Ford’s fifth generation of Fairlane has always been a favorite, including the nicely styled 4 door station wagon. Sporting an original looking appearance with a side exit exhaust, and a drag style wheel set up, this ’66 big block wagon is ready to roll. Overall in solid condition with what appears to be a decent interior, this Fairlane is offered for trade for an American motorcycle. Take a look here on craigslist out of Bend, Oregon.
The heart of this beast is a ready to roll 390 cubic inch V8 mated to an automatic transmission. The engine has an Edlebrock intake manifold and Edelbrock carburetor, with a 3” side exit exhaust. The engine has been nicely detailed and painted, offering a nice look. The engine bay is a bit dirty, but looks as if it would clean up nicely. Equipped with power steering and power brakes, this big block wagon would be even more enjoyable to drive.
Inside a lovely red interior awaits you and your friends for that long drive to the next big car outing. Trimmed with a carpeted cover the dash looks to be in fair shape, but I would assume there is some cracking going on. The steering wheel is mildly worn where the black core of the wheel is showing. There looks to be little fade to the red interior, and from what can be seen, this interior looks to be in fair shape.
It is unclear if this Fairlane has ever been repainted, but for the most part, this wagon appears fairly original. The seller mentions that the previous owner distressed the paint to yield a faux patina. Unfortunately the paint looks to have been in reasonable condition before the “patina” occurred. Still this wagon has a great appearance, and is a very solid appearing example. There is no rust or rot in sight, making this wagon a great starting point for a project of your choice, or to enjoy as is. Would you trade up to get this 390 Fairlane wagon?
Although described as a Fairlane, the car shown is actually a full-size Ranch Wagon. The Fairlane would have been based on the mid-size platform.
Yup, full size, not a Fairlane. It could be a Country Sedan wagon. The Ranch Wagon was pretty basic. Looks like a good ol’ wagon. I’d at least paint the darn thing. It’s funny, nobody with these cars ever shows off the “Magic 2-way tailgate”. It was standard, even in the lowly Ranch Wagon.
Howard, if my (sometimes erratic) memory is correct, the “Magic 2-way tailgate” has been attributed to Gerry Coker, who also designed the Austin-Healey “Hundred.”
Frankly, I’d rather have a Healey than a “Magic 2-way tailgate.” But that’s just me….
you have to admit that a 390 in a Fairlane Wagon would be pretty rare, if not nonexistent with a little bit of elbow grease this would be a pretty nice car!
Years ago, I pulled a fender off a 67 Fairlane Squire that had a 390 in it from the factory, so yes, FEs were installed but you rarely saw one.
This thing’s got work wagon written all over it! No trailer queen here,
just an honest solid wagon to pull the trailer instead. I agree with you
Howard, I’d put a decent paint job on it, throw on a set of dog dish
hubcaps, beef up the rear suspension, and you’ve got a winner. I’d
also check the frame for any rust and rot as well. Frame rot was the
scourge of all big Fords back then. That’s why they’re seldom seen
at your local car show. Thanks Brian for the great post! This one looks
more affordable than the Merc but this would suit me just fine.
It has (had) factory A/C as well. Missing the compressor and bracket, as well as some of the hoses.
Had a 66 Fairlane Wagon with a 390/4. It wasn’t this. It was an automatic, had 15″ wheels with mustang like spoke hubs. Fast and strong. But mine was rusted. Once, backing up. the bench front eat tipped over backwards and the car only stopped when it hit a steamroller down the block. Fun was over.
Wow. Did it have the required chrome oil filler cap from Pep Boys and the plastic Fingerhut seat covers as well? Coat hanger radio antenna?
Thats a full frame galaxie. Fairlanes are uni body and this isnt a fairlane
I just looked at a bunch of photos of other 66 Fairlane wagons. Most of them had a chrome strip down the side where this one’s is white. I suspect a Earl Shieb $29.95 paint job in its past.
The first brand new car my parents ever bought was a 1966 Ranch Wagon, Ivy Green with tan interior, blackwall tires, dog dish hubcaps, straight 6, automatic and AM radio. But NO air conditioning.
You see, we lived in Buffalo when they bought it… 4 weeks later Dad was drafted and sent to Alabama. Three years later we moved to Georgia. Stubborn as they were, my parents held on to that wagon until 1972.
As a child I was so happy to see that car go away. Now that I understand it’s relative rarity, I kinda wish we still had it. Go figure…
A ’65 Ford wagon was my demo derby car in 1981. It survived the first derby and I fixed it up enough for a second event. I got a 1st place trophy and $100 for a preliminary heat. I still have the trophy the money went to take my sponser and crew to a victory dinner.
My first wife and I bought one of these after my wife’s car, a ’68 Plymouth Sport Satellite, was totalled in a traffic accident. That thing was as bare bones as you could get featuring a 6-cylinder engine,
3-speed tranny, and no radio. The only issue I had with the car was
the racing idle of the engine. No matter what I did, the idle on that
engine just wouldn’t stay at a resonable setting. We finally sold the body after the engine finally let go. Over the years, I’ve been looking for another one to build a work wagon for myself and my family. This one
would certainly fill the bill–but would take many dollar bills to buy it!
Would make a great 700hp sleeper.
Looks more like a Country Squire to me, which was more based on the Galaxy 500. The only thing missing is the faux wood grain on the sides. This being said, I bet it’ll get up and go.
My first car was a 1965 Ford Country Sedan full size. I agree, this is not a Fairlane but a Full size, most likely Country Sedan..
In 1978 or 1979 my standby ambulance service bought a ’66 Ford wagon just like this (but with the split rear seat) from the small town of Abernathy, TX. It had served as the ambulance for the local funeral home; and when they exited their ambulance service, the Abernathy VFD got it. We got it from them when they became a part of the county’s EMS program and received their first EMS unit.
This wagon was a fast runner. In the mid-60s a severe tornado hit the community of Hale Center, TX which is just north of Abernathy and south of Plainview. Ambulances from all over the area responded, including the then-Abernathy Ford. Years later a friend of mine who worked for the ambulance service in Plainview saw that we had gotten the Abernathy Ford and just had to tell me the story of the night Hale Center was hit. He said that he had picked up a patient and was headed for Lubbock and still about 15 mi. out when he looked up and saw red lights rapidly approaching. It was the ’66 Ford wagon, still being operated by the funeral home. He said that “little Ford” flew past his ’65 Olds VistaCruiser ambulance like he was just sitting there.
No argument to that. We got a lot of good service out of that little wagon.
being a Ford expert this is definitely NOT a Fairlane. Don’t people know what they have ??? All they have to do is look at the car and I’m sure there’s an emblem on it somewhere on the quarter panel or even on the dashboard. This is a Fullsize 1966 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan. I can’t see if it’s got the jump seats or not but I’ll guess it’s a 6 passenger not a 9 with the seats in back like most of the LTD Country Squires. The Squires had the woodgrain Dynoc on the sides and tailgate. That’s what makes it a Squire. The Country Sedan was a Galaxie basically a plain-Jane with no frills. The Ranch Wagon was even more less frilly and was based off the bottom line Ford “Custom” but there was nothing “Custom” about it. I always thought Ford had the names backwards. The “Custom” should have been the top of the line and the wagon would have been called the Custom 500 Country Squire and the “LTD which normally stands for Limited as in not enough should have been the lowest trim model with the least or limited amount of trim on it and should have been called the LTD Ranch Wagon but Ford had then reversed for some odd reason.. I guess because they came out with the Custom long before they came out with the LTD in 1965.