I found this article helpful when I was beginning my
search for a ‘57 a few years ago:
Ford’s counter-punch to the ‘Vette has lasting appeal.
www.hagerty.com
From my own experience, some things I’d want to know are:
1. What
carburetor is on the car and what condition is it in? My ‘57 came with the original era-correct
Holley “List 1273-1”
carb, which is cool in terms of originality; but I had a ton of problems with it leaking, stalling, etc. I eventually sent it to
Holley for a full rebuild. Much better now; but if I would have known the
carb’s condition when I first got the car, I would have just immediately sent it out for a rebuild rather than hunting gremlins for 18 months with the corresponding time off road while it was in for repairs and the associated costs.
2. Overheating is a apparently a common issue. Mine doesn’t have overheating problems (knocks on wood), but that may be because it has a 6 blade
aftermarket radiator fan (and an auxiliary fan in front of the
radiator that I can also use when necessary). So, check to see what fan(s) the car has.
3. Fuel pump: you’ll find a ton of info here and on other forums about leaking fuel pumps. Mine was leaking and needed to be replaced or rebuilt. I chose to have my shop replace it rather than rebuild the original because it was faster to replace it. The problem, I later learned, is that the current replacement fuel pumps can be quite shoddy. So, I’d look to see what fuel pump it has and, to the extent you can ascertain, whether it’s leaking. Best case is that it’s an original “AC” fuel pump and that it’s not leaking. If it is leaking, and if it’s an original “AC” fuel pump or any other brand of “made in USA” fuel pump, my sense is that you’ll be better off having it rebuilt than replacing it with a current model replacement. There are a bunch of indications as to whether it’s a “made in USA” pump; the easiest I’ve read about is to look at the screws on top of the pump. If the screws are slotted, then it’s most likely a made in the USA model. If they are Phillips-head, star, etc., then it’s likely one of the models made abroad with which there have been many reported failures. (The attached picture is of my old pump, which I keep meaning to send out for a rebuild so that I have it handy when/if my replacement non-USA pump fails; or just swap it out in advance.)
4. If you can, check the
power steering control valve and the
power brake booster (assuming the car has
power steering and power brakes). Both of those failed on mine within the first 2 years and had to be replaced.
5. Check to see if it has the full original jack assembly in the trunk. I wouldn’t necessarily advise actually using that jack; but having it adds value if you decide to re-sell the car later.
6. Assuming the car runs: fire it up and see if the exhaust shows signs of leaks somewhere. Obviously, also check under the car for leaks.
7. Does it have seatbelts? If not, then (I hope) you’ll need to factor in the cost of adding them.
8. Does it have the original radio? And does it work?
9. Does it have a vented gas cap? If not, you’ll want to buy one immediately. (Lots of forum threads about this too).
10. Does the heater work?
11. Does it come with the
hardtop?
12. Check to see if all of the gauges work (fuel, temp, clock, etc.). It’s pretty common for one or more to stop working, the clock in particular. My clock doesn’t work; I’ll eventually get around to pulling it and having a new quartz movement put in, but haven’t been motivated enough to do it yet since it’s not a “problem” in use. Other non-working gauges would be a bigger issue, though.
13. Even though the owner’s wife may have represented in good faith that everything on the car is “original,” that may or may not actually be the case. In other words: unless she also worked on the car over the years, she wouldn’t have a way of knowing whether that’s true. I’m not a huge stickler about originality myself, but opinions vary; and in any event, it’s good to know what is in fact original and what may not be so that you know what you’re dealing with. Some common swaps I’ve seen are a new
carburetor; new exhaust system; new
radiator and/or
radiator fan; new
electronic ignition; new fuel pump; adding an accessory electric fuel pump; adding air conditioning; new radio; and then, of course, replacement interior trim.
Good luck! She’s a beauty, so hopefully you won’t find too many problems. But also: if you *do* find too many problems, don’t hesitate to walk away. Another one will pop up in due course.
