1957Birdman

I don’t know much about the flathead I-6, but 1951 was the last year for it in Ford cars. In 1952 Ford introduced the overhead valve “Mileage Maker” I-6. The end was near for the flathead 8 because the performance of the I-6 was very competitive with it, to say the least. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

The interior does not look very comfortable, but it is in keeping with the exterior. Why would someone put the time and effort into creating something like that??? Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

The other changes are mostly trim related, including substituting the Thunderbird emblem on the nose for the Ford crest and checkered flags of the 1955. One of the biggest changes is in the interior if the car has the original steering wheel. It was redesigned as a part of “Lifeguard Design” to be more forgiving in an accident. The seat upholstery pattern was also redesigned. Lifeguard Design was implemented by Ford and advertised in all their car lines in 1956. They had done studies and worked with universities to figure out the main ways people were injured in highway crashes. Based on those studies they made a number of changes to their cars including better door latches, softer sun visors, changed steering wheel, and even seat belts (optional). It did not turn out to be a helpful idea for sales. People seemed to think they were saying the cars were unsafe. Some of the design changes persisted into the future, but Ford quit advertising Life Guard Design. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird (with Lifeguard Design)

I guess it depends on how a car is driven. My dad had 67 Ford with a 390 in it with power steering, power brakes, automatic transmission and air conditioning. He definitely got better than 10 mpg. I think the 289 is a great engine in a Falcon or Mustang. I just think it is a little underpowered for a heavier car. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Might be a nice car to restore, but not at that price. Too bad that it just has the base 289 V8. Would be a lot more desirable if it had the 390. One other thing, given that this is a California car it could well have a lot more than 100K miles on it. Needs new upholstery and door cards at a minimum on the inside. At least it does not seem to have any rust. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Bringing this car back to stock under the hood would be expensive and would require swapping out the 312 for the correct 256 (with the exhaust cross over pipe) and changing back to the single exhaust system the car had when it left the dealership. I would just leave it as it is and enjoy it, if I bought it for a more reasonable price than what is currently being asked. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Hi Chris, It is exciting to see things coming together for you. I do have a thought about dealing with your passenger door fitment problem, for what it is worth. Would it be possible to bend the back end of the door down by a quarter inch, and then bend the back fender up by a quarter inch so that the two match. I don't know if this is feasible, but the way the door fits now probably is better than it was from the factory. It is a shame to have to do all of that fitting all over again. You could do it with a hardwood fork tool with padding on the "jaws" to protect the paint as you make a few slight bends to get them to match. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

These cars are not designed for people that are tall and carry a lot of excess poundage around the middle. I have no trouble with mine and I am 6’2”. I have long legs and don’t carry a lot of excess weight. One thing the cars have going for them is a telescoping steering column. That allows me to shift the steering wheel back to give my legs the room they need to be comfortable. I should also point out this is a feature that the 56-57 Corvette does not have. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

This is more of a resto-mod car since the car came originally with a 256 cid engine and Mercury didn’t have the 312 cid until 1956, and definitely didn’t have 3 deuces on it. Still, it looks like a nice car for what it as, at a premium price. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

All 56 T-Birds had the continental spare tire. It looks like these cars come from Washington state and the bodies look to be in pretty good shape. For that price in the east you would get one car with major rust problems. As “handyman” specials go, you are getting a lot for the money, and the parts to make them “whole” again are certainly available. Of course, if you have the money, buying a better car is the best way to go. As for the price differential compared to the Corvette, the production figures tell the tale. Ford sold 15,631 1956 Thunderbirds and Chevrolet sold 3,467 1956 Corvettes. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

If this part is not unique to the Cadillac you might want to check with businesses that sell Buick or Olds parts to see if they have one. It would seem to me that this sort of part would be reproduced since it is more likely to rust out. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

If your glove box door has both colors on it, you could take it off and go to a paint store and have the colors matched by them. As for under the hood, maybe the Cadillac Club has a concours judging sheet that indicates what color various components in the engine compartment are painted. Looks like a nice car! Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Ed, Thanks for that explanation of the rationale for the Canadian models. I guess that explains why there were Mercury trucks north of the border and not Ford trucks. I remember seeing a number of the Canadian Market cars when we took a trip to Nova Scotia in 1959. The most interesting were some Mopar cars that had Dodge front clip on a Plymouth body. It sure looked strange. The Meteor, on the other hand, looked like a customized Ford. I don’t believe there was a Canadian version of the Thunderbird. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Ed, You are right about the condition of this car. It would be hard to find a similar Sunliner in comparable condition. It will find a new owner. I still wonder why Ford felt it necessary to field both the Meteor and Monarch lines of cars when the already had Ford and Mercury. It seems a little redundant to me. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

It may also be one of the better running 70s cars since it is from early in the decade. The mid to late 70s was just a bad time for car design with DOT mandated bumpers and extra pollution equipment added to the cars. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

This is a factory issue continental kit (Sports Spare Wheel Carrier). It also is another car that they really laid the options on thick, including dual spotlight mirrors. Even if I had the money I would look for one that doesn’t have every accessory known to man. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Was the continental kit an option on the 57 Chevy? If you don’t like it than on this car you will need to source a new bumper to replace the assembly that is in place currently. I don’t think it looks any better on the Chevys of this era than it does on the Fords. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

The answer is no. The Edsel Ranger came with a FE 361 cid engine. It was known as the E 400, indicating its torque rating. This looks like a pretty nice car, except for the bargain basement interior. It would be interesting to know how much it would take to bring it back to stock. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

To paraphrase Forest Gump, ugly is as ugly does. This isn’t just ugly, it is Pontiac Aztec ugly! Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Well, it is a drop top, but not exactly a sporty car. My father-in-law’s first car was one of these. I will let people who are more familiar with these cars comment on price, but you are getting extras including a complete engine. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

It does have a Ford-O-Matic transmission and dual exhausts which means it could have the 312 cid 245 hp Thunderbird Special Y-8 engine. This car is the Fairlane 500 Club Sedan and it is nice to see that the two-tone is painted correctly. Agree that more information and pictures are needed. It is good to see that there are still 57 Fords out there besides the “Hide-Away-Hardtop” ones. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

Looks like a nice car, but for $53K I think I could find a nice 1940 Ford convertible that would be a lot more comfortable to drive. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

It was called the "Automatic Stick Shift". I never drove one. I learned to drive in a 1965 VW Beetle with regular stick shift. It was a good car to learn on. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

SBC would make this a deal breaker for me if I were in the market for on. Too bad…. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird

In the full-size Ford in 1957, the Thunderbird Special rocker arm covers could be found on both the 292 and 312 engines. I know this because my dad had a 57 Ford Fairlane 500 Club Victoria with the 292 engine that had the same rocker arm covers. If the car had a 312 engine it would have had a medallion on the glovebox door (a small Thunderbird with Special written across it). The 312 also had a 4 barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, which the 292 didn’t have. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird