- Highly desired by car enthusiasts
- A nostalgic look was desired
- The goal was a street cruiser
The Fords for '57 featured a crisp, sculptured body styling
The station wagon market in America during the mid-1950s was strong all across the country and these vehicles had made the successful transformation from utility "workhorse" to acceptable multi-purpose family vehicle. In fact, the station wagon became "glamorous" in 1955 when Chevrolet rolled out their stylish Nomad 2-door wagon, featuring uniquely designed slanted B-pillars, wrap around rear window glass and additional chrome plating on the tailgate.
There was also a Pontiac Safari sister car to the Nomad, and these two General Motors specially shaped wagons were sold through the 1955-57 model years.
While GM may have had the most flamboyant-appearing wagons available, Ford Motor Company was the hands-down sales leader of station wagon models across the board. During these years Ford wagons consistently had more buyers as compared to rival Chevrolet, and 1957 was a record year for Ford, as their complete line of cars outsold Chevrolet overall, for the model year, edging out Chevy by selling1,494,000 new '57 Fords as compared to 1,456,000 '57 Chevrolets. This was the first time since 1935 that Ford came out on top in the sales race, and station wagons made up some 19.4-percent of overall sales that year for Ford.
Station wagons were available in five different versions
A modified version of a wrap-a-round windshield was incorporated into the new roof shape where the glass was pulled back into the lower portion of a A-pillar area, creating a new, one-of-a-kind appearance and also different for this year was the hood now being hinged at the front, said to be a safety feature in the unlikely event that it could fly open at speed. 14-inch wheels were now used and contributed to the 4-inch lower profile of the cars, also new for 1957 was the introduction of the sturdy Ford 9-inch, ring gear diameter, rear axle. Station wagons were available in five different versions all on a 116-inch wheelbase:
- top of the line 9-passenger 4-door "Country Squire" that featured artificial wood accents
- a 9-passenger 4-door "Country Sedan" that featured Custom300 side trim with anodized aluminum
- a 6-passenger 4-door Country Sedan featuring less flashy standard side trim
- the Del Rio Ranch Wagon featuring Custom 300 side trim
- a lower-priced base Ranch Wagon with minimal side trim fitted onto the rear quarter panels.
The car was being prepared for its revival
The California car builder is a long time Ford fanatic and when he was a kid growing up his family always had Ford station wagons. He learned to drive in a '54 Ford station wagon, got his first speeding ticket while driving that station wagon and when he went to college, he drove his dad's 1958 Ford station wagon. With Ford wagons being in his life as a youth and with the fond memories he had of them, he's always had a soft spot for these cars!
About 10 years ago be decided to seek out and find one of the Ford station wagons he always liked over the years: the '57 Ranch Wagon Del Rio model, and after he started looking for one of them in his travels, he soon found out that they are not easy to come by!
A tip from a friend in 2008 came on a Del Rio that for sale in Bremerton, WA and his search for his next project car was nearly over. After seeing this particular car, it was obvious that it had been well taken care of over the years and stored indoors for most of its life. The car was in overall great original shape and there were only four small areas found with any evidence of rust, which was removed and replaced with new metal. When the owner purchased the car, he was pleased to be able to get the car without the engine and transmission, as the previous owner had installed something that was totally over-kill for what he wanted: a high-performance and fully modified 427 FE with race prepped C6 automatic. The goal was to create a street cruiser as opposed to a gasoline-thirsty, high-horsepower machine and it was desired to have something that would economical enough to go cruising without the worry for always finding a gas station.
Once the car was home and being prepared for its revival, a suitable 5.0L fuel injected small block V8 powerplant was found, recycled from a low mileage 1993 Mustang. It was determined that the compression was sound in all cylinders and a new timing set was fitted, along with new gaskets and seals throughout. The rescued powerplant received a Frontrunner Drive System providing a modernized belt and pulley arrangement. The Vintage Air system consists of one-piece forged aluminum timing cover with integral accessory mounts, a new Stewart high-performance aluminum water pump, Sanden SD7 compressor and 140 Amp GM alternator, all connected via a Dayco Performance serpentine drive belt.
While planning the rest of the engine mods it was decided to install an aftermarket tuned port fuel injection system which includes everything on the top of the engine:
- intake manifold
- throttle body
- distributor
- coil
- fuel rails
- injectors
This new technology was camouflaged by the fitting of an old-school oil bath air cleaner that was modified to clear the front-mount distributor and fuel rails. The MA sensor is hidden inside the housing, so a bystander peering into the engine compartment would think it is a standard circa-1957 carburetor-equipped engine, until a keen eye spots the FI fuel rails. With the engine painted red with black valve covers just like a 292-cid Y-Block and the big silver-hued air cleaner fitted atop, hiding a K&N filter element inside, the 302 with re-worked EFI does have the visual flavor of the stock engines that Ford put in these cars all those years ago! A Painless wiring harness and fuse panel was used to best deal with the new electronics throughout the car.
Exhaust headers came from Ford SVT were ceramic coated with low-restriction 2/14-inch exhaust system, using a cross-over pipe and large low-restriction mufflers. The cooling system was updated with fan shroud for optimum cooling. The transmission chosen for the project was a Ford AOD unit (Automatic Over Drive) which was enhanced with the fitting of an external transmission cooler added to enhance reliability.
Front suspension modifications came in the way of a Mustang II Frame Stub Kit, complete with Stage III tubular stainless steel control arms, 12-way adjustable QA1 coil-over shocks and front anti-swap stabilizer bar. With this system the steering was vastly improved over stock with the addition of a power rack & pinion arrangement. Updated rear replacement Super Slide leaf springs were added, which feature moly-nylon buttons in their design that provide smoother operation while maintaining a traditional appearance. Adjustable QA1 shocks and a rear stabilizer bar were added out back and 3.70:1 rear gears were fitted to the factory 9-inch rear end. 11-inch diameter front disc brakes, with Wilwood caliper package, along with Baer replacement discs for the rear, with power assist. The changes made in the F&R suspensions provide a night and day difference over what Ford Motor Company fitted as factory stock and according to the owner, well worth the investment during the building of the vehicle.
When it came time for rolling stock on the car, a nostalgic look was desired and after an extensive search of available options, the decision was made to run modernized version of the famous "kidney bean" racing wheels. A set of 17-inch 2-piece wheels, 8-inch wide front, 9-inch wide rear, were obtained with satin luster center section finish, with three bar knock-off style centers. BFG G-Force rubber; 225/45ZR-17 front, 245/45ZR-17 rear.
The interior was expertly reupholstered, and the stock large diameter steering wheel was restored and done in the same cream white color as the dash knobs.
The stock AM radio was converted to AM/FM/IPOD with the rest of the 4-speaker, sub-woofer and amplifier sound system.
In recent years station wagons from the 1950s have become highly desired by car enthusiasts as they offer a lot in variety and style, with 2-door examples being the most sought-after models. This Del Rio wagon was built using good taste, lots of creativity, and constantly gets positive feedback with complimentary comments everywhere it shows up. This beautiful car is a fine example of balancing just the right amount of "restoring" and "modifying" all into one perfect package.
