poci1957

+2 on Steve Peluso

Good to know, I have a 1957 GMC 347 stashed in storage and thought I recalled it had the usual Rochester 2bbl, I will have to take a look, thanks, Todd C

Interesting to see such praise Jon, just for my own curiosity what was the OEM application for that carb?

Hi Giorgio, take a look at www.pontiacparts.net for a specialist in 1950s Pontiac parts. They have a catalog and are probably accustomed to overseas sales, good luck, Todd C

The haze and suction cup marks on new cars are very common but they do usually clean up. Last year my aged Miata had some sort of water etching or environmental film on the outside of the windshield that would not clean off with normal glass cleaner. I looked around for a stronger treatment and found this kit from Meguiars that worked great (could not find it in stores though, only online): https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G8800-Perfect-Clarity-Glass/dp/B06XDFRZ81/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1539272687&sr=8-7&keywords=meguiars+window+cleaner+kit It was relatively low cost and provided enough for several treatments, I guess this is sort of their version of Rain X but it worked for me polishing up the glass, Todd C

My 1957 Pontiac has a Treadle Vac and despite my long experience like yourself it caused me trouble after doing my own rebuild. I sent it to Midwest Power Products at www.midwestbooster.com and it has been working great for several years. I was very impressed with the owner’s knowledge so if you need a different expert you might check with Rich at 877-966-0550, good luck, Todd C

Yup, 1963 and 1964 both used the design as described by Pfeil and Gary although the actual parts were changed slightly and not directly interchangeable. A very attractive design with the three pods, Todd C

That is what I thought too, not bad. Also, unlike many people you are adjusting now before you paint, good thinking, Todd C

WOW indeed, that is sharp, you are a lucky man!

I knew Raymond Lowey was credited with the design but had not heard the interesting back story, thanks for posting it, Todd C

Looks really good and great job sticking with it!

That is an exaggeration that old timers like to spout off about a popular old car with good parts availability. There were well over 1 million Chevys a year made in 1955-57 and there are nowhere near that many left, it only seems that way....

The comparison is skewed depending on what point in history you are comparing from. In 1957 you are comparing a three year old body shell (Chevy) to a brand new one in two sizes (Ford) at a time when ALL NEW and LONGER, LOWER, WIDER were shouted out as a very big deal. The larger size Fairlane 500 was marketed as a reach up into the lower medium priced field and in fact there is a vintage sales film on You Tube comparing it (and compellingly so) to a base 1957 Pontiac. So from a marketing perspective when new the 1957 Ford really moved the needle and the Chevy was just another refresh. A pretty good refresh, but still bad news in the 1957 market. But as a used car, say, 5 years later in 1962, the Chevy looked pretty good. New cars had returned to more subtle, restrained lines and fins and bold two tones were passe. So now a 1957 Fairlane 500 or Plymouth Belvedere looked like an old 1950s car and the Chevy that was a bit behind in 1957 now looked much less dated than the others. The basic 1955-57 Chevy body was comfortable and a convenient size compared to the bigger, lower cars that came later. It was also of better build quality and rust resistance. I contend THIS point is where the 1957 Chevy began to become an icon, as a solid and serviceable used car. Of course IMO a 1957 Pontiac is better but it was not destined to be such an icon, too bad for me. The engines mentioned by our own capngrog were a factor too. Magazines of the day make me think to the new car buyer in 1955-57 the Ford Y Block was considered just as good as anything. But by 1962 the small block Chevy was recognized as more serviceable, especially by the teenage owners that would covet the 1957s later in life. As Grog points out by then the new Ford small block was coming out and that pretty much admitted the Y Block had run its course, Todd C PS--I agree with others that the dash of the Chevy was odd looking and the Ford headlamps were the weak point of an otherwise very good design

Thanks to you too David, it is great to have someone of your experience helping us on the site, especially with the less common skill of dealing in early upholstery, Todd C

I have seen no evidence of this ever being produced. Could be a prototype, could be homemade, one can never say never. But when in doubt I suggest assume homemade until proven otherwise with hard facts, Todd C

This seems like the logical first step to me, she should be able to meet a group and pick out who seems safe and compatible. An AACA chapter would be a plus and tend to be older and stable, Todd C

I did not find them at CPR. I a sure you can easily get one from www.autotrans.us but first I would pull the drive gear, take a look and if it is an ordinary O ring try to replace it locally rather than deal with mail order for a $1.00 part

The parts manual says there is a seal, part # 565673. It does not show what it looks like, I would think an O ring that will come out with the speedo gear

Yup, that is a link you get from Google, here is the one I got that they probably copied from and both are wrong--they misquoted the source: www.secondchancegarage.com/public/windshield-history.cfm A Clear View: History of Automotive Safety Glass ……………There are also stories that Henry Ford and some of his closest friends were themselves injured by flying glass in accidents………… Another impetus for his decision may have been one reported on by author Ford R. Bryan in his 1993 book "Henry's Lieutenants": In 1918 Henry Ford saw distortion in the rear window of a Model T and decided he needed to produce improved glass……..By the end of 1919 they had perfected a process for pouring molten glass through rollers and onto a mobile table. The table then carried the glass under several grinders and polisher until the product was finished. At Ford's extensive River Rouge Plant there was a steel mill, glass factory, and car assembly line. At least initially Ford manufactured the glass it needed. In late 1919 Ford began using laminated glass, over the next decade directing its use in all Ford cars. In the internet posting the writer credited the Ford R Bryan book in italics which is one of the best and iron-clad reliable IMO. But then they misquoted it, see photo below. You will see from the book they transcribed the story well enough but then end saying the process was for laminated glass when the book specifically says the Ford glass plants produced PLATE glass. An error in retelling the story, it was plate glass, but still a notable manufacturing achievement in it's the time. For another relevant error note the internet retelling implies Model Ts were produced at the Rouge in 1919. We know that Model Ts were never assembled at the Rouge, the car assembly line there came about for the Model A, just like the safety glass, Todd C

That is all how I heard it. Or how I hear-ed it, as the original Mr. Clampett might say, Todd C PS--you will note in the ad above it carefully just says shatter-proof windshield and does not imply safety glass used in other places

I have heard the same Ford story but that it happened during the development of the Model A. Your 1927 Stutz reference matches what I have heard about that earlier type. A quick Google shows a source with the 1919 Model T referenced but I am pretty sure that is incorrect, hopefully a Model T expert can weigh in that they all used plate glass. Wikipedia says Model A but I can hardly cite that as a definitive source. I can post this attached newspaper ad mentioning the Triplex glass as a notable feature and an article suggesting it is a new feature, can anyone confirm usage in Model Ts?

Tacked on emblems or no that is one good looking car, inside and out, Todd C

Dave must have meant to say the Ford Model A which had safety glass but the Model T did not. I think some limited production cars like Stutz had an earlier safety glass with some kind of wire mesh reinforcement but I think the Model A was the first volume production use of the laminated safety glass we recognize today, Todd C

Dennis Carpenter you probably already know and they catalog some Ford headliners. If you do not have a Breezeway the headliner pattern may be the same as a Ford equivalent, you might ask around, Todd C

I dealt with them buying some items circa 1999 and again in 2016 for my 1957 Pontiac. Their service in 1999 was slow and unreliable and they made me an unsatisfactory headliner that I ended up stuck with. BUT the quality of the other (vinyl) material and especially door panels is much to my satisfaction. My service buying some additional vinyl in 2016 was prompt and courteous. I have had professional upholsterers say they are treated well but others tell stories like these here. All I can say is be careful and do not trust their judgment in matching fabric or colors--get samples for your own approval before ordering. And stay away from their headliners if possible, Todd C