'66 Fairlane XL

[xrttman]

I'm about 90% done (which probably means I'm halfway there) with my 66 Fairlane 500 XL. It's black with red interior. It's riding on a full Detroit Speed suspension system designed for a 65-67 Mustang but with a lot of engineering adapted to this car. The DS products are the Aluma-Frame front suspension and Quadralink 4 link rear with a 3:70 gear. The power comes from a small block Ford with 427 CI in front of a GearStar Auto OD tranny to handle the 600 horses. I always wanted a car with Borla mufflers and this one's got 'em with a complete stainless exhaust system. It sits on Schott Accelerator wheels: 18's in front and 20's in the rear. Since I'm figuring this will be the last car I'll be having done from scratch,145632145631145630 I'm going with PS, PB, AC, and a decent sound system. The car goes to the interior shop next week and I hope I'm driving it by Christmas. All engineering and construction is being done by GTS Customs in Baldwin, GA.

[wfo guy]

"The last car". Does that mean you may die soon? :) Explain to me how you quit once you have every project be better than the last. Great project!

[454bug]

One of my favorite cars growing up. My best friend had a 4-door '66 Fairlane with a 289, 3-speed manual. We dreamed of it being a 2-door...

FANTASTIC project and VERY jealous! I can't wait to see it done. :cheers:

[xrttman]

"The last car". Does that mean you may die soon? :) Explain to me how you quit once you have every project be better than the last. Great project!


I'm not looking to check out right away, but at almost 70 years of age, I think I'd rather enjoy this car than take on another project that lasts at least a year or more. This is a car I've dreamed about for a long time, and I think I'd feel unfaithful to my 'UnFairlane" if i began another. So....I'll just be happy with this one.

[LowFast]

Looks stunning so far.

[fordsbyjay]

I really like the DSE unit, I just have a hard time spending that much money on a front clip then having to modify everything to make it fit. I wish all these vendors would wake up to the fact Ford made more vehicles then the Mustang.....

[1stgenchop]

My very first car was a 66 Fairlane, this is an amazing build.

[USAZR1]

That Fairlane is shaping up to be an awesome ride. I know how you feel about building cars this late in the game. I'll be 64 next month and my Elco is most likely my last build,also.
Heck, we might as well enjoy every day!

[Motown 454]

Good looking car! with plenty of fun part in it. I love the body style.

[70B5Cuda]

Im not a Ford guy but the Fairlane's lines really do something for me. I love the mods...especially the stance and hood!

[WILWAXU]

Love it!

[Bossed]

What a beautiful car !!! Looking forward to your progress.

[HotRod47]

Love that body style. Please don't stop there, more pics and details please!!

[xrttman]

Love that body style. Please don't stop there, more pics and details please!!

Here is the powerplant for UnFairlane. The air cleaner is still a work in progress but that's the starting point. The engine is a Dart block, Brodix heads, hydraulic roller from Comp Cams, being fed by a FI Tech fuel injection unit. It has a Concept One front runner system. The headers and exhaust are custom built from stainless steel. 145676145677145678 I didn't want a bling filled engine compartment. Brian Williams at GTS Customs calls it the "industrial look". I'm not a car show kinda guy, and this car is being built to DRIVE, so while I think it'll look pretty hot, I'd much rather be busting bugs than sitting behind it in a lawn chair.

[Bossed]

Busting bugs . . . . :rotfl:

[Motown 454]

This thing is so Sweet!!

[xrttman]

147119147118The Fairlane is back from the upholstery shop with it's Pro Car buckets. Still waiting on console to be built, armrests, sun visors, and a few other items. I was hoping to be driving by Christmas but that ain't happening. It does now run and drive, but still needs assembly of exterior trim pieces and final buffing of paint. It's getting CLOSE.

[USAZR1]

Interior looks great. Coming along,nicely.

[Bossed]

Please show more pictures of the car. From what I can see, the interior is going to be beautiful. What kind of power does it make ?

[xrttman]

This week is for working on panel gaps and the deck lid and hood hinges. It's a glass hood so the stock hinges will put too much pressure on it, and eventually put a bend in it like the old GT 350 hoods always have. Hopefully the bumpers and grille will go on this week. 147515147516

[xrttman]

To answer the power question: The Dart blocked and Brodix headed small block 427 engine dynoed right at 600 horses with a small carb and headers that didn't fit well. So, we're guessing that with the Gearstar overdrive auto tranny, the car should put about 550 to the ground. The engine was built for TORQUE not high rpm hp. It will be used for the street, with only an occasional "parking lot race" just to use the DSE suspension as it was meant to be used.

[nimblemotorsports]

interior came out super nice!

[xrttman]

I no idea just how hard it would be to find some of the parts for this car. For example: the anodized headlight bezels that came with this car were beat beyond repair. I thought no problem I'll just buy some repops.......nope, they don't exist. They're listed in a couple of catalogs but no one really has them. After WEEKS of looking I found an NOS pair on Ebay.......for only 650 bucks!!!. Now I'm searching for the housings for the front turn signal lights. I have the lenses but no housings. Probably gonn'a have to fab up something. I'm getting very, very impatient as we near the end of this deal.

[Boosted Falcon]

Beautiful build, and should be a fun driver.

[Ben@SpeedTech]

Very, very nice!

[67cougnut]

XRTTMAN,

Love the build!

What did you do to make the quadralink work? I have the full DSE catolog in my Cougar and it took some work to make the rear fit. Long story short I had to order their universal lower links and create the length I needed. the upper mounts/arms worked with some creativity and slight adjustment.

What did you do for headers? A buddy of mine and I ended up working with JBA to R&D headers to fit the alumaframe after trying about 5 different off the shelf headers and two different sets of "custom headers" that just never fit right.

[xrttman]

There was a LOT of fabrication to make the DSE Mustang Alumaframe and Quadralink suspensions work on the Fairlane. When we called DSE and asked about the feasibility of adapting their Mustang equipment to the Fairlane body their comment was "How good are you at fabrication?" Fortunately the guys at GTS Customs are very good at it. Once the proper locations were decided, the fab work was building the mounting brackets, spacers, and making sure it was all straight. I don't have the necessary talent or ability to do this type of work. These guys are experienced at building race cars virtually from scratch, so I was never worried about how it would turn out.

The headers were built by another race car builder here in GA. Each header pipe is individually mounted to the heads and leads to a collector. To be removed they will have to come out one at a time. They're made of stainless steel. He said it was among the hardest projects he's ever done.

[LowFast]

Yep, nothing is easy when you go the road less traveled. Something the Camaro, Chevelle and Mustang Guys never really get the joy of experiencing.

[xrttman]

Getting closer and closer to driving this thing. It's going through a final buff this week (hence the yellow tape around trim). Still needs fender and quarter emblems and badges
added. If the weather will break, this week will be letting the Fi-Tech injection go through it's learning process and programing the GearStar AOD tranny.

[LowFast]

Looks fantastic, very classy overall and will look fresh for years to come.

[Cal99]

Stunning! Love the stance. Do you have any pics of the rear suspension and how the DSE Mustang kit was adapted? I have a 66 fairlane 500 that I'm debating suspension options on now.

[wfo guy]

Woo Hoo! :)

[Bossed]

Gorgeous car, great job

[Motown 454]

Nice!

[WILWAXU]

Beautiful car!

[67cougnut]

Stunning! Love the stance. Do you have any pics of the rear suspension and how the DSE Mustang kit was adapted? I have a 66 fairlane 500 that I'm debating suspension options on now.

To my understanding, the front is not incredibly hard to adapt. I spoke with a DSE fabricator when buying the alumaframe for my car and he said he had personally done it on a first gen cougar per instructions and had done one on a 64/5 falcon with a little extra measuring. the rear is where you will find most of the difficulty.

[67cougnut]

The headers were built by another race car builder here in GA. Each header pipe is individually mounted to the heads and leads to a collector. To be removed they will have to come out one at a time. They're made of stainless steel. He said it was among the hardest projects he's ever done.

One of our main goals when doing the R&D was to make sure the headers come out with the motor in the car. We tried about 8 different off the shelf sets to see what would need to be modified. We tried 2 sets of custom built headers that the builder swore would fit and they didn't. hopefully ill update my thread with some new pictures here soon.

[xrttman]

As soon as I can get the car back on the lift, and as soon as I recover from some "old man" surgery this week, I'll get some photos of the DSE Mustang components and how they adapt to the Fairlane or Cyclone chassis.

[xrttman]

FINALLY I'M ALMOST READY TO TAKE IT HOME!!. The console is the only item left to finish. I can't wait to put the Detroit Speed suspension to work. I'll post better photos when it leaves the shop.

[wfo guy]

What's hiding behind the trunk panel?

[xrttman]

The entire front trunk panel is attached with snap rings and pops off to access the battery and electrical shut off switch. The rectangle in the center is just something the upholstery man did for show and to have a place to put the "Fairlane emblem we had left over after using the block letters from a '67 on the quarter panel.

[xrttman]

I knew the Detroit Speed components were great, but you simply cannot know how well an older car can ride, handle, steer and stop until you've experienced driving a car with this type of suspension. It is an amazing transformation. I have a stock and original '67 Cyclone GT that has rebuilt suspension front and rear, and drives as close to new in '67 as possible. Driving the two cars back to back is almost unbelievable that cars that look so much alike can be so different.

A big thanks to GTS Customs in Baldwin, GA for building my dream car.

Now I'm ready to enjoy this thing for a long time. The long wait and big bags of money were worth it. 151667151668151669151670151671151672

[beater65]

I'm a GM guy, but jeez this car checks all the boxes for me.

Its an impressive build, and you should be very proud of the final result.

[fordsbyjay]

That looks great. Nice car.

[Pingar]

Looks amazing!

[70CougarXr7]

Enjoy the ride!
Can see myself cruising in that car to :-)

Lovely interior!

[wfo guy]

I agree with your modernization statement completely. Very well done. :)

[xrttman]

To answer those who wanted pics of the suspension components installed: here are some pics from yesterday when it was on the lift for a overall inspection after a few hundred miles of break-in driving. The Detroit Speed components are the Aluma-Frame front and QUADRA-Link rear suspension kits for a 65-70 Mustang. That chassis is quite a bit different than the larger Fairlane, but these units can be adapted with time and effort.152141152142152143152144

[jschmidt97306]

Such a great ride. Well thought out and executed!

[WeaponX_66]

Here is the powerplant for UnFairlane. The air cleaner is still a work in progress but that's the starting point. The engine is a Dart block, Brodix heads, hydraulic roller from Comp Cams, being fed by a FI Tech fuel injection unit. It has a Concept One front runner system. The headers and exhaust are custom built from stainless steel. I didn't want a bling filled engine compartment. Brian Williams at GTS Customs calls it the "industrial look". I'm not a car show kinda guy, and this car is being built to DRIVE, so while I think it'll look pretty hot, I'd much rather be busting bugs than sitting behind it in a lawn chair.

I couldn't agree more cars were meant to be driven! I'm stealing that quote about busting bugs and lawn chairs lol super sweet car!

[xrttman]

Thanks for the comments. This thing is even more fun than I thought it'd be. For those who get stalled in the middle of a project, my advice is hang in there and keep at it. The end result is well worth all the time, and money.

[ProjectSideOiler]

I knew the Detroit Speed components were great, but you simply cannot know how well an older car can ride, handle, steer and stop until you've experienced driving a car with this type of suspension. It is an amazing transformation. I have a stock and original '67 Cyclone GT that has rebuilt suspension front and rear, and drives as close to new in '67 as possible. Driving the two cars back to back is almost unbelievable that cars that look so much alike can be so different.

A big thanks to GTS Customs in Baldwin, GA for building my dream car.

Now I'm ready to enjoy this thing for a long time. The long wait and big bags of money were worth it. 151667151668151669151670151671151672

beautiful cars! Big Comet/Fairlane fan especially the 66-67 cars. Have owned a bunch including some factory 427 cars.

[Zspoiler]

Very nice I grew up during that time and I really like the body styles from back then. There are a lot of people who don`t know what it is, And you will surprise them.

[50dan]

Nice to see something different that’s badass

[xrttman]

UPDATE.....After three months and three different professional tuner shops trying to make the FI Tech injection system work properly I gave up. Their tech support is worse than ANY product I ever used. If anything they make the issues WORSE and seem to know next to nothing about the system. You talk to a different person every time and they even contradict each other. Today we installed a Holley 750 CFM Speed Demon carb and with only bolting it on out of the box, the car starts, idles, and accelerates better than the FI Tech has in three months. Beware of this system

[J-440]

Very nice!! What's the lower cooling fan for? Oil, transmission coolers?

[xrttman]

Very nice!! What's the lower cooling fan for? Oil, transmission coolers?

That's the cooler for the Gear Star Ford AOD transmission.

[xrttman]

The shop that built the Fairlane, GTS Customs, took it to Charlotte for the Goodguys show and received a Builders Choice award for their efforts. I'm not a car show guy but i'm glad they got recognized for the build. Now it's time to DRIVE the thing!

[Dropdtop]

Mind if i ask what shop installed the rear 4 link setup? DSE?

[67Scarelane]

@xrttman Beautiful build!! Where did you find that gauge cluster? Also, why go with the Detroit speed front end as opposed to Heidt's that is designed for it?

[xrttman]

GTS Customs in Cornelia, GA built the entire car.

[xrttman]

The gauge cluster is Dakota Digital installed in the stock Ford dash panel. Heidt's is a good system, but if you've ever driven a Detroit Speed car I think you'd agree that there's nothing better.

[Boosted Falcon]

Every time I see this car I fall in love.

[builttodrive]

Beautiful Fairlane! I am working on a 67 500 R code in our shop right now and believe it or not it is the very car Dakota Digital used to prototype the gauge cluster from. Very different build of course..Being as rare as it is this one is going back to concourse.

[xrttman]

Beautiful Fairlane! I am working on a 67 500 R code in our shop right now and believe it or not it is the very car Dakota Digital used to prototype the gauge cluster from. Very different build of course..Being as rare as it is this one is going back to concourse.


Back to concourse is the only way for a quarter million dollar R-Code to go.

[svensk]

Beautiful Fairlane!! Looks similar to this one. 191850

[dwight.j.wheeler]

Hey nice Fairlane! Can you please tell me what Radiator that is?

Regards

[xrttman]

Hey nice Fairlane! Can you please tell me what Radiator that is?

Regards

I had the radiator custom built for this car by a shop here in north Georgia. It runs at a steady 180-190 even in this gawdawful Georgia heat!