I know its not really a hot rod i wouldnt think but i sold a REALLY OT truck last week to buy something a little older. After doing some searching and looking i came accross a 1962 2 door fairlane 500. Guy says it only has 26,000 original miles on the car. 260 motor solid body and inside. just needs a few things wipers wont park and muffler. he said he bought it off the original owner and has had it ever since. Im just looking for something to drive here and there to shows get parts things such as that. Any areas i should look at on this car or whats your opinions on a 62 fairlane in general. Sorry of this is OT but i dont know a whole lot about these cars. I kinda like it cause its all original and never messed with.
If it's a solid pretty well rust free car go for it. Most of the ch***is and suspension parts are in the same Falcon, Mustang - - - family so replacements and or upgrades shouldn't be a problem. Plus they are easy to work on. I'd keep it simple though as I always thought they looked better with a pretty well stock body with a performance car at***ude about it.
yeah as far as he told me there is no mud in it and the body is really solid. its been in his barn that has a cement floor in it and covered. here a few bad cell phone pics of it... it kills me cause i want to go look at it but the guy lives out of town from the car and wont be able to make it there for about 3 weeks. But he did say i have first shot at it so...
I dig Fairlanes alot. Good size without being a boat. You can upgrade the 260 to a 289 or even a 302 with little fuss. www.dennis-carpenter.com makes repro parts for old Fairlanes.
cool thanks for all the info..looks like when i can get him down here ill be makin him an offer on it.
My uncle drove a '62 Fairlane 2 door with a 260 for 15 years. Would make annual trips from Oklahoma back to Virginia to visit my grandparents. The reason he kept it for so long was that it was so reliable, good gas mileage, simple to work on.
If that thing is original it has the 221, the first thin-wall casting Ford V-8. Neat little engine that will have the 5 bolt bellhousing and motor mounts that only fit them and the early Shelby cars. Some front-end parts are unique to the Fairlane/Meteor cars so it's not all Mustang/Falcon bolt in stuff. Factory 13" rims that were all the rage back in the day. I had one a decade or so ago and it's one I wish I had never sold.
That's becasue you are a damned North Wester. I am of the same opinion as Mr 48 here. I always liked them slightly nose down and healthy. They don't need much in the line of body mods maybe nosed and decked if you must. I would not go really wild with it if I planned on shcaing parts with it, you need your suspension to have good travel if you are going to haul a ****** in the trunk. Should make you a good driver, once you get everything working.
THANKS for the extra info...its killing me that i am not going to be able to look at it for a couple weeks. i will make sure and look at the motor to make sure what it is just to know.. if i do get lucky enough to pick this car up i will be sure to post some pics of it up here...good thing is this car is a lot closer to me then all the others i have looked at. thats a big plus for me
Hang in there and be patient (impossible i am sure). Looks like it is in really nice shape. Check the usual areas for bondo (i like to take a magnet with me to check). Also check fluids conditions/maintenance/ask lots of questions and then make your decision.
i usually have plenty of patience so im not going to bother him i helped him out with finding a local guy to drill a water well for him so i hope that helps me out in this case. its on of those things...its what i sold my truck in order to find and now i found it and cant see it for a little bit haha. he seems like a pretty straight forward guy and said he used to redo cars but got badly injured when he got clipped by a semi while in an ford ******..so he cant lift or do any heavy work. So just have to wait and see now.
Some good info posted. They are solid little drivers and go down the road quite nice when everything is tight. The front suspensions are similar to Mustang and Falcon, but I'm pretty sure the control arms and such are unique to the Fairlane.
Standard engine in '62 Fairlane was 170 Six. Both the 221 and 260 were optional for Fairlane in '62. (Sources: Encyclopedia of American Cars, page 193; Ultimate American V-8 Engine Data Book, page 122)
The whole front suspension is unique to the 62-65 Fairlanes. The underbody is the same for them and the 62-63 Meteor. Look for rust behind the kick panels and in the fender just behind the front wheel as they'd get packed with debris and rust out there. Leaky cowls would drip on the carpet and rust out the floorboards. Clogged drains in the doors caused rust out in the bottom of them. Likewise clogged drains in the rear quarters would rust them out. After 62 the 13" wheels were rare on the Fairlane and never after 63. All 62-65 Fairlanes and 62-63 Meteors are five lug 4-1/2" BC.
The base model six-cylinder engine for the 1962 Ford Fairlane was a 170 c.i. six cylinder, not a 223 (those were used in the full-sized Fords). I've got a 1962 Ford Fairlane along with a 1962 Mercury Meteor, they're great cars with great potential. Good info posted by w2zero, some spots on my 1962 Mercury Meteor that require repair is the cowl (fresh-air vent on the drivers side) and floors (water came in thru the rusted air vent and soaked into the carpet). Double-check the front and rear frame rails, the front frame rails tend to rot due to limited drainage. You can purchase replacement floors and frame rails if need be, but judging by your pictures the car appears to be in good shape. Good Luck! Tom - Gl***_Packs
i love the early 60s fairlanes.i have a 63 that needs much work. like body interior needs a engine, trans and some gl***. but i like it and im gonna build it.ive got a 429 and a 460 sittin in the floor waiting.i wish you all the luck in the world with yours. hope it becomes yours and you get to drive the hell out of it.
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