New to 57 Fords - New Project Car-Pics added

[512Fairlane]

Hello everyone,

I picked up a new project today to build a cruiser for my wife.  I've been a diehard Ford fan for years and currently  drag race a big block powered 64 Fairlane Thunderbolt Clone.  We picked up a 57 Fairlane 500 64B today.  It is a solid Texas car with beautiful floorboards and frame.  It came with a trailer full of parts from 3 different parts cars.  I have lots of extra trim, 4 grilles, 6 bumpers, 3 doors, a hood, etc.  There was no driveline except for the 3.70 rear end so we are trying to determine whether to put in an 87 Mustang fuel injected 5.0 or a 460 that I have laying around.  What are your opinions of 460's in these cars as cruisers?  Looks like there is a lot of good information on this site so I can't wait to read through all of it.  Thanks,  Mike

[Zapato]

believe if its going to be a cruiser the 5liter would be my choice,but if its to be a bruiser then the 460 would be the choice.

welcome to the board lots of good helpful knowledgeable and opinionated people here. and a smidge of b/s to keep it real at times.

Zap-

[Zapato]

believe if its going to be a cruiser the 5liter would be my choice,but if its to be a bruiser then the 460 would be the choice.

welcome to the board lots of good helpful knowledgeable and opinionated people here. and a smidge of b/s to keep it real at times.

Zap-

just noticed this is my 460th post, it must be a message from the Ford gods build as nasty a 460 as you can.

[Jeff Norwell]

My vote is 460.... sounds like a killer project! There is no substitute for cubic inches!..post some pics!

[RICH MUISE]

Have a feeling you're gonna get about a 50/50 response on this one. A lot would depend on what you mean by cruiser...if a frequently used, or daily, driver, I'd opt for the 5.0. But, as mentioned, there is alot to be said for the brute power and feel of big blocks.
Last year there was a lengthy thread going on about a 4.6 modular swap that was replacing a 460 in his wife's daily driver wagon because he wanted something more dependable, economical, yet still have enough performance to keep them happy.
Welcome to the site.
Is the car still in Texas?
Rich

[512Fairlane]

Thanks for the responses.  The car is in Missouri now.  We found it in Illinois where it had been in storage since the mid 90's.  A woman blew up the 292 on the way from Texas to Michigan.  The gentleman that owned it had been collecting parts since then.  I have 1 garage bay full of parts that came with it.  Since its my wife's car it will probably get the 302 but we have lots of time to decide.  The body had been painted 13 years ago but needs to be re-done.  It has very little bondo and I can't believe how rust free it is.  Its definitely not a Missouri car.  

[rmk57]

The 302 is pretty much a bolt-in and 460 takes a bit more planning, such as cutting up your core support to move your after market rad forward, redo trans cross member for exhaust clearance, trans linkage, etc..............  I have one in my Custom and it's a blast, except when you have to put premium fuel into it.

[shopratwoody]

I didn't cut anything to put mine in. Crites mounts and crossmember and FBA headers did
it for me.

[rmk57]

I have about 1/2" clearance from the firewall to rocker cover and even with the short C8VE water pump it still wasn't remotely close to fitting with a a stock rad. And thats without a spacer between the fan, also that leaves about 1/4" clearance for the fan and crank pulley. I trimmed mine back to make room for a larger rad and fan clutch now it doesn't run above 185 degrees.

[512Fairlane]

Here is a link to some pictures of the project.  It's going to be a lot of work but I think I have a great starting point.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/512fairlane/sets/72157628906470559/

[RICH MUISE]

That's a real solid looking car....it's gonna save you hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars having something to start with that good. If this is your first '57, you may want to check with the guys here on particular areas to check real close to see if you have any problems starting.
How thorough of a restoration are you planning? Body off?

[Alex L.]

Man, the floors in that look great. Excellent body to start with.

[F570RD]

I didn't cut anything to put mine in. Crites mounts and crossmember and JBA headers did
it for me.

Same here...although,to remove the transmission,the engine does need to be lifted and pulled forward to get to the upper bell bolts.Its what I've been doing the last two days.All for the love of more stall speed.

[shopratwoody]

Gotta have a little stall. I run an old 10" B&M I had laying around.
As far as the rad goes I run a stock one with a new core, reg fan and a spacer and all works well.
I've had the car 43 years so I got an idea what works.

[Ford Blue blood]

Here is a link to some pictures of the project.  It's going to be a lot of work but I think I have a great starting point.

That's not a great starting point.....IT"S FANTASTIC!........  Like Rich said...count the dollars for lower front fenders, rockers, front floors, toe boards, quaters front and rear, rear floors and quite possibly the bottom of the cowl you're talking a butt load of cash never mind the cost of intsalling all those pieces.  Again....Fantastic find!