59 fairlane... opinions wanted

2817 Views 18 Replies 12 Participants Last post by bossguy, Sep 12, 2010

darrin1999

Discussion Starter · Jul 3, 2010

hi, i have a 1959 fairlane 4 door and im debating between redoing the stock drivetrane or putting a 460 and c6 into it. factory it has a 332 which was only made for a couple years... and a 3 speed column shift with the pushbutton overdrive (also only made for a few years). i know it would probably be more valuable with the stock drivetrane redone, but it would be more fun with a 460. its not something id drive often... id just take it out on special occasions. the interior is too far gone to justify a full restoration so the interior will probably be custom.

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zephyrbob

· #2 · Jul 3, 2010

how much room is under the hood of those things?
bobn

TorinoStyle2

· #3 · Jul 4, 2010

I say go with the 460...a 332 is weak and boring!! and 59 Fairlanes are not the most sought after vehicle, so you would'nt be ruining any special value to speak of.

RmK57

· #4 · Jul 4, 2010

zephyrbob said:
how much room is under the hood of those things?
bobn

Crites makes an engine swap kit for 57-59 Fairlanes. Headers, motor mounts, etc. I'm doing the same swap in a 57 Custom.

mudbogtom

· #5 · Jul 4, 2010

zephyrbob said:
how much room is under the hood of those things?
bobn

A boatload.
Tom

SLOWnSTEADY

· #6 · Jul 4, 2010

I say give me the car so you don't have to try and decide...

darrin1999

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 15, 2010

bob, when you finally get out here to visit ill show you

zephyrbob

· #8 · Jul 15, 2010

iffen it quits raining lol i will! zbob

res0rli9

· #9 · Jul 15, 2010

have a look here.
http://wurthitdesigns.com/

darrin1999

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 17, 2010

res0rli9 said:
have a look here.
http://wurthitdesigns.com/

thats pretty sweet... wonder what it costs... didnt see a price anywhere

res0rli9

· #11 · Jul 17, 2010

click on the 60-64 link and down 1/2 way $1695.

for that one, look the whole page it shows all the stuff he's got

FE Rory

· #12 · Jul 21, 2010

I also own a 59 Ford (actually a Canadian Meteor, identical car other than grille & trim) with a 332 and FordOMatic. Mine is a 2 dr sedan. As mentioned, the 59`s are not highly sought after, other than Skyliner retractable hardtops, and the converts. I doubt that anybody would lynch ya for upgrading your 4 door. FPA makes headers for the swap. Personally, I kinda like the side & rear looks of the 59`s, although I gotta admit the front isn`t a thing of beauty, but it does grow on you. I plan to keep mine FE powered, and may be interested in the clutch linkage is you want to sell it.

Nachtwulf

· #13 · Jul 22, 2010

Re: wurth-it designs...

My advice would be to steer clear of Rick Wurth. He has ripped off many people that I know of by promising parts, taking loads of money and then ignoring you from then on. I also know this first hand. I ordered a 64 galaxie rack and pinion from him 3 years ago that I never recieved. When by chance I could get him to answer the phone he had only excuses and promises to ship it in two weeks. I finally got a rack from someone who reverse engineered Ricks. He was taken by Rick for 2 Racks..

-Dale-

Sorry to hijack the thread...

res0rli9

· #14 · Jul 22, 2010 (Edited)

sorry guys I didnt know that about him. I am deleting all his info.
well his is name close, should be WurthLESS

bcr466

· #15 · Jul 24, 2010

Something that you might want to consider is that the engine you have is an FE, same family as the 352, 390, 406, 427 and 428. I think these all have interchangeable external parts and you could set one in place of yours with all bolt in parts, mounts, exhaust, wiring, hoses etc.

I like the 59s, I remember when they were new and always wanted one. One like yours with it painted black with dog dish hubcaps and a 390-428 would be quite a street machine, IMO.

darrin1999

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jul 24, 2010

yep i know all the external stuff off the 332 will bolt up to any other fe... but to actually build an fe to put out the same power as a 460 would cost alot more money. if i were going to leave it fe powered it would stay a 332 and be built for fuel economy. i figure with the manual and overdrive and light rear i might be able to squeeze 20 mpg out of it, lol. i have a 78 towncar that id be using for the 460 donor... id like to use the entire drivetrane and brake system out of the towncar in the fairlane

suspension doesnt match up even close though

but theyre actually pretty close to the same width... ill have to do some more checking with a tape measure

bcr466

· #17 · Jul 24, 2010

Well,anyways, that was my opinion. There is a 427 side oiler complete except carb, fresh for 7G in Ohio.

thecustommuffler

· #18 · Jul 24, 2010

You can make power from an FE. The motors are making some weird comeback in the rod world. Doing one for a customer with a 69 Mach 1. He grenaded the original 428 so I got a 390 and now am going with a Scat kit and original aluminum intake with dual carter 500`s. Solid roller and should net right at 520 hp. These motors made torque. Thats what you want for the street. And nothing sounds as mean as a built FE!

bossguy

· #19 · Sep 12, 2010

429 into 59 edsel wagon

My son (in Fla) and I (in NY) are attempting this swap, I obtained a 69 429 Montery with p/s and disc brakes and shipped it to him. I was wondering if anyone has used the thans-dapt single bolt mounts or the Crites kit? Some say the crites kit mounts high and too far forward. We're going to try a 460 F250 factory mount and maybe drill a hole in the frame mount for the 2 stud factory mount vs, the single stud 332 mount? Has anyone tried this?
We're also looking to mount the 69 disc brakes which I'm told is a bolt in to the 59 spindles if you use the 69 tie rod end. This makes me wonder if the 69 p/s box will bolt to the 59 frame? Anyone tried this?
Lastly we'd like to take the master cyl/booster and prop valve from the 69 and try and use it in the 59 with the 69 brake pedal to relocate the brake light switch Has anyone tried this? Thanks in advance.

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