Carchaeology: 1957 Ford Fairlane Retractable first start after years of storage

Randy takes us back into the massive hoard of cars in the estate he is working and begins the process of reviving history on wheels for the owners. The first car to start however is not one that is to be sold, it is a rare 1957 For Hairline 500 "Retractable" convertible that the grandson of the family Jonas has taken a liking to. Seeing the excitement in the young mans face is just too good not to share, this guy definitely has the gear head genes passed down through the family...in fact he even has his own KZbin channel started to share his adventures! Check out ‪@JalopyFlips‬ for his adventures
and tune in for our next episode where we revive the first car to be put up for sale from this estate, a gorgeous 1951 Lincoln Cosmopolitan !

[@kevintackett7564]

Randy Randy he's the man, if no one can do it Randy can!! Love the cars and the passion.

[@markbehr88]

Love the Skyliner.

[@rsaraiva1]

Amazed that top actually worked at all.......good job

[@morgansword]

I kind of realize how excited you are in getting that top to work. I owned a fifty nine retractable hardtop... if you don't take the time to fix all of those micro switches, add fluid where needed, just try for once to hold back and do it correctly the first time or your going to be cutting that whole rear section of this car apart to get to those switches. Its a sad day in paradise when the simple extra time can save a few thousand dollars in damages not needing to happen. Engineers did not think this one completely through and so in doing so made it impossible to repair this rig, all of those retractable hardtops suffered this problem. I know cause of owning them when they were only a few years old. I got my fifty nine in nineteen sixty four. It lived in michigan for its first three years. Totally rusted out in places no one even thought possible. I was sixteen then, and think about how I might of saved it from its being sent to a crusher because of my dad said no junk in our yard. My car had a few more features like electric wipers, the emergency brake had a vacuum actuated release and a three ninety engine. One more big one was a three speed on the column shifter standard transmission. Not sure how many had this but mine was every bell and whistle and a salmon pink color... not so cool in those days. Before it left the yard tho, I spent almost a week polishing all of the paint and chrome including those at the time spotlight mirrors. Not sure if the chrome spears on the front fenders were factory option that had indicator lights on each one showing that turn signal was on or working. At the time, car is not rare or even well liked in a town of people who all drove mopar, well dodge and plymouth ... even a few chryslers ..... maybe interesting to someone but dad had kept the forty seven chrysler that was new where I was born in that back seat.... cut it too close to make it to the hospital and so in the hospital driveway.... dad almost made it there in time. I know that everyone has preferences to what they like or drive..... I just had to be different in a town of either a chrysler product or some chevys that I really hatted. I built and raced fords for a lot of years, a little time out for going to visit veitnam, came home with scars to prove it. I was a rebel.... not so well liked by the other kids. One reason was no matter what they brought to race me, pink slips wound up in my pocket. I actually got tired of winning... you can only drive one rig at a time.

[@richardcranium4335]

My first car I owned was a '57 Fairlane 500 2-door post top. The engine was a 312 Thunderbird Special with the exact same 2 bbl Carter carb. Always wanted a Skyliner convertible but it wasn't to be. I guess the retractable top is prone to breaking down so Ford didn't continue them after a short run of a couple years. Thanks for stoking all these memories, Randy.

[@richardcranium4335]

And those are the correct hubcaps. Great car.

[@danielulz1640]

The Ford is cool, but the Lincoln is magnificent.

[@Carchaeology]

Just wait until you see it in detail...yowza! What a car!

[@growzen3853]

Cannot believe the top worked. Nice stash of cars

[@Carchaeology]

We were all blown away by that one!

[@johna1160]

Randy, what about throwing a set of car skates in the trunk just to have for occasions like this? Maybe even a cheapo HF floor jack. Either way, when there's wrangling to be done, I want your job

[@Carchaeology]

It’s more fun to just wing it really…and we did have jacks and assorted tools available, just didn’t need them. Having all the special tools might make some things easier, but they don’t always make things more fun!

[@davidrothert7531]

It was hard to watch the Chrysler get pushed by the headlight. It was harder to see the Ford run into the air compressor.

[@Carchaeology]

It’s always easier to coach from the replay than it is in the field. No harm, no foul in either situation . All is good.

[@edbenelli5374]

Is that a “Half-a-Lac”?

[@Carchaeology]

Yes! Or a Cadmobile, or maybe Oldsmillac… who knows!!

[@danontherun5685]

When I see gas squirted in a dry dormant engine without first pumping up oil pressure or at least using two stroke mix I switch to something else.

[@Carchaeology]

How do you know we didn’t?

[@danontherun5685]

@@Carchaeology IF you are doing proper dry start procedure best to educate folks otherwise you're teaching bad procedure because all figure it just got raw gas. At minimum the plugs should be pulled to check for bore rust and mouse garbage, oil/filter change and primed before turning the crank. Right now I have a car from a car museum with rusted bores no gasket leaks. So common I wasn't even surprised.

[@jeffreypinder9398]

Assuming the foreign speaking gent is a Swedish great uncle? Maybe just my hearing? That Imperial is worth a small fortune. Those look like authentic Kelsey-Hayes wire rims on the Oldsmobac convertible? The retractable just needs some exercise, hasn’t been moved in a minute or a few.

[@Carchaeology]

The foreign speaking gent is my mechanic buddy Seb! He is French. The 31 Chrysler I don’t believe is an Imperial (the Imperial is much larger), but it is an 8 cylinder car, model CD. Not as valuable as the Imperial but definitely cool. Yes on the Kelsey Hayes wheels…good eye!

[@jeffreypinder9398]

@@Carchaeology I stand corrected. Noticed his fluency in English with a foreign tone. The Chrysler is a beauty.

[@beatglauser9444]

I thought: Why does this guy not put more fuel in the carb. Is he new to that? Then I saw it was Sebasian: His Beetles need a lot less fuel to start.

[@Carchaeology]

Too easy to critique from film, in the moment one does what feels is best.

[@beatglauser9444]

@@Carchaeology A mechanic once got nearly mad when he saw me pouring very little fuel in a carb of a car that had been parked for ages. That was over fourty years ago. I learned to be more courageful.

[@carpentrybypaul]

give a holler to chip foose---he just bought an all original old ford...............me

[@morrispartow759]

Love the FORD but the old cad is a bit unsettling.

[@Carchaeology]

It does have a certain ai quality to it…an odd fantasy car.

[@warrengee-f9l]

12 thousand is a good deal for retractable Fairlane ... how old is that sticker ? lol

[@Carchaeology]

Definitely a vintage sticker. That was when it was purchased years ago..he never peeled it off.

[@ronpanozzo5213]

The kid is overly excited, he doesn't know right from left but all good

[@Carchaeology]

There is no such thing as overly excited in my book when it comes to the younger generation embracing this old stuff. We all learn from experience ( well some of us at least 😂). His excitement fueled us all in that moment. I hope he never loses it.

[@beatglauser9444]

Somehow I think this young man is quite clueless how to bring the car out or how to steer it. It seems he did not even study where the handbrake was. The hitting of the back was absolutely unnecessary. He reversed to quickly but one or two of your guys should have been prepared to stop the car. With a piece of wood or manpower.

[@Carchaeology]

Even the most seasoned car people do silly things in the moment. I’d have done much worse if I was behind the wheel!😂

[@beatglauser9444]

@@Carchaeology Well I did my share of nonsense: Once I hit my 63 Belair 4 door with my daily beater and destroyed a nearly impossible to find trim. I had put it a few weeks prior, a perfect NOS part!