Never Judge A Book…

The goal of this 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon build is to add modern car handling with barely-streetable power from a Ford 427 legendary Single Overhead Cam (SOHC) V8, all while keeping a stock (ish) sleeper appearance. 

A Modern Twist on a Legendary Engine

The elements include a 700+ HP John Kaase built 540-cube SOHC engine, 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission, a Roadster Shop chassis and suspension, and great brakes.  The wagon will ride on 17” steel wheels – or Halibrand kidney-bean style wheels, depending on the mood.    The chassis will deliver a slightly lowered, but usable stance.   

A Stock 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon. Or is it?

One of the goals of this custom hot rod 1957 Ford is to make it look unassuming. No racing bucket seats for this one, as it will feature the original style bench seat and steering column mounted shifter. The Ranch will wear an original Starmist Blue and Colonial White color scheme, with a coordinating restored interior.  New Old Stock or restored original trim will be used in all the original and correct locations on the car. The V8 Speed and Resto Shop is handling the build, and it’s going to be an amazing ride!

Follow The Build

The V8 Speed and Resto Shop Team is chronicling the build of the 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon in thousands of photos and videos, and you can follow them all right here. And if you’re inspired, we encourage you to contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop to chat about your Classic or Muscle Car dream ride today!

 

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817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

 

This sharp 1966 Pontiac GTO came to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop as a paddle-shifted automatic transmission car, but the owner wanted to row the gears the old fashioned way.    Our mission is to install a new Tremec TKX 5-speed manual in the car, and perform some other maintenance items along the way.   Follow along with all the progress here!  

 

Click “Read More” for the complete photo gallery!

Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!

 

817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

 

Continue reading “1966 Pontiac GTO Tremec TKX 5-Speed Conversion at V8 Speed and Resto Shop”

This clean 1979 Pontiac Trans Am came to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop in need of some major performance upgrades. The car was born with an anemic Oldsmobile 403 V8 engine coupled to a 3 speed automatic transmission. We did an initial dyno run to find it only made 168 horsepower at the rear wheels, which might have been okay for 1979, but definitely not cool for today. The answer to this problem lies in the form of a Edelbrock supercharged Chevrolet performance LS3 V8 backed by a 6-speed T56 Magnum transmission.

The Trans Am is going to receive a new Roadster Shop chassis for better stiffness and handling. The E Force supercharger relies on an upgraded camshaft from Comp Cams, and is capable of making over 800 horsepower running on E85 fuel. We will be sharing complete build and final dyno videos of this car once the transformation is complete.

 

Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!

817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

#transam #supercharged #ls3transam #roadstershop

 

This clean 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster is visiting the V8 Speed & Resto Shop for some performance upgrades in the suspension and braking departments.   Read More to see the photos and videos!

 

Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!

 

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817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

Continue reading “1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster Upgrades at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop”

 

This silver 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster is visiting the V8 Speed & Resto Shop for some performance upgrades in the suspension and braking departments.   It’s a 350 4-speed car that looks clean lowered on custom wheels.  Read More to see the photos!

 

Contact the V8 Speed & Resto Shop with all your Classic or Muscle Car needs today!

 

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817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

Continue reading “1971 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster Upgrades at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop”

This beautiful Hugger Orange 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS has some great updates under the hood, including a Holley Sniper fuel injection system, a serpentine front accessory drive system, and clean traditional finned Holley valve covers.  It’s powered by a 400 small block tied to a 4-speed manual transmission.  However, the customer wanted to make sure the car was performing to its highest potential, so it came to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop for some EFI drivability tuning and a quick once-over.  
 
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Continue reading “1969 Chevrolet Camaro EFI Tuning at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop”

This beautiful 1968 Shelby GT500KR Convertible was restored a few years ago, and is a really clean car.   It is powered by a 428 Cobra Jet backed by a 4-speed transmission, but the engine doesn’t run as it should, so our team at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop will be doing some diagnostics to see what’s up with the Cobra Jet.   Follow along to see the progress! 

 

Continue reading “1968 Shelby GT500KR Convertible Engine Restoration at V8 Speed and Resto Shop”

This beautiful 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 came to the V8 Speed & Resto Shop in need of some underhood paint restoration and an engine rebuild.    This cool car is still owned by the family that bought it new!  

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Continue reading “1968 Dodge Coronet 500 Engine Rebuild and Engine Bay Restoration at V8 Speed and Resto Shop Photo Gallery”

Starting a new or freshly rebuilt engine can be stressful, as there are many details to look after. It’s for this reason that we’ve created this detailed checklist to help keep track of all of the safety and performance elements to consider when starting a rebuild  new or rebuilt engine for the first time. This also applies to reviving an engine that has been in storage for a long period of time.

Feel free to download this checklist and let it help you keep track of the safety and performance elements, courtesy of your friends at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop!   

You can always contact us at the shop for all your restoration, performance, and Classic or Muscle Car needs!

CLICK HERE to Download!

 

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817 S. MAIN STREET – RED BUD, IL 62278

 

 

This 1969 Ford Mustang coupe is a cool car, but someone thought they wanted it more than the current owner and stole it.   Thankfully, the car was recovered, and today, the V8 Speed & Resto Shop team will be repairing the damage and sending it home with the owner for more years of enjoyment.   

Continue reading “1969 Ford Mustang Fastback Maintenance at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop”