I was wondering what ch***is the fairlane is based on. Is it simply a larger body on the falcon unibody ch***is or does it have an independant frame? I'm looking at one tomorrow and would like some info on this model. All i know is the year and that it has a 6 cyl with a three speed. Anybody have any pictures of customized ford wagons? Thanks Jordan
Dad had a new 62 which was very similar. I don't remember for sure if it had a frame under it but I think it did not. His had a SBF 260 and a fom ******. sorry I couldn't help more.
It is similar to a Falcon, but dimensionally a bit bigger. In general, they got everything a little more heavy-duty than the Falcons, but not too much. Some parts interchangability. Both Falcons and midsize Fairlanes (post-61) of this era have unibody construction with similar IFS and parallel leaf rear suspension.
The 62-65 fairlane is a unibody like the falcon/mustang but with bigger, longer springs, it still has the front coils above the upper a-arm, they all came with five lugs and 8 inch rear ends, even the six bangers. the sister car with the same ch***is is the mercury meteor.
My high school ride was a '63 Fairlane Sport Coupe {buckets, console, and some with floor shift}The 6cyl is either a 144cid {blue}, 170cid {red} or if swapped from a '65 and newer, a 200 cid {yellow}. While these are economical, reliable engines, none of them are going to set you back in your seat, or throw your hat in the back seat when you dump the clutch. The heads on these engines have integral intake and exhaust manifolds {they're all one piece} and suffer from not enough air, fuel, or exhaust. You can clean up the intake and exhaust ports, maybe get bigger valves and a cam, and some companies sell an adapter so you can run 3 little carbs instead of just one. All this will help, but not nearly enough. If you want Kustom and slow, you got it. If you want hot rod and power/speed, swap in a 289/302. That's just my opinion of course, I could be wrong Jerry
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