Words: Tommy Parry
Jeff has spent most of his life involved with this Fairlane in one capacity or another. After his father purchased this car new from Canby Ford in 1964 and took it drag racing at the Woodburn Dragstrip in Woodburn, Oregon, it was used it to bring newborn Jeff home from the hospital! It was the beginning of an long-lasting relationship.
However, reality struck with the newborn and Jeff’s father sold the Fairlane to support his family. It must’ve been fate — twenty-five years later, his father found it again at a swap meet and made an offer. After he restored it, he sold it to Jeff, who continued the saga of this Ford.
The former owner had long ago removed the original K-code motor, so Jeff wasn’t interested in keeping his heirloom completely original. Spurred on by the doors this opened, he decided not to follow his father in his preferred form of racing, and instead retrofitted the Fairlane with a Morrison MaxG chassis so he could go autocrossing. After he fitted the stiffened chassis, he’d cover the floor in some eye-catching tin work.
Next came the powerplant: a snarling Ford Racing Boss 363 with Stack 8 Injection and a TKO six-speed. It was a snug fit, but even so, Jeff added new inner fenders to accommodate the wider front wheels. Somehow, he squeezed a set of immaculate headers from Refined Metal Works into the bay’s narrow confines, too.
While the body was being sanded and media blasted at the shop, Jeff sourced some gauges and bezels from Boese Engineering to add a few modern touches to the cabin. Newly-reupholstered buckets with a stock ‘64 center console made for a simple, tasteful interior with enough lateral support to keep Jeff stable when taking full advantage of that rigid chassis and the broad tires which support it.
Next came the footwork and the final assembly. Strange shocks and Wilwood big brakes dotted all four corners, as did the massive Schott wheels measuring 19x12” in the rear and 18x9” in the front—shod in 325/30 R 19 275/35 R 18 tires, respectively.
Lastly, the body was coated in Viper Red, a tasty color which draws the eye but is far from garish. Jeff’s build is ongoing and far from completion, and we wait excitedly for this tasteful autocrosser to make it to the track, where it will undoubtedly set some impressive times and serve as one hell of a conversation starter.