Hi Guys

S

SwaggerJacker

New member
Im a new owner of this lovely 1955 Ford Fairlane!! A gift from my uncle. I am not new to cars, but I am to American classics been building and working on my Hondas but now I get to work on this beauty.

I was able to get her running and driving but the steering is super sloppy, and manual brakes are not in my muscle memory, lol. so not fun to drive as of right now. Plan is to build her to be my retirement car for me and the wife to drive the country. Right now, she has the OG 272 y block but I want a gen 2 coyote to go in. Does anyone have any knowledge on what would be involved. I have looked at some independent suspension (mustang II) but don't know what interchangeable with these fords if anything at all. I don't really want to spend 20k on a frame but that's why im doing research and trying to find some good knowledgeable ppl Located in Orlando Florida to learn from
 

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Great looking car and welcome to the Barn! Couple of questions/observations:

1: drive it first see how it goes. These are really solid fun to drive cars when they are maintained properly.

2: why do you want to change things around? I mean it is your car but just curious. Remember that the more you change the more that things can go wrong and are harder to fix.

3: Seeing stock cars from this era are getting harder to find as everyone wants a hot rod/custom. So seeing a stock car is really cool.

Just my two cents worth.

Mike
 
SwaggerJacker said:
Im a new owner of this lovely 1955 Ford Fairlane!! A gift from my uncle. I am not new to cars, but I am to American classics been building and working on my Hondas but now I get to work on this beauty.

I was able to get her running and driving but the steering is super sloppy, and manual brakes are not in my muscle memory, lol. so not fun to drive as of right now. Plan is to build her to be my retirement car for me and the wife to drive the country. Right now, she has the OG 272 y block but I want a gen 2 coyote to go in. Does anyone have any knowledge on what would be involved. I have looked at some independent suspension (mustang II) but don't know what interchangeable with these fords if anything at all. I don't really want to spend 20k on a frame but that's why im doing research and trying to find some good knowledgeable ppl Located in Orlando Florida to learn from
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Hi Swagger,
Welcome to the Forum. I am pleased to see another 1955 Fairlane gem with a 272 aboard! You might want to focus on keeping it stock - yes, it is your car to do as you wish.
 
AS far as the front end, these front ends were good. Make a good inspection of all the front end part and see if any needs to be replaced. If right, should not be sloppy.
 
Along with rebuilding the front end (assuming it needs it), the steering boxes can be rebuilt. There’s also some other boxes that will work, more modern ones with power assist. Disc brake conversions are also pretty straightforward, with dual master cylinders and power assist. Having done a rack and pinion conversion on my tbird (same basic box and suspension) don’t bother. Save your money. No noticeable improvement, and way more money by the time I got the bump steer out of it.

It’s never going to remind you of a Honda going down the road, no matter what you do. But it can be a nice safe enjoyable ride. Your car, though. Enjoy.
 
I bought my 55 Town Sedan 4 months ago. All stock except the guy who restored it converted it to 12 volts. I prefer cruising in the past. If I wanted a modern car, I'd buy a modern car. I've put about 1000 miles on it and drive it probably 5 days a week.
 

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I agree with others--it IS your car and you can do as you like.
BUT
1955 Fords were surprisingly "modern" when compared to how cars had evolved--
Ball Joints front suspension--not kingpins
Suspended brake and clutch pedals--no slots in the floor for pedal travel
"modern" OHV V8
Available options included Power Windows, power seat, power steering, power brakes.
Air conditioning can be installed

Before you do anything--listen carefully to the exhaust sound. Some people would say there is not a better-sounding exhaust than a Y block

Again, do as you want but remember--They are only original once.
 
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