A.J. & Friends Classic Cars I restored and owned this 1957 Ford in 1972-75.  I bought it from two prisoners at the county jail.  They were doing 30 days and needed bus fare home to Missouri when they got out. After I restored it, I sold it in '76 to help support my evolution into Pro Stock drag racing.  In 1960, I had a blue '57 Ford exactly just like it with V8 stick.  I bought that car in the spirit of the movie "Thunder Road".   In fact, my friend Charlie Swanson and I found two '57 Fords at the very popular Ramonouskis' used car lot in LaSalle, Illinois.  Both the '57 Fords on the lot were 312 V4 sticks.   I bought the blue Custom 2-door and Charlie bought the Inca Gold Farlaine 500 hardtop. The '57 Fords ran pretty good, or so I thought, until I found and drove a '56 black Chevy 210 2-door with a Corvette V8 factory engine for sale in Ladd, Illinois.   I sold the Ford and bought the Chev.  It was incredibly fast!  Unbeatable on the street at that time.  The former owner had raced the '56 Chevy at Oswego.  Instead of an 11:1, 265", it had a 283 shortblock bored to a 301" with Jahns' 12:1 pistons.  Everything else was stock.  A real sleeper!    I have lots of stories about the '56 and all my cars in the .50s and .60s when I was young.   Unfortunately, I haven't found any pictures of the '56 Chev.  I had a nice '58 Chevy later on.  I've had over 100 cars altogether!