Projects 55 fairlane project

So I brought home this fairlane today. Shes got 36k miles on the clock. Has a 272 with a 2bbl and a 3 on the column. Overall in good shape. Brakes are needing attention, pedal has no tension and the e brake is locked up. Plan on lowering a tad and maybe some mags with black walls and maybe hop the Y up some. So anyways heres my start.

 

Good looker,and overdrive.

 

They're great cars. I spent many miles enjoying my 55s. I've had several. Last one was a fairlane with a 272-3 speed. Gotta watch those front crossmembers for rust damage tho. Mine had to be replaced.

 

When i gave it a loom over under neath it was really clean at first glance, i will check that much better tomorrow now though. Thats a great looking car by the way. Really great stance.

 

I'm jealous, that's a really nice looking car...

 

Congrats - looks like a great place to start for a Cool reliable ride

 

I love everything about that car. Good score.

 

Very cool. Those y-block are the best small cube v8 ford made. With a few mods they go well. Way more cool than a 302. Lowering is cool not sure that mags are cool unless they are old school radars or the like. Please tell me your not thinking of modern dorky big inch tuner car style mags.

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Good looking score. Keep the overdrive if possible. So much fun. You will learn to love 2nd gear overdrive.

 

That's A REAL nice looking ride.Good luck with her! Bruce.

 

Im a big Y block fan, my other project is a 37 ford coupe with a pretty hopped up 292 Y block. And dont worry no boyd style or modern mags, Im on the hunt for some halibrands

 

Great start, always liked the 55-56 Fords.

 

Nice find. Strange it has a 56 trunk trim but retains the 55 " overdrive" word. You can see some personalization with the interior work, blue dot tail lights, and bumper guard removal.
Early 90's Ford Arerostar springs lower the front about 1-1/2".
Consider joining the Crown Victoria Owerners Association (it's not just for Crowns) and the YBlocksforever.com has the best info ever for fixing anything.

 

Interior looks very well done. Congratulations on a great looking car.

 

Its actually got a member decal on the front smokers window for the crown vic owners association haha. Im on Yblocksforever a good bit with my other build. Im going to do the aero star springs and some blocks in the back. Exhaust needs some work so Im going to redo it with some porters and Ill grab some towel city tires for it this weekend.

 

Any info out there for doing a floor shifter conversion on these? I don't hate the column shift at all but i do like a floor shift for a hot rodded car.

 

Do NOT use a Hurst mystery shifter. Had one in mine like this but a 4 door a real pain in the butt. Whichever one you get make sure it has travel stops.
The mystery shifter had none and burned up 2nd gear syncro rings by forcing them too far onto the forcing cone.

 

I have heard those were junk in other applications, will stay away from them for sure.

 

Really cool car and I like your plan...

 

Thanks for all the positive thoughts and feed back guys! I'm excited to get to it. I've got a spare "A" manifold and holley teapot 4bbl off my 292 build that I might put on this car to replace the 2bbl for the time being. I dont want to get real crazy with it, just want a cool driver.

 

Any one know of a places that sells a drum brake overhaul kit for these cars? I know I can do the granada disc front conversion, but I dont have a ton of time for searching junk yards, Is there anyone that makes a disc conversion that isnt really really expensive?

 

Dennis Carpenter there in Charlotte has just about anything you need for the rear brakes. They also have a lot of other parts you may or may not need for that car. My very first car, many years ago was a '56 Mainline Tudor. Brings back a lot of memories. Oh, and don't sell that column linkage short. Ford's column linkage back then was the best in the business!

 

Great looking car!


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Th

Thanks Im just down the road from them so Ill give em a call.

 

Mid '70s Torino/Merc Montego or late '60s big Ford spindles and disc brakes are a bolt-on. Just swap out the spindles. Do me a favor and look at the serial number plate on the driver's side A pillar. Tell me the third character in the serial number, which indicates the assembly plant. If it has an A, that indicates Atlanta plant. If it's an Atlanta car, my father leaded the seams on it. He worked at the Atlanta plant 1952-82. He was leading seams in the body shop in '55. I have a '55 that my parents bought new at Drake Motor Co. here in Rockmart GA, but it's a Memphis car. Something about the distribution network from factory to dealers. We're only 50 miles from Atlanta but most of the cars that came to our local dealer back then came from the Memphis plant.

 

If only my Vicky looked that good right now, but a 35+ year project car...oh, never mind.

MVC 813F by Yutan Flash posted Jul 4, 2011 at 2:08 PM

Engine bay driver front 3/4 by Yutan Flash posted Jul 4, 2011 at 1:57 PM

Oh, x2 on CVA - 30+ year member myself.

 

I will check first thing in the morning bud!

 

Some shots i took in between it raining this morning. Hate i had to leave it outside in the storms but with the parking brake locked up i cant get it inside yet.

 

Back in the day a friend of mine had a ratty blackwall tire 55 Fairlane 4 door a 272 and an automatic transmission. He replaced the 272 with a 312 Mercury engine with a Wolverine cam and a 57 Ford Nascar dual quad set up. The Fordomatic was replaced with a three speed floor shift open drive transmission from an earlier Ford P/U. Can't remember what year P/U the transmission was out of. Maybe one of our Ford experts can tell us which P/U's have open drive three speeds. That car ran extremely well back in that time frame and was a definite Sleeper that we had lots of fun with.

 

I've got a real hopped up 292 in my shop that's for my other car but I'm starting to be tempted to put it in this and make a sleeper.