Retrieving a 59 Fairlane 500 convertible

As you may have read in another post, My Father-in-law recently purchased a 1959 FORD Fairlane Galaxie 500 convertible. On our first attempt we had to turn back due to the seller having ended up in the hospital the night before. (He is not out if the woods yet, but he is recovering.) We made a side trip through a wrecking yard and found a treasure trove of old cars.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34293

We have been waiting for an opportunity to go up and get the car. This past Saturday his son was able to meet us, so once again my buddy and I headed up to retrieve the Fairlane.

Four hours up, one hour to load the car and four hours back home. It rained from the moment we left, but thankfully the only snow we ran into was wet and didn't stick.

All loaded up and tied down



We stopped a few times and checked everything over. This particular spot is along Soap Lake.





The trip was uneventful, and once we got it home I parked it in the garage for safe keeping.

 

Sorry about the owner.
That's a great looking car and love the scenic photos.
Also a great car hauler and Christmas garage scene.
You did good!

 

Thanks.
Hopefully he will make a full recovery, but it sounds unlikely at the moment.
Since I was hauling this car for my Father-in-law I used one of our work trucks instead of my own. It performed very well (as I figured it would).

It was neat to go through that particular part of the state with the weather the way it was. The clouds were very low and always hanging around the surface of the water.

 

It's also very beautiful when in the middle of the Summer. Dry falls S.P., Banks Lake, Electric City and Grand Coulee Dam, all in a line. But that Galaxie Is tremendously beautiful! I was expecting it to be a rusty 'barn find.'

 

It is a neat drive to be certain. When we came back through Dryfalls and we were coming down he grade the clouds were actually below us. It was quite spectacular.

The 59 isn't perfect, but it is certainly not crusty either. We are looking forward to getting it all shined up and cruising with the top down this summer.

 

1) I accidentally called it a Galaxie when it's a Fairlane. Apparently I have "Galaxie" on the brain.
2) I hate you.

 

I expected a "project" convertible, but that is beautiful! Have fun with it.

 

It is a Galaxie. It is also a Fairlane. It's a 1959 Fairlane Galaxie 500.
I was a little perplexed when my Father-in-law first called me on his way back from finding the car and asked me to research it. Turns out that the Galaxie was an upscale trim option for the Fairlane introduced in 59. Kind of like the Impala was an upscale trim option for the Bel Air in 1958. Each became their own model the following year.

The 1959 Ford range was introduced in late 1958 with the Fairlane 500 as the top tim level.[2]:402 During the 1959 model year the Galaxie was added to the range as an additional trim level, assuming the top position from the Fairlane 500.[2]:402 The Galaxie was offered with the same sedan and hardtop body styles as the Fairlane 500 whilst the Sunliner and Skyliner convertibles were moved across from the Fairlane 500 range.[2]:402 Styling varied from the Fairlane 500 with the addition of a Ford Thunderbird-style C pillar [2]:402 on all but the Sunliner. Although a separate series from the Fairlane 500,[2]:402 1959 Galaxie models carried both Fairlane 500 and Galaxie badging.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Galaxie



Ironically the name "Sunliner" does not appear anywhere on the car.

 

Thanks. There is work to be done, but it is all minor. It's a bit of a break from our usually full on resto job. It will be a great summer cruiser.

 

Yeah, I'm an idiot.:banghead3: I must've originally seen the 'Galaxie' script when I first posted, then saw your thread title.

 

I've got a 59 Ford service manual if you're interested. I've had 3 of them but will never have another. If it's a Y block, I've also got an NOS valve lashing tool and perhaps some other literature laying around.

 

Great pics! What a beautiful part of the country you live in.
The car looks solid from the pics. Enjoy!

 

Thanks chef. It is beautiful country.
I went out to the shop today and did some tinkering on the 59. They old boy we bought it from repainted the white at some point, and It is in good shape, but the lower section with the red paint paled in comparison. I buffed out one side to see what it looked like and how well it would shine up. It was surprising how nice it turned out. Now to see if my father-in-law likes it enough, or if he wants to have our shop re-spray it.

 

WOW, thanks for the link to the salvage yard.

I haven't seen one like that in at least 40 years. What a great place to spend a few hours!!

 

Thanks. It was indeed.