One of the best things about hot rodding is that you can take the road less traveled. If you’re crafty, with a good imagination, you can combine that with a car considered less desirable and end up with something more appealing than your typical Mustang/Camaro/’Cuda build, just because it’s not “typical.” While we love all the ponycars and they are the most popular platform to build your dream on, they’re abundant at places like Power Tour all the way to the local cruise-in.
To be fair, the 1966 and 1967 Fairlanes are not a bad start at all. We often wonder why certain great project candidates like the ’Lane aren’t more popular. But you have to go well beyond the effort you’d put into a popular pony to get the same rubbernecking recognition. Combined with the excellent execution of every last design detail by Steve Strope’s Pure Vision shop in Simi Valley, California, this uncommon project was predestined to be something special.
“This was as much an art project with a neat-o factor as it is a contemporary build.” — Steve Strope
Strope created a scenario for what Ford engineers might have built to test various speed parts and combinations that may or may not have been legal in either NASCAR or NHRA racing venues. Imagine this engineering group was called the “Black Ops” at Ford’s racing skunkworks in 1967; this is Strope’s modern interpretation of that storyline. These imagined scripts help Strope keep within a certain theme and context.
The Fairlane started as a nice stock specimen two years ago when Ed Chalupa from Plano, Texas, first brought it into Pure Vision (PV). Ed knew he wanted a single overhead cam (SOHC) 427 Ford engine and Top Loader combo, and it just so happens that Ed Pink Racing Engines, which helped Ford work out the gremlins in Ford’s SOHC drag-racing program back in the day, is not too far away in Van Nuys, California. So that became an easy-to-acquire—if not somewhat costly—engine choice.
To cram the wide SOHC “Cammer” into the relatively narrow confines of most intermediate Fords of the 1960s and 1970s means dealing with those intrusive shock towers. That, and you’re also faced with a unibody and subframe arrangement that begs for something stronger once you put 482 ci of SOHC into the ’Lane.
First, PV reworked the towers outward, giving them the appearance of stock sheetmetal, yet gaining vital space for the wider-than-most SOHC. Using a new Dynacorn reproduction 1967 Mustang floorpan to piece into the existing sheetmetal, a new trans tunnel and portions of the firewall were created—again, to give the appearance of being stock Fairlane (or at least stock Ford). These mods offered much-needed clearance for the mechanicals. An example of the sleight of hand is the location and surrounding sheetmetal of the fruit jar master cylinder for the hydraulic clutch, which has been relocated inward, but looks like it’s factory stock.
Rear framerails were fabbed to gain tire clearance and were tied into 4×6-inch rails structurally tied into the rockers, which capture the front subframe, essentially forming a full-frame Fairlane.
With a strong foundation, PV went with a torsion bar front and rear suspension, harkening back to the NASCAR days of yore. Schroeder Racing torsion bars were hidden in torsion tubes within the framerails up front. They spring Global West tubular A-arms with adjustable strut rods, custom antidive JRI shocks, and 2-inch-drop Fatman Mustang spindles.
Out back, a triangulated four-link was fabbed using Heidts components. A Speedway Engineering Championship quick-change rear-end was chosen, utilizing JRI shocks with Schroeder Racing torsion bars suspended from the rollbar tubing, with links passing through the framerails.
At the ends are late-1960s Lincoln disc brakes in front and Mustang disc brakes out back—a combo used in Trans-Am racing in the 1969–1970 period. The 15-inch Evod wheels, which copy Lamborghini Miura knock-off wheels, display a Dow-7-like gold finish, similar to what Halibrand mags came with new, wrapped with Goodyear G7 6.0×15-inch fronts and 8.0×15-inch rears.
If you’re building a Ford of this era, there is nothing more impressive or significant than the storied 427 SOHC—as rare as you can get. Luckily, reproduction parts are readily available. Frank Housowitch at Ed Pink Racing Engines masterfully built this all-aluminum Robert Pond reproduction block and heads utilizing PV’s custom intake that looks very much like the Chrysler Hemi NASCAR bathtub intake, with four Holley two-barrels that feature LeMans float bowls. Topping the carbs are PV-hewn air cleaners that are similar to the oval big-block units. A Joe Hunt magneto handles spark, and Aaron Cranford built the headers that look a lot like the 4-in-1 Holman-Moody headers of NASCAR days.
Bore and stroke are 4.20 inches. A Scat crank spins Carrillo rods and CP pistons. Compression is a mild 9.7:1 to handle pump gas. Up top, the ports were massaged by Frank before a Comp cam, T&D rockers, and Ferrea valve trio finish off the heads.
The 427 spins a 1960s-vintage Top Loader wide-ratio four-speed, a big-spline unit, to handle lots of torque. It’s mounted in what looks like a stock saddle, which was grafted into the ’Lane’s trans tunnel from the Dynacorn Mustang floor. C&R Radiator built the radiator, with a PV flat-panel shroud that helps pull in air. The exhaust was also created by Cranford but is not typical round tubing. It looks like bent flat-oval tubing, but is actually bent tubing split in half with flat stock welded to the top and bottom, creating the oval look. A subtle look that is not so simple to make.
All of the bodywork and paint was handled by Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California. The rear wheel openings were raised 2 inches and slightly narrowed, while the fronts were slightly reworked for tire clearance. Shaved door handles now feature NASCAR-like door releases, and the bumpers were slightly narrowed and tucked in. Chrysler “Surf Blue” covers the inside and outside, with a period-NASCAR Fairlane stripe flowing from the hood to the deck. The Nissan “Orange Alloy” gold rockers and interior accents match the wheels.
Inside, PV built the rollbar and reworked the dash and gauge inserts following the NASCAR theme. A stock 1967 Fairlane steering wheel tops the ididit steering column. The seat frames are from GTS-Classics in Texas, wrapped in black leather by Eric Thorsen Upholstery in Agoura Hills, California. Belts are from Fred Crow with tags removed. The flooring is called Dyna Deck, which is a foam-backed black rubber. Thorsen beveled the edges and then sewed it all together just like you would a regular woven carpet. The gauges are a collaboration of PV, Redline Gauge Works, Speed Hut, and Reactor Watches.
The trunk is smoothed off in the same finish as the body, featuring the Schroeder torsion bar arrangement, battery, and custom Fuel Safe fuel cell.
With so many period-correct nods to Ford’s 1960s racing heritage, this is truly the car that could have been—but wasn’t. Until now, of course.
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