1957 Ford Ranchero ZZ430-Powered
The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model’s production run. Over its lifespan it was variously derived from full-sized, compact, and intermediate automobiles sold by Ford for the North American market.
This 1957 Ford Ranchero is powered by a GM-sourced ZZ430 350ci V8 crate engine paired with a Turbo Hydramatic four-speed automatic transmission, and it is finished in red and white over a matching two-tone interior.
Polished 15″ American Racing wheels are mounted with 215/60 BFGoodrich Comp T/A VR4 tires. The truck rides on a lowered suspension, and front-suspension airbags were installed to help raise the vehicle in some parking circumstances. The parking brake cable, master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, and brake shoes have been replaced. Braking power is provided by front discs and rear drum brakes.
The cabin is upholstered in red and white vinyl with black rubber floor mats. Equipment includes a bench seat with a pair of double-shoulder seatbelt harnesses, vent windows, a glovebox, and a lighter. A red steering wheel with a Ford crest fronts a 120-mph speedometer, an aftermarket tachometer, and gauges for fuel level and coolant temperature.
The body of this Ranchero has been refinished in red and white. The pickup model was derived from Ford’s Fairlane-based two-door Ranch Wagon. This example features a stainless spear separating its white top and red lower elements, a red rooftop, chrome bumpers and trim, and round taillights set under tail fins. The inside of the pickup bed is painted white, and a stylized longhorn bull logo adorns the tailgate.
The first Ford Model T and Model A pickup trucks were created from roadsters by placing a pickup box behind the body of a car. In 1934, Ford Australia’s designer Lew Bandt modified a coupe with a smoothly integrated loadbed that could be used like a car to drive to church or to deliver pigs to market. This created the coupe utility which remains a popular body style known as the “ute” in Australia. In North America, pickup trucks evolved into a heavier duty form with cabs and beds that were quite distinct from passenger automobiles. The Ranchero was the first postwar American vehicle of its type adapted from a popular sedan from the factory. It combined the sleek looks of a sedan with the utility of a light-duty pickup truck.
