Spotted this classic a couple of weeks ago. I wish the owner had been there so I could have a had a look under the hood. Given the dual exhaust, I presume the engine is a V8.
Vehicle Sighting - 1957 Ford Ranchero
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manicrodder
$50 site donor 2022
Back in the day a friend had a yellow/white 2 door wagon same year. I believe it had a Ford 312. It had 3 deuces.
Ah, the good old days when cars didn't have a ton of emissions devices under the hood, dashes were made of metal, bumpers were made of metal and weighed 100 lbs., no padded steering wheel, engine ran on leaded gas and no seat belts or air bags!
When I was first starting out as a tech, the owner of the dealership I worked at had a 57 Ranchero. That thing was moved out and back in every day. I did a lot of spark plug replacements and Italian tune ups on that thing for him because that treatment caused it to start running like crap about every 3 months. Pretty cool old cars, his had the 312 Y.
You have to admit that styling was King back in the day with stainless trim and chrome galor. I am amazed that cars like that could be assembled as well as they were with all of those delicate pieces put on moving down the assembly line. Now here is a question for the members, what did that car retail for back in the day? Did it cost more than a regular pickup with the Twin I beam suspension?
Cool car, thanks for the pics.
Not really. They weren't real pickup trucks and everybody accepted that fact. They seemed to be popular with people who carried bulky and messy things (like painters), and people who knew they didn't need to make room for kids.
Pickups weren't all that popular then. Utility vehicles that didn't have all the upgrades and options they have now. You generally bought a truck because you needed it to haul stuff, or used it for camping. 99% of pickups were standard cab, and they rode like a, well, truck.
I not sure, but think the twin I beam was mid 60's, straight axle before then.
Agree on the styling, I'd drive that every day.
Thanks for reply. You are correct. Twin I Beam was not introduced until 1965.
We'd call it a ute, and still popular.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I haven’t seen a Ranchero since RoadKill rescued one lol.
I've never had a need or desire for a standard pick up and so I've kept El Caminos around for many years. Essentially, just a GM G body with the frame, mechanicals and driving about the same as the other GM Gcars towards the end of production. Adding cargo coils helped the air shocks on boneyard trips and hauling drivetrains home. My '87 will be my last one and also the lastf production year. It, as well as my previous '85 with nearly 160k miles, have been problem free with just normal maintenance. A friend now has the '85 and no leaks, problems or oil burning with the old 305 SBC. Production/sales were never very high and when the end came for the Gs, that was the end of El Caminos.
I'd guess a vehicle like that might have run in the neighborhood of $2000-2500? Just a guess. In 1965 my father's well-optioned Impala Super Sport coupe with the 283 engine stickered at $3400.
The A/C: factory, or aftermarket? My father's '58 Impala did not come with air, and with the plastic seat covers he insisted on having installed, it was hot until he had an aftermarket unit put in under the dash. It had round vents but looked otherwise like this Ranchero's.
The A/C: factory, or aftermarket? My father's '58 Impala did not come with air, and with the plastic seat covers he insisted on having installed, it was hot until he had an aftermarket unit put in under the dash. It had round vents but looked otherwise like this Ranchero's.
