This 1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner features one of the most complex and greatest feats of engineering that was truly pioneering in 1957…A fully retractable hard top. If you’ve never seen one, they are mesmerizing to watch go up and down. The full hard top folds down along a seam above the driver’s head, and the trunk lid opens backward and swallows the entire top into the trunk area. After the top is secured in the trunk, the trunk lid closes while the front portion unfolds and covers the gap behind the seats like a parade boot on a soft top. Located in Manchester Center, Vermont, this car can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $9,900. Let’s take a closer look at this one and thanks to Gunter K. for the tip on this cool classic.
Here is a really nice example of what this car could look like. As you can see the retractable hard top is truly a feat of engineering. This design was only made for three years from 1957 to 1959 and used a pretty complex series of components to retract and replace the hard top. According to Wikipedia, “…the Skyliner top used seven reversible electric motors (six for 1959 models), four lift jacks, a series of relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof and two locking mechanisms for the trunk lid, and 610 ft…of wiring. The top largely consumed available trunk space, limiting the car’s sales, though the mechanism operated reliably.”
The seller says the car runs, drives, and stops, but it has been sitting. As you might expect, the top doesn’t go up and down, which as you would imagine, can be costly and complicated to fix.
The interior of this car is decent looking but could use some attention. I’ve never heard first-hand from a long-time owner of one of these cars about how the top seals. You would think the seam that sits above your head would leak after some time and allow water into the passenger compartment.
Unfortunately, the rear quarter panel on the driver’s side has been impacted at some point. This is the only real major flaw on the exterior of the car. These cars feature some of the space-age features that were common in the 50s and 60s like the fins and tail lights. Hopefully, this car will find a new home and see the top go up and down again in the future.
312 4 barrel 245 hp, top speed 112 mph, 0-60 9.9 sec
If you put a set of straight pipes with glass packs on these, I don’t think there’s a better sounding engine!
245 “gross” hp which is not the same as the 245 “net” hp of today’s hp ratings. Gross horsepower is considerably less and rear wheel horsepower is even less than that.
Skyliners were heavy for the time — heaviest in the Ford line. Even the regular Sunliner vert was 400 pounds lighter. I don’t think a Skyliner with the 312 and Fordomatic could crack 10 seconds 0-60 except maybe in the make-believe world of automobile-catalog.com some writers here like to cite. Road test or it didn’t happen.
C’mon man. Everyone knows the air was different, back in ’57.
I had a 59 Sunliner and joined the Retractable Club for advice and a parts source. I agree, the drop tops were assuredly faster, especially when I took off all the trim, top frame and bumpers prepping for paint. My convertible was a tire-scalder. A pair of straight pipes from Midas with the 352 engine.
Car’s got a lot of rough edges mostly all over it. If the frame is good the price is good or maybe could be brought down with a hand full of cash in lesser amounts. Lot of work but they are unique, good looking cars.
I have to wince thinking of what it would take to get the top working again, yet for all their complexity they were actually reliable.
Betcha there’s top specific repair manuals, videos (possibly free on the internet) and certainly a retractable club. Lovely landmark car and certainly the pettiest of the three years it was produced. Give me this over any ’57 Chev ragtop.
Club was founded in the early 1970s. They have reached their 52nd year of National meets. I’ve attended a couple — once in Detroit and more recently in the DC Metro area.
Getting the top working requires taking your time, and testing, testing, testing, every wire, relay and switch. If you have a real good grasp of how electricity functions, it shouldn’t take more than 40 hours or so sitting in the trunk with a multimeter, and/or test light, and somebody to turn the ignition switch on and off, along with a battery charger connected to the battery, unless you are hooked up to a deep cycle marine battery.
Speaking of which.we had a very older fellow must have been in his late eighties at the time, he used own a restoration shop and had numerous vehicles, one of which was a ’57 Retractable. This was a guy who knew his car.
Every summer we have a parade which originally celebrated the Western nature of where I live. For two years straight, he sat in his car facing the road watching the parade. The top was poised in midair :) at eleven o’clock
When I asked him what was up.he replied “It’s stuck”.. He died not too long afterwards. Don’t know what become of his collection, The Retractable was cherry …..red,
Mountainwoodie,
I suspect the old guy was “funnin wit ya”, and here’s why:
First, the Retract club’s policy is to display the car with the top in mid change; IE the top half-way, with the front edge just beginning to fold under.*
Second, Retract systems almost always fail at a completion point for each specific action, not half way thru an action. 40+ years ago I was active in the club and was one of the tech “experts” for the top mechanisms, and in all the cases where I was asked to solve a problem, none of them involved the top in the half-way position. When the club had it’s national meet in Washington DC in the late 1970s, I was a guest speaker for a Q & A seminar on care & repair of the retract systems.
Third, As the system has an interlock to prevent the top or decklid from being opened unless the car was in Park and the top either fully closed or fully opened, he would have had to run a jumper wire just to start the car if the top was stuck half-way.
*An exception to the “1/2 way display” policy is if there are enough retracts in attendance, they can be set up to show each action per car, from decklid open, to top down and decklid locked.
My old man had this 57 in Colonial white as a new leftover in Jan 58. Only once had trouble with the top. Limiter switch burnt out in the first 6 months, warranty replacement. With the top down I always thought they were a long t bird or that the t bird was a short one of these. Begged him not to sell it in 63 but he wanted the new Bonneville convert. He took $800 for it with about 30k miles on the clock.
FWIW, that $800 then would be equal to about$4k today, and who wouldn’t want a bigger, faster more modern convertible? I’d have taken the Pontiac too, though Ford Retractables are cool cars today.
Beg to differ $800 then is about 12k in today’s dollars. For a reference point $32 gold then is 1900 this morning. It’s that the dollar is just worth-less now. Agree with the rest of your comments, that Bonnie was a heck of a car.
As much as I like these cars, I would’ve jumped on that new ’63 Pontiac myself. That is one striking good looking car.
Was wondering how it was determined it was a 312 till I saw the plate in the door jamb, it’s a ‘D’ code car, so a 312. Needs a $15k paint job and probably another $8-10k spent on it and you’d have a great Sunliner. Personally I’d change it to Wimbledon White.
The 4barrel says it’s a 312. On the other hand, the 57 312 was red with black valve covers, so who knows.
Bought one in the late 90’s, similar condition, top not working and needing full restore. Had the top working in about a week, did the interior myself with a kit and lots of hog rings. Farmed the paint and body out to a guy named “Cubi” who carefully returned the completed car to me in the shadows of some large trees where it looked incredible. In direct sunlight, not so much. The deck lid screws down tight. If you buy the car with the lid in screwed down position and mechanism fully non functional, you might as well be breaking into a safe!
Fred W,
Actually, it’s really not difficult to gain entry into the trunk if the system is not working. You just need to know the secret!
Just below & inside the forward outer corners of the trunk lid are a pair of screw jacks driven off a single electric motor. The screw jacks screw into fixed mounts just above the forward part of the wheel wells, just in front of the rear tires.
Those jack mounts are each held in position by a single 9/16″ bolt per location, in the wheel wells, best accessed by removing the rear wheels/tires. Those bolt heads are then accessed using a 9/16 socket on a 6″ 3/8 extension and socket ratchet. If the bolts have never been out, they might be covered with some sound deadening undercoating, so you might have to scrape it away first.
Removing both bolts will allow the trunk lid to be carefully lifted upwards [use some wood blocks to help it stay up so you don’t get your fingers and hands pinched!]. There is enough play in the system to allow access. Once the trunk lid is up far enough to get your hands inside, you can pull the pins out of the main deck lid screw jacks and raise the trunk lid by hand all the way up. [Make sure you use a brace to keep the trunk lid in the open position.] Opening up a trunk lid is best done with 2 people, as it is heavy.
Obtaining the original Ford top manual will allow you to quickly locate where the problem is located, because the entire top mechanism is designed to be progressive in operation. Where it stops – is where the problem lies. Note that it’s important to use the correct year manual, as Ford made changes every year, especially for 1959.
I was one of the last Ford Dealer techs to attend the Ford/T-Bird/Continental convertible top training course in 1972, and if you have the basic capabilities to check & repair electrical wiring systems, you won’t have any difficulty in fixing a recalcitrant retract top or deck lid. Switches sometimes need to be opened up and the contacts cleaned [make sure you mark the location of each switch before it’s removal]. Relays in the 1957-59 cars are basically the Ford 4-post starter motor relays.
You are the MAN, Bill. It’s amazing to me that you know all that stuff. I’m lucky if I could remember how to gap points with a matchbook cover. I’m a FORD expert wanna be. (I’m 70 years young) Keep posting!!!
Thank you for that Information Bill. Just might make a sale easier with this information. I was wondering how you get into the trunk when the lid is down, and nothing works.
Woofer,
We all have our pluses and minuses when it comes to memory. Yes, I can rattle off lots of stuff about repairing and restoring cars, but it’s from 50 years of working on them that helps keep my memory sharp when it comes to things like the retract top repairs. That said, my girlfriend of 10 years has had the same cell phone number all that time, yet I can’t seem to remember it!
Duffy,
As my shop specialized on the retract tops including the Lincoln and T-Birds into the 1960s, we had quite a few “hide-away-top” cars come in over the years, but one stands out in my memory, It was an early 1960s Continental that a body shop had been tasked with repairing rusty panels.
They had been trying to open the trunk lid with no luck, and they even cut big holes in the trunk lid trying to find out what needed to be done to get it open. The owner finally took it back and brought it to my shop, where I was able to have the trunk lid open in a matter of minutes. We ended up doing all the body & paint, as well as much of the mechanical repairs it needed. And yes, the trunk lid was so badly butchered we had to replace it.
Great Post Bill It would be a real nightmare to seal yourself into one of these while attempting to service it and rot there. I could see buying this and driving it around days and tinkering with the top after hours.
Richard K,
Thanks for the compliment! Fortunately I never found any entombed techs in the back of one of these cars!
I’ve known several “thrifty” Continental convertible owners who had cars without working tops, and they only took the car out on days where the chance of rain was near zero.
You all do know that electricity is relatively simple especially D C then again with components available today repairs may take some time but very simple. You are making it so much more complicated, or maybe it is my background in automation, dunno.
as for quarter mile performance quite irrelevant since they were not built with speed in mind. Just me I guess I appreciate them for what they were intended. I built a couple of hot rods but they weren’t a pleasure cruisers to begin with.
They weren’t built with speed in mind? Aside from the Skyliner, they were one of the fastest cars around in 57, they also dominated NASCAR that year.
This one could definitely be worth it. I’d say, pick it up for 10k-ish, put 5-10k in it and you would have a great car. I’m wondering if this car is original or maybe a previous restoration? Definitely a great cruiser and cars and coffee type conversation piece. Just not a museum quality type of restoration. Excellent article! Good luck to all involved.
Perfect car to do a mechanical blitz on and ride. One of my daily rides is a 72 impala convertible in the same condition. Mechanically sound but old looking. Cars like this are a blast. Keep the giant hummels that cannot be used, enjoyed, rained on, kid diving over door into seat. As for the top. I had a 60 Continental ions ago that the roof didn’t work when I bought it. I used a test light and a few jumper wires to get it open and then sprayed, lubricated and replaced a few relays and never had and issue until its giant unibody succumbed to rust and the garbage brake system was more expensive and troublesome than anything else on the car. Love this piece. It would look right at home next to my 59 Squire.
I was truly impressed with this “disappearing” top (age 15 at the time) and I thought it was a cool looking convertible as well. It was a boat of a car, and I got to ride in one while I was in college about 1963, and I still thought it was a cool car. This is one of a few Fords that I really liked, and if I had the money back then, might have purchased this one, even that 6 years later.
This one I do want. Have been looking for 1957 ford 500 convertible project car, haven’t found one yet. This top might be a little scary, but the vehicle does interest me. Nice find.
Really fun article on You Tube, mom bought a brand new 57 Skyliner for her so to go to college. Drafted after graduating, gave it back to mom, used a a daily driver until passing in 91. Grandson moved into the house, always kept in the garage until last year, sold it back to original car dealer, Sewell Ford, Odessa, TX
I bought this car and it is safely in my barn in central vermont. It’s parked next to my 89 gmc sierra that I bought from Sewell Ford during the great recession when they were thinning the herd.
When I was in high school, my friend had one like this in all black and his mother had one the same, all black, but a 1958. And I had an all black 1958 Sunliner.
One of my favorite trips in my ’59 Galaxie retract was when, about 35 years ago, I was stopped at a railroad crossing, in the right lane. Next to us was an older man with a young boy [his grandson I suspect]. I saw how the man was using both his arms and hands, trying to explain how the top worked on my car.
I put the transmission in park, and activated the top switch, causing the trunk lid to unscrew and raise up. That young boy’s eyes got really big as did his smile! I knew we had plenty of time, as the crossing typically handled long trains on the main B&O line, so I put the top all the way down and once the trunk lid closed, put all the electric windows down. All of a sudden I heard clapping all around the car from other people waiting in their cars.
Splendid memory Bill. During my B&F days (summer ’66) We were trying to get the lid to land properly on a ’63 T Bird ragtop that had been clocked in the rear. I had the inside job and my boss the outside. We were politically opposed, and he demanded that if I wanted to see daylight again, I had to swear allegiance to Karl Marx.
Richard K,
Too bad it wasn’t a decade later, you could have ended up giving him a Firesign Theater album called “All hail Marx and Lennon”. [One of my favorite comedy albums of all time.]
And yes, unlike the original 1957-59 Skyliners, the later Lincolns and T-Bird cars were unit-body cars without a separate frame, and they could be a challenge to make work again once the car has been rear-ended hard. Over the years I’ve found Lincoln and T-Bird convertibles in junkyards because of accident damage to the back 1/3 of the car, especially if hit from the side.
Bill, one of my favorite albums as well, this and their “Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him.” I was late getting into Firesign Theater. Their records were at a friend’s house and in the summer months between college semesters he turned me onto them. Great, cerebral stuff!
Little_Cars,
I was a teen when Firesign’s first album came out, The moment I heard them I was hooked. As part of my education in electronics technology I had to obtain a FCC radio & TV engineers license, and work for a while at a radio station, so I took a non-paying position as a DJ for a local DC radio station [WGTB]. One of the things I did was host a Sunday afternoon program for comedy, and the first episode was Firesign Theater. The vast majority of incoming calls were very positive.
During the pandemic, my girlfriends and I were typical shut-ins, looking for things to do. As they are much younger than I, they had no knowledge of the group, so I began playing some of their records once again, and now Firesign Theater has 2 more converts!
“Hiya friends, Ralph Spoiled Sport here . . . let’s just take a look at the extras on this car; Wire wheel spoke fenders, sneeze-thru wind vents, imitation Masonite with the look of real wood, and factory air conditioned air from our air conditioned factory!”
Bill- The pandemic had me working from home a lot and the vinyl records of theirs as well as Benny Hill, Monty Python, Bob Newhart and others from the golden age of recorded comedy were dusted off. “it’s a butte!”
The taillights appear to be from a 63 Fairlane.
I’ve seen a couple of restored examples in England. And in the reruns of the Perry Mason show the eponymous lawyer tradesin his ’58 de Ville for a ’59 Skyliner! The following year he traded up to a Lincoln droptop, but as Ford supplied the vehicles later on in the year he ended up with a ’60 Sunliner! He ended up with a Continental the following year though!!!
Perry drove the Cadillac (1958 only) Fords and Lincolns, Paul drove the Corvettes (1958) and Thunderbirds. Dela always rode as a passenger.
Yeah remember it well and I recall a black ’57 retractable as well. Seventy Seven Sunset Strip was an hour long Ford commercial and included among the latest from Dearborn, Kookie’s Bucket T.
When I seen this car I thought Perry Mason. Like watching those old shows just to see the “Brand New” Vintage Cars! Mannix, Adam-12 & all kinds of old Movies. Have a couple Fords, 66 T Bird & 67 Mustang, & a late 70’s Jet Boat with a .060″ over Built 460 with 429 parts also in it. Good Times!
I’ve liked these ever since I first saw one in 1957. I’m now 81 and don’t intend to buy any more new toys, but if I had the energy and strength I think I would be very interested in this one. The electro/mechanics of the top mechanism wouldn’t worry me as that’s been my business all of my working life. I’ve heard that they are troublesome and that’s partly why I would like to have one so I could see the system and how it should work.
Wow, it goes from one extreme to the other on here. We’ve seen a Pacer for $23,000, and now a Skyliner for $9,900. Hard to figure.
way underpriced
While talking about the special retract access bolts above, I forgot to mention the 1961-67 Lincoln & T-bird convertibles also have 2 relays mounted in a special location behind the rear seat back, on the right side. Removing the seat back gave you access to the relays to unlock & open the trunk lid. Using a little jumper wire to bypass the correct relay, the trunk lid can be opened. Again, Always keep a copy of the top repair manual available. I tell owners to keep it in a plastic zip-loc bag under the front seat, NOT IN THE TRUNK!
Bill, I purchased this car. I will be tackling the top when it warms up a bit, as well as farming out the bodywork. It runs great. Is there anyone in the vermont area that has your expertise?
verdegeo,
The first thing you should do is join the Ford Retractable Club & get the repair manual for the top. The club has a roster of members, and you can contact the local members to find out who does their work.
Some tips:
1. The screw jacks have thin plastic tubes to protect the screw threads, and as they are heavily greased, the covers keep them clean. If the tubes need replacing, do so.
2. Be careful adjusting the switch locations, and always draw a pencil line around the switch position so you can go back to the original position if needed.
3. Remember, wherever the top/decklid stops is where the problem lies. It is a sequential system.
4. never store important items like the top repair manual and tools in the trunk.
5. Always park the car on a level surface before opening or closing the top system.
I began working at Bendix in South Bend in 1982. I was told that one of my corworkers had a 1957 Ford retractable. I never followed up with him however he moved into our neighborhood around 1992. I never saw or heard about the car from him. Around 1994 all the neighbors were out one summer day and I asked ” Lou, where is the legendary 1957 Ford I’m told you have and when wilI ever see it ? He replied, “you’ll have to see it by Sunday because I’m taking it to Auburn to sell it Labor day weekend”. My other car guy neighbor and I went into downtown South Bend to a frame shop that Sunday and saw the car for the first time. It was white and black. He had purchased it from his uncles estate in New Jersey and his uncle had bought it new in 1957 so Lou was the second owner. It was immaculate ! When he popped the hood, which opened backwards, I could not believe my eyes. It was a supercharged from the factory car. Supposedly around 200 total produced. The next week I saw him and he told me it did not sell. He took it back the next few years and eventually sold it for less than the initial offer he turned down
@ Bill McCoskey:
The more I think about it, given your obvious expertise, the more I have to think he was funnin me. As I recall the front most hinged section had not unfolded but my memory may be incorrect.
It certainly made for folks coming over and talking to him so as usual you’re probably correct.
On a side note, thanks for weighing in as you do. Very few folks have your experience in so many areas of the hobby.I I always learn something.
BTW, I loved the picture of you standing in your Rolls on another.cough cough.site….. but not the “evil” site, I need to add lol!
Mountainwoodie,
Thanks for your kind words. I’ve spent my life trying to impart knowledge to others, including younger guys who came to work at my shop, and my customers as well.
As I have always preferred the unusual & rare things [not just cars & trucks] I have felt it was important to discuss the obscure situations rather than the more common stuff one reads about all over the internet. If my comments make it possible for someone to go ahead and buy that rare car, knowing it IS possible to do the work, or encourage a car owner to go ahead and get help fixing problems rather than just let their vehicle sit and rot, then I’ve made a positive contribution to the hobby.
Plus I hope I may have helped people stay away from an impending disaster by telling it like it is; a warning to do your research before making that commitment. I’ve seen far too many car owners begin restorations, only to realize they are in way over their heads. During my time running the shop, I’ve fielded many phone calls or live visits from people calling for advice, and when possible I helped them figure out what they needed to do.
And as for the photo of me standing up thru the open sunroof on my Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn, I’m very happy to name the website [Curbside Classics], because a large number of viewers subscribe to both CC and BF. Plus I find both sites offer different styles and content, while serving the same basic wants & needs of the subscribers.
That photo shoot of me with the vintage limousines was a lot of fun. I’m a novice photographer at best, and learned quite a lot that day. One of the best tips he gave me was to shoot photos of cars from a few feet higher, using a step ladder [as that photo shows!]. He indicated that photos of cars from lower and higher perspectives helps draw the viewer’s interest.
I enjoyed that afternoon photo shoot with a professional photographer, and I didn’t even have to take my clothes off!
Hello Bill McCoskey, after seeing this on barn finds I went to the craigslist ad, bought it, and trailered it about 50 miles to my barn in vermont. It started right up and ran great. It needs a lot body work, some glass and trim, but no significant rust, and I will have to tackle the non-functioning retractable when it warms up a bit. The seller was parting with it after only 2 weeks, he had bought it from an estate and decided it was too new for his pre WWII interests.
verdegeo,
I have a feeling you got quite a good deal!
Before you work on the car, first join the Retract Ford Club & buy the reproduction repair manuals. You are welcome to contact me directly [my name with no spaces @aol.com]. If you have the tools and an understanding of mechanical and electrical repairs, I can probably help you thru any problems. {I don’t charge, that way you never over pay!]
If i was closer I would have bit on this car too> good luck and happy motoring