Ok I hope this isn't too late model for you guys but here goes... I did a search on here last night and was surprised to find so much info on this particular vintage Fairlane (including the 62-64) Not just info but people who actually like them. I have searched all over the internet and the best resources I found were woody's site and The Fairlane Club. I think I found more interest and info here on the HAMB than anywhere else. Anyways, my personal interest is because I own one. My Dad picked it up form a local junkyard he worked at when I was 10 ( I am 33 now). It had sat at the yard for awhile but luckily nothing was ever really removed from it. When he towed it home it had half the engine in the trunk. My little bro and I cleaned it up as was habit when Dad brought home a project. For some reason I really took a liking to it and Dad saw that. Originally he was just going to get it running and sell it. Anyways, it became his pretty much daily car,sometimes occasional use just depending on what else he had to drive. Then when I turned 17 I finally got the keys and was allowed to drive it all the time. By then it had a good running 289 out of a friends Demo Derby car and a c4 out of a rolled Mustang. We rebuilt the front suspension and replaced the windshield as well as painting the dash. I drove it thru High School and for a few years after until the valves started to let go (damned unleaded gas). Being short on funds, going to college, and having a car to repair I parked it. I did keep it up and running so I could keep it lubed up even if it didn't run great. My Grandparents loaned me the money to buy another car but wouldn't loan me money to fix the Fairlane even though I said I wasn't going to get rid of it. Well 3 years ago my girlfriend and I bought a house, and between working on the house and the other cars the Fairlane has just been sitting patiently.I haven't been able to start it in that time as the gas tank rusted out on the bottom and was leaking. It looks like it's time is coming though..... A guy I work with has a 76 Granada with only 88k miles that runs great. I bought it for the engine and the front brakes. I feel kinda bad taking aprt a good running old car but it will be awhile before these are worth much and I really want to get my Fairlane going again. I would love to do the full on resto-hot rod thing to it and will as I can afford it and all but this will do fine for now. Here is some pics as it sits now.... oh and the wheels are some 60's-70's knock offs of the old Torque Thrusts. If the wheels don't clear the brakes I will probably sell them and throw on something with thin whitewalls.... Anyone have any other picts of 65's? Seems to be some love on here for these old things. and KIRK! can I bring it to BilletProof if I get it running in time ? We can call it a late 64
As you can tell I LUV 65 lanes or as I call them " Lunchboxes " My favorite of all time is Darrell Drokes 65 Thunderbolt Drag car. I beleive georgiepoo is doing a straight front axle gasser car as we speak. Look it up on the search
Guys, if you think 65 lanes look good, you'll think this is gorgeous! My dad picked up a 65 Fairlane 500 a few months back that came from the factory with burgundy paint, a white top, and a bright blue interior. Man, I've got to figure out how to post pictures on here... It's still factory original, with the 289 and C4 tranny. The seat covers may or may not be original, I'm not sure... If you are really curious about how it looks, PM me and I will email you some pics. It kinda grows on you! Long live the Fairlane!
My dad has my Grandma's 65 Fairlane. 2 door, original interior, repainted exterior (w/original dk green). 289/Automatic (c4?). I keep telling him I want it but he grows to love it more every day, it's just fun to drive in parades and such.
Gorgeous cars. Somebody on here has a red '64 or '65 GM A-body with skinny whites on Fentons. It looks badass without edging into mullet/musclecar area. That car would look wonderful in the same vein. -Dave
Yeah, they seemed to be the red-headed stepchilds. Seldom see one much less restored. 64's and 66's you see a good bit of. I feel the same way with my 66 Galaxie. Seems like a lot of parts sources skip 66.
i cant believe anyone talked to you with the car bein a 65!! i got no love when i showed a pic of my impala :ehhh
my friend has gotta '64 and another friend told me about a '63 the owner is trying to get him to do some drywall repair work and take the car in trade. i am first in line to snatch up that job if he dosn't take it. i might have parts for sale from the '63 if i get it and after i get my friends car running. i know this is a bit off the subject but billy preston died today.
Fairlanes are a strange thing. Everyone seems to adore the '64s. Of course thats because of the whole T-bolt thing. I have to say that the thought of being able to buy something like a T-bolt from the factory must have been one heck of an experience. '62 through '65s are essentially the same car. I have a deep love affair with these Fairlanes. They are offbeat to a degree. They have the appeal of a family car....but you know deep down inside they are mean machines, real race cars. I believe the mid 60's was Fords golden age. Great car by the way. I really appreciate a vehicle situation like that....a vehicular love affair. I think others here do to. Thanks for sharing this.
I've had many Fairlanes and rancheros Mostly 63-64s and 66-67s. Never had a 65. Theres a guy here in nm with a 65 sport coupe for 2 grand, but its only worth about 1200.00.
in 1981, i had a friend who worked at a dealership in south st louis. in the back of the lot was a 65 sport coupe, with a 'siezed' engine. he bought the car for $200, got the factory shifter un-stuck and drove it home. K-code Hi-Po, 4-speed and a 4.11 9''. the motor was already .040 over, so it had been run pretty hard. the interior was a mess, it looked like somebody'd vandalized it, cut up the door panels and seats with a knife. back then, there weren't any repops of the upholstery, so after he drove it for a while, it got parted out. the hi-po went into a pro-street mustang, the rear end in a second gen nova, and i think he kept the gear box. if you feel bad about that, don't ask me about the 69 torino, q-code, 4-speed, super cobra jet i parted out about 10 years ago...
Thanks for the good words everybody. Yes the car deinitely has a million memories. I forgot to post previously but we did get a chance to meet the guy who had the Fairlane when it went to the junkyard. He was a con who ended up getting sent to CMF, our friendly local prison. I don't remember all the details but he seen my Dad driving it when I was about 15-16 and asked "how did you get my old car?". He knew it had been sent to the junkyard and a lot of other details about it. He came over to the house and talked and told stories of it. He had a lot of affection for it. He apparently had bought it from an older Mexican guy who took really good care of it. We have no idea if that was the original owner of it or not and have never looked into the history beyond that.
Hey 6T5... are you on other boards by the same name or variations? The reason I ask is because after I posted this someone had told me to search so I did and then I googled and I came across someone who had a similar name that had done tons of research and found that they made two "65 Thunderbolts". One was a true Thunderbolt with big block and the other was a 289 car but had similar mods as the bb car. The 65 was modified for a 427 but shortly after being built had a 427 SOHC in it and that is what the guy who raced it had. Darrel Droke was the driver/owner correct? Is that what you were looking for? It sent me on a search when I read your post as I had always heard about a 65 Thunderbolt and even seen records that a 65 Thunderbolt held, but I just figured they were errors. Now I know they were true. Here are some picts that I found. The bottom one is the 289 car ( the text is incorrect about it being a 390)
It was on the intro page...what kind of love were you looking for? Besides, it wasn't a Fairlane....... Mutt
Ah come on Mutt.... Be gentle, at least it's not a six fo' Impala. The 65's had a nice style to them. At least it's a clean old car and he is interested in old Hot Rods or he wouldn't be here right?
Yup, thats me.I did years worth of research on that car. Quite a story. Darrell and I are good friends now
There is one of those for sale here locally. It is complete and relatively olid, and has not run in several years. They want $850 for it... Glenn
Ok, I finally figured out how to post pics on this thing. Here's the Fairlane I was talking about yesterday. It's pretty much all original, has the 289 and C4, and is quite possibly the only one ever made with burgundy/white paint and blue trim. PM me if you're interested in it. I'm spending my time and $$ on a '41 Plymouth coupe.
You guys are right about the thunderbolts making these cars more well known, but the first one was a 63, it was built buy a ford dealership to prove to ford it could be done. I almost sold my 64 after this giant thunderbolt popularity thing came along a few years ago, everybody thinks its a falcon anyway.
We're all intitled to our tastes and opinions. That's a good story (a couple of em actually). My uncle had one, black w/red interior, V8 3 on the tree that he bought new and drove the piss outta that thing. I hated it. I was 8yrs old when he got it and thought it was ugly compared to other cars. When he got rid of it I was happy. To this day I feel the same way about em. There's just some things to that car that don't jive. I'm glad you have it and have a "history" with it. That, like our diverse tastes in cars, make all this worth doing.
The 6t5 screams 60's style......they jive with me. the first car that was really the Thunderbolt prtotype was the Tasca Ford with a 406 in her
my neighbor just found this one in a barn. 5700 miles... no rust, interior is perfect. does have some dings in it but, damn, 5700 original miles. check this out.
blktopbandit that car is a base model and it looked like it had a 289 badge on the fender. Wouldn't happen to be one of the "K" codes (Hi Po 289) would it? Nonetheless it is a sweet find for sure. Email me or psot a side view of that Fairlane wagon, please. Did he use the stock suspension on the front, Mustang II or what?
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