1966 Ford Fairlane 500 GT 427 High Rise 4-Speed

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[@fabieneldridge3414]

One of my all time favorite cars ever produced ! Fun all week long !😊

[@joefreeman9733]

It's a beautiful car. In the early 1990s I built a Thunderbolt clone. Same high riser engine. All correct. Compression ratio 12.5 to 1 . The car was not luxurious like this one. But the performance sound and wow factor was equal to or greater. Not a daily driver because of fuel consumption and octane requirement. But a GREAT toy and ride. Shortly thereafter I built a 64 Fairlane 500 coupe. This was designed to be simple low cost low maintenance and reliable. The starting point was a 289 2 bbl automatic trans underdash AC car. At that time I was driving 1000 miles per week mostly in Socal Nevada and Ariz. I wore out the original engine at around 175 000 miles and the trans was tired. I took a 302 and stroked it to 331 c I. I didn't go to 347 c I due to lack of longevity of the pistons and rings. I wanted around 400 hp which meant a change to a manual transmission. Starting at the front a large aluminium radiator with a 6 blade declutching fan . Engine is .030 over with a mini girdle and 6 qt baffled pan. 10 to 1 compression ratio AFR aluminium heads full roller cam and steel roller rockers.. Cam at 220 225 w 510 500 lift. 6 inch rods. EDELBROCK airgap dual plane intake w 700 cfm Holley. Long tube headers into 2.5 in. Dual exhaust running Spintec mufflers TREMEC 5 spd w .68 o.d. Hydraulic clutch. Power front disk brakes off a Merc Monarch . Station wagon rear drum brakes. 8 in. Locker rear end w 3.55 gears. POWER band from 2000 to 5800. In 5th gear every 1000 rpm good for approx 30 mph. The engine not surprisingly feels and behaves a lot like a mildly modified 327 365 hp Corvette engine that's been mildly modified because it has essentially a very similar bore stroke ratio and good heads and a fair amount of cam. I've had the car to 145 at which point rpm on tach is slightly under 5000 rpm. And the car is darty and out of suspension despite running 850 lb front springs and 325 lb rear leaf spring Bilstein Sport shocks export brace Monte Carlo bar tied to shock towers boxed lower control arms and 1.12 in front sway bar. The problem is from a suspension standpoint these 64s had a unique 1 year 1 model suspension and there is no aftermarket suspension support for them. Oh well. I upgraded the AC system with a modern Japanese rotary compressor retained the R12 refrigerant and it works well. The engine dynoed at 412 hp at 5750 rpm. Torque was 385 ft lbs at 3700 rpm. The engine has no temperament at all and at over 90 000 miles shows no signs of wear so far the only electronics are a Pertronix and I carry a spare unit plus a point distributor in the trunk just in case the Pertronix packs up in North Dakota. Without electronic fuel management fuel consumption is not stellar . I GET AROUND 18 MPG AT 80MPH STEADY CRUISE WHICH IS AROUND 2650 RPM. ON the other hand zi get around 9 at a similar speed with the Thunderbolt. On the otherhand the Tbolt clone will run a qtr mile time of 11.6 while the ciupe runs around 13.8. I would liked to have chosen a 66 thru a 69 Fairlane as my starting.point for a transportation car but at that time I could not figure out how to get the combination of performance and economy with the larger heavier car.. Well now that would I suppose be doable with the advent of the 363 Ford engine and reliable factory electronic fuel management systems. So I'm considering buying a 68 or 69 Fairlane fastback with a slightly tamed down 363 . I like the styling. On the otherhand doing the same thing with a 68 Mustang fastback or 68 or 69 Cougar XR 7 is attractive also. And a lot of aftermarket suspension is available . In any event I'll never part with either Fairlsne. Both do what they were built and intended to do quite well. But for thrills sound and performance it's hard to beat the dual quad hi riser 427 engine. Which given the history of its development and racing heritage in NASCAR and NHRA is I suppose not surprising. These engines are now supported albeit at considerable cost by the aftermarket. Which is a good thing because OEM parts are quite scarce and very dear. On the other hand aftermarket support for the Windsor small block family is virtually as good as for Chev small blocks although a bit morecexpensive. And the performance potential of the Ford Windsor small blocks is within reach of the small block Chevs until you reach the 6.2 liter LS CHEVS at which point Ford push rod engines that are competing at the same price point thin out. .

[@garybrinker4522]

I thought the 62 -65 Fairlanes had same suspension..My 62 has a 66 289 and a 4spd from a 82 Mustang gt..

[@samuelcreech8369]

ONE BADASS FORD!

[@Fred-wy4ix]

My dream car. Don't care if it is the 289, 390, or the 427, just love the looks.

[@mikeking9777]

Sweet. My pop had a 65 and my uncle had a 67. Love them fairlanes.

[@mikenatale5269]

Damn that car is sweet!

[@Mike583]

That's the first time I've ever seen a spotlight on a Fairlane fender like that! If it were mine,it'd be gone! Other than that it's gorgeous!♡

[@sdushdiu]

Interesting...they weren't used as police cars...what prompted someone to order and have installed a spotlight on this car????

[@johnmoriarty6158]

If it is from Manatee County Florida a cop ordered it.

[@Mike583]

@@johnmoriarty6158 I just can't see one of these cars ever being a police car!

[@garybrinker4522]

I remember them as MP in Vietnam 🇺🇸

[@markbreaux6613]

Epitome Of ''Cool'' Right There!

[@paulcondie2520]

Beautiful!

[@rickuyeda4818]

Real hot rods have 3 pedals. My cousin had a '66 Fairlane 390 GT with a 4 speed and 4:57 gears. He pulled the 390 and installed a 427.

[@colerainfan1143]

Simply outstanding.

[@toddlecher4097]

damn beautiful

[@andrewscott3184]

Soooo sick!

[@slayer7694]

Badass

[@JohnDoe-qu8ny]

Sounds good

[@topturretgunner]

Sweet!

[@gillybob7747]

There's no such thing as a 500 gt, but Jesus that's a beautiful car

[@edge2sword186]

It really sounds like they have the right cam in this engine 324 cam

[@jaysetchell5769]

Very sweet

[@kevinarmstrong6957]

Luv it !

[@larryb6715]

That's badass and I am not a big Ford dude.

[@waltert.dogcarnut5807]

Where is this car today I want it!

[@SuspenseESCAPEremastered]

Radio delete - buckets, console and spotlight! Ya gotta love it!

[@chuckselvage3157]

She's tough.😍

[@davidlanders99]

Smoking and knocking

[@vincewilliams5219]

How do you change the spark plugs with all that motor in there?

[@danielmeegan6259]

Rock crusher

[@timwood1938]

I had the convertible 390 3 speed

[@davyhookbones]

Is this a numbers matching car? If not I've cut value in 1/2+ or more the emblems on ft fenders are wrong

[@steveunger8108]

66,427 fairlanes had white exterior's...and no spotlight. This looks like a GT that has swapped engines

[@kevinwest3689]

My low buck nothing fancy 66 fairlane 500 looked exactly like this one only was Wimbledon White with blue interior and an automatic with that stupid console but no stupid spotlight, just a 390 with a c6 and a nine " rear and nope a fairlane isn't a mustang just a bad ass fairlane.

[@josephtravers777]

It's a resto mod car. Needs those dog dish hubcaps and steel wheels to be authentic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fou1f6Vveq2GerM

[@fish0n2]

That is One mean looking car. in the 80’s I had a 66 fairlane 500 that was built green came stock with a 289 it didn’t even make all the home before the motor gave up in the 80’s you could still get V8 cheap at the junkyard so I put a 351 Cleveland in it not the fastest thing on the road but it did ok but after paint and a lot of interior work it was a looker I think the early fairlane cars of the 60’s were some of the best looking cars and with the right choice of factory parts could be made to go fast and by the way who cares if this isn’t a real factory 427 most kids back then did the work on what they could find and built up form part stores or junk yard parts to the want adds in the news paper the town I grew up in we had what we called the Renton loop where you could show off your car and if you were lucky not get to many tickets for speeding

[@georgefrempter596]

@@fish0n2 those were good times !!! I was a Finn Hill kid back then 💪💪

[@bigthunder2860]

I hope you give it more than a idle if not what wrong with you

[@sergeantmasson3669]

1966, Ford produced 57 Fairlane cars with 427 FE engines but none were GT cars. Thus, this is not a factory production car.

[@michaelraddish7898]

500

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@michaelraddish7898 All 57 were Fairlane 500 XL cars and not GT's

[@tede.kulhawik7614]

At least 1 was a GT. I have a 1966 motor trend magazine that tested it. Mabey ford crushed the car, anyway it had a 427 medium riser dual quad, similar to the ones that swept LaMans 123 for years running.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@tede.kulhawik7614 FALSE. Ford NEVER produced a '66-'67 Ford Fairlane GT with the 427 engine. TASCA Ford did though, and I have '67 that I bought new from them.

[@user-bc2kc9qz7l]

67HARELANE

[@dennistone8710]

Great car, love it! But there is no such thing as a Fairlane 500 GT, it's either a Fairlane 500 or a Fairlane GT, not both.

[@chrisfegan3475]

Grail

[@terribleTed-ln6cm]

Can I borrow it for a day ?. ........pretty please !. ....

[@chrisfegan3475]

Omfg

[@ButterMaster10]

Should be Wimbledon White. Weren’t all 66 R codes white?

[@larryc8916]

I know the Galaxie Light weights were, not sure on the Fairlanes.

[@steveunger8108]

The car appears to be the GT, so it was born with the 390.

[@mrdiplomat9018]

The original GT or GTA cars had the S code 390; I have one. The 427 code Fairlane 500 cars did have the R code, all Wimbledon white, yes 🎯 If this car is a factory 500, the stripes and GT badges don’t belong, obviously...this car appears to be a factory GT car...it’s got the console, the chrome pedals, etc. As far as the spotlight goes, I’m no expert on that, but back in those days you could go down your order sheet and almost check off any combination of options. With the GT package, I’m not sure if you could get a spotlight or not. The obvious things were, no air-conditioning on 427 Fairlanes, etc. My stepfather ordered a ‘66 Fairlane new from the dealer, and he told me he wanted the overdrive with the 3speed on the tree; 289-2v....the only reason why he didn’t get it in the end was the fact that it had a “freewheeling” feature that you couldn’t opt out of. He wanted engine braking no matter what gear he was in❗️ He was an electrical engineer, so he was picky😗. He ordered the car, and that 289:2-v had a 2.80 axle in it!! It got 20+ MPG, and I could do 0-60 in 8 seconds flat!! Great little car 🚗!

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@mrdiplomat9018 Some police departments had 2 door Fairlane police cars. 1966, a spotlight was an option for any Ford Fairlane model.

[@carmiethompson2676]

The 427FE makes the 428FE, Boss 429 & the Cammer pale in comparison. Those engines never needed to be built. All the 427FE needed were the cylinder heads that were designed by Harry Westlake of Westlake Engineering in England after being commissioned by Dan Gurney for his CanAm Lola. Those heads would've made the 427FE the dominate engine in NASCAR, NHRA & the FIA Manufactures Championship.

[@chrisbarton1517]

No, the SOHC Cammer is THE top of the foodchain. 200 hp more than the 427 and with todays tech you can build one for 750 STREETABLE HP. You can't do that with a 427.

[@carmiethompson2676]

@@chrisbarton1517 Read my comment again. I said w/ the Westlake heads, which Ford didn't follow through on w/ Dan Gurney. The Cammer makes power from rpm & for the street, makes durability a question. The 427FE has proven durability from NASCAR & European Endurance. Ford ignored the FE's potential in CanAm & Gurney was the guy to do it. Shame the racing was just for advertising. Ford Jr. at least kept the brand alive but it's to bad he wasn't a visionary to improve the brands reliability & trickle down more of what the Engineers were learning from racing.

[@rebelhook1]

let me have it

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Wrong engine emblems on the fenders for a '66 Ford Fairlane.

[@gregoryhutchins8421]

I would take that car anyday over some european car

[@carlosfinch8225]

$