- Seller: David T (Contact)
- Location: Mims, Florida
- Mileage: 48,000 Shown
- Chassis #: 6H43H191656
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 390 cui V8
- Transmission: Automatic
UPDATE – The seller has added photos to the gallery below.
While the Mustang was taking all the spotlight after its explosive first year in sales and an even stronger 1966 campaign, Ford was peddling more than sporty sexiness in the mid-1960s. The company had a full line of cars and trucks to meet your needs, including a series of mid-sized coupes and sedans for those who need more space than the pony car allows. This 390 V8-powered 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 is offered via Barn Finds Auction and comes from that lineage, though it certainly is a neglected member of the group. Still, you might cast a bid or two in its direction in the upcoming auction. You’ll have to retrieve your prize in Mims, Florida, should you win.
Sporting a stylish, if square, body shape, the mid- to late-1960 Ford Fairlane cut a handsome figure. And this particular example was no slouch in the get-up-and-go department, having a 390-CID engine resting between its shock towers. The engine has just 47,000 miles on the clock, normally a sign of continued life. But the words “ran when parked” might ring hollow when you dig into this one, at least if the deterioration of the engine’s internals matches that of the externals of the body.
Like night and day. That’s about the only way to describe the comparison of the exterior and underneath of this 1966 Ford Fairlane with that of the interior. What the heck happened here? There’s just no way you’d expect such a pristine interior given the rusty, pitted, and pocked exterior panels on this right-sized coupe. Or maybe let’s say that backwards and as a question: What in the world did someone do to this poor Ford to make its every surface the breeding ground for moldy-looking, rusty crud? Upon first reading the description of this car, as a grandmother’s ride passed down through an uncle, you’re skeptical. How can such a mess have happened in a car that was cared for? But that’s where your assumptions are getting ahead of you. This car has, if you read between the lines, been sorely neglected for a long time. Is that salt air deterioration? Dampness from humidity? Does it matter? Every inch of this car, save that interior, will need scrutiny and work to bring it back from the dead.
How deep are your pockets? Do you get frightened when the very bumpers are displaying bottom-edge rust? Do you worry about runaway costs when you imagine the fitness, or lack of it, of the driveline? All of these are matters you will have to settle if you take on this sorry reminder of just how cool this sort of two-door coupe can be.
Bid On This Auction
Bob Price bid $2,500.00 2025-11-10 13:09:31
Anders bid $2,099.00 2025-11-08 13:33:20
Geoffrey bid $1,800.00 2025-11-08 10:51:13- Anders bid $1,000.00 2025-11-07 11:45:06
- Bob Price bid $650.00 2025-11-06 06:33:27
David bid $500.00 2025-11-05 18:10:06
Maybe this is like those mini vids that pop up on my FB account; some goofball hitting a barn find with a power washer and it comes out sig better…
I would be tempted to see what this looked like after power washing. It mostly looks moldy, the rust is confined to a few areas and is of the surface variety. The under body, what you can see of it, looks solid. Surface corrosion but no big holes, bench seat automatic though.
I’d be worried especially about the flooring and trunk well.
Funny you comment on that. I pressure washed it yesterday and took a few more pics. While i was there i decided to jack the car up a little so i could maybe get some pics underneath the car. I discovered what i thought was rust but turned out to be undercoating. After scraping some off I could see the shiny metal of the gas tank and both floor pans on the drivers side. They look like brand new. Not any rust on them at all, as a matter of fact they are shiny metal. Will try to add pictures.
Flooring pans and underneath of car was undercoated. I scraped some off and exposed the bare metal underneath and found it totally rust free. I have ask Barnfind to post some more pics for me.
Missed out on a 67 Fairlane police car sitting in an old junkyard. Bidding got to high adding shipping to the cost. Had a 428 emblem on the fender… Still crying myself to sleep on that one… I like the look of this one with a 390, but, got to many Stokes in the fire right now…
Another car cover casualty, I presume.
just 47,000 miles on the clock LOL yeah I’m sure it’s more like 147k
The car has actual miles on it. It belonged to my wife’s grandmother. She bought the car new.
Then please explain the amount of wear on the brake pedal.
Actually looking at that brake pedal…..with a 390 it would be well used….
Living down here, I have seen this happen to many vehicles. About 5 more years sitting where it has, and this one is gone. But as others have posted, a good dose of soap and elbow grease would do wonders. Then all the chrome, trim, bumpers, engine and transmission need to be pulled and refurbished. Sandblast the body and frame, do some minor body and patch work and repaint. How often do you see one that needs all that, but the interior will likely cleanup and be presentable?
Wow, looked like a nice car that they just parked. What a shame, I always liked the style of these mid 60’s Fords.
Pop bought mom a 66 Fairlane 2 door hardtop in 1970. It had AC, automatic trans, 289/2BBL. Maroon with a white top. Was a very nice car that Pop always parked in the garage with blankets over it. Then in 1977 for some reason I don’t understand, Pop sold the Fairlane and bought Mom a new Granada Ghia. A newer car of 11 years over the Fairlane. But certainly a worse car by comparison in my estimation. At least Pop stayed with his tradition of always buying the Blue Oval.
Story time: first new car my dad ever bought was a 66 Fairlane XL with a 289. Actually it was mom’s car, but I digress…one time dad took it in for service, and gave him a loaner Fairlane with a 390 (you can probably guess where this is going). I was only 12, but my older brother (19) took me for a ride in it…came to a stop sign and said “don’t tell dad…” and proceeded to smoke the tires. Coolest. Thing. Ever. (For a 12 year old)
Well, the STOP acronym actually means Squeal Tires On Pavement. ;)
Would be bidding on if it was closer. Milage looks right if you look at that brake pedal….it would be well used with a 390 under the hood.
To me it seems like a grandpa car that’s been left to family and he ordered that 390 because he was still a little hot roddie…..
This has convinced me to never list a car here. This ad is terrible and doesn’t seem like BF is “working tirelessly” to help sell anything but shame and fear of this car.
And BF charges the buyer a $500 “buyer’s fee” as well. That seems unnecessary, to penalize your site patrons.
I’m not seeing anything extremely off-putting. I’d like to see some good pictures of the frame and pans though.
The rusty bumper reminds me of a family story:
A ’66 Fairlane 500 390 Raven Black 4 speed was my parents first brand new car they ever purchased. Man, that thing was a looker.
Within only a couple months the rear bumper started showing signs of surface rust. Brand new car, mind you.
Pop went down and wanted them to warranty it out and the dealer refused saying that was not covered by the warranty. Not being one to back down easily, Pops said, “We’ll see about that” and proceeded to sit down and write a letter to Mr. Henry Ford II himself.
Within a couple weeks, he received a reply from The Deuce thanking him for bringing this matter to his attention and that at FoMoCo, customer service was a priority, yadda yadda yadda.
Well, wouldn’t you know that a in a couple days Pops received a phone call from the dealership and asked him to bring the car down ASAP so they could make the situation right. He said as soon as he rolled in, they sent a mechanic out to the lot and pulled a bumper from an unsold car and put it on his car and he was out of there in about 45 minutes.
The replacement bumper was good to go for the next 20 years until he sold the car.
Years later my brother had the letter framed and gave it to Dad as a Christmas present.
What version of 390 is in this? There were three, not counting the GT or GTA. Also, very unusual to find a 390 of any sort in a non-GT Fairlane. Interesting! I hope it’s not too far gone.
It’s a 2 Dr coupe Ford Fairlane 500 with the 390 motor. It does have the upgraded trim package on it, but it is not the GT or the GTA.
Dad’s ’66 was a 390 4V, 4 speed non-GT. Whatever code that was, I dunno.
Don’t know which 390 it is.
Dave i wish you had cleaned this thing up before the auction. I can’t believe how lilly-livered the car guys are here, and how bad BF treated you with that awful write-up but had you inspected and scraped and cleaned just a bit ahead of time it could have been much better. This is an awesome car – the pictures are clear that it’s anything but “too far gone” if you have any idea about fixing cars at all. I think someone will get a good deal.
According to the VIN, this car has the H code 390, which was the 2-barrel carb, 9.5:1 compression version meant to run on regular gas. Horsepower rating was 275 (gross HP) with the automatic (some sources say 270). In other words, this isn’t the “high performance” GT/GTA 390 and is down about 60 hp compared to that version.
Someone ask how long before it was started ? Honestly I don’t know. I do know my brother in law was sick for a couple of years before he passed. He
Parked it under a carport with a cover over it. Which later blew off and did not get put back on. This car has always been parked on concrete and never in the grass. So i guess the answer is 2 years plus, but i would only be guessing.
looks better cleaned up for sure. if bids stay realistic it could be good buy but there may be hidden rust
Come on you guys. This is a rare bird. Classic grandma car. 390 non-gt car The condition of the interior tells me the owner is telling the truth about the mileage. Should be an easy costemic restoration compared to the rust buckets that are left.
Reminds me of my own 66 Fairlane 500 2 dr hardtop bought in the mid 80’s. Originally with a 289 c4 combo it had a worn out light blue paint job with the same bench seated blue interior and a 302 in it that developed a disturbing rod knock. Found a 351 out of a crown vic for $100 and swapped it in with a friend. I put my time and energy into making it as solid a runner as I could. Never a beauty queen but I never hesitated to jump in it to go anywhere, local or long distance. My inspiration was Mario’s ‘67 run in the Daytona 500 back in the day.
But it had rust issues that I was never inclined or able to address. Pretty much the same exterior rust issues as can be seen on this fairlane, except this one doesn’t seem to have the rust underneath mine had. Though it is a bit of a mess under there from what can be seen. Definitely worth a look.
Loved mine. Kept it until the early 20teens. Wish I still had it, rust and all. Too bad this one isn’t on the east coast.
I think Florida is still on the east coast. Let us know if we can help
Oh right. Thanks for clarifying. For some reason I was thinking you were somewhere in northwest. I’d still have to get it to the northeast. And figure out where to put it. There is a reason I let mine go.
With the additional pictures, I’m feeling better about this car.
You can see where they dropped new pans over the old, which, ok, isn’t great, but it isn’t a deal breaker either. From the looks of the brake pedal, the claims of only 48k miles looks to be true. The big question is whether that FE was abused before parked. If not, remember to add lead at every fill up and it should be good for years to come with minimal hassles.
The interior is good to go except the dash pad. Big whoop. Hell, it still has the factory radio and the dash isn’t cut up with is a big plus in my book.
I’m not seeing anything real gross about the exterior either. Nothing a good washing, a little Ospho & some minor patching would take care of for a few years. Source a better bumper and that’s ready to rumble too.
. I’d figure on a transmission rebuild, complete upgraded brake job and cooling system etc. but if you slap ’em in the head with $4K, I think that’s fair money.