the trunk.  Down the road a ways, I'd use the bar to flip the shackles.  On the way home, pop them back.  No one the wiser!!
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: hiball3985 on 2014-01-23 10:53
Before I bought my first car I shared my mom's. I reversed the shackles and she never noticed but eventually my dad did  :003:
Title: Re: Saw this 57 Custom on the freeway today in SoCal...
Post by: Ecode70D on 2014-01-23 12:21
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2014-01-23 10:53
Before I bought my first car I shared my mom's. I reversed the shackles and she never noticed but eventually my dad did  :003:

    Yeah???    And what did your dad do to you????