Making a 1958 Star Chief from a 1959 Fairlane

When I started to have grandsons I went on the look out for a couple of vintage pedal cars for the grand kids. I had one when I was a kid. I could fly down the driveway and take a sharp 90 degree turn unto the sidewalk and get it on two wheels!! What a blast!!
So in about 2011 I picked up this Murray 1959 Fairlane for a future project. My son and I decided it was time to restore it for his new son. It has been wall art in my barn keeping my GTO hubcaps company since 2011.


Is was it pretty good shape. The craigslist ad said “California car no rust” which was true.


It was originally a red fire Chief but at some point it was painted yellow.


First step was sandblasting and block sanding to look for damage that will need repair.


There were numerous cracks that needed to be welded. Since we are Pontiac guys we wanted the car to look like a 1958 Star Chief so the fire bell was not being reinstalled. So holes needed to be filled.


Many weld repairs!!

 

Cool build!

 

That car looks more Moparish than Ford to me. I hope you can some how make it look like a 58 Pontiac, they are neat. Don't forget the Tri-Power emblems. Lucky little kids

 

After welding , it was grinding time.


Then came some tiger hair for the corners to fill in past dents and where I know the corners will take a beating in the future.


After some hammer and dolly work it was time for body filler.


And sanding ...... and more body filler....and more sanding.....and more body filler.....I am not good at body work!!!!


Finally it was time for 2k epoxy primer.


And then fixing spots we somehow missed after the car was one uniform color and you could see everything.


Then finally high build primer and wet sand.


The metal on these cars is very thin (.030) and hard get straight and stay straight.

More to follow

 

I agree the front end reminds of “Christine” the 58 Fury from the movie Christine.


However, according to my research Murray patterned the car after a 59 Fairlane.


This is the inspiration for the pedal car. Basically the color and the side spear. (Not my car just a cool car on the net)

 

After all that body work I had to wait for my finger tips to get back feeling before painting. So we moved on to the mechanical assembly and we spent a little time on the lathe. The bearings were shot on the pedal rods and crank assembly. We machined up some bronze bearings and a steel split bushing to weld over the worn crank shaft. The bronze bearing is held in place with a sheet metal piece. I didn’t take enough pictures. Maybe it’s hard to visualize.


Basically to make a 58 Star Chief we are putting side spears on like the picture above. My son drew up the side spear in CAD and sent it to a laser shop for a sheet metal template. Then he ordered some white automotive decal Material. With a sharp knife he cut out the decal.
This is the sheet metal template.


Here are the decals. (And 2 extras)

 

Hi Guys,
Finally it was painting day. Geez... paint is expensive.... we couldn’t even afford to replace all the light bulbs in the paint booth after buying the paint!
First it was blue paint.


Then as soon as the blue paint dried we applied the decal and taped the front and back for silver paint.


We used rattle can for the silver and black parts.


Then after the silver dried we removed all the masking and did clear coat on everything.



Finally after a little assembly work, hopefully it looks like a 58 Star Chief.


My son bought new wheels, tires and hubcaps for it and I think that paid off with the final result.


All the hardware is new also, new SS bolts, nuts etc.





Next step is to decide if it is worth wet sanding and buffing or to leave it as is. There are a lot of edges to burn thru the clear coat, and if that happens I will wish I left it alone.

Next step is a cushion seat, some red decals for tail lights and an ignition key. If possible maybe some little chrome stars to put in side spears like 58 Pontiac had.

Greg

 

Turned out real good!

I had one of those when I was a kid, best I remember it was a light silver blue. Remember the tires were sorta soft, I could get it rolling and then stop quick and leave black marks on the sidewalk. My folks should have known then I was gonna be a hot rodder, hehehe!

After I was grown and had kids, I went looking for it at my folks house. It got handed down to my Sis, then a couple of cousins played with it there until the tires rotted off of it and it got scratched and banged up. My old man put it in the scrap iron pile and it stayed there for years. Sometime before I went looking for it, it got hauled off with the rest of the scrap metal, I was sick. They were just starting to get popular again, so I looked around and found a few at flea markets and such, but they wanted a fortune for them, so I never bought one.

 

Thanks BamaMav
In looking at old photos mine was yellow, it said Pacestter on the side. My sister got it for Christmas 1959 and I got it when she was done with it. I remember grabbing the steering wheel and pumping my legs like crazy in that thing. No one remembers what ever happened to it. I would like to find another one. I keep my eyes open. I missed one at the relix riot 2018 swap meet because I bought a Rupp go-kart and didn’t have enough money for both the pedal car and go-kart. In 5 years I will post a thread restoring the go-kart. This is my second pedal car and I have 2 go-karts hanging on the wall in my shop in the “to be restored later” category.
Greg

 

I was born in 1959, and the one I had was probably from around the same time frame. I figure the old man bought it second hand somewhere, as tight as he was I doubt he bought it new. Last time I saw it was around 79 or 80.

I never had a go kart as a kid, but I bought one and restored it for my boys. Don't know what brand it was , it had a 3.5 Briggs on it. I used bicycle brake cables for the gas linkage, put new tires on the back, had the seat repadded, and painted the whole thing. They wore it out! When they outgrew it, I sold it so another kid could have fun with it.

 

If a dad had the Pontiac in those colors, and his peddle-car age son thought it was cool, wouldn't the young man be proud to get to have your restored version?.

 

As for being a 59 Ford Fairlane the only thing correct was looking straight on into the grill and headlights and of course the position of the hood as well. Even the taillights are totally incorrect missing the two large "owl eyes" in the back.