This 1966 Ford Fairlane is owned by Tim & Dorie. They have been with the “Good Time Cruisers” since the inception back in 89 or 90!
They found this beauty from a want ad in North Carolina. The car had 40,000 miles on it and was with its second owner. The car came from Norfolk Virginia where its owner was called to duty to serve in Viet Nam, never to return. His parents stored the car in a barn for about 16 years. Owner number two was stationed in Norfolk Virginia at the Navy Base, where a friend of a friend of a friend knew someone who had this creampuff in a barn. The parents felt it was time to let go, so the Fairlane was inducted into the Navy Base. Upon discharge, Sailor #2 drove it to Durham, North Carolina where he enjoyed the car until child #3 came along. Then the needs of diapers and baby formula, made the Fairlane hit the want ad’s “ For Sale”.
Tim and Dorie had been looking for a “6” Fairlane for many years. They hooked up with A-1 Classic Cars in Parma, who transported it back to Ohio, and then the saga begins!
Back in 1966 Tim was an auto mechanic ( Factory Trained Technician ) at Crandall Ford where he ordered his first new car, a 1966 Ford Fairlane G.T. This car saw much action at the Thompson Drag Raceway. Best time 12:02 at 108 mph. Numerous engines 390, 427 and 428 strokers all blew up, as well as 15 rear ends geared from 323:1 to 456:1. It took a tank of gas to cruise Painesville Manners, Euclid Manners, Tiny Mill and back home. Uncle Sam finally came to his rescue and sent Tim over the big pond to South Asia – “Welcome to Viet Nam”. After earning two Purple Hearts and some Accommodation Medals, he returned home, fell in love with Dorie, got married, and then THEY sold his dream car to buy furniture. Twenty years later, daughter Sally, out of college married ( a great hot rod kid ) Steve and they began their search for another “Muscle Car”
After a few years of cruising, the Springtime Yellow Fairlane went through many changes. The goal was to bring back the “Good Old Days” So with the help of his son in law Steve, out came the 390 engine and in went a 427 with dual quads purchased from a flim-flam-man from Cleveland for $2,500.00. When a cheap price is “To Good To Be True”, it unfortunately usually is! Later to find out it was a 361 truck block bored out well beyond the limits to get the 427 pistons where they did not belong! Upon the disassembly process Tim realized everything he bought was a scam! Where upon he learned lesson #1, Not All Hot Rod Guys are honest!!!!!
Oh Well, as long as the engine is out, lets send our baby to the body shop for a new paint job. Just sand it down and paint it! Well, a year and a half later, a major over haul finally came home!! Thanks to Uncle Al and Sonny at K & S Auto Body it was wearing a beautifully flawless paint job of Acapulco Blue with White Accent Stripes.
While she was away, I did find a great bargain. A new ( in the crate ) 427 side oiler engine that had never been used! A foreman at the Brookpark Engine Plant found 1 cylinder .008 out of factory specification’s, pulled it off the assembly line, took it home to Newbury still coated with Cosmoline, and it sat from 1966 until 1993, when he sold the farm and moved into a Condo!
Tim bought the bare block for $850.00 and took it home. $7,000.00 later it sat on the floor, a blue-printed, balanced and line bored block with a reworked crank, custom ground Erickson cam, Wiseco custom made pistons, dual quads and much more!!! While he was at it, Tim rebuilt the C-6 with a shift kit, Stall speed converter etc! Then he bolted on Custom Hooker Headers and was ready for some Action!!!!
The car looked good, had a “Kick-Ass Motor and tranny, but where the Hell was the oil pressure? Not even a high volume oil pump addition could get the oil pressure up! Turning to a recommendation from Dove Engineering, Tim tried one simple test. Leaving the engine in place, Tim removed the driveshaft, transmission, starter motor, and unbolted the flex-plate so that he could get to the now exposed relief valve located in the rear of the engine. Squeezing his chubby little fingers up there, he removed the valve to find out that the engine builder had installed it backwards! Getting over the irritation of having to do a lot off unneeded work that they had caused, Tim put it all back together and was elated to now have the correct oil pressure! Now Tim was ready to finally show off his car with new paint and engine, not to mention all of the other work he had done to the Fairlane, But Why?????? When he turned off the engine, gasoline ran through the rear carb, when he started it back up, it smoked, bucked and would flood out! So, he rebuilt the already rebuilt carb, not once, but two times, and then sent it to a carb expert in Cleveland, who did such a fine job, that he then took it to another carb expert down in Youngstown, who bench tested it, and said there is nothing wrong with it! But, it still did the same thing on the car! Not being a quitter, Tim replaced that carb with a new one, and it has run like a top or the last 9 years! Only one time did she embarrass Tim in all that time, and that was at the Mayfield Village Cruise In of 2001. The fuel pump puked while Cruising the Loop, and it got a ride home on the back of a handy flatbed!
But, all in all, it’s been a lot of fun, especially since we performed most of the work ourselves. We have driven it to Detroit a few times to the “Dream Cruise”, New Castle, Pa. for the “Back to the 50’s” show, various Ford Shows and Fairlane Club of America National Shows and won many trophies, even if my son-in-law claims to have won “Best of Show” with his blown 55 Chevy at the “All Ford Show” in New Castle! ( Just a joke! )
We have enjoyed many of the out-of-state shows such as “Run to the Sun” in Myrtle Beach, the “Turkey Rod Run” in Daytona, “Pigeon Forge” in Tennessee and many more! It has also been fun meeting with the Cruisers from all areas, and sharing our passion of automobiles.
A quick update: Two years ago we rebuilt the suspension, upper and lower control arms, idler arms, sway bar and drag link. While under there, we replaced all wheel cylinders and brake drums while running all stainless brake lines from front to rear! All that is left to replace is the original seat covers ( this winter ) and I am still looking for an original wood grain steering wheel!
The End