I saw this on Ebay, couldn't help but do a comparison to my car. This one is a very thorough restoration, appears to be done right. The obvious reason for the comparison is the color and wheel choice, but that's where the similarities end. His is a much more traditional approach in almost everything, and probably more in line with most guys here have done. His wheels are the same as mine, btw, but mine are polished, his are the as-cast version.
What I was curious about is what the members here honestly felt about his drivetrain vs. mine. His is a 428 with C6, mine is the 4.6 dohc 4R70W. My thoughts regarding his vs mine is what the car was built for. Mine for many miles of roadtrips (54k so far), enough power, economical and reliable and readily repairable if needed on the road. So, my question to you guys is.......if you were building a car with my driveability requirements, would you consider a 428? Would it be more preferable than a 4.6 dohc? What kind of gas mileage would a car like that get? (mine low 20s). Could you do an oil check on a car like that and hop in it for a 1200 mile weekend?
Opps! forgot the link:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234289267009?hash=item368cba8141%3Ag%3AZu0AAOSwckxhQ%7EkG&LH_ItemCondition=3000%7C1000%7C2500

Driving a 428 that many miles a day shouldn't be a problem at all, you would just be making more gas station stops.

Odd that they kept the vacuum wipers,when a Trico electric bolts right in
Cheers,John

overall, a very nice car, and not to knock it, but upon further look, I also have to wonder about some things not done on that car for the money asked. The listing says "no wipers", also does not have power steering, no power brakes (drums all around), no A/C, has original sway bar, no antennae, apparently has original glass and seals (closeup of windshield shows 80s sticker and cracked seal). With that said, the bodywork and paint look incredible. A closeup does show some rust-thru on the inner rocker. I'm seeing a lot of '57s in the 35-55k asking price range. That's why I was looking..comparing value. I have mine insured for 55k now, with fingers crossed nothing ever happens to it. I don't have another build in me, and I couldn't have mine built for twice that.

  The Cobra-Jet would be more than capable of driving across the country but like hiball mentioned low teens on the highway and probably single digit mpg in the city with say a 3.50 rear gear.

If I were doing it over again (or won a lottery) I'd buy a crate 7.3 Godzilla with Tremec TR-4050 trans. With a couple tweaks your at 500+ hp and mileage should be somewhat better than the CJ.


I wonder if there would be enough vacuum to even run the wipers?

Rich, it does have disc brakes on the front and a disc/drum master cylinder. That price at a dealer I'm not surprised, actual value I would say is much lower, I would never pay that price. I don't like the trans cooler lines hanging down.

  It appears to have a stock looking Ford disc brake swap. The floors also look like rust free original....amazing. Couple pinholes on the inside rocker but really rust free from what I can see.

I know sometimes pictures can be deceiving but this doesn't look good to me.

My 59 2 door sedan is likely a bit heavier than a 57 Custom series, and has a mild 428 Cobra Jet and 4 speed Toploader with 3.50 gears and 28" tall rear tires (275/60R15s). It revs around 2600 RPM at 60 MPH, and in normal driving gets between 10-12 MPG. It weighs 3750 pounds without anybody or anything in it. I have owned almost a  dozen factory 428 cars, and have raced them for over 40 years, I would have absolutely zero concerns about driving a healthy 428 anywhere. In fact, one of my 69 428CJ Fairlane Cobras was a car that I bought in Southern California in 1992, that I flew down from Vancouver and drove the car back to BC with no big issues. That said, I doubt most guys with 60 year old cars, with big block engines, really pile up a lot of miles. My 59 has only gone a little over 3000 miles since I got it on the road in July 2020. Heck, I know several guys with cars from the 70s or newer that rarely go more than 200-300 miles a year. If I had plans for any long (200 or more miles each way),  would swap out the 3.50s for the original 2.91s.

Exactly what I was wondering......normally an old big block car wouldn't be driven that much, and 10-12 mpg.......ouch! I can understand the attachment to them for you guys that have been it all your lives though. Cars built for different purposes, and I don't disagree driving a big block, high horsepower car lots and lots of miles would be more fun, just out of my pocketbook range.
Jim, yes, that pic you found definitely shows disc brakes....I could have sworn I was looking at a front drum rim....must have been a back wheel.
I'm curious what cars 428s came out of, there most certainly not all Cobra Jets, correct? Lincolns? Trucks? How would you know a Cobra Jet from a "normal" 428 with Cobra Jet valve covers?

428's were in a lot of cars. Thunderbirds, Big Fords, Mercs from 66-68 I believe. Certainly not Cobra Jets in those cars. Of course Mustangs, Cougars, Torinos, Cyclones. Hate to think of them coming out of those cars though.

Jim, that's what a 500ftpd+ FE does to those (sometimes) poorly welded 57 interloc frames.

Quote from: hiball3985 on 2021-11-27 11:20
I know sometimes pictures can be deceiving but this doesn't look good to me.

That internet clone of your car is neat, Rich, but I prefer the smooth rearend and polished wheels on yours.

Rich I think engine/transmission choice and build style is strictly "what floats your boat"!  If you build a car for what others think or like it will never be "your car".  If you build to a specific "style" that is hot (think Pro Street) you will build again in five years.  If you build to "flip" everything gets an LS.  The hi end guys build to the trends to attract the judges but do excellent work.

Your build was with a specific goal in mind, DRIVE.  The new stuff offers several advantages over authentic.  Parts availability any where in the U.S.  Not sure there are many people that can claim the number of miles in a year as you so the car you built is doing exactly what you want it to do.  I will add that your build was well executed!

To the folks that want to "thump" around the parking lot, good for them.  To the folks the like the "patina" look, I'm real happy for them (although I think there car would look better shiny.  To the rat crowd, find another place to "practice" your artistic talents.  My interest in looking at a car is the craftsmanship and quality of execution

I like to brag my 36 Chevy with a junk yard 351C/FMX built in the 70s, put on the road in 1980, modified slightly over the years as a couple of components failed now has 147K miles on it.  Made it's first NSRA Nationals in Minneapolis  in 82 from Norfolk, VA and several trips to home (WI) from VA with the entire family on board.  Made the 50th Nats from here with no issues.   So Rich I'd say "You did well" with your build!

Rich, you have been in my car and I have driven yours! I 'm sure you'd agree the difference between yours and mine is night and day. My idea of what I want my car to be has evolved over time and I have added the power steering, the A/C and changed the rear from the 3.89 to 3.25 to make the car more usable. I have fought a clutch issue and more importantly the overheating thing and now I am in the process of converting to EFI (something I swore I would never do) in an effort to fix that.  My wish list going forward includes overdrive and a lower gear. I am not sure I would do the FE thing again especially to the extent I have done the one I have. I am not a big fan of modern Ford engines though and I would perhaps build a large displacement Windsor motor. I personally think the eBay car is unfinished in a lot of ways and certainly not worth the asking price. Your car is a very nice cruiser and obviously a source of pride, enjoyment and practicality, it is perfect for what you do with it. That is what I am looking for my car to be maybe with a little more power.

quote from DJ: "that internet clone of your car is neat, Rich".........."clone"...exactly what I thought when I saw it being what appears to be a recent completion, but thought maybe that was "fat headed" of me, so I didn't use that term, but glad somebody else saw it that way as well.

Bill....well said. This has turned into a neat discussion.

Lynn.....exactly..I think I said as much when I got back from that Florida trip....that we both wished we had TWO cars, one like yours, and one like mine. LOL, I think though, if I had one like yours 20 years ago, I wouldn't be around today to celebrate my 75th birthday. Mine should be out of the shop tomorrow, and I'll probably take it on my traditional birthday self-celebration road trip. Not a long one, 500ish miles to my favorite casino in Oklahoma. I do have to fix a leaky heater hose before I go though....again!!