ABOUT PROJECT FATLANE

This project car is a 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt look-a-like that is being constructed to compete in the Heavy Street drag class at races like the YellowBullet Nationals, Street Car Super Nationals and a host of others. The car will be powered by a 540ci Keith Black Olds based wedge engine that is topped with an M5 blower. This engine made more than 2,500hp on the dyno. The will need all that power to run bottom 7s and even into the 6s, to be competitive. Construction is underway at Tube Chassis Designz, the chassis shop operated by Jon Sandahl in Hanson, Massachusetts. Fatlane will be on the track in the Spring of 2012, and BangShift.com is following the buildup.

MENU OF INSTALLMENTS ON PROJECT FATLANE

Click on a title to jump down this page to that installment

1/04/10, Part 1: Introducing Project Fatlane, With Photo Gallery

1/22/10, Part 2: The Largest Wheel Tubs Ever, With Photo Gallery

2/08/10, Part 3: Rear End Mounting, Front Suspension, and Hanging the Blower, With Photo Gallery

THE STORY OF PROJECT FATLANE

1/04/10, PART 1: INTRODUCING PROJECT FATLANE, WITH PHOTO GALLERY

Here’s the first sneak peek at the Chevy-powered 1964 Fairlane being built at Tube Chassis Designz for Heavy Street drag racing. It will be in the low 7s, maybe the high 6s, and this mother will tip the scales between 3,400 and 3,600 pounds. The body is steel from the cowl back with the exception of the trunk lid. The front will be ‘glass, but will use the factory grill andit will have working headlights. Click here to see the first photos of Project Fatlane

1/22/10, PART 2: THE LARGEST WHEEL TUBS EVER, WITH PHOTO GALLERY

Today we stopped in at Tube Chassis Designs and saw what John Sandahl says are the biggest wheel tubs his shop has ever fabricated! Click here to see the photo gallery and captions!

 

2/08/10, PART 3: REAR END MOUNTING, FRONT SUSPENSION, and HANGING THE BLOWER, WITH PHOTO GALLERY

When we walked into the shop and saw the nose laid onto the car we were all smiles. Yes, it was only there to check the fit of the blower and there’s lots of tweaking and tuning needed to make the finish nice, but it looks totally bitchin’.

The guys are cranking pretty hard on the car and in the span of a week have mocked up the front suspension (those components in the photos are obviously not the finished pieces, they hung the rear end, and they located the motor in the car so that the ProCharger and it’s unique transmission are contained in the nose of the Fairlane. They also started the alterations being made to the double frame rails inside the car. Originally this monster was going to have a PowerGlide in it, but when the decision was made to put some real power under the hood and let it eat, a Lenco was the better option. The Lenco is actually a little wider than the PG would have been do those frame rails needed to be spread out. They’re probably burning them in as you read this.

Click here to see the photo gallery with suspension and blower fabrication details.