Vehicle Description
1966 Ford Fairlane 500
The Ford Fairlane is an automobile model that was sold between 1955
and 1970 by Ford in North America. The name is derived from Henry
Ford's estate, Fair Lane, near Dearborn, Michigan. The Fairlane 500
is noted by a wider chrome trim on the side, and 3 bullet ports on
the rear quarter panel.
Well Sherman, let's get into the way back machine and set the year
for 1966 where we will travel to a wondrous place called the
Classic Auto Mall where we will find ourselves plunked in the
Hallowed Halls of this renewed mall, and we will be standing in
front of a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500. Not all Fairlanes were GT's and
this car goes to show that a savvy buyer could equip a regular
Fairlane with the same drivetrain, but without all the flash. This
particular car has had a professional engine rebuild, a
transmission redux, a full on restoration complete with photographs
and receipts, and various and other sundry replacement parts put on
during the restoration. This car will get you where you want to go
and it's gonna do it FAST!
Exterior
A 2 door hardtop version, all bathed in beautiful Raven Black
paint, the original color, which presents as all rust free, with
well minded gaps and straight steel. We note a few inclusions in
the paint and some waviness to the tops of the front fenders, but
the application is at the deep end of the pool. Stacked front
headlights flank a horizontally barred grille with the Ford crest
of the era mounted dead center and a shiny bumper resides below.
Shiny stainless wheel arch moldings are connected via a lustrous
rocker trim molding. High up on the rear quarter panel is a
Fairlane 500 emblem in block script while down low on the front
fender is a crossed flags 390 badge to warn others that this isn't
grandma's grocery getter. The back of the car features vertical
rectangular taillights and a squared off roll pan with a shiny
bumper below. All badging is pristine, as are window trimmings and
glass. 15-inch black painted steel wheels with FORD logoed poverty
caps are on all 4 corners and are wrapped in 205/75R15 red stripe
rubber.
Interior
Attention to detail and all buttoned up are two words that come to
mind when swinging the doors open. A low back bench seat which uses
a leatherette finish for the red vinyl for tuck and roll inserts
for the seats and lower backs and some shiny smooth black vinyl for
the bolsters and upper backs. A matching bench seat is in the rear
and appears to never have been sat in. All of this is floating
above like new red carpeting with red Fairlane carpeted and
embroidered mats. In front is an original dash, with a black
surround for the long sweeping speedometer, clock, warning lights
and the factory AM radio. A near flawless red plastic steering
wheel fronts this dash complete with an AutoMeter tachometer
strapped to the column and hanging below in the center of the dash
is a modern AM/FM stereo receiver and a trio of black faced gauges.
Above is a red headliner in vinyl which is nice and tight. All near
perfect and surely nicer than when it left the Atlanta production
facility back in January of 1966.
Drivetrain
Lifting open the hood our suspicions were correct, and we see a
Z-code engine which denotes 390ci 4bbl V8 capable of producing
315hp. We note this is the correct mill based on the casting
numbers on the block. Topping off this mill and adding some extra
oomph are a pair of Edelbrock Performer aluminum cylinder heads, an
aluminum intake manifold and a 4bbl carburetor. Ribbed aluminum
valve covers, and a polished and ribbed air cleaner are seen within
this very clean, supple hosed, shiny accented engine bay. On the
back is a Toploader 4-speed manual transmission, also correct for
the car. Way back is a Ford 9-inch 3.25 geared TracLoc rear
axle.
Undercarriage
Well restored with no rust, and just nice black surfaces of
straight rust-free steel. In front is a power steering kit and
independent coil sprung suspension. Leaf springs are reserved for
the back, disc brakes are upfront and power drums for the rear.
This is a good thing as these heavy cars were noted for their poor
braking with the all manual drums which proved to be not enough for
the horsepower produced. One could call the undercarriage near
showroom quality with improvements, all well done and looking
good!
Drive-Ability
This car was an immediate hit with my crack decoder but I drove and
he sat in the passenger's seat. It is good I pulled the long straw
to drive 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 with unlimited acceleration, apt
handling and smooth bias free braking. We even caught the eyes of
the Model A club who were in town for the week.
A great restoration, well done and attentive to detail. A 390ci V8,
4-speed manual transmission, Edelbrock cylinder heads and a whole
lot of giddyup. A snazzy interior, an unassuming exterior, and
pristine undercarriage. 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.
VIN DECODE
6A43Z180350
6-1966
A-Atlanta, GA Assy Plant
43-Fairlane 500 2 Door Hardtop
Z-390ci 4bbl 315hp
180350-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY TAG
BODY 63B-Fairlane 500 2 Door Hardtop
COLOR A-Raven Black
TRIM 48-Gold Vinyl
DATE 26A-January 26th Build
DSO 43-Rockford
AXLE D-Ford 9" 3.25 TracLoc
TRANS 5-4 Speed Manual
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
