You’ll find a little hypocrisy anywhere you go in life, and the car world is no exception. Every day on Barn Finds, I ogle interesting once-common-but-now-nearly-extinct sedans such as this 1964 Fairlane, and then I go home to my fleet of mostly hardtops, convertibles, and other sporty jobs, as my grandpa used to say. (OK, my ’65 Dart 170 Wagon is an exception.) There is, however, always a chance for all of us to step up and be a little better, and maybe you’ll decide that you’re a sedan person after all. Barn Finds reader Curvette has given us this opportunity for self-improvement by sending us the craigslist link from Loon Lake, Washington, and while the asking price of $14,000 may be at the top of the curve for such a car, at least we’re starting out with something pretty nice.
The seller describes their Fairlane as “almost all original,” but it has had some work done to keep it in good shape, including a new paint job in what appears to be Ford’s long-running classic, Wimbledon White. The engine is the optional 164-horsepower 260-cubic-inch two barrel V8. There are no engine pictures posted in the ad, but the car has been treated to a new water pump, fuel pump, oil pump (I’d be asking the seller about that one; it’s not usually changed for no reason), and tires. There’s no word on the braking system, but since the seller mentions that the Fairlane could be used as a daily driver, there’s no reason to believe they need work. But ask accordingly.
The interior has also been refurbished in its “original two-tone blue,” and it looks like a good job based on the pictures shown. Transmission availability was sparse when one ordered the 260: you could choose from a standard three-speed manual or an optional two-speed Fordomatic, which is what was ordered on this car. The Fordomatic was serving in its final year of availability in 1964; all Fairlane automatics were the three-speed C4 variety starting in 1965.
Ford’s Fairlane was, in most guises (Thunderbolt and Sport Coupe notwithstanding), a solid piece of transportation with no sporting pretensions, the kind of car that millions of people bought every year in the 1960s. Because there was nothing sporty or showy about them, they were mostly discarded, but we’re all paying the price for that now. Face it, a lot of us secretly hide a real appreciation for the sedans and wagons from long ago, even if we wouldn’t necessarily admit it to other car people. At what price would this Fairlane convert you into a collector of the everyday driver?
I’m among those who enjoys seeing the regular, bread-and-butter cars of their day. This one especially, since it brings back memories of a 1964 Fairlane 500 which was one of our family cars. Ours was a soft yellow with a white painted roof, 260 automatic.
This example is the base model Fairlane; the dog dish hub caps would have been part of that model’s equipment. Looks good overall. I for sure would check it out at a show. But not sure how much interest (at the asking price) it might generate.
Good job Aaron.
I’m picturing that ’64 Fairlane being parked next to that Green Ford Pickup of your Dads in the driveway of your house growing up Bob. Or was he like my Dd and parked on the lawn next to the house?
Neat Fairlane here. I love that its an everyday model 260 V8. What you’d find parked in the local market parking lots etc. It looks great, love the redone interior too.
Since you asked…. there was a small, nondescript, wood-framed, wood-sided, tin-roofed, windowless garage on the back corner of the lot by the alley. The car resided there. The work trucks (all five of them over the years, all stripper Fords, all but one some shade of green) parked on the street.
$3015 equates to $31,500 today, which is about the base price for an Escape.
I sure didn’t appreciate these types of family sedans that were everywhere when I was younger. I was always looking for a the sporty two doors that you’d occasionally see. I can appreciate this car now, how it was styled and equipped to be everyday transportation.
Ours was a green 64 500 with a 2 barrel 289/C4. My mom bought it 66 from Hensley Anderson Ford in Bellflower California. The newest car that our family ever had. It was a great car. Went on to be my brother’s first car. He installed a T10 four speed, Edelbrock F4B manifold and a cam. The car was legendary in our little neighborhood. Turned 14’s in it at the old original Irwindale Raceway(now Miller Brewery). Not fast by todays standards but considering that it was a tired old motor with a few improvements it did pretty well.
Miss that old car and all the good memories.
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
Bought one just like this in “84 for the wife to daily drive. The only difference was ours had a factory under dash AC. She liked that car and probably would have kept it longer if she hadn’t fallen in love with the “72 240Z I bought for myself. Turned out I ended up with the Ford and yeah, she got the Z. Eventually sold the Ford and got a Fiat X1/9. While owning the Ford, never had a problem other than replacing the water pump once. Was an easy fix. Good to see this survivor here.
Did this era Fairlane share the body shell with its compatriot Falcon? Looks like it.
No.
Falcon and Comet shared same body. I don’t think the Fairlane shared body with anything else in 64. In 62 and 63 it shared body with the Mercury Meteor, but that was discontinued in 64 (except for the Canadian version, which was based on the full size Merc).
This one reminds me of the 63 Fairlane that was given to me because I was the only one brave enough to hook the chain on it to drag it out from under the tree that fell on it. The tree was full of bees, a lot of bees. Got it done without getting stung, I was a lot braver when I was 14 or maybe just dumber than I care to admit. Drove that thing around the farm for about a year and then got really dumb and pulled the motor out and put it into a maverick. The Fairlane was a lot more fun to drive around than the Maverick
What I would do with it is weld the rear doors shut, do a little bondo magic, repaint in Wembledon White and I’d have a clone Thunderbolt. I think I can still buy a bubble hood scoop from J. C. Whitney, find a cheap 390 or 352 out of the boneyard and dress it up to look like a 427. Saturday Coffee and Cars, here I come!