57 4 Door Hardtop - First Trifive

[Fladiver64]

I thought I would start a project thread for this car, it was introduced in the readers ride section and now it is at it's new home. Basic background is we found this 57 hardtop and looked like a good project car. The car has been disassembled, media blasted and has been in primer for the past 7 years. We got it as a parts car and my first steps was just to clean the barn off the barn find and start to put the car back together so i can see what is missing and kind of what work needs to be done. Right now the car is in a storage unit as I am waiting for the shop that we are going to be working in to get built, with any luck that should be about end of November. First pictures are of us picking up our prize and getting IMG_0278.jpgIMG_0271.jpgIMG_0269.jpgIMG_0268.jpgit home.

[Fladiver64]

This weekend I went and started putting things back together, No this is not permanent, just so that we can see what we have and it is easier to move around in fewer pieces. One of the challenges is I did not take this car apart so looking at the pieces is just a big jigsaw puzzle. It looks like I have all of the trim pieces for the car, I am sure you will all be impressed with my red neck stainless install method, yes blue tape. All of the stainless will at a minimum need to be repolished and much of it needs to be straightened and small dents removed but I did not see any with big creases or kinks, so it looks like over time I will become a stainless repair expert. I did find that I have 3 extra complete sets of front window moulding so I guess that will provide some good practice
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I have some spare parts I can't identify, anyone know where these belong?
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[carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)]

looks like a nice project, have fun with it.

[chevynut]

T nee
I have some spare parts I can't identify, anyone know where these belong?
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Those parts belong on the a-pillar. Looks like you're figuring it out just fine. Nice-looking project.

[JT56]

Coming along just fine!

[Fladiver64]

I know it has been a long while since I started this thread, but a lot has gone one over the past 9 months or so. This was supposed to be a three generation project, my father, myself, and my boys, this February my father passed away unexpectedly. We were very close and it has taken a few months to even start getting back to some form of normal. I also inherited two cars that we build together, a 34 Ford and a 27 T, both are drivers the 34 has 60K miles and the 27 has 39K miles. My brother and I got them both running, the 34 had been sitting for a couple of years and we had to replace the fuel lines, clean all the injectors, and new fuel filter, then plugs wires and coil and its a driver again. Next on the list are bushings for the rear four bar and shocks and a new interior. The paint needs work but I think I will leave it and enjoy driving until there is some other need to take the car apart.

The 27 just needed some ignition work and me learning how to drive a blower car, next upgrades are some interior work, Pics are of my father with the two cars and my boys after we took them to Old Town for their Saturday night cruise. Doing my best to pass the hobby down to my kids and honor Dad by keeping the cars on the road.

Now for the update on the 57, I ordered a chassis from Laszlo to be delivered sometime after October. My wife and I have purchased a new home on .7 acre that I will be building a 30 x 60 steel building shop, that is the reason for the delayed ddelivery of the chassis. Plans are for the C4 chassis and LS power with a six speed auto, and some mild body modifications. n

[chevynut]

Very cool pics. Sorry to hear about your dad...I lost mine just a little over 2 years ago. He said he wanted a ride in my Nomad before he died, and I couldn't make that happen. Little did I know how time passes and life keeps ticking away.

[smooth 56]

Nice cars glad to see you trying to keep the kids involved. Sorry to here of your loss don't know what I will do when my dad passes he is my best friend it will devastate me. Looking forward to seeing the updates on the 57.

[Fladiver64]

Nice cars glad to see you trying to keep the kids involved. Sorry to here of your loss don't know what I will do when my dad passes he is my best friend it will devastate me. Looking forward to seeing the updates on the 57.

I know how you feel, he was my best friend as well. The best way I can honor his memory is to pass down the lessons that he taught me to my kids. My boys both associate the cars with Grandpa Roy, and know that we built them together, which means that he did most of the work and I slowed him down. I have to remember that when my kids are "helping".

Let me say one thing, make sure you talk with your father about his final wishes, that can be a very difficult subject. My father and I did have those talks and he had left me very clear directions for his final wishes. This made at least some of a very difficult time much easier. If I had do work through figuring things out or confusion with family at the same time, I cant imagine how much worse I would have been.

[Fladiver64]

Yellow Freight called this am and said they are delivering me C4 chassis shipped from Cnut! No lights in the shop yet but there is space to get it inside, Ill post some picks when it gets here.