1966 Ford Fairlane 500 Hardtop
For consignment, this Ford classic in Fairlane 500 form. Purchased a year ago by our consignor from the original owner, the body remains solid with all original metal with the exception of the hood. The chassis has been upgraded to an Art Morrison unit, and the brakes are courtesy of Wilwood and a killer 501ci V8 is under the hood.
Exterior
A 2 door hardtop version, all bathed in deep end of the pool Nutmeg metallic paint which presents as miles deep covers the original straight steel with well minded gaps that show the countless hours involved in achieving perfect alignment and straightness to make you the belle of the ball when you arrive in this skate. Stacked front headlights flank a horizontal large egg crate shaped grille, and a shiny bumper resides below. Just above is a Crites fiberglass 427 ram air hood that is near flawless and shows with a stainless mesh insert within the air intake. Mirror polished stainless highlights the all new lightly tinted glass of the cabin and with all emblems shaved from the sides the beltline body bumpout does a wonderful job of accenting the side profile, giving the car the aura of motion even when standing still. The back of the car features vertical rectangular tail lights, and a squared off trunk lid with a shiny bumper below with polished exhaust tips peeking out from below at a 45 degree angle. 17 and 18-inch Vision Torque Thrust style wheels are on all 4 corners and are wrapped in 245/47ZR17's in front and slightly larger 285/40ZR18's on back for the perfect restomod look.
Interior
All new, attention to detail and all buttoned up are three terms that come to mind when swinging the doors open. High back heavily bolstered ProCar Touring bucket seats, modeled after the original buckets, are now in and use vented vinyl for narrow tuck and roll inserts for the seats and lower backs, and some shiny smooth black vinyl for the bolsters and upper backs with a broad tuck and roll all in black. In the center between the buckets is a custom long armed black leather booted shifter riding the hump and in back is the original bench seat which has been recovered to match the front buckets. Up front is an original dash fitted with Dakota Digital gauges and includes two tachometers, one digital and one analog. A wood rimmed 3 spoke billet steering wheel fronts this dash and sits atop an adjustable column and the original AM radio resides within its factory slot but has been upgraded to a Bluetooth, aux out, sub out hands free unit. 2 6x9 speakers reside within the package tray and work with the sub mounted behind the rear seat and a new factory spec dash top mounted speaker to sate the audiophile in you. Also in the dash we note added vents for the heater and AC units. All of this excellence floats in a seat of new black carpeting, and above is a black headliner in vinyl which is nice and tight.
Drivetrain
A Z code in the VIN denotes a 390ci V8, however, during the redux this was ditched in favor of a Ford 429ci V8 based stroker engine that now displaces 501ci. It has been fitted with the best of everything including a Scat rotating assembly, is capped off with reworked 429 cylinder heads and generates a consignor stated 500hp and 570lbft of torque on the dyno. On top is a Quickfuel Brawler 4-barrel carburetor and Weiand Stealth intake manifold. Add on some polished Ford Racing valve covers and a polished air cleaner assembly and we are in blingy bling heaven within this very clean engine bay. A polished March serpentine system keeps the accessories turning and an aluminum radiator is on for the cooling system with twin cooling fans keeps things at the perfect temperature. Meanwhile MSD ignition and billet distributor are in charge of lighting the fires within. On the back is a new Tremec TKO600 5-speed manual transmission and way back is a Ford 9-inch rear axle. Our consignor notes that the axle carries 3.89 gearing and is built with all Strange internals. We note that a shock tower delete was performed in the engine bay, but more on that in the Undercarriage section. Exhaling is accomplished through shorty headers, and a 3-inch stainless steel exhaust.
Undercarriage
Well restored with no rust, and just nice black surfaces of straight rust-free steel and that is thanks to a new one piece floor pan. An Art Morrison chassis now provides the backbone for all this perfection as this is now a full frame car with the side rails hidden within the rocker panels. In front is a Mustang 2 type suspension with adjustable coil overs courtesy of the folks at Rod & Custom Motorsports and sports a power rack and pinion steering kit. A triangulated 4 bar with more adjustable coilovers is reserved for the back, and Wilwood 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS and consignor-stated electronic power assist brings this car to a halt.
Drive-Ability
This car was an immediate hit with my crack decoder, however I drove and he sat in the passenger's seat. Because despite his wealth of automotive knowledge, he has questionable motor skills with his legs, and tends to stall the clutched cars...just sayin'! Anyway I digress to the test track where it performed swimmingly and accelerated, stopped and handled much like that of a modern car.
A great restoration, well done and attentive to detail. A 501ci V8, new manual transmission, and a custom chassis. A perfect interior, keeping close to the original look, a pristine undercarriage, and sportier than standard exterior. A must see for the Fairlane aficionado as it is truly one of the nicer examples of said car in our sacred halls of the Classic Auto Mall.
