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Original Message
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| RE: Ford did offer an engine upgrade.. |
| By McQ - 08/12/2004 4:49:40 PM; IP 65.176.65.10 |
Yes Don there was that "upgrade". The '66 Fairlane 427 was made available to "connected" Ford buyers-racers mid-year. Seems like 70 or so were built. All were White/black interior. Most were painted and raced immediately.
The Powered by Ford scene got a little better for the average person in '67. Ford actually did a little promotion, an example would be the one page ad in Hot Rod mag that year with Parnelli Jones' NASCAR 'lane featured on top with a subheading: "The 427 Fairlane.......is also available without numbers". Below that was a straight side shot of a blue '67 Fairlane 500 hardtop. Below that is the copy of how wonderful it would be to own a street 427 Fairlane. What they don't tell you in this ad is that the 427 option was going to cost you a cool $grand. That option alone would put your basic '67 Fairlane over $4K. That was not a reasonable price to your basic Fairlane buyer in 1967.
There was one '67 Fairlane 427 sold by one of the three Ford dealers in this community. The buyer had to show the Hot Rod Ford advertisement plus he had to get a letter from an attorney threatening a lawsuit if the Fairlane was not ordered and built. The silver with black vinyl top, back interior, Fairlane 500 427-425 was ordered, built and shipped to Wendle Ford here in Spokane, WA. The owner drove it regularly on the streets for a couple of years. It became an SS strip warrior, "Quicksilver" in '70.
There were something like 500 or so '67 Fairlane 427's, both -W- and -R- code, and a handful of '67 Comets/Cyclones built. The Mercs are ultra rare. But was there a real optional upgrade to the average FoMoCo HP fan? Not really. Sure you could buy neat stuff over the counter like tri power, solid lifter cams, etc. But there wasn't anything readily available offered that was competitive to say the 360 horse 389 tri power '66 GTO. Same for the upgrades available for the Old's 442, the Malibu SS 396. The 390GT could easily work over a 383 Magnum Mopar. But don't dare mess with a 440 '67 GTX or RT.
Another local friend bought a new '67 GT -S- code 4 speed 'stang. Beautiful car in the dark blue. He was beaten readily and often the first few months he had the Mustang. The topper was when another of our friends beat him with a '61 Starliner 390/375 with a 4 speed. That was it! Out came the short intake port 390GT replaced by a '64 lo-riser 427/425. Now he had a competitive Ford Powered car. It was a high 12's regularly daily driver.
I know I harp on it too much. But it still bothers me that Ford didn't offer a 390 that was somewhat similar to the '61/'62 390HP. It wouldn't even have needed the HP block. Just the solid lifter HP cam, stick only, and tri power. That power plant would have been an instant legend. It would have offered the serious enthusiast a seriously competitive Fairlane/Mustang. It took me a long time to get my '66 390GT/A to run mid 14's. If I could go back to '66 I'd order the cheapest '66 Fairlane non 500 two-door post sedan with a -Z- code 390 and 4 speed. I'd want it with rubber floor mats(obviously I thought the '68 Roadrunner was a very good idea). Before the cheapo taxi look alike 'lane arrived I would have ordered the '66 428PI solid lifter cam/lifters, 428 PI valve covers, to allow for the B8A adjustible rockers/pushrods, the over the counter tri power induction package, and a stock Ford dual point 427 distributor. Only aftermarket parts would be Belanger Headers, Traction Masters and a Hurst Comp Plus. Oh and pull the 3.25 rear gears after finding a set of 3.89's from an early '60s 292/stick shift Country Sedan or Ranch wagon. Now that would have been a fun car to beat a fully loaded tri powered goat.
"How can that cheap Ford Fairlane beat my mighty Tiger?"
Okay enough day dreaming, back to work carefully installing the fenders on my '60.
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