A UNIQUE CLASSIC

Discovering the ’55 Ford Fairlane

A while back, I noticed an exceptional ’57 Chevy wagon in the front yard of a house in my neighborhood, and when I passed the house on weekends, a fellow always seemed to be busy in the garage working on another classic. Weekend after weekend, he was working both Saturdays and Sundays on this car. I watched as the car progressed, and before long, I was sure that this ’55 Ford Fairlane would become a high-quality—but different—kind of street machine. Before the car was finished, I stopped by and met Dave Cunningham, and I told him I wanted to photograph his Ford when it was completed.

The Decision to Build the Fairlane

A few more months passed, and the car was finished. I made an appointment to take a few pictures of the car and asked Cunningham where he found it. He said that one evening he was visiting his friends, Jim and Loraine DeFrank, the owners of California Car Cover Company, and he mentioned to Jim DeFrank that he wanted to build a ’50s car. DeFrank told Cunningham, “I have just the car for you.” The next weekend, Cunningham met DeFrank at the house where the car was stored. Cunningham said his first impression was: “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” Cunningham couldn’t imagine that this rusted-out ’55 Ford Fairlane would ever look good, so he told DeFrank he would think it over.

Taking on the Challenge

After a few weeks of flipping through magazines and checking out car shows, Cunningham decided that the Ford did have potential, if for no other reason because it was so unique. He called DeFrank, who made the decision easy for Cunningham when he said he’d sell it for $1,000, and he would deliver it to him.

Starting the Build: Chassis and Suspension

The Ford turned out to be a difficult project, and it took six years to finish. Cunningham started with the frame and quickly learned that there were only limited parts available to make improvements. After some serious research, he called Fat Man Fabrications and found out that the company offered a front clip that would improve the old Ford front suspension. The Fat Man kit featured a Mustang II-style front suspension with rack-and-pinion steering. It also lowered the car 3 inches.

Upgrading the Brakes and Rear Axle

The front brakes included in the Fat Man kit consisted of Granada rotors and Chevelle calipers, and they work great on the ’55. The original ’55 Ford front sway bar was retained and adapted to the new front suspension. The original rear axle was replaced by a modern ’77 Ford Maverick 8-inch differential with a 2.90:1 gear ratio. Since the early Ford had dual parallel leaf springs, similar to the Maverick, the swap was easily made just by changing the position of the spring pads.

Engine and Transmission

Cunningham wanted a powerful engine that wouldn’t cost him a fortune to build, so he selected a Chevy 350 four-bolt main engine. The Chevy was disassembled for a rebuild, and then the block was bored 0.030 over and outfitted with 9.1:1-compression pistons. The heads were rebuilt, and a Comp Cams Xtreme cam was installed to distribute the mixture. The engine was topped off with a polished high-rise intake manifold running a Carter AFB carburetor. An MSD ignition system lights the fire, and exhaust flows through ram’s horn exhaust manifolds and Thrush glass-pack mufflers for a throaty rumble. R&R Automotive Engineering in Covina, California, built the 325hp engine. The engine is backed up by a mildly modified Chevy Turbo 350 transmission.

Bodywork and Paint

When Cunningham purchased the Ford, it was in pretty rough condition, but it was salvageable. The pink-and-white car had patches of rust, so some of it had to be sandblasted to clean metal, and the severely rusted areas received patch panels. Cunningham also removed the dents in the car, and in the process of doing the bodywork, he shaved the emblems off the body. Cunningham is a handy guy, so he did all of the work on the car himself, including the bodywork. When it came time to paint the car, he couldn’t see himself driving a pink car, but he did like the two-tone Ford paint scheme. The colors he selected were mint green and custard. He painted the car with PPG basecoat/clearcoat urethane, and the finished job turned out terrific. The original stainless was straightened and polished, and the bumpers were chrome-plated. Cunningham reassembled the ’55 and then installed the electrical system using an EZ Wiring kit.

Interior and Final Touches

After the assembly and wiring were finished, the car was delivered to Mike Ambrose Upholstery in Northridge, California. Ambrose and Cunningham came up with a plan, which included new Honda Prelude bucket seats. Using a contemporary design, Ambrose stitched the upholstery in Neptune and Mortar Ultraleather. The Ford also features a nice custom console that houses the CD player and the controls for the Hot Rod Air climate-control system. Some of the other nice features include the tilt steering column, Auto Meter gauges, and Billet Specialties steering wheel.

The Finished Product

The ’55 Ford turned out exceptionally well and makes for a great all-around driver with lots of zip. Cunningham is very pleased with the work he performed, and we know he did all of the work, except for the upholstery, because we saw him diligently working on the car weekend after weekend. Now that the ’55 is complete, we see him driving the sedan all the time, and it is a big hit at car shows because it is so different—you just don’t see many of these once-popular Fords done as your everyday super rod.