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by Greg Williams | April 15, 2016
Ed Seal, president of the Nifty Fifty's Ford Club in Calgary, hopes to have his restored 1957 Ford Skyliner at the club's Spring Thaw show on April 24 at Sunridge Mall.Ed Seal
In Calgary this year, there's no doubt spring arrived early. At a time of year when the snow is usually just beginning to melt, the robins are instead singing, the trees are popping and the street sweepers are making their rounds. Collector and classic cars have been out and about, too, but the cruising season won't officially begin until the Nifty Fifty's Ford Club of Calgary hosts their 31st annual Spring Thaw on April 24 in the southwest parking lot of Sunridge Mall. (Note that's a change of location, and there's limited space at the new site.)
Last year the Grey Eagle Casino welcomed the club, and while the venue worked great for the car show, regular casino parking and traffic became congested and the club wasn't going to be asked back. For the 2016 event, Nifty Fifty's Ford Club president Ed Seal said, "We checked out Stampede Park, we looked again at McMahon Stadium and we looked at Cross Iron Mills. But, these places ask for rent for their parking lots, and it's not inexpensive." In the past, the club didn't have to pay to use the lot at Deerfoot Mall, nor did they have to rent the asphalt at the Grey Eagle.
"We're our own victims," Seal said, and added, "the show has grown too large, and we saw just over 500 cars last year. That's a lot of traffic and space to tie up."
The Sunridge Mall location will hold half that number, so registration will be limited to 250 vehicles at $10 each on a first-come first-served basis. All funds raised will be going to help pay the rent, and once that's paid, every other dollar goes to the Calgary Food Bank.
Ed Seal, president of the Nifty Fifty's Ford Club in Calgary, hopes to have his restored 1957 Ford Skyliner at the club's Spring Thaw show on April 24 at Sunridge Mall in Calgary
Some sponsors do help put on the show and supply awards for numerous classes – but to remain impartial, no member of the Nifty Fifty's group can win. Just one of those 250 vehicles on display, Seal hopes, will be his fully restored 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner, also commonly called a "retractable."
"It's done," Seal said, "but I had to send the speedometer down to the States to get it repaired, and if it's not back, then I won't have the car at the show."
Seal was 16 and living in Regina when he first saw a 1957 Skyliner. He wanted to buy it, but it didn't have an engine and there was no way his dad was going to let him bring it home.
"I got a '57 Chev instead, and it ran," Seal said. "But that '57 Ford was stuck in my memory, and I had to get one."
He bought his Ford some 11 years ago from an owner who had kept the car since 1960. It came out of Phoenix, Arizona, as a fairly complete project.
Once in Seal's Calgary-area garage, the car was taken apart, down to the last nut and bolt. Hundreds of parts including the frame were inspected, refurbished and then sent to Brain Muise for paint. All fasteners were cleaned and plated — if any threaded components were missing or otherwise damaged, Seal purchased reproductions.
Lyle Vass of Rods N Restos cut out and patched any rusted sheet metal, while Len Giroux performed all finishing bodywork. The car was painted two-tone red and white, as original.
Seal said the mechanism to open and close the one-piece retractable top is a system of switches and motors, and added that he's glad he's an electrician by trade – although he is now the national maintenance manager for Sobeys.
"My best friend from school days in Regina, Stew Edey, owns Custom Engine Works in Innisfail," Seal said. "He rebuilt the 312-cubic-inch motor and brought it back to life."
The engine is paired with a two-speed automatic transmission, and the carburetor is a four-barrel Holley. The only concession to modernity is an electronic ignition; every other part of Seal's car is a stock component.
Seal has a simple goal. "The plan is to plate it and drive it, and if I get the speedometer back in time, its maiden voyage will be to Spring Thaw."
Although Spring Thaw is free to the public, donations to the Food Bank, cash and/or canned goods, will be accepted on site.
Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
Brain Muise
CrossIron Mills
Greg Williams
Len Giroux
Lyle Vass
Phoenix (Arizona)
Rods Restos
Sobeys Inc.
Stampede Park
Stew Edey
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