Oldest 57 on Website

[hogwagon]

We recently bought a Ranch Wagon C7PR174645  Model 58A  Build date 12G. If I understand this right this puts this into July and closer to the end of the production year.

[JimNolan]

Hogwagon,
   The 12th of July should make it a new car ( as far as 57s go ). They had to shut down I'd think to retool in August. The Tbirds I heard went on into December of 57. Jim

[Lou]

Smurfree, Production eneded with 185305 so your car was one of the last built a Memphis, however I do not have any build dates after 175053. I would like the data plate info from your car for my collection. If you rather not share it then please send me your build date ..Lou


7MG180119
7 model year = 1957
M assy plant = Menphis, TN
G base body = Custom & Custom 300
180119 = the 80119 1957 Ford car built at Memphis.

[57AGIN]

Well, if I am decoding my 57's Data Plate accurately Serial # A7LG200668, Date 27W I believe my 57 may be one of the youngest 57's still around.  Using John Gambel's Data Plate information, my 57 was produced on September 27, 1957 and was #147 from the end of the production run done at the Long Beach, CA assembly plant.  Therefore, it was probably completed on the last day of production of the 1957 Fords at Long Beach.

She started out life as a Colonial White, 6 cyl, 3-speed stick with 3.70:1 rear end gears.  The only thing remaining of the original drive train is the 3.70 gears, they were not replaced when I rebuilt the car in 2003-04 (the Ford mechanic rebuilding the rear end said that the established pattern on the gears was OK and they were well seasoned). 

Bob
57 AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob,
   That is remarkable. I had no idea they would make the 57 that far into the year. That means the you car was assembled while the 58s were being built. Other than the T-Bird I wouldn't have thunk it. Jim

[jegsr]

The V8 emblem on thousands of different 1957 Ford Model glove box door had nothing to do with E or F code cars.  Most of these Code type cars did NOT have the emblem. The Emblem could be found on all 23 Models rather it be a 6 cyl or any V8 engine. There is NO for sure reason why, where, when.  Thanks John at www.1957ford.com

[JimNolan]

Guys,
   There's a 57 Fairlane on Ebay now with the Vin number D7NT100651. That means it's the 651st car produced at the Norfolk plant. And guess what, it's got the Special emblem on the gloove box too. Jim

[deereford]

Hi, It was quite cold in Minn today but I went out to look at the data plate on my 57. This is an early car with the early data plate. This car was ordered for the dealers wife, but a good customer saw it and bought it. I am the second owner of this car. The serial is D7PV100321, Body63A Color YE2, Trim AT, Production Code 13J40628 or B, kinda hard to read. That makes the date 13 Sept 1956. The car has early features such as the PS cyl, different ash tray, and trim around the radio, also canister oil filter. Other options not on the data plate include padded dash&visors, PS, T&C radio, and backup lights. The car also has the special emblem on the glove box door. Brad

[JimNolan]

Brad,
   You have got the exact car I have only mine was built on the 27th of Sept. 1956. My color YE2, trim AT and the car had the same 56 power steering ram, ashtray that went straight back in the dash and options yours had along with the little Special bird on the glove box. My data plate was D7RV103794.
   You've got to have a car that was built the first day of production. Jim

[JimNolan]

John,
   Let me get this right. Ford Motor Company had some company make these Thunderbird Emblems with the word Special written on it for the 1957 model year only. Then, they sent them out each of the assembly plants with the instructions to randomly drill extra holes in some of the glove boxes, insert the emblems and slap them on any vehicle they chose thoughout the year with no reguard to rime or reason.
   Between you and Lou we learn a lot from you're experiance and knowledge. But, do you realize how unreasonable the above paragraph sounds. In effect that was what your previous post suggested. If you say those emblems came on 23 different models including any engine displacement I've got to believe you. But, I'm telling you, it's difficult. Jim
   
   

[JimNolan]

Guys,
   Here's an emblem off a 57 Ford with a 292 engine and an emblem off of my car with the 312. I didn't know they even made two different emblems. I can understand how these emblems graced the cars with the above engines installed. But that don't explain how they would end up on a 6 cylinder car. Jim

[geraldchainsaw]

ok,  if any ones been keeping up,  whos got the oldest??

[JimNolan]

Jerry,
  So far it looks like Brad has a car that was possiblly built on the first day of production.

[JimNolan]

Guys,
   In my quest to find the history behind the Thunderbird Emblem gracing the glove boxes of some of the early cars produced in 1957, I found an artical in a Va. newspaper about a man that worked for Ford Motor Company in the Norfolf Assembly plant. His name is James Holt and he lives in Zuni, Va. I called and talked to him last week. He started working at the Norfolk assembly plant in 1952 at the age of 17. He retired from the Norfolk assembly plant in 2001 after 49 yrs of service. He told me that he's restored a lot of older Ford classics and he is considered knowledgeable about their history. He seemed more alert than I do.
   When I questioned him about the Thunderbird Emblem and why it was put on the early cars and not all the cars through the entire year he just laughed and said " thats an easy one, we just ran out of them and if there wasn't anything to replace it with it didn't go on the cars." He said if one assembly plant ran out of emblems that didn't mean another assembly plant ran out at the same time. But, when they ran out, they just didn't use them anymore.
   James told me that in general there was a misconception by the average person of how cars are assembled. He told me that whatever it took to keep the line running they did it. If that meant replacing some parts with items not meant for that vehicle it was used anyway to keep the line running. In other words, they weren't meticulous when they assembled them, they just assembled them to keep the line running.
   Wildhog brought up a good point when he said the glove boxes were stamped and thus a specific time must have been established to discontinue the emblems use. But, after talking to James I'd think that if they had a stamped glove box and a 6 cylinder car came down the line that needed a glove box that color, they just slapped it on.
   James is going to research the 1957 Thunderbird emblem further for me. He claims to have documented information on just the kind of things I was questioning him about. I'll give him another few weeks and call him back. My conclusion to the question is that they started out with the same intentions of indicating different V8 engines the same way they did in 1956 and 1958, they just ran out of emblems. I now believe that John Gambill is closer to the answer than me and a lot of other guys were about the Emblem. I think putting the emblem on cars started out with rime and reason and the realitity of how cars are actually assembled negated that rime and reason after a couple months.  Jim
   

[Bubba]

Bros:
For what its worth My 63A was built in Norfolk, VA with the number 148101.
Couldn't help but notice there aren't many cars listed in this thread having been butil in the Ole Dominion.  From what I've been able to unearth the car was always registered in VA.
BuBBA