Azule Blue 57 or Raven Black 55?

[ward 57]

Yup, as I stated before every one of these has it's own personality unlike the cookie cutter cars made now. If you can settle on the year for your own reasons and then shop, shop, shop.
My grandfather was an electrical engineer with the navy, and the best advice he gave me was to 'buy the best you can afford. you will never go wrong'. Basically, go cheap on the purchase and it will cost you in the long run with poor quality. You do it with your tools, do it with the car you will be tinkering on.

[ward 57]

It's amazing how many cars I've seen going over the auction block that have obvious misfit externals and makes you wonder about the rest of the build but still bring big $.
I'll give a pass on the baby birds as it seems to be rare that both doors fit perfectly.

[ScreaminJohnny]

Well I got the 55 bird. The 55 runs and drives, 57 doesn’t. Got some new oil in her and filter. Gonna rebuild the carb and get new brake hoses and wheel cylinders before I do any real driving. It’s been sitting in a garage for years on years. The driver side door sags and won’t close. Also the glass seems to be off the rail and is cracked. Other than that she seems great. Is there a FSM I could download here? I know some forums have them.

Also, the transmission is intended to shift down into 1st and then up shift into D? Or is first a low and not meant to be shift on the fly?

[ward 57]

I'm glad you landed on one. What issues with the '57 that didn't let it run? FSM I assume you mean factory service manual. They are all over the place as reprints a must have. Electrical and trim and sealer manuals are also available when you did into it further. The restoration manual is also available but pricey but basically the bible of correctness.
Is the window power or manual? I just rebuilt my power windows so you can PM me if you want specifics but expect the mechanism springs to be broken.
Resurrecting a car that has been sitting for years is a project that could also take years inspecting, diagnosing and refurbishing one system at a time. Brakes are a good place to start as well as the carb but remember the T-pot carbs are a challenge for a DIY project. Expect the fuel pump will have issues soon. Never replace but have it rebuilt as needed. Just maintaining mine has brought up these issues.
You sound like you are confident in your mechanical skills so have fun! It is a journey but the joy of driving one of these classics that you brought back to life is why we do it. Modern enough to be reliable but still easy to work on and popular so there are vast parts and resources available. At least your wife will know where to find you when you disappear for hours at a time. LOL
Oh and the trans is designed to start out in 2nd unless you manually downshift or mash the pedal to force a downshift.

[55blacktie]

ScreaminJohnny, go back and look at my post from Tuesday regarding the operation of the Fordomatic. Additionally, as Ward said, it should automatically downshift to low when you step on it, depending on road speed/rpm and whether everything is working as it should.