Sometimes, buying a Ford project is one of those things you sometimes do without thinking.  You see it.  You want it.  You buy it.  This is one of those times.  
     May of 2006, I sold my favorite car I have ever owned, my `57 Custom Tudor.  I had worked for 5 or 6 years on that car to get it to the point it was, and it had turned out to be a fairly quick and fast car for its size and weight.  However, life, as it sometimes does, threw me a curve ball, and the car had to go.  Once I was in a new job, and better shape financially, it was time to look for a project.  I started out with a `65 Comet hardtop, which I decided was not what I wanted, so I sold it also.  Soon after came a string of `67 Fairlanes, all of which turned out to be in worse shape than I thought, so were also sold or parted out for a nice profit.  Finally, I settled on a neat little `70 Maverick with 6 banger that I found on ePay, and drove it home. 
     During this time, my oldest son became interested in cars and going to the dragstrip with me, so I decided then to look for another Maverick to build a drag car out of.  While trolling ePay, I found this `57 Custom, and right then, my wife started in on me about it.  She, of all people, actually encouraging me to go 600 miles and drag another basketcase home.  One big difference between this one and all the others I brought home is the condition.  This car has very little rust, and will be a relative breeze compared to the last `57.
     To make a long story even longer, I waited around all week before finally making the seller an offer on Friday.  He rejected it, so I made another.  Again, he rejected it, but this time he made a counter offer of $1000, I countered again with $900, and within 10 minutes, it was mine.
     About two weeks later, my oldest son, then 11, and I jumped in my old `74 F100 shortbed, loaded with trailer, tools, spare tires, etc, and began the 650 mile trip to a Texas town just south of Texarkana.  We made the whole trip in about 30 hours, straight there and back.  It was a blast, just me and my son on the open road, seeing America.
     The seller turned out to be a really nice man, had a `66 Fairlane in his garage with an FE in it, sounded good too.  After staying there for a couple hours, we finally decided to head home.  The trip was just a good time.
     Once we got the old Ford home, I think we rested a good three or four days before we even bothered unloading the car from the trailer.  Once I got it down, I saw that it was really in good shape, not just  me thinking it was.   There is a normal amount of parking lot rash over its 50 year old body, as well as a few scars from kids and wayward BB attacks.  All of the glass was broken, including the hard to find rear window.  I put out the call on `57 Fords International for a rear window, and luckily found 2 right away, one in Indiana, and the other in West Virginia.  I was intending to go to my friend in WV to pick it up during Christmas break, along with a pair of fiberglass fenders he had, but my entire family got sick while in Tennessee, so I didn't get to go.