Someone PM'ed me asking to see pics of this car a while ago. But when I finally got a chance to take some digital pics I could not get them to post. Finally figured out they were to large (10.2 MP), and just today figured out "how" to re-size them !! Anyway, here they are.

BTW, I sold the car to a friend at the end of April ... the proceeds of which made it possible to buy my new 2011.

Doug

 

OMG, how could you possibly part w/that car? It's beautiful...

 

It looks good from a distance and in photos, but the previous owner's choice of a quick Macco bondo & paint job just before I bought the car in 1986 is showing it's age !!

I had done the interior and all the mechanicals so it was a great summer driver for the last 24 years, but was always dreading tearing it down and giving it a proper and expencive body restoration. Originally an Indiana car, it has the typical rust issues in the lower doors, fenders, qtr's, floors, and cowl ... plus all of the XL exterior aluminum trim needs to be refinished as well as some of the chrome. Re-Pop parts for Fairlanes are almost non-existant when compared to Mustangs so your choices are either really expencive NOS parts (if you can find them), used parts in better shape than what you've already got (also expencive), or refurbishing what you've got.

The guy who bought it is a family friend and wanted it a bunch of years ago but that deal fell thru. Saw him last fall at a family gathering and he mentioned he was again interested in it, however I had stuck about $2k into it since we last talked and would need that much more for it. He saw no problem with that so a deal was stuck.

It was a bitersweet moment seeing it go, but I really needed the money. Thanks to the current economy this money as well as the proceeds from the sale of my '04, AND my 2009 tax refund were needed to make the deal for my '11 work. The fact that the "out the door cost" of this '11 was $27,054.15 vs. $16,957.72 for my new '04 just 6 years prior did not help matters either.

The similarly equipped '94 & '98 Mustangs that I also bought new were $15,965.50 & $15,642.27 out-the-door, so you also can't blame the big cost difference between the '04 & '11 solely on inflation !!

Doug

 

I can appreciate alot of what you're saying. My SVO needs alot of bodywork re-done and parts are really hard to come by. But that Fairlane''s really cool.

 

Still looks like it was in good shape.

 

I always liked that body style. Is that a 390 motor?

 

It was a 289 2 BBL / C4 Auto car with its "very tired and original" engine & trans still in it when I got it. If it were an original 390 car, I'd have probably have figured out a way to keep it !!

I put in a rebuilt & lightly massaged '85 Mustang H.O. 5.0L in it along with a tweeked C6 ... still had the open 8" 3.00:1 differential in it though. Exhaust consisted of re-pop HI-PO 289 manifolds, 2.25" tubing, h-pipe, Magnaflow Mufflers, and custom made 2.5" dia. x 18" long 304 S.S. tips out back.

Doug