'63 Fairlane Buildup - Input appreciated

Also got the weird rubber coating off the floorpan in preparation for wire brushing and paint.

What did you use to get that rubber coating off ?
I was looking at the inside of my fenders and the coating on there sucks looks a little dicolored.Itried the degreaser with detergent and nothing just looks dirty and I wanted to take it down to the paint underneath.

 

So what's wrong with a '63 Fairlane? What's wrong with a 4 door?


Fix it. Drive it. Enjoy it.

There's a guy around here who has a fleet of early 60's 4door Comets. All of them different colors and all of them powered by 6 cyl. engines. All of them low buck home made "restorations". All of them are fine looking automobiles and he drives them regularly and works on them with his family. He's not "trading up"...selling them off...racing them...hunting trophies....posing....or any of that stuff. He's just enjoying his cars.

I respect that guy more than a guy who lusts after a high dollar, high zoot, Barrett Jackson money mobile.


That '63 is a beautiful car.

 

Beware of the front springs if you pull em out to lower it, I have had spring clamps let go removing stock springs and it aint pretty. I know in OZ rear sway bars are available over the counter and they make a difference but so does dropping em on the deck. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

That's a damn solid car for 500 bucks. I was gonna say to drive it for a bit before you tore it all to hell, but I'm a little late with that comment. Keep up the good work, and don't forget the camera after your done for the day.

 

I actually used a gasket scraper... It's almost like tar or something; it was oily where it was against the metal.

 

Drive the $hit out of it and do what you can when you can. i dont have a lot of money to throw at mine so i do things when i can. plus you got it for 500 bucks cant beat that with a stick. keep us updated.

 

cold weather and a good gasket scraper will do the job on the floor.do a search on hotrodders bulletin for sound proofing. latex paint and microballons.

 

Here is a pic of mine.

 

Thanks...

 

Nice little Fairlane, although I think if I had one that far apart already, I'd be shopping for a set of coupe doors.....

 

Holy shit NaKpinstriper! Got any other pictures of your '63? I've seen a couple of '63 Fairlanes customized, but yours takes the cake. I have a 1963 Ford Fairlane 2-door sedan, a 1962 Ford Fairlane 500 4-door sedan (parts for the '63), and a 1962 Mercury Meteor. Here's a pic of my Meteor; I'll post my concept drawing of my 1963 Fairlane shortly.



Thanks!
Tom - Glass_Packs

 

I had a friend who had a 63 sport coupe with a 260/4-speed back in the mid 60's.

He had just got out of the navy and had a few extra bucks to play with so he took the car to Holman Moody and that little car turned into a giant killer,,,I don't know what was done internaly but there were 2 four barrel carbs and it liked vettes for lunch.HRP

 

Found it!



Here's the rendering I did of my 1963 Ford Fairlane 2-door sedan. It's going to be styled along the lines of a 1960's dealership racer. Jantzi-Motors is the dealership my Grandfather worked at - as a parts manager, service manager, and then as a car salesman. Originally powered by a six cylinder, it's getting a 221 V-8/2-speed auto from my 47,000 mile 1962 Fairlane 500 parts car.

Tom - Glass_Packs

 

I'll add to this also, i've had great success,using one of those portable halogen work lights. Put it on the backside of the sheetmetal where the coating is located(not right against it though). After it warms the metal a bit,then use a scraper. The heat helps break the bond to between the coating and the metal. Just do section at a time,moving the light as you go.

 

Here's a few pics of my old one...

 

Yeah, there's no need to apologize for not having a mainstream car- it's the other way around!

 

I like it.

 

Hey k-member,

Do you remember what set of rims and tires you had in the rear of your '63 Fairlane? I've got a pair of ET Rebel wheels (14x7) that I'll be running in the front and am looking for something a little bigger for the rear.

Tom - Glass_Packs

 

k-member, that is a great looking car, I really like that.

Jon

 

right on thanks

 

My first car was a 62 fairlane. I had the cracked dash padding as well, but my dash was actually painted the same as the exterior. So you might want to be carefull when you take the dash padding off you just might get lucky and not have to worry about painting the dash.

car looks good, I had a blast in mine.

 

Glass_Packs, your concept drawing of the sedan is awesome!

I'm partial to the hardtop but I also realize that we do the best we can with what we've got. The thing is that these '62-'65 Fairlanes are solid cars; they're some of the structurally stiffest untibodies of their time and they feel good going down the road. I chipped away at one for years.

I don't care to know anyone that'd get that bent over a non-stock color for these things. They're not Ferraris. Besides, suede has always been a crowd-pleaser.

A 302/C4 driveline is a perfect drop-in; just get the right yoke as SlowandLow63 said... and be sure to take prime mover up on his offer for the mounts. Except for the lack of overdrive, this is the perfect driveline for these cars, as the Challenger 260 V8 and the unforgettable 289 High Performance made their debut in this engine bay.

You'll have a lot of fun with this thing, that's for sure. Like I said, there's something about the way they roll...
Input? I'd think seriously about shitcanning those 10-inch drums and get some discs; the Fairmont discs would be a good place to start and the spindle may fit... I forget if you'd have to change tie rod ends, though. I used the Stainless Steel Brakes' version of the '65 GT350 Kelsey-Hayes four pots over 11 X 1 inch rotors on my '63; they bolted onto the stock spindles.

Good luck to you, sir; it's a long process but you can drive it along the way.

Since some here have posted their pics, here's mine:










~

 

Yeah, I still have them, there off of a 72 Ford Wagon there the widest Ford OEM with 235/70 15 Hurst cheaters from Cody and some 14"s up front.

 

Just out of curiosity, do any of you guys who've owned these cars in the past or currently know how to get the fenders off? I've got every bolt I can find off but it looks like there's still something holding it on around the door area. I can't find anything there...

 

Thunderbolts did have shock towers! They were modified but they were there along with coil sping front suspension. Crites Resoration makes a kit to put the FE in a '63-'64 Fairlane. Tasca Ford built a '63 Fairlane with an FE that was basically the prototype for the '64 T-bolt.

You can build a small block setup with a whole lot less effort though!!

 

Too cool! I have a 65 too but in Tropical Turqouise.

To the original poster, keep at it and don't get overloaded on the details. It's much more fun having a running / driving car that needs a little work.

 

That car is cool. I had one in the mid 90's. I still miss it. It had a stright 6 and 3 speed, fun car.

Before


During


After

 

There's a nut holding the fender on at the back of fender. You can get at it from under your dash, just above the kick panel.

 

It's probably similar to the Falcon/Comet which is held on at the bottom by a stud (that's held in the fender until it breaks trying to remove it) and nut that is accessed through a ~1.5" hole in the kick panel areas. Flood the fastener with something to help break it loose. There's also a bolt on top that can be seen when you open the door.