1957 Ford Ranchero
The first pick-up car
OK, not a lot of history on this one. I bought it around 2006 as an abandoned project from a guy in California. No drivetrain, missing some parts, and the body was in average shape.
I grafted a new front clip into the original frame and made the mistake of giving it to a local hot rod shop to finish as I didn't have the time. They made a mess of it, so I took it back and its been sitting. They did however have one decent metal guy for a while and he did a good job of fabricating the new front grill I wanted.
It's a really cool car that I've always wanted and about number 6 on my priority list.
ENGINE
460 BB Ford crate motor with about 500 hp and 550 ft lbs torque. Accell / TWM Electronic Fuel Injection and other performance goodies from MSD, Canton, etc, etc.
DRIVETRAIN
McLeod clutch, Tilton TB, Tremec 6-speed.
CHASSIS
Original frame with new front clip and IFS from Art Morrison chassis. Rear is a triangulated four link from Air Ride Technologies. Needless to say, Air Ride suspension and Baer disc brakes all the way around.
BODY & PAINT
New front grill and smoothed body, bumpers and rear tailgate. Still in primer (ugh) that will probably be stripped and redone.
WHEELS & TIRES
Rear are 22x10 Intro with BFG tires, front are 20x8 Intro with BFGs..
What's Next?
Well the body was nearly finished by a local shop until I saw how bad their welding was. They tried to hide it under body work, but you can see it from the back of the panels. I took the car back from them unfinished and will need to do it over. Needless to say, they are out of business.
I'm not going too crazy on this one. Just finish the body work and paint, do the interior, hook up the drivetrain and plumb & wire it.
I've got too many projects.