Well, I have tried to do this before several times but has failed to post due to the length (?) or has timed out due to my slow typing skills. This is also in response to Jeff’s posting about slow postings. The story of my 55 Fairlane’s. In 1970 I moved to California from Oregon due to lack of work opportunity in the winter in Oregon. I rode my Honda 350 from Salem Oregon to San Gabriel California for a job I had lined up over the phone (more to that story but not here). After I got there I was looking to find a cheap car and I found a 55 Fairlane for $300 that was a decent driver and very original but well used. This started my first 55 Fairlane love, have had several 55 and 56 Fords over my life but only two Fairlane’s. At my ripe old age (less than 20) I started to restore with modifications my 55 I had just purchased, paint, chrome, interior, wheels, exhaust, etc. This was the first car I ever tried to do this to and it was a fun process at the time. I met a girl driving a red 66 Mustang convertible and we dated for a couple years then married. Just before the wedding I sold the 55 as the Mustang would be our everyday driver and I still had the motorcycle. I kept in touch with the buyer of my 55 and tried to buy it back several times over the next couple years but then he and the car disappeared. Ten years later I was in the Tahoe/Reno area visiting my wife’s aunt and we decided to go to the Harrah’s auto collection as I had never seen it. At this time it was something like 2000 cars and there was a room that was just Fords, one of every year. As we were looking around there was my 55, a little beat up but definitely my car. Even had the same license plate from when I had it (looked up some old pictures) and a couple of telling modifications I had made. Blew us away, how had it ended up there? Harrah died and the collection was sold off in three auctions, my 55 went in the second auction. I did not travel up from L.A. to bid on the car as I had several projects in the works and no money at the time. I don’t know what it brought or where it went. My wife kicked my***** for years over selling then not buying that 55 back, we still have her 66 Mustang. She has had that car for over 50 years. We moved back to Oregon in the 90’s, I retired in the 2016 time frame. One day while perusing Craigslist in the Seattle area I spotted an identical 55 Fairlane to my first one that looked very original and quite nice. I thought the price was a bit high (but not bad) and continued to watch the car for several weeks. The price started to come down until I drove up and bought it. The first thing I did was to put Torque Thrust wheels on it (same as my first one). It was an original 68K mile car from Washington state and indeed it was nice. It is an ongoing story for another time but I now have the car I had when the wife and I were dating and she still has the original car she had when I met her. I will try to attach some pictures of the first 55, at Harrah’s, then my current 55. If you are reading this I guess it worked this time. Mark EDIT, I just tried to add pictures put it says the pictures are too large. Will to try do something else with the photos. Mark
More to the story if this works. The Harrah's pictures worked and a current picture worked but the First car pictures won't load. Also, two of the wife's car when it was in storage after the flood.
Neat story..........I'm always amazed when I hear of guys still having their cars after 40-50 years. You managed to get some pics posted! Btw, I also moved to California in 1970, but I moved from Massachusetts. I was a young Machine shop apprentice in a state with no work amid shops closing down. Nixon closed NASA operations in Massachusetts in response to the state being the ONLY state that didn't carry his re-election. I had a bumper sticker on my '64 Olds that said."don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts". This machinist apprentice did pretty well in Socal. When I left the state 14 years later, I quit my job as Vice President of the largest privately owned machine shop in Cal......burnt out after working 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Same kind of deal for me except Oregon was shut down due to the spotted owl can't do logging thing along with some other stupid***** that killed the state economy, California was booming at the time. The only two pictures that I didn't get posted were pictures from 1971 of the original car right after it was finished. My wife scanned the only two photos I had into the computer and those are the ones that it says are too big. Haven't tried your fix yet, thanks for the advise! Mark
Nice story, I wish I had kept my first cars, but they were just "old cars" at the time and I couldn't maintain a fleet of cars while making $2.44 an hour at the time. My youngest sons first car is a 1981 Mercury Capri (Foxbody) and he has managed to keep it although it is primarily a race only car now. It amazes me how much old cars have increased in cost in the last couple years. Glad you found your replacement 55 before costs went up.
I bought my first 56 Fairlane in 68 for $75, 312/auto. I bought my current one, 312/3 speed OD in 05 for $7600, 100 times what I paid for my first one. I wish I was making 100 times what I made in 68.
I guess I don't like to get rid of some things but seem to dump others. I have a 59 F100 SWB that I have had for 34 years, don't know why I kept it so long but it is kind of like the 55 in that it is my second 59 exactly the same as my first one. I guess there are some I wish I hadn't sold so I get another one. I have had somewhere around 200 cars in my life if you count the ones I bought to flip and parts cars I junked. In the 12 years I worked with a Ford dealer I was buying/selling/flipping 3 to 4 Mustangs a year. Had several Studebakers for a time, several Falcons (still have a 65 wagon) a few Galaxies and other things from Mavericks to Cougars. Some people say they wish they would have kept this or that but you just can't keep everything forever. No regrets here! Glad you enjoyed my weird story, if anyone did come across my original 55 (license number in the photos) I would be curious what happened to it. It was sold at an auction of the Harrah's automobile collection on September 27 & 28th, 1985, I still have the auction catalog. It was lot #175 on page 30.
You couldn't have picked a better set of wheels for your car, nothing like a set of aftermarket wheels that add to the look of the car and not distract. HRP
When I bought my first 55 a set of torque thrust wheels was the first thing I did the first week I had the car. Dual exhaust was the second thing. I have a major like of the torque thrust wheel design every since I saw my first one at the age of 14, have put them on several cars and trucks since then. My wife says I would put them on my lawnmower if I could! They look good on most 50's to 60's cars and even some 70's but it is very much a personal like thing.
As you can see by my avatar Torque Thrusts and a slight rake look good on most cars and perfect for our Fords. I’m glad you went with 15” in this era of 18-22’s which to me have ruined the 50’s cars. Great story and thanks for sharing.
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