Car of the Week: 1958 Ford Fairlane 500
This finely restored 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 is truly a “family heirloom.”
Story & Photos By Jim Black
Denison, Iowa, resident Lola Rowedder and her husband, Doug, are the proud owners of a magnificent 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan carefully restored by Lola’s brother.
“My brother, Lowell Stammer, spotted the Ford on Highway 30 near Vail, Iowa, and purchased it back in 2001,” Lola recalls. “We had a black ’58 Ford growing up, so there was a connection even though Studebakers were his first love.”
The Rowedders’ Ford Fairlane was built at the St. Paul, Minn., Ford assembly plant and came equipped with the 332-cid V-8 Interceptor Special backed by Ford’s Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission and 2.69:1 rear-gear set. Features and options on this Fairlane include two-toned paint, cloth interior, full carpeting, tinted windshield, two-speed wipers, pushbutton radio, electric clock, backup lamps, dual side mirrors and 7.50x14 Goodyear whitewall tires with full wheel covers. The car was originally painted Bali Bronze and Colonial White with a brown-on-brown cloth interior. Its manufacturer’s suggested retail price was approximately $2,525.
A lower- and longer-looking ’58 Ford
Ford Fairlanes were sold between 1955 and 1970 with the early examples (1955-1961) considered full-size models. The 1958 Fairlane 500 was available in six different body styles including the Club Sedan (two-door sedan); Town Sedan (four-door sedan); Club Victoria (two-door hardtop); Town Victoria (four-door hardtop); Sunliner (convertible); and Skyliner (retractable hardtop). Then and now, the Fairlane 500 model that gets the most attention is the Skyliner retractable hardtop, but Ford sold many more Fairlane 500s of the other body styles, such as the Rowedders’ Town Sedan.
The 1958 Fairlane 500 model represented the top trim level of that year’s full-size Ford and included many updates from 1957, such as quad headlamps and a grille incorporated into the front bumper as part of an ensemble that matched that of the new four-seat 1958 Thunderbird. Other distinguishing features included a sculpted hood and decklid, ribbed roof, an overall more aggressive front end, full-length side trim with integrated gold anodized side panels extending from the A-pillar back, and more pronounced tailfins. The 1958 Fairlane 500’s taillamps went from single, round units beneath the tailfin to dual, oval lenses in a wide, oval panel. These dual taillamps also extended well beyond the tail panel and, when lit up at night, provided a jet-exhaust effect.
All 1958 Fairlane models featured a body-on-frame chassis riding on a 118-inch wheelbase. The cars were 78.2 inches wide, 207 inches long and 58.9 inches tall. The independent front suspension included upper and lower control arms with coil springs and a solid rear axle supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs and shocks. Drum brakes were at all four corners. The shipping weight was about 3,512 lbs. for the Town Sedan four-door sedan.
Equally important was the lineup of available powerplants, which included the new series of FE V-8 engines (Ford/Edsel) displacing 332 and 352 cubic inches in Fords. Ford engine choices included the modest 145-hp Mileage Maker Six at 223 cubic inches; the 205-hp, two-barrel 292-cid inch V-8; new 240-hp, two-barrel Interceptor 332-cid V-8; new 265-hp, four-barrel Interceptor 352-cid V-8; and the top-of-the-line 300-hp, four-barrel Interceptor 352-cid V-8 with a higher 10.2:1 compression ratio. Transmission choices included the three-speed manual as standard, three-speed Ford-O-Matic and the new and improved three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. Overdrive was also available.
“You’ll discover a whole new world in the ’58 Ford,” announced Ford Motor Co. in its literature for the cars. As part of its promotion of the new 1958 Fords, the company embarked on a whirlwind trip through parts of Europe and the Middle East in the new cars. “The 1958 Ford completed the most dramatic, most grueling test ever given a new car before its announcement. The whole world was used as a test track! The ’58 Ford conquered the Alps—took Paris by storm—breezed through the Great Salt Desert of Iran—and zoomed up and through fabled Khyber Pass in Pakistan. It was the most rugged torture-test in automotive history to prove that there’s nothing newer and nothing better than the new ’58 Ford!”
Fairlane: A labor of love
Lowell Stammer had been a mechanic his whole adult life, so tackling a restoration on the Ford would not be that difficult for him to accomplish. The five-year project started almost immediately after Lowell purchased it. Lowell completely disassembled the car and then began a full engine and transmission rebuild.
The Ford’s Interceptor 332-cid V-8 has a bore and stroke of 4.00 x 3.30 inches, respectively, and a 9.5:1 compression ratio. When topped with a Holley four-barrel carburetor, it produced an impressive 265 hp at 4,600 rpm and 360 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,800 rpm. The overhead-valve engine is a cast-iron block and iron head design with five main bearings and utilizes self-adjusting hydraulic valve lifters. Lowell tore down the original engine, carefully inspected it, and rebuilt it using stock components with a slight .030 overbore. He also rebuilt the Cruise-O-Matic transmission and went through the rear end, which was still in good working condition and only required a thorough cleaning and detailing and new fluids and seals.
With the drivetrain finished, Lowell moved onto the chassis and suspension, first media blasting and painting the frame and all miscellaneous components and then installing new coil springs and shocks up front and new leaf springs and shocks at the rear. Other items included new ball joints, bushings, brake parts and brake lines, gas tank and fuel lines and a rebuilt steering box. With the suspension and chassis work completed, the drivetrain was reunited with the chassis.
Next, Lowell started on the bodywork by stripping the body of paint all the way down to bare metal and completing miscellaneous sheet metal repair around the rear wheel openings, rocker moldings, etc. No full panel replacement was necessary as the body was in good overall condition. Once the sheet metal work was completed, the body and panels were sprayed with primer and then a 3M filler was skim-coated and blocked until the body was straight. Once prepped for paint, a two-stage urethane Dupont Centuri paint system was utilized with four coats of base sprayed in Raven Black (code A) and Torch Red (code R), then four coats of clear were applied.
“Initially the car was painted bronze and white, but remembering one from his youth, Lowell knew he wanted it painted black and red because it was so sharp in that color combination,” Lola said.
Following a sufficient cure, the clearcoat was sanded using progressive grits of 3M papers, then machine compounded and polished to a high-gloss finish. All of this paint and body work was performed by Lowell in his two-car garage using minimal equipment, yet he still attained impressive professional results.
Reassembly came next with replated bumpers hung, glass installed and all other exterior trim and stainless added. Lowell painstakingly restored the exterior trim himself, too. The interior was sent out to Custom Upholstery by Houge in Ames, Iowa, which installed new seat upholstery and door panels that were redone in a black-and-red, leather-grained vinyl matching the new exterior two-tone paint scheme. While this work was being performed, Lowell replaced the matching headliner and carpeting, detailed and cleaned the original gauges and instrument panel and restored the original steering wheel. He also installed a new aftermarket air conditioner for added comfort in the hot and humid Iowa summers.
“Completed in early spring of 2006, Lowell loved driving the car and entered it in many local shows, collecting about 40 trophies during the seven years he was able to show it,” Lola says. “He kept a good accounting of the costs to do the restoration, and when the receipts were all totaled, it amounted to just $12,422.00—which is amazing compared to the costs today if done professionally.
“My brother later found that he had lung cancer around 2012, which didn’t surprise any of us as he had served in the Army in Vietnam and smoked Camels with no filter for most of his life,” Lola attests. “They were unable to do surgery, but he was able to beat it through chemotherapy. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, he couldn’t beat pneumonia, which took his life in 2013.
“Lowell’s wife did not want to keep the car, and since we were already into the old car hobby, we decided to purchase it, keeping it in the family and continue to show the car in honor of Lowell’s memory,” Lola says.
“We’ve been lucky not to have had many issues with the ’58 Fairlane since we took it over in 2013,” Lola recalls. “In 2021, when we brought it out of winter storage, we did have a failed fuel pump, but after buying two NOS Carter fuel pumps that later proved defective, we ended up having the original pump rebuilt, which has served us well.”
Total Ford production in 1958 hit 987,945 units with Fairlane 500 production at 306,429; of those, 105,698 were the Town Sedan four-door sedan. Lola and Doug’s ’58 Fairlane 500 Town Sedan may not be a low-production car, but examples are rarely seen today, especially in such excellent condition.
“We just got the car back on the road this past September and have only entered it in a couple of shows this fall, and to our surprise, it won first place at both,” Lola says. “It’s a pleasure to drive and enjoy this car in my brother’s loving memory and continue to showcase his effort with this restoration, a legacy we hope to pass on.”
The ’58 Fairlane experience
Following a short drive along Highway 30 to warm up the car, Doug Rowedder gave me the opportunity to drive the Fairlane 500 and access its 1950s comfort and capabilities.
After the Fairlane was warmed up, I slid into the driver’s position of this 1958 Ford time capsule. The seats were comfortable and provided good support, and the big Ford provided plenty of legroom with good visibility out the wrap-around windshield and an unobstructed view of the speedometer and gauges. I placed the car in gear using the column-shift lever and the car jumped forward slightly as the Cruise-O-Matic three-speed engaged. As I pulled away, I immediately noticed the effort required to turn the car without power assist as I turned onto the highway east of Denison. I accelerated to highway speed and felt the 332 Interceptor V-8 do its work as it smoothly accelerated, but shifts to second and third gear were a little slow.
As we settled at about 55 mph, I tested the steering and handling, which were very similar to the 1960 Edsel I had recently tested. The steering gearbox was tight, but steering was a bit sluggish, and the overall handling was on the soft side as one would expect of a 1950s automobile. A right turn came next with little warning to reach Doug and Lola’s home, which again required a strong right leg to slow the car’s 3,500-lb. mass without power assist; this was considered “normal” by 1950s standards, of course. After making the turn, we crossed a set of railroad tracks that tested the car’s front coils and rear leaf springs, but the big Ford handled it nicely. In conclusion, driving a 1950s Ford is still a lot of fun, even without power-assist, and the experience provides a sweet reminder of the way things used to be.
An Owner’s View
“We love the two-toned black-and-red color as it really makes the car stand out in a crowd, and it also reminds me of the one my family owned when I was growing up. We’re happy that we can continue to honor my brother’s memory through our ownership, and hope to continue to show it and take it on family outings.”
Love Fairlanes? Here are a few more articles for your reading enjoyment.
SHOW US YOUR WHEELS!
If you’ve got an old car you love, we want to hear about it. Email us at oldcars@aimmedia.com
Ever wonder what your classic ride is worth? Old Cars Price Guide is now online! Check it out and join to get the unbiased and real-world pricing on classic cars. You get pricing anytime, anyplace on your phone, tablet or computer.
