Dirty Dan Dawkins Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Of the four mentioned, which would you pick? I like the Olds…. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/06/03/which-domestic-performance-car-from-1957-would-you-choose-for-your-dream-garage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Always had a thing for 57 fords, rag top is a plus. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 This ^^ Chrysler is a close second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I've owned the Oldsmobile - well not a 57 - a 56 Olds 88. The Chrysler 300 was indeed the FIRST true American Musclecar and definitely tempting. I'm a Bowtie guy thru and thru; but out of the tri 5 Chevies - the 57 is not my favorite. (always preferred the 58 Impala over any of the tri 5's to be honest). But in this instance (and most of the time actually); if the choice is between a convertible and a solid roof car - I'm going with the rag. I'm taking the Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 5 minutes ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said: I've owned the Oldsmobile - well not a 57 - a 56 Olds 88. The Chrysler 300 was indeed the FIRST true American Musclecar and definitely tempting. I'm a Bowtie guy thru and thru; but out of the tri 5 Chevies - the 57 is not my favorite. (always preferred the 58 Impala over any of the tri 5's to be honest). But in this instance (and most of the time actually); if the choice is between a convertible and a solid roof car - I'm going with the rag. I'm taking the Ford. I thought the “Tri-5” Chevys are 55-57. The ‘58 was significantly different in appearance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 6 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: I thought the “Tri-5” Chevys are 55-57. The ‘58 was significantly different in appearance. You are correct - as you qouted; I prefer the 58 over any of the tri 5's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 1 minute ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said: You are correct - as you qouted; I prefer the 58 over any of the tri 5's. Oops! I read too quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Where's the choice for the Nash Rambler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 3 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: Oops! I read too quickly If we were perfect - they couldn't afford us. I'm just glad someone knew what tri-5 meant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 3 minutes ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said: Where's the choice for the Nash Rambler? Awesome cars, especially the Rebel. Dull styling killed them. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1957-rambler-rebel-2#:~:text=To cut to the chase,Chrysler 300C ran 7.6 seconds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 5 minutes ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said: Where's the choice for the Nash Rambler? My Dad owned a couple of them - I don't recall what year; but I recall one of their claims to fame was the front and rear glass was interchangable. Actually had purchased one that was going to be a project when unfortunately he got sick for the last time. We ended up selling it as a parts car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus McGillicuddy Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 All are great cars; I like the Ford. I had a ‘62 Sunliner in high school. Seamus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) I love the ‘62 Ford hardtops and convertibles. Edited February 20 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Toss up between the Fairlane and the Bel Air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I would want one of those original “Black Widows” with the Rochester FI and the six lug wheels and four speed manual transmission. It’s the car that won the Daytona 500 that year with the help of Smokey Yunick!! I’m kinda’ surprised that the Studebaker Daytona Starlight Coupe wasn’t at least mentioned. It set several World Land Speed Records at Bonnieville and was a gorgeous car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I like that Fairlane but I couldn’t do a black convertible with a black interior and top. I’ll go with that Chrysler 300. Actually. I’d rather have a ‘57 pickup truck. Ford, Chevy or Dodge. I’m not picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 My folks had a 67 Chrysler 300, so I would want the Chrysler! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Oh well, I still love my 1936 LaSalle straight 8 Sedan. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Gray, #36839 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) Mine was a 57 Chevy Bel Air 2 dr hardtop white over turquoise, with power pack heads, 4 bbl carb, dual exhaust, 3 speed Hurst on the floor, Goodyear poly glass wide ovals & 64 Mustang buckets for seats. Lots of FUN! Sorry I sold it. Before that I had a 49 Olds 98 4 dr sedan & a 56 Olds 88 4 dr sedan, both with the Rocket v-8. Not real fast off the line, but good on the top end & a comfortable ride. Now it's a 40 Plymouth 2 dr coupe with Chevy stuff & more inside. Still FUN. Edited February 20 by Zeb Gray, #36839 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) 5 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: I love the ‘62 Ford hardtops and convertibles. Now I have to tell a story if you will indulge me. This is a long read - so I apologize. My Mom and Dad knew each other most of their lives; went to school together - attended the same church as kids. But were not sweethearts until much later - like Dads senior year of high school. Or at least that is when my Dad got sweet on my Mom - Dad graduated high school in 1963, Mom in 1964. Dad asked Mom out and while she says she always thought he was "cute" - he drove "a hideous green ugly car" (which I later found out was a 1948 Buick) and apparently my Mom was a bit of a diva and turned him down (yes, because of his car - but before you judge her too harshly; my Grandpa owned racecars and raced them in the NASCAR Grand National series - which was a regional series at that time {Gordie Johncock the Indy 500 winner was a family friend and would drive Grandpas cars from time to time} so Mom grew up surrounded by cool fast cars - a green Buick was not going to cut it). So Dad went to the Ford dealer (his father was a Ford guy) and ordered a brand new 1964 Galaxie in black. It arrived BUT it wasn't black - it was green. Knowing Mom didn't care for the Buick and feeling uncertain about how she would feel about another green car - Dad refused it. But on the used lot was another Galaxie - a nearly new 1962 Galaxie XL; whereas the 64 had been a stripper car - this 62 was equipped with almost every option available and "as luck would have it" basically the same price as he had budgeted for the 64. Two door, 4 speed Fe Block 352 (sadly) and Dad was in love. Asked Mom out again and she said yes. But as kids are known to do - Dad drove it like a kid with his first cool car and dented it, blew up that engine and over time trashed the car. Fast forward about 16 - 17 years (making it about 1980 or so) and now Mom and Dad have a 14 year old car crazy son and Dad decides he wants to get another Galaxie like the one he had "back then". Mom and Dad had always remained in the car culture and Dad started making phone calls and putting out feelers - and like every hobby; someone always knows somebody who has something. So we looked at cars - some nice, some junk - but never quite the right one. (here's where I share the fact that my Dad lacked impulse control or any form of personal restraint). Because my Dad - even tho he wasn't finding the "right" one - he wasn't going to pass up any nice "wrong" ones either. So we bought Galaxies; a 6 cylinder 1961, a 4 door '62, a '63 1/2 427 car, a 4 door '63 352 car - heck, we stumbled across a 65 Falcon Ranchero that ended up folowing us home. And then - we found it. In a barn in Memphis Tennesee; a 1962 Galaxie XL 500 in off white, red white and blue tri tone vinyl seats, 390 automatic with factory three two bbl carb setup (yes, the very cool long oval aluminum air cleaner), factory cast iron headers - 26 thousand miles on it. Original owner had passed and his wife had parked it in the barn in 1967. She had covered the car in burlap feed sacks and weighted them in place with wicker baskets - the burlap had set on the car so long that the paint on the hood, roof and trunk had molded into the burlap sack pattern. The interior vinyl was absolutely perfect excepting the thread holding the vinyl together had disintegrated in dust - so there were just strips of material lying together. This car took us about a year to get corrected and back on the road - with all the issues you expect from a car that has not been driven for thirteen years (fuel system, brake lines, etc.) - amazingly the engine and drivetrain was the least hassle of anything other than fuel varnish in the carbs. We found a talented interior guy that was willing to sew the original interior back together and we spent many hours block sanding and buffing to bring the paint back (did end up having to respray the roof). Mom and Dad enjoyed that car for about 10 years - taking it to many car shows and winning a lot of trophies. Until one day, Dad just decided he was tired of it and knew someone that wanted it more than he did - and like that, it was gone. As for the other cars? The 1961 - my cousin bought that to fix up and I think it was parked at his place and never moved again. The 63 1/2 427 car - I played with that one as a drag car and Saturday night cruiser for a while; 4:11 rear gear set - hi rise intake thru the hood with a Thunderbolt style teardrop hoodscoop. Sadly was side swiped by a delivery truck driver - which peeled the sheet metal from the drivers side front fender all the way to the rear fender. I sold it to another 63 owner to use the drivetrain for their car. I think we forced him to take the other 63 as part of the deal. We ended up restoring the 4 door 1962 as a companion piece to Dads '62 and they sat side by side at carshows - but we didn't keep it that long. (funny anecdote about that car - I have owned motorcycles, many Corvettes, a few Z28 Camaros, that 427 Galaxie, a Porsche, a V12 Jaguar, the before mentioned 65 Ranchero (after a 302 V8 swap) etc. - a number of fast cars and bikes that I fully admit to having committed any number of moving violations. But that 4 door, 352 automatic, dog slow, old Galaxie is the car that I was busted in downtown Marshall Michigan for "Drag Racing" with - and even worse; I wasn't even racing - had to go to court and everything.) As I mentioned - the 65 Falcon Ranchero ended up with a 302 engine and transmission swap out a Maverick Grabber. Wasn't really that fast - but with no weight over the rear end was squirrelly enough to be a ton of fun and an instant smokeshow anytime you wanted it. It also got me in trouble as I really wanted to drive it after the engine install, but I lacked an exhaust system - so as Dad and I had transitioned into building Corvettes by this time (another story) there happened to be a set of 1969 Corvette factory sidepipes hanging in our polebarn/ workshop. These ended up on the Ranchero - to which my Dad firmly pointed out to me that these side pipes were worth more than the entire Ranchero and would be coming off immediately when the Ranchero was ever sold. I drove the Ranchero in primer for a while; but by then I had already acquired my first personal Corvette and my interest in the Ranchero eventually fell by the wayside (I had also realized by then that Chevrolets were so much EASIER to work on than Fords). It sat in our polebarn for a while until somebody asked about it and I sold it off (and yes, I removed the side pipes). I know - I know; a long rambling story about a bunch of cars no one cares about, but thanks Abilene Slim for your 1962 Galaxie comment. I'm lying in bed typing this next to my sleeping wife with a stupid smile on my face and happy tears running down my cheeks. Thank you for sparking memories of cars and times with my Dad that I haven't thought of for a while. Edited February 20 by Creeker, SASS #43022 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 57 Chevy !!! My dad gave me his when I was 18 . It was 8 yrs old. It was a 4 door 6 cyl automatic blue and white. It wasn’t the coolest looking but I always had a special place in my heart for the Chevy. I almost bought one about 10 yrs ago but changed my mind on the 35 k price tag. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Maverick Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 i would go for the 57 Chevy. I still have ill feelings about a deal when I was 16 and buying my first car. I saved up my money to be able to pay cash for it. My uncle worked for a Chevy dealer as a mechanic and was helping me find one. I found a beautiful 57 Chevy convertible in Canary Yellow with yellow and white tuck and roll seats. We went and looked at it and it was pristine. The owner had gone through it for his daughter and everything was in excellent shape but she didn't like it. I had the money in my pocket to buy it and I called my parents to tell them about the car. They only heard convertible and said NO. I was devastated because it was a great buy at only $750. I still have bad thoughts when I think back to this incident. I ended up buying a 56 Chevy that wasn't in great shape that my uncle and I worked on to get it where it needed to be. TM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Dan Dawkins Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 (edited) 13 hours ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said: Where's the choice for the Nash Rambler? I didn’t write the article. 57 Chevrolet are a dime a dozen Since it references the year 1957 let’s add 57 Olds 98 57 Coronet 57 Tbird 57 Buick Roadmaster 57 Porsche 356/Speedster 57 Mercedes 300 Edited February 20 by Dirty Dan Dawkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 The Olds had the awesome J-2 option for their 371 ci engine. I bought one from a junkyard in 1960 and put it in my 56 Ford 1/2 ton PU. It was really fast, used to drag race it. I always like the 57 Fords. I have one, a Ranchero with a Pantera 351 Cleveland engine. Lots of fun to drive. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 7 hours ago, Creeker, SASS #43022 said: I know - I know; a long rambling story about a bunch of cars no one cares about, but thanks Abilene Slim for your 1962 Galaxie comment. I'm lying in bed typing this next to my sleeping wife with a stupid smile on my face and happy tears running down my cheeks. I found it fascinating. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 14 hours ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said: Where's the choice for the Nash Rambler? I think you missed this, "1957? Let's pause here and review a handful of arguably-muscular options from the year in our latest edition of This or That, all of which are currently available in the Hemmings classifieds." These 4 cars were actually for sale at the time of this article. Must not have been any Ramblers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 21 hours ago, Dirty Dan Dawkins said: Of the four mentioned, which would you pick? I like the Olds…. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/06/03/which-domestic-performance-car-from-1957-would-you-choose-for-your-dream-garage 7 hours ago, Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life said: The Olds had the awesome J-2 option for their 371 ci engine. I bought one from a junkyard in 1960 and put it in my 56 Ford 1/2 ton PU. It was really fast, used to drag race it. I always like the 57 Fords. I have one, a Ranchero with a Pantera 351 Cleveland engine. Lots of fun to drive. Hated my '57 Chevy. Lots of problems mostly because of lousy quality control. Had a '57 Dodge that I liked a lot better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Man Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 My preference would have been my Dad's '56 GMC PU. Tall boy 6 cyl. w/3 on the tree. It was wore out when I got to drive it. I heard from several people that it out ran just about eveything in the county. Older brother ran it. I wanted to fix it up when Dad parked it, but he said no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 19 hours ago, Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life said: Oh well, I still love my 1936 LaSalle straight 8 Sedan. Pics, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 We had a ‘56 Pontiac Star Chief just like this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Kit Cool Gun Garth Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 As the oldest of two sons, I got the family car (1960 Chrysler Desoto - Fireflite) when I turned 18. Dated Ann with it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 When I was about 3 years old me and my 2 year old brother apparently got into my Dad’s ’57 Chevy and knocked out of gear. It rolled down the hill and hit a phone pole. I remember bits and pieces of that event. What I remember most was my dad was so mad. He picked me and my brother up by the backs of our shirts, like grabbing cats by the scruff of the neck, and handing us to my mom. I heard about this often as I was growing up. As mad as he was I am surprised that I got to grow up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 I just found this picture. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 always bbeen a fan of that57 chev , but i drove olds cutlasses back in the 60s till i got the mustang covertible in 67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 300c since the Fairlane offered is a retractable top. On 2/20/2024 at 8:49 AM, Dirty Dan Dawkins said: I didn’t write the article. 57 Chevrolet are a dime a dozen Since it references the year 1957 let’s add 57 Olds 98 57 Coronet 57 Tbird 57 Buick Roadmaster 57 Porsche 356/Speedster 57 Mercedes 300 Coronet 501 out of the expanded options. Like this one from the block https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/39371/1957-dodge-coronet-d-501 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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