Ford reinvented the Fairlane in 1962 as a new size of car – the intermediate. It was sandwiched between the full-size Galaxies/Customs and the relatively new Falcon compact (1960). The first generation of the “new” Fairlane was through 1965, so the 1964 editions, like the seller has, had evolutionary styling from the ‘63s. Located in a wooded area in Silverdale, Washington, this pair of projects might be better perceived as a primary car and a donor. The price tag here on craigslist is $9,500 OBO for the duo. “Curvette” brought this tip our way.
Ford got a one-up on General Motors with the mid-size Fairlane. Chevrolet and the others in that fold wouldn’t have comparable offerings until 1964, when they rolled out the Chevy Chevelle, and resized Buicks, Pontiacs, and Oldsmobiles. Plymouth and Dodge downsized their full-size autos in 1962 based on rumored bad intelligence, but they were still competing with the big boys, though similar in dimensions to the Fairlane (and the Meteor over at Mercury). Out of 277,500 Fairlanes built in 1964, about 15% were 500 Sport Coupes like those on the seller’s property.
We don’t know the history of the seller’s duo. The grey primered 500 gets the most attention, while we’re not told a lot about the black one. The primer car is shone of its bright work and glass, so a cosmetic restoration was started but not finished. Perhaps a restomod was the goal, as it has a 302 cubic-inch V8 lifted from a 1995 Mustang GT, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission (the condition of both isn’t disclosed). The steering is from a 1970s Mustang II, along with the steering column.
More newer stuff has found its way to the primer car, such as the wiring harness and ECU. The only thing we do know about the black car is that it’s stock. But how complete is it, and what’s good on the car that could be salvaged in a restoration or during parts harvesting?. The seller is throwing in some extra body panels and enough chrome to fix up both Fairlanes. The primary 500 has a title, while its companion will go with a bill of sale.
I always liked this style Fairlane if I had a place to work on them and the money to do it,especially with the 302 and the standard transmission I’d love to have them.
Jim Helmer, you would have to fight me for them, again if circumstances were different. Russ, since it has a “steering box” from a Mustang II. That means that it now has rack and pinion steering. Also, and I know this is nit picking,. But being a Ford service manager when the change was made. Ford no longer referred to “302s” when the engine changed to roller cam/lifter set-up. It was then called the 5.0. Which occurred midway through the 1985 model year. So there were some carbureted roller cam Mustangs (and Crown Vics, in 1985. They engine pictured here is from one of the last 5.0 (Windsor) engines used in the Mustang. (By evidence of the upper intake configuration.)
I had a chance to buy one of these cars that had 35k miles and looked like new that was traded in at the dealership. But I was up to my ears in Fox body Mustangs at the time. Great style and the perfect size and weight.
Gotta wonder if the one in primer is a retired drag racer with a nice custom tow-bar to flat tow it to the strip.
looks like somebody is in over their head
For someone who has a PILE of green sitting around and a place and incanation to work on a neat projrct this could be fun and come out with a neat car. Otherwise probably end up like the presnt owner.
Oh, take me back!
I bought a SOLID ’64 Fairlane 500 4-door with a 289 that had sat outside under a tree for over a dozen years so the paint was shot and the interior was trashed but amazingly there was ZERO rust. It even had a dealer installed FoMoCo under dash AC system in it.
I put a fresh battery in it, poured some gas down the carb hit the key and she lit right off. I turned on the AC and it blew ICE COLD!! Everything worked. Blinkers, brake lights, dash lights, hell, even the horn worked!
I couldn’t give the guy his $500 fast enough.
Being a broke young man just starting out I couldn’t afford to get it painted or have the interior redone so I covered the busted seats with an Indian blanket and I was good to go.
It also served to weed out the less-desirable ladies. When I would go to pick them up for a date, some of them sneered, one actually held her nose before getting in, (although the car didn’t actually stink), and a couple refused to even get in it at all.
I finally was introduced to a lovely young lady and when I went to her apartment to pick her up and she didn’t bat an eye. She slid right in and said, “Your car sounds nice”, (V-8, dual exhaust with turbos and an H-pipe ftw). I knew she was a keeper and 33 years later she’s still my gal.
I eventually got the interior squared away, got a decent paint job and drove it daily for several more trouble-free years. It never left me stranded. I foolishly traded it away but years later I bought it back and man, I was proud!
I came rolling up into the yard grinning like an idiot and my wife’s face melted. She screamed, “GOD NO! NOT AGAIN!”.
I was crest-fallen? “What? Don’t you recognize it?”
She said, “Of course I do! I didn’t think you actually liked that car! I thought you were only driving it because you were poor!”
Great story! Made me laugh.
Great story! Made me laugh.
When younger had one 289 4 speed 9 in rear
Solid lifter cam factory high performance
Dog dish hub caps real sleeper
Younger I had one 289 4 speed 9 in rear
was a factory high performance dog dish hub caps real sleeper
I was thinking more along the lines of a Thunderbolt clone for the primer car. I bought a real one from a friend of my Aunt’s in
’70 I think. By the time I got it though, the 427 was already gone ,but the 4-speed and HD rear axle
were still there along with that bubble style hood. The engine it came with was a 271 HP 289 that
ran well enough to answer any challenges at the stoplight drags
I wound up selling it to a jock at
school. My first temptation was to charge him a bunch of cash for
making fun of me at school 🎒
but thought better of it. That isn’t
how a man does business. Sold it to him for $1,500 and slept like a baby that night. Wish I could’ve
kept it, but I had too many cars (3) behind the garage anyway. Wound up selling them by the time I started touring that summer. That’s when I bought my ’66 Cadillac Calais 4-door hardtop from Mom and Dad. If I
were younger and my heart was
stronger, I”d think about it. But now that I’m 71, a turn key 🗝️ project is all I can handle. And yeah Wayne, I hope to hook up with some kids at the local college 😉 to get the self charging mobility scooter 🛵 on
the road while I take a class on
how to work my smart TV LOL!