[VAL] Vanessa and 289 Fairlanes

[estatewagons@xxxxxxx]

Personally - I'm a fan of vintage station wagons for towing.  

I would hope you'd do some more homework on the Fairlane.  The 289 is a good 
engine - but the 1960's Fairlane was a light weight mid-sized vehicle - and in 
my experience - the front suspensions are light and not much fun to steer if 
everything is not just right (i.e a brand new vehicle way back when...)  If you 
load it up - even with a good hitch...it's just not a very sophisticated system 
for it's era.  Also - if you are looking at a 2-door coupe - they have a long 
overhang.  Add in the age of the rear springs...and you have the potential for 
a lot of white knuckle driving...

I'd recommend researching a vehicle in which the suspension design is up to the 
job - assuming it's in good shape.  Study up on transmissions....the 1960's 
cars had many designs to choose from...and some were great and some were pretty 
light and simple.  A lot of small Fords and Chevys had only 2-speed automatics.  
Some big Chevys even had only 2 speed automatics.  Chrysler was known for a 
great automatic  - the Torqueflite - in it's big series - and GM did well with 
it's big automatics (3 speed Turbo-Hydramatics- and 4 speeds in their older 
senior series vehicles.) (I'd stay away from the older 4-speed automatics 
unless you really like automotive design...and paying for the privelege of 
repairing one...)  (I happen to love the sound of an old 4-speed Hydro-matic 
shifting up through it's gears in a pre-1964 Cadillac....but....I have a 
favorite old 1963 Cadillac that has been sitting for years...waiting for me to 
get around to rebuilding it's transmission..it "lost" two of it's four forward 
gears years ago....)

Where was I?  Oh - the Ford's of the mid-60's had Cruise-o-matics in many of 
their cars - 3-speeds with a sort of weird layout to the shift quadrant - but 
if I towed with a 60's Ford - I'd want a late 60's big block 390/428  with a 
C-6 automatic (the C-6 was Ford's big automatic)

So - to recap - check out the best suspension designs - check out the best 
brake and suspension designs - check out the best transmission designs...and 
then make sure the package they come in does not have a humongous overhang to 
the tail end!

Ask me off line...if you want me to rattle on some more...!

Best Wishes - RL

1957 Flying Cloud
1977 Mercury Colony Park 
1975 Mercury Colony Park  
1969 Ford Country Squire  
1967 Oldsmobile Toronado 
1965 Ford Country Squire  
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado  
1965 Oldsmobile 88 Convertible  
1964 Dodge 440 Wagon 
1963 Cadillac Fleetwood 
1960 Cadillac Sedan deVille
1951 Willys Jeepster...