Thread: My first build

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Hello all, I have made a few question posts here and there, but thought I would start a build post to get more specific answers and let everyone lend there comments to my build. As history I have had a couple tinker toy hot rods here and there with after market bolt on performance parts, but never a true rod or ride I built myslef. I am pretty mechanicaly inlcined, but never taclked a complete job. I always wanted to do this, and finally conviced the wife building a nice Saturday night cruiser would be fun for the family.

After looking long and hard (on a budget of course) I found a nice 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door sedan. When I bought it, the back window was shattered due to the previous owner's unhappy ex girlfirend, and the passenger side front strut rod bracket had rusted off the frame. This was the only Bad rust on the car and I knew it would need some Attention, but with the conditon of the rest of the car, I thought it was a decent buy. The guy was asking like $2200 and I think if I remeber right I got him down to $1800. He even rented a trailer and towed the car to my house for me for free. The title was free and clear. Couldn't beat it in my book. Here are some pics from that night:

The car set in the garage from March until May, as that is how long it took me to find a replacement back window. That was a saga in it's self. When I started this, I was just going to fix this and that to make a decent cruise ride, but I now have the wife convinvced to try and pull of some sort of complete build. Know I am doing this at least:

1. Replaing all 4 frame rails
2. replacing all wiring
3. replacing all fuel, brakes, and transmission lines,
5. new front end
6. motor rebuild
7. tranny rebuild
8. new susspension
9. rebuild brakes
10. new interior


I had the new rear windsheild put in before i amd ethis decision, which now I regret because I am repalcing headliner, and will have to pull it out again. Oh well first in a mountian of live an dlearns I am sure. Here are some pics as I begin to tear her down.






Here is the rusted Strut rod bracket I removed. I ahven't got any pics lately but have most of the interior removed now, and plan on pulling the motor and tranny this weekend. I will post some pics once they are out. By the way didn't mention it before. Car is an original 289 with cruise o matic tranny. Came with a new Edlebrock performer manifold and performer 600cfm carb.




Thanks for looking

Barry

Nice - take it slow, one corner at a time.
Its good that you're concentrating from the bottom up, getting the frame and suspension solid!

A little butane torch is invaluable when disassembling these old rusted cars.
20 seconds or so on a frozen nut will usually free it up!

Great Ford find there . Looks like a very clean starterwith minor rust at that . Your plan seems in line but what seems to over come us is the need to drive LOL. Your 75% of the way there from the picks. Sounds like you'll be doing more clean up which is better then having to completely rebuild it.

Love those Fairlanes!! Looks like you have a great project going with lots of fun. To me all the fun is in creating "your" car the way you want it. When the build is complete, I'm usually ready for the next one. Thanks for sharing, and please keep us posted with pics, we all love to see your progress!

Been a while since I updated this. Here are some pics of the progress. Most of the interior minus the carpet and front seets has been removed. The engine and transmission were pulled last weekend, and I tore the engine down completley this week. Should be ready to go to the machince shop by Monday. Hope to have the rest of the body stripped and ready to go off to the body shop by mid october. Enjoy the pics and let me know your comments.









Engine and transmission removal with a freiend with our 2 14 year old sons

Even teaching my 4 year old daughter how to remove the heads! gotta start them early!! LOL

Doing great Sure looks like you got yourself alot of help or just early gearheads

Looking good so far.

I Got a big kick out of the little one with the ratchet. Start them young and you'll have a gear head for life.

Schweeet!!!

I do love my Fairlane as well. That rotten strut rod foundation is way common on the 62/65 Fairlanes. The engineer that put the battery above an open channel should have been shot! Drill a drain hole in the other one and in the replacement too. I made my own replacement piece.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/w2zero/

W2zero- Nice ride, gotta love those fairlanes!

Thanks all for the comments. Now for the dumb newbie question. Standard bore on a 289 is 4" ? correct? I am ready to send the block to the machine shop, but need to have the new pistons in hand so it is an exact bore (going 30 over) and not a rough bore. Want to make sure this motor has never been rebuilt or machined before. so I measured the cylinder and came out with 4 inches. But using a small ruler, really do not have a micrometer, and ofcourse harbour freight was closed here yesterday, and advacned and discount autoparts did not have one. Want to order the parts, but do not want to order the wrong thing. Again, an ingnorant question, but bare with me I am learning one step at a time. Thank you

The car looks really solid and is a great car to restore. I don't see those Fairlanes very often. The claw hammer scared me a bit though. Just kidding. It will be good to follow your progress.

Looks like you have some good help there, but I think the car needs a few more horns. Nice to see you are making good headway.

As for the pistons, I wouldn't buy them until the machine shop does their thing because he may find he only has to go 10, 20, or maybe out to 40 to get it straight. Then you would be stuck with 30 over pistons. On a stock rebuild I just let the machine shop get me the pistons and bearings. The price is usually close and it makes him feel good because you spent some more money with him rather than giving it to someone else.

Don

And to add to Pop's commentary on the machine shop, if you have them responsible for all of the measuring and definition of what's required you don't run into the potential problem of something being the wrong size/fit (assuming a quality/responsible shop). Not many things worse than having a problem and the shop getting off the hook by saying something like "we did it the way YOU wanted it, not the way we would have done it! It's YOUR problem"

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

And to add to Pop's commentary on the machine shop, if you have them responsible for all of the measuring and definition of what's required you don't run into the potential problem of something being the wrong size/fit (assuming a quality/responsible shop). Not many things worse than having a problem and the shop getting off the hook by saying something like "we did it the way YOU wanted it, not the way we would have done it! It's YOUR problem"

Some very good advice from Uncle Bob!!!! Possibly some of that "been there, done that" advice????

The one thing I would add is to find a machine shop that can do all the machine work, balancing, cylinder heads, etc that will be necessary for the build... Also seems to work best when the outside machine work is all done in the same facility!!!