Tuesday 4 February 2020

Giving An Old Girl A New Lease of life.

I know I haven't posted for a while but things were a bit depressing around here with this horrible ongoing drought and I just haven't felt the drive to get back into posting.
Not far from our farm is a property where many of the past cars owned by Brian's family have  gone to rest as they have died.  Recently  Brian's  brothers were together and discussed the possibility of maybe restoring one of these old cars  as a great sentimental project.
The chosen car was a  1963 Ford Fairlane that Brian's parents owned.
This photograph of the proud new owners, my in laws  around 1967/1968 with the lovely old Fairlane when they  first purchased it.
Another photo showing Brian's youngest brother Andrew on the boot around the same time.
This was the sum total  of photographs of the car in it's earlier years that I could find.
Brian's  brother in law Graham had previously beautifully restored a Morris Mini Minor and he was asked if he would like to tackle the job and he happily accepted the challenge.
Myra and Graham travelled up from their home  and Everyone headed out to the old car graveyard to get the old Fairlane onto a car trailer .
One of the brothers wasn't feeling great when they left and thought that something he had eaten had  upset him a little, but he was determined not to miss out on the fun.
This is her, where she was resting since the mid 1980's.
The first job was to  put four  rims and tyres onto her to make winching up onto the trailer a little easier.

As the work progressed, the brother that was unwell went to get a drink and sit down and  suddenly collapsed. An Ambulance was called immediately  and we patiently waited for its arrival.
He was quickly accessed and transported to the local hospital for observation.
He was released several hours later after doctors decided he had suffered  an allergic reaction to a newly changed medication.
The car was eventually loaded and was brought back to our place.
I fell in love with her, and was a little obsessed  with some of the detail, so please bear with me.
We couldn't believe that the original keys were still in the car,
and the last  old rego sticker although long gone could still be read.

I loved the detail of the front grill,
and some of the old handles, trims and other bits.
The apholstery will need a complete refit, and I'm prettysure she will need a new motor.


The boys worked hard making sure that the car was  secure on the trailer for it's long trip home.


After  the car was all secure, Brian added some extra air to the tyres just to make sure those tie down straps were extra tight.
The next morning ,  they were ready to  head home .
And they were off,
The  next time the old girl travels this road it will be under her own steam and she will  have a beautiful new look. As we receive some progress photos, I will update.
This will be a labour of love that will probably take a couple of years to complete, I look forward to seeing her myself. Thanks Graham.
So until we meet again,
Take care,
Jane and Brian.

5 comments:

  1. the beauty of restoring old fords is that Ford still make parts for ALL their cars
    good luck & am looking forward to the photos of her progress
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Selina, yes Fords do make that easier for restorers.
      She will be beautiful when completed I'm sure.
      Cherrs
      Jane.

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  2. What a great project restoring an old family car. No good on the family health scare hope everything is improving. Kathy, Brisbane, Australia

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  3. Hope you are all well and safe. Haven't seen a post here in a very long time, makes me think you are not doing as well as you would like. Prayers for peace and comfort for you and your family for whatever trial you are going through.

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  4. Haven't seen a post in a very long time, hope you are well. Prayers for you and your family. I miss seeing your posts.

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