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The '57 Is Finally "Home"


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I finally got my garage cleaned out enough to put the '57 Fairlane Skyliner in it. I knew it would be close and was worried that I forgot to account for the Continental Kit. I had shelves torn down to accommodate her. It doesn't get much closer than this, but she fit! 

 

A friend drained some very rank gas out and put fresh in. Now to sort out some engine issues. He was not sure if it's timing or what it is. Hopefully I can get it fixed and get her on the road. 

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6 minutes ago, MikeC5 said:

Nice!  I like the two tone; I don't think I ever seen the coral/white before.

Thank you. I have only seen it in pictures. It's also uncommon to see the color on top and white on the bottom but I have seen it in pictures as well. 

 

I think it's the sunset coral. 

http://www.jerrysclassiccars.com/1957_ford_paint_codes.html

 

 

 

Edited by victorialynn2 (see edit history)
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3 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

 

You definitely can.  And you'll be really glad

you spent the time to do so, because there's a 

lot of fun to be had with that good-looking car.

Thanks John. Sometimes I question the wisdom of having a high maintenance car when I know nothing about mechanics. I have been lucky to find the help I have had. 

 

I am going to have another friend look at her and see what he thinks I should do. The one who took delivery and stored her for me just doesn't have the expertise, or the time, to diagnosis the issues. 

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2 hours ago, victorialynn2 said:

 

A friend drained some very rank gas out and put fresh in. Now to sort out some engine issues. He was not sure if it's timing or what it is. Hopefully I can get it fixed and get her on the road. 

 

Draining the tank and refilling with fresh fuel is the first step. With old fuel you'll probably also need to clean the fuel pump, carburettor and all lines too. Depending how old the fuel was maybe rebuilding of the pump and carb is also required. Would also be wise to check points and plugs. Timing is not likely to be an issue if it was running well before it was parked, just the things likely to have deteriorated from sitting without running.

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16 minutes ago, Ozstatman said:

Draining the tank and refilling with fresh fuel is the first step. With old fuel you'll probably also need to clean the fuel pump, carburettor and all lines too. Depending how old the fuel was maybe rebuilding of the pump and carb is also required. Would also be wise to check points and plugs. Timing is not likely to be an issue if it was running well before it was parked, just the things likely to have deteriorated from sitting without running.

Thanks! I appreciate the advice. 

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That's a tight fit, good thing the engine hood opens from the back.

 

Don't worry to much about getting it started, lot easier to get a 1957 that's been sitting for 15 years started than it is to get a 2007 started that's been sitting for 5. She'll be demanding for the first few weeks that she's back on the road and then she'll settle down to normal maintenance after she's blown out all the cobwebs. Not really a high maintenance car, the ignition is simple, the fuel system is simple, the wiring is simple, so simple the headlight is also the fuse box. The top was a real spaghetti nightmare back in 57 and now even it's simple when compared to how the power tops work today.

 

Because things are simpler they are also harder; people retire and you're probably not going to find a mechanic at the local Ford dealer that knows where the fuses are, or how to clean and adjust the choke and carb. If the points slip while you're out on the road, you might not be able to find a match book cover to reset the gap. You'll need to carry a real tool, no one carries matches anymore. Computers have changed the way cars work so much over the past 40 years that most of todays mechanics don't know how to fix half the things that every 15 year old kid new how to fix 50 years ago.

 

There will be a learning curve and you will need to become your own expert and carry the books that used to be in every service station. It's not all that hard to become an expert, you don't have to know everything in the book, just how to find it when you need it

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Hi VL2, love that Ford! Had a 57 many years ago. They are good, simple, dependable cars. When you get the bugs worked out, you will have many pleasurable drives. Don't give up, the reward will be worth the effort. If you have trouble locating a old school mechanic, contact Keiser. I'm sure he will spot one on his next trip to town! Happy cruzn!

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2 hours ago, Mike36 said:

Hi VL2, love that Ford! Had a 57 many years ago. They are good, simple, dependable cars. When you get the bugs worked out, you will have many pleasurable drives. Don't give up, the reward will be worth the effort. If you have trouble locating a old school mechanic, contact Keiser. I'm sure he will spot one on his next trip to town! Happy cruzn!

Hahaha! That's a good one and yes, he probably could. 

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1 minute ago, victorialynn2 said:

Hahaha! That's a good one and yes, he probably could. 

What area of Oregon are you located? I may know of someone who can help.

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It looks really nice, Victoria Lynn. I had no idea!

You should get a 1957 Metropolitan in pink and white two-tone (and continental kit), and park it next to that Ford, though people would wonder about you...https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjTyeDG25DVAhUT_mMKHfzxAwAQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fecrafty%2Fnash-metropolitans%2F&psig=AFQjCNF5eQ6yZ0R9fgdOg8rdqM3aTOPuJA&ust=1500393718079682

Edited by jeff_a (see edit history)
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18 minutes ago, jeff_a said:

It looks really nice, Victoria Lynn. I had no idea!

You should get a 1957 Metropolitan in pink and white two-tone (and continental kit), and park it next to that Ford, though people would wonder about you...

Thank you!

I guess it's a good thing I don't have a larger garage. Plus I need to sell cars, not buy more! I do see how this hobby can be addictive, however!

P.S. People already wonder about me. ?

Edited by victorialynn2 (see edit history)
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On 16/07/2017 at 3:17 PM, padgett said:

I use a sharpie stripe on the wall - when the door pillar lines up its in.

I have a similar problem and have a tennis ball hanging in car port , when it touches windscreen front is 2 inches from wall.?

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Update: Many thanks to AACA member Jack M, we made progress on the '57 today. A couple push rods had come loose, which he fixed and he did some other things to tune her up and she runs much better now. We even took her for a little cruise. I am so grateful for his help and relieved that it runs so much better now. AACA members are the best!

 

There are are a few more things to sort out but today there was a lot of progress. We ordered a few parts and hope to get more bugs worked out soon. 

 

Now to wash her and get her shiny! 

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Was many years ago when I had a '57. Still remember pulling the valve covers to adjust the valves every once in a while. Think it had mechanical lifters. Normal driving probably would have remedied this, but I was a lot younger, and that ol 312 got run pretty hard.

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I probably should have adjusted them all. (I probably should have listened to the engine first as well, I just started out looking at the points that were fairly well used and started there).

However after I replaced points and condenser I was looking for a dead miss, It turned out to be two dead cyls.

Two push rods had jumped out of the rocker adj. balls and had dropped down the hole in the head.

I was able to fish them out with a magnet and to our delight not bent. They were the only two that I put back into adjustment. We have a full valve adjustment on the list.

Someone must have turned the thing up pretty tight to let those push rods float clear off of the rockers.

 

Yes, it has mechanical lifters.

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6 hours ago, JACK M said:

I probably should have adjusted them all. (I probably should have listened to the engine first as well, I just started out looking at the points that were fairly well used and started there).

However after I replaced points and condenser I was looking for a dead miss, It turned out to be two dead cyls.

Two push rods had jumped out of the rocker adj. balls and had dropped down the hole in the head.

I was able to fish them out with a magnet and to our delight not bent. They were the only two that I put back into adjustment. We have a full valve adjustment on the list.

Someone must have turned the thing up pretty tight to let those push rods float clear off of the rockers.

 

Yes, it has mechanical lifters.

 

Two rods down the hole and nothing bent,  somebody's living right.

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Hi Victorialynn,

You have a great looking car there and I'm sure it will give you  many miles of smiles and good service. Nobody else has mentioned this, but the Ford Y-Blocks are know for sticking valves if the car isn't driven regularly. When you get things sorted out I would suggest that you plan to drive it regularly. I try to drive my T-Bird every week if possible and it definitely runs better as a result.

I am curious about what the color codes are on the dataplate for your car. Let me say first that I really like the color combination and what I am about to say is not meant as a criticism. Sunset Coral was a late 1956 color and was not a color offered in the color offerings for the 1957 Fords. Reading the Ditzler chart you linked to confirms this. If the dataplate has an "S" as one of the colors then it is possible it was painted Sunset Coral as a special color. Anyway, in the end none of this matters if you don't intend to compete in car shows. Just drive and enjoy a car that is a welcome change from the typical silver sedan we see on the roads today.

Best regards,

Lew Bachman

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Hi Lew, thanks for the heads up. I transported her up here so I could keep up with her care and feeding. 

 

It's actually coral sand and colonial white according to how my father decoded it. I'm not convinced that is the color of the car, however. That's fine with me as I'm not a big fan of the pics I see of coral sand. It's not a bad color, but I like the one on it better. It would be nice if it matched the plate, but I certainly won't lose any sleep over it. I am confused though because this appears to indicate sunset coral is one of the available Fairlane colors and it looks closer to that from what I can tell. http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?manuf=Ford&model=Fairlane&year=1957

The tag also indicates a brown upholstery, but it looks more like a navy. So some changes have been made.

 

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Edited by victorialynn2 (see edit history)
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4 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

Vl2 in KY we can display reproductions of plates. I got this for about $40 from Europe - it was on eBay. 

IMG_0033.JPG

 

 

We can't. All my hobby buddies say so. I think I will be able to track one down though. Thank you very much for the suggestion.

 

I recently realized women have some hurdles to deal with in this hobby that most men don't worry about. That is tracking down a "matching colors" outfit to wear when driving the car. Will the pink match, do I get black or navy shoes. Polka dot scarf or not? You guys are so lucky! Haha

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3 hours ago, victorialynn2 said:

 

We can't. All my hobby buddies say so. I think I will be able to track one down though. Thank you very much for the suggestion.

 

I recently realized women have some hurdles to deal with in this hobby that most men don't worry about. That is tracking down a "matching colors" outfit to wear when driving the car. Will the pink match, do I get black or navy shoes. Polka dot scarf or not? You guys are so lucky! Haha

 

Don't know much about ladies everyday driving apparel, but if you do a 50's car show with the 57, a tight white sweater, poodle skirt, matching scarf, bobby socks, kitten heal pumps and period sunglass frames will go a long ways towards getting your car a big shinny trophy.

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