Ford seemed to have a hit on its hands with the Ranchero, it’s hard to believe that they were only made for just over two decades. This incredibly desirable – at least for me – 1957 Ford Ranchero can be found here on eBay in beautiful Anaheim, California. There are a few bids on it bringing the price up to just over $6,400 and there is no reserve! It’ll be hard to not jump in on this one, I really like this car and hopefully you also will after checking it out here.
A lot of us dream about finding a car like this Ranchero just sitting in someone’s driveway. The seller says that it’s an original California car from the San Jose Ford plant and it’s a “near barn find”. I haven’t heard that term before, kudos to them for coming up with a new term. They say that it was stored for years. The single-headlight ’57 Fords are my favorite so having a Ranchero in that same style would be fantastic.
The body on this car looks about as close to being perfect as I could ever imagine on a car this old. It had to have been restored at some point and hopefully there isn’t any bondo lurking on the lower portions of the fenders and doors and especially the quarter panels. If this were a Midwest car it would look like Swiss cheese by now if it was ever used in the winter. This car sure looks solid and straight to me. Check out the tailgate, the gaps look perfect. This is a Custom model as evidenced by having side trim. What a nice car.
Here’s where you can tell that it’s not all original, not that it’s a bad thing at all. The seats look comfortable, probably more comfortable than what factory seats would have been. I don’t know if a person could get a Ranchero in this era with bucket seats but I love the look. And, is that a 3 or 4-speed? The seller isn’t giving us any information at all about the transmission or the engine, what they are, if they work, nothing. I would sure love to have a floor-shifted ’57 Ranchero! That’s about as cool as it gets in my world.
The engine looks great, whatever it is. Ford offered more than one V8 including the Thunderbird Special 352. Decoding the VIN shows us that at least originally this car had the 292 cubic-inch V8 which would have had 212 hp with a 4-barrel carb. The seller has more photos available but I can never understand why they don’t just put them in the listing since it’s free. If I even tried to start figuring out why humans do what they do, or don’t do what they don’t do, I’d never get anything else done. This sure is a desirable car for me, are there any other fans of the ’57 Ranchero out there?
Doing a 57 R anchero myself, texas car, 390 4 speed. This one is a beauty. that’s a 352 or 390, which never came in a 57; Y block only in 57. This was a popular swap in these as the Y blocks didn’t last. Built one with a friend in 70, waited 50 years for this one!! Good luck to the new owner on this Black and white beauty. I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Cheers
GPC
Y blocks didn’t last? Then Y did they have to copy it and make a 427 side Oiler to last the LeMans?
Bucket list! Just saw a 4 door ’57 wagon for sale yesterday at the Big 3 swap meet in SD yesterday…..looked to be original except for the torque thrust like wheels.even the paint!
But this is my grail…..BUT that tranny worries me…gonna have to pm the owner
I could do with the original bits thats for sure
@Gaspumpchas: I’m jealous. I’d rather have an original Y block though Did they come with 4 speeds? I’d think they would be column 3 speeds……….
This is what I received from the seller:
It’s a 4 speed top loader, originally an automatic…It’s not the original motor, I think it’s a 390. An old man owned it and he passed away. He had 5 unfinished projects and this was one of them. Both look to be new but not completely installed. I don’t know about the rear end. Don’t have the original
Seat and don’t really know what the buckets are out if. I’m sending a few pictures.
It has new floor pans to San Jose car California I have the original plates I just took them out
It has the original undercoat still on it here in there
you got that wrong it was a standard tranmission hence the clutch pedal but its a automatic look at the kick down cable on the carb! no they never had 4 gears and I think this could be a 332 as ford offered these up in late 57 and 58
The 332 v8 was green, short stroke , and ran better than the 352,,,,,,
Wow thanks mountainwoodie, would love to have this one! Around here in New Yawk these cars were rusted out a year after they were new, that’s why it took me so long to find mine. No 4 speed from the factory. Hope to have it on the road this year. can’t post a pic now?? Would love for you to see it!!!
Cheers
GPC
@gaspumpchas:
I spoke to the owner..seemed like a nice guy,,Chevy man , he has a ’55 and 57 hardtop. An elderly owner who obviously was a gear head left the car to his caretaker.Seller bought it from him..Because there is an adapter plate on the tranny and the seller thinks its a later ’64-.72 Toploader..4 speed. Not a Ford guy per se.
But yes, if I wasn’t such an original freak I would definitely be interested in this. The amount of work needed to be done to reverse stuff is more than my significant other would stand for! She gets ticked when I go to swap meets hoping I wont drag something home. Came close yesterday with a mostly original 57 Pontiac Super Chief…but common sense prevailed.
A Ranchero would solve 2 problems in one….then I can sell my ’72 C-10.
I’m not sure why Josh et al took off the picture posting ability…..maybe we need a page just related to vehicles commentators own. But, after all, the BF crew has to make this site pay for itself.. so I get it
Thanks again Mountainwoodie- I too called Floyd, under the urging of my better half to do it! My offer was low and combined with the trans cost to New Yawk, I passed, will finish mine. All i’d do to this is put my black torque thrusts on it! Eng is new and has never been fired. Last owner was in the process of installing eng and 4 speed and never finished. Still needs linkage for clutch installed, was automatic.
Cheers
GPC
A friend of mine name Dave Kreitzer had
one in ’75 or so. His was blue and white
with the same color interior. At some
point before he got the truck, someone
swapped in a ’58 Mercury Super Marauder 430 V-8 making 375 HP in
stock form but I think that engine was
pumping out somewhere slightly over
400 HP by way of dual quads, headers,
a solid lifter cam and dual exhausts.
His truck definately had a top loader
4-speed in it too. I recall going out to
the bar with him just after he bought
the truck. He put his foot in it and when
he did, the truck shot off the line and made so much torque that the passenger
side door popped open! Needless to say,
he kept his foot out of it after that. Still
in all, it eas a nice old truck that ran like
an ape! As for the engine here, it
looks to be a 390. Could be wrong though. Someone out there is gonna
have fun with this truck–too bad it’s
not me!
another thing that scares me- stated that there was an adapter plate for the transmission? No comprende- most of the toploaders had 2 bolt patterns on the tranny- maybe its one of those that is a 3 speed with overdrive? That was a toploader- so was the later 3 speeds they used in mustangs. Mines got a t/l from a 67 Fairlane big block. its mint–Cheers
GPC
@ gaspumpchas: Yes I dont know….one of the reasons I tend to like them original is I don’t have to figure out what the last guy did.
According ot Wiki: The 292 would be the longest-lived of the Y-Blocks, carrying on until 1962 in U.S. cars and until 1964 in U.S. trucks.
The seller found these numbers on the intake :E9425A…
here are some info sites for this car
https://www.enginelabs.com/news/historic-engines-the-ford-y-block-v8-of-the-1950s/
http://www.y-block.info/casting/intake.html
http://www.y-block.info/castings.
@gaspumpchas: heres a link on HAMB about mating a toploader to a Y block
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-y-block-to-toploader-4-speed-adapter.571115/
Orange peel in the green ahead of the gas filler door. Looks like it was repainted at some point – the green anyway.
I had the chance to buy a ’57 in 1963 from the Ford Tractor place near my parents home. I was in High school and couldn’t swing the $900.00 price on my paper route earnings. They had used it for parts delivery and it was in really good condition.
😲73 q code fac 4 sp. gt clone rebuilt 351 ho or low mile 429 dove, new
gt interior, stripped paint, black
rustolium applied, have all oem part’s need’s a new home 10 more
project’s yrs. 60-73 2 old 2 finish
text or 📞(310)(906)(5887)😎
I love it! Someone please rescue it. These were awesome truck /cars.
Listing ended. Price … $12,000.00. Not sure if it sold for that much or the owner/seller didn’t get what they wanted. I like these things. Wish there had been more info, etc.