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A Fair Fight: John McKissack’s ’66 Ford Fairlane Punishes On Track
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Tommy Parry January 14, 2020John McKissack has always enjoyed the intermediate-sized muscle cars of the ’60s and ’70s. After a Ford Torino 500, his first car, he set his sights on the Ford Fairlane. This particular example has ridden a rollercoaster of a life. As it sits now, it’s a well-rounded racing car that sees plenty of track time. Not that its life is much more comfortable, but traveling the country on the
Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge circuit and making quick work of lighter, newer cars sounds almost relaxing after its rough beginning.
A Rocky Start
McKissack initially bought this ’66 Fairlane 500XL, complete with leather, air-conditioning, and bucket seats, for a mere $1,500 in the late-’90s. Despite its faded exterior, it still caught the eye of a thief and was snatched from McKissack’s driveway shortly after he first rolled it in. Once McKissack recovered his cherished new toy, he began dressing it up for a very special occasion. Soon thereafter, he tied a few cans to the bumper so he could roll away from his wedding in style.
The Fairlane was never meant to be a casual cruiser, though, and after the honeymoon, McKissack started shaping the Fairlane into a focused track car. When the original motor went south, he stuck a crate Windsor in its place. The newfound 430 horsepower required some modifications in the suspension department, so he fitted a set of Spec RCD-tuned Bilstein shocks, as well as Mike Maier’s subframes and forward-stack leaf springs.
Taking names at his home track, Sonoma Raceway.
With the right amount of power and poise, McKissack made a name for himself during his weekends with the NorCal Shelby Automotive Club. Outrunning Corvettes and M3s at Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, and Thunderhill raised a few eyebrows — including his own. He was pleased with the performance but knew the Fairlane could be a much quicker car if he sorted the suspension out properly.
In search of better composure and poise, he consulted the wise Mike Maier, who provided McKissack with a
MOD1 front clip. This consists of
JRi shocks,
Hyperco springs, billet aluminum shock top-mounts, and tubular upper and lower control arms. A Shelby Drop kit drops the upper arms down one inch and back 1/8-inch. Those are the only pickup points that were changed from the factory location.
The Fairlane had straight-line speed and a robust front end, but the 430 horsepower available easily spun the rears and made exiting corners a chore at times. He again turned to Maier — this time for a Panhard bar. With this addition, “everything came together,” McKissack rejoiced. “It started rotating more easily, and all of a sudden, it felt like a much smaller car.”
Even when thrown around, the Fairlane somehow avoids rubbing its massive tires.