Looking for info and photos on 1964 Ford Fairlane Station Wagons. Back in the late 1960's there was a real nice blue one in town with aftermarket wheels, really sharp looking car, always is show condition. Don't remember the details but my sister somehow wound up with it as her first car. On the way home from work one day the oil light came on and she stopped at a station and had the oil checked. Oil level was fine so she continued home until the engine seized. Turned out the oil pump shaft failed. It was the first car I ever swapped an engine in, kind of a big deal looking back on things I was 19 years old at the time. It was worth $200.00 on a trade in on a brand new Pontiac Lemans Convertible. Did Ford offer the Fairlane Wagons with Two doors or were they all Four Doors? Were they all V8's? I'm too old for another project, but just wondered if others still have these Wagons for daily drivers. Thanks! Bob
Great story Bob. I think the only two door wagons that Ford built in 1964 was the Falcon. We have a 56 Nomad, and it's our family car. Wagons are now cool, and FUN. Photo of your blue Fairlane?
A two door compact station wagon (first car) for our son was our hope… Hello, Back when our son was getting to be driving age, I taught him how to drive and be aware of his surroundings. We had excellent days of “on the street driving,” after spending some time going over the driver’s position, mirrors, all around views, etc. We had previously gone over the motor and various simple things to watch for and take care of, when he is away someplace from our house. He learned to be aware as he has been watching me drive for 16 years. We were in the age of, “look at the surroundings and parents”, as there were no electronic games for him. Talking to him and showing him the niceties of driving was important to a little kid and as a teen. Plus, at the time, he could sit on a modified car seat looking forward to see what we could see. That forward-facing lookout was a whole new ballgame for developing eyes and understanding. That was before the federal mandate of rear seating only. The El Camino, my wife’s sporty car, were a snap, but somehow, we could not figure out three seating for the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. After our months of driving all over South OC, he was ready to take the test. We never had an incident where we thought we were in danger. He was a good listener and was aware of my driving techniques. Our two cars were 4 speed stick shift cars. He even learned the “hill start” method I taught him. No electronic line lock for him. His shifts were clean and not a bang in the whole driving hours. Emergencies for a stick shift driver is almost the same as an automatic driver…stop the car first. Finally, he came up to me to ask if we could get an automatic car so he could take the driver’s behind the wheel test at the DMV in a few months. His mandated driving school used automatic transmission cars and he felt right at home. So, my wife and I knew her 5 speed car was a keeper, so my small stick shift station wagon needed to go in exchange for an automatic station wagon. The months leading up to the DMV appointment, we continued to drive the automatic station wagon after school. Jnaki He p***ed the DMV test with a 100% test and now wanted to drive by himself. So, he drove every day after school and put on approximately 20,000 miles by himself on our family station wagon. He went down to San Diego and north to Los Angeles as well as inland desert areas. Most of his miles were up and down the coast with his friends in the new found freedom. He was in heaven. Now, the last thing was a car for himself. He had no idea, so, we drove many different cars at the used car dealers. He was comfortable in most of them and of course he wanted a small size car. So, the list got narrower after each test drive. His friends had older cars, but it was those used 1960s-70s cars. We had planned on getting a big sedan, but that was not a teenager’s car. We lived by beach, so a smaller car or station wagon was our first choice. Our idea was, when he outgrew the station wagon, dad would then become the owner of the small station wagon. It was small enough to carry 4 people and stuff. It had a small v8 motor that would give enough power to go up and down the hilly areas around our house and schools. If he got tired of it in a year or two, it was a cool enough car to be added to the family transportation group. Now I had chosen a 1960 Ford Falcon Station Wagon. I was planning on cleaning it up and it would handle well with a few upgrades in the brakes and tires. When I showed him a photo of the one I saw, he wanted to see it first. That meant no thanks, dad. (later he told me that the color was not good and it looked too plain) So, we were driving down a neighborhood street and saw an older Mercury Comet sitting on the side of the road with a for sale sign. It was a funky car, the color was a light blue, but Moon Discs would make that old lady’s car into a cool looking sedan. Both of those cl***ic 60’s cars were pristine and would only require a tune up and brakes. He actually liked the Mercury Comet two door. Thanks @themoose He finally saw a cool looking black, 2 door sedan that was on his list and said that is the one he wanted. So, we found one with 15000 miles and it was from Texas. The girl selling it was an executive with a local big name food company in Irvine, CA and they gave her a new foreign sedan. So, she wanted to sell her old car. Despite the big dents in the hood, (from Texas size hail balls) the car was pristine. She made monetary differences for a touch up paint and fixing of the hail ball dents. But, my son took the money and kept his "newish" car the way it was and in 8 years, put on 88000 miles through high school and college. With only one ticket for a fix it, window tint. No speeding tickets or accidents in those years of driving. He sold his well-used car to a friend (in need) for $1 as it needed some work at the end and had 100k miles. YRMV “Teach your children well. Their father’s hell Did slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams. The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by.” “Don’t you ever ask them, why? If they told you, you would cry. So, just look at them and sigh, And know they love you.” CSNY… one of his/our favorite groups.
I was given a '64 Fairlane with a 260 / Fordomatic back in the '80s that also turned out to have been seized due to a sheared oil pump drive shaft. I wondered what the twisty piece of steel in the oil pan was. It turned out that a piece of valve stem seal had gotten through the pickup screen and jammed the oil pump. I'd bicycle over and work on it at my employer's rural place throughout the summer when I had time, with Tom Monroe's book signed out of the library as my reference. I had to pound out the pistons and rods, I then took out the block and had two scored cylinders bored and put just two new oversize pistons in, with new rings all around. I had set out various pieces in order under the car as I worked, but a nosy former pet rac**** that often hung around started handling them and mixing them up. I got sore at it so grabbed it and gently tossed it underhand out from under the car, and boy did it get mad! Anyhow I eventually got the car running well, put kits in the wheel cylinders, etc. but the Fordomatic often refused to shift into second. I drove it on a lot of logging roads as well as around town. When it rusted out I put the engine in another nicer '64 with a three speed manual. What an improvement! I then found a cast iron four barrel intake and 370cfm(sic) Holley for it, which worked really well. Eventually I swapped in a '69 351W because I had read that that was the "good one", and put in a toploader overdrive. I drove it for many years like that, but it eventually got too rusty and is now rusting in peace at a friend's property. I really enjoyed that car.
learned to drive on Moms 64 wagon, black with the fake wood sides, red interior. Mom had problems parking it in the garage so I would pull it around the house and put it away, or pull it out and around the house for her, since I was about 11 years old. Took my license test in that car, the dvm guy thought I was crazy to have to parallel park in that boat, nailed it first try.
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