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1963 Ford Fairlane 500 Sedan V8. 289 V8 [4.7 litre] with Fordomatic automatic transmission. Excellent runner and very straight rust-free condition. <br />
289 has an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburettor. Duel exhausts with glass pack mufflers, gives a nice classic V8 sound without being too noisy. Starts every-time, with no smoke, and runs well with no leaks.<br />
This was a Kansas-built car, and then spent much of its life in California, so body and underneath are solid and rust-free.<br />
Headlining in good condition.<br />
Fuel and temperature gauges work perfectly as do all dash warning lights. Indicators, headlights, brake lights all work. Wipers work well, as does interior heater fan.<br />
All door locks work, as do exterior [except o/s passenger] and interior door handles and all window winders/windows work correctly with good glass.<br />
Steering- works well, car tracks steady at all speeds.<br />
Original front and rear seatbelts, colour coded to interior.<br />
There are no oil, water or gearbox leaks. <br />
Brakes- work very efficiently. Recent brake work includes;<br />
New drums all round<br />
New brake shoes all round.<br />
New rear park brake cable.<br />
New front park brake cable.<br />
New park brake return spring.<br />
Park brake handle assembly reconditioned- stripped/primed/painted, with new pawl spring and new cable pully mechanism [pully is solid steel, better quality than original pressed steel item].<br />
Just changed oil with new oil filter.<br />
Recent new fuel lines and fuel filter.<br />
Brand new front tyres [rears are good].<br />
New chrome air filter assembly with new air filter.<br />
Boot lock assembly replaced with complete new barrel and extension linkage.<br />
New old stock stainless steel windscreen wiper units with new blades.<br />
Two sets of keys including original.<br />
New chromed stainless-steel adjustable wing mirrors, quality reproductions.<br />
New front door cards/vinyl. Rear parcel shelf re-trimmed.<br />
Aftermarket CD player/radio with remote.<br />
New speedo cable <br />
New speedo drive to gearbox<br />
This is an original L" code V8 Fairlane. This means it was equipped with the first incarnation of the small block Ford V8, the 221 cubic inch [3.6 litre V8], when it came off the production line in October 1962 [right at the beginning of the 1963 model year]. The 221 small block was designed for these mid-size Fairlanes when they came out in "62. The V8 cars benefit from stronger drivetrain and suspension components, as well as larger braking area, compared to the 6 cylinder.<br />
Mine has been freshened-up with a later 289 V8this was an option in the "63 Fairlanes from half-way through the model year, so is in-keeping with car"s originality, and a simple swap as the 289 is basically a bored-out 221. Whoever did the swap also changed the front wing badges to 289, added hood-pins and fitted the dual exhausts with glass pack mufflers and Edelbrock carb. Its runs strong, never overheats or fails to start, with a useful upgrade in performance. <br />
Car is in its original Ford Corinthian white, which has been resprayed to a reasonable standard at some point. Not an expensive job but decent enough "driver quality"" with slight imperfections, a few minor chips/scratches that have been touched-in, with no dents to body which is straight. Paint holds a polish well. The door bottoms and wing surrounds are in good condition with no signs of rust bubbles/filler, or rust holes/body rot.<br />
Floors, sills and spring hangers etc are all in good condition with no rust. Original Ford spot welds visible on sills. The chrome and stainless-steel trim is all present and correct, and is in good to fair condition with a few light marks/dings. The front bumper chrome is good, but bumper has a dent on right that you can see in the photos, rear bumper similar condition.<br />
Boot floor is good, and original Ford steel spare wheel and good tyre, bolted in place, plus jack.<br />
Front bench seat is covered with a new Saltillo Molina Mexican blanket from Hot Rod Tiki, which has tailored slots for the front seat belts, so not just thrown on. Looks nice in the blue and white stripe. Worn seat foam on driver"s side bench replaced. Under the blanket front seat material is worn in places.<br />
Other work that needs doing;<br />
-Rear bench seat is worn/sun burnt along top edge, temporarily covered in scrim foam. This is an older interior re-trim that is now tired. Carpets are serviceable, except worn on driver"s side front. Rear door cards slightly warped. <br />
Park brake needs adjusting to rear wheels since fitting new cables. Speedo cable needs attaching [now spins freely after I fitted new drive and cable, speedo itself has been tested and works. I think end of cable possibly needs a shim to connect properly, will do if time].<br />
Dimensions are; Length 197.6 inches- 502cm. Width 71.3 inches- 181cm. <br />
This means it will fit in many UK garages, unlike full-size Americans. It is also a nice size for UK roads, and much less of a handful than Galaxies etc.- a similar year Ford Galaxie is 10 inches wider and 13 inches longer. Its lighter weight also means it is livelier and better on fuel, while still keeping that classic American look and big car feel [1329kg compared to 1708kg for 63 Galaxie]. <br />
It is the same width as a 1964 Falcon and only 7 inches longer than a Falcon wagon [12 inches compared to Falcon Sedan].<br />
This is the last year of the fins in US Fords, and is a nice-looking car.<br />
The 500 is an upgraded trim spec over the base Fairlane, so has more stainless trim around the windows, along sides, the rear panel is more striking with extra decoration and the dash also has more chrome.<br />
These early-series mid-size Fairlanes are pretty rare on UK roads and don"t seem to come up for sale often. However, many of the parts are interchangeable with the Falcon/Mustang series of the early to mid 60"s and are readily available [See Macs and Dearborn in the States, who stock a massive range of Fairlane parts], and the 289 is well catered for in parts and performance. <br />
Previous owner to me owned the Fairlane for 4 years and used it as a daily driver in California for most of that time. He always serviced it and said was 100% reliable in that time. Previous to him it had been owned by an older guy for many years in his neighbourhood of Martinez. I bought this in Martinez, and used it for a bit of sightseeing around San Francisco before shipping it back and using in the UK. Since getting it back I"ve been driving it and doing the various improvement jobs as I go. Obviously UK registered with the classic black plates with all duties etc paid and copy of original title. I had planned to keep this for shows, travelling to Pendine etc. into the Summer, however have taken a different direction at work which means I need to put funds into my truck project.<br />
This is ready to get in and drive anywhere, and is a good, solid reliable base to drive and continue improving, with no hidden horrors. Has done only a few miles since I changed oil and filter [oil nice and clean and obviously been changing regularly in past], and at time of writing front tyres have a couple of miles only. <br />
Not many early 60"s US Ford V8"s available now in this price bracket. I am happy to take you for a test drive and will consider reasonable offers.<br />
I can assist with shipping to mainland Europe etc. Car released when funds are in my hand.<br />
<br />
Date written: 07-Mar-2019
Price: <td><strong>£7900 Or near offer
More about this vehicle on carandclassic.co.uk
ID: 15090
