The Story

This 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 Hardtop rolled out of Ford’s Kansas City plant on September 30, 1964, sporting a one-year-only body style with rectangular tail lights and a 289 under the hood. The color combo of Dynasty Green over Turquoise interior was bound to be an eye catcher. The Texas license plates show that it was last registered in 1988, suggesting that it spent about 23 of its 60 years on the road.

Greg, the owner of Moonshot Performance in Moorpark, CA, wanted this Fairlane because they are fairly uncommon and he imagined it as a nostalgic drag car build. A friend of his found it in an Arizona desert and had it hauled out for Greg. The previous owners seemed to get the most out of this car while keeping it original, judging from the unaltered nature of it and the original paint still visible under the single respray. Greg was planning to build it as a more modern take on a Super-Stock or early 70’s street-performance build, complete with a tunnel ram and vintage ET mag wheels. Greg is selling it due to the ramping up of his business and needs the funds and space from the Fairlane.

The Fairlane holds a clean Texas title in the previous owner's name. There is a reserve that will need to be met in order for it to sell.

What You Get

This Fairlane came from the factory with a 289ci two-barrel V8 and a C4 dual-range automatic transmission. The original engine is gone, but the C4 is included, missing some external parts. The Ford 8-inch rear axle has 2.80 gears and an open differential. A treasure trove of new performance parts comes with the car, including new Doug’s small-block Ford headers (Jet-Hot white coated), CalTracs traction bars with spring hanger adapters, Cal-Tracs rear adjustable shocks, KYB front and rear shocks if desired, front and rear suspension bushing kits, steering bushing kit, tie rods, axle spring mounts, Accel spark plug wires, and a vintage Weiand tunnel ram with spacers, gaskets, and linkage. You will also have the choice of a new Holley 1850 or vintage 4224 carburetor. The exhaust consists of seven feet of pipe with Flowmaster mufflers and a separate new set of Jet-Hot coated Magnaflow 3-inch glasspacks. The car has four-wheel manual drum brakes with a new-in-the-box dual master cylinder and power steering. New front and rear sway bars are included.

The body is solid, wearing original Dynasty Green paint under an apparent single respray. The frame rails are clean and the doors shut solidly with factory gaps. NOS passenger fender and fender cap are included. To get you going on the rust repair, new sheet metal for floors, trunk seal channel, package tray filler panel (from a ’66–’67 Fairlane for inside structure), and inner fender sheet metal that goes under the battery tray are included. If a manual transmission is desired, two manual transmission humps are included. New lenses for marker lights and taillights are included, as is all exterior trim. The original grille has been removed and is included, along with an extra grille, plus an extra hood. It rolls on 15-inch steel wheels. All glass is installed, though the windshield is completely cracked.

The interior is mostly original, with a solid foundation. The dash is in good condition, ready for a patina build or repaint. Door panels are original but worn, needing replacement. The seats have non-original material, showing light wear but presentable. The factory steering wheel, radio, AC controls, and gauges are present. An additional Ford steering column, believed to be from a ‘68 Mustang, offers customization options for more safety. The original air conditioning unit mounted under the dash adds vintage charm. A new wire harness from American Autowire will take care of the electrical system.

What You Need

The drivetrain is a blank slate, ready for your mild to wild engine, transmission, and axle combo. The C4 transmission is missing some external parts and would be good for a core if you want to keep it automatic. The rear axle is complete, but you may want to swap the 2.80 freeway gears and open diff for a performance combo. The drum brakes need a complete rebuild (shoes, lines, hardware). The driveshaft and fuel system are missing.

Rust is present in the floor pans, trunk, trunk channel, trunk lid, and the top of the tail light panel, with no structural rot. The new floor pans, trunk floor, and trunk channel are ready to be welded in after making the cuts. The trunk channel provided shows as being for a ’64 Galaxie, so they will probably need to be modified./adapted to fit, and the tail light panel needs similar work or a donor part. The underside of the package tray is rusted and will need to be replaced with the '66-'67 panel provided. Up front, rust repair is needed under the battery tray and on the radiator support. There are a couple small rust holes on the passenger side panel of the roof that need to be welded up. The passenger fender extension has a dent, but the NOS fender and extension are ready to swap in. The driver rocker will need some attention in the area pictured. The windshield needs replacing due to cracks.

The interior needs a full refresh, including new carpet, door panels, and kick plates (weathered/cracked). The window cranks and door pulls are in good condition and can be reused. The seats are in good condition and could be used until you want to recover them in the correct material. The original headliner is in place and will need to be redone.