When we get the privilege of rebuilding these cars one thing we always enjoy to learn is the backstory to every build we do. There is just something about when you meet that 67 Camaro on the highway or see that that 70 Challenger parked beside the garage of the old farm house that you have passed for the last 15 years makes a person think 'man if that car could talk' which this car is packing a great story. when Terry brought this beautiful 64 Thunderbolt to clean up some small issues and do some panel fitment we never had any idea that we were working on one badass piece of history. We will get back to Terry's story but first let's buckle up and start from the beginning. This Fairlane was bought by a man named John.It began life as a 289 automatic car that was bought as a daily driver to commute to and from work. John didn't buy this car just so he had a comfortable drive to work everyday no he had big plans from the very first moment he laid eyes on the car . the first thing in his mind was Thunderbolt . The Thunderbolt was a factory Ford built drag car in the year 1964 with modifications to allow the car to handle a 500hp 427cid and pull low 11's right off the show room floor. they were built to compete in the high profile NHRA Super Stock class but because of funding issues production halted and there were only about 130 Thunderbolts ever made . so the idea of building his very own Thunderbolt was a huge incentive on the purchase but after driving the car for only a couple years and realizing he didn't have the time or money to build this dream car it was parked in the back yard forgotten about and used as a play area for his 2 sons and verity of dogs . see John was busy building his business and racing his Mustang oh ya did i mention that John is the owner of Calvert Racing suspensions and the inventor of CalTracs traction bars ? So after a few years things changed when NHRA started allowing these cars to compete in there Stock eliminator class . so the spark was lit again and John retrieved the fairlane from the back yard, built a dog house and brought it to the shop in Lancaster California where his employees, sons and John did an 18 month restoration . adding the 6 point roll cage, subframe connectors and a built to '64 date-code specs 427. The once back yard playhouse looked just like the factory Ford Thunderbolt did aside from a few small details that John didn't add making it not a complete clone but pulling a 9.94 sec 134mph run in the shakedown was good enough for what John wanted . in 2010 the car won the NHRA Stock Eliminator class with a weight of 3250lbs w/driver and a 425hp rating. John owned the Fairlane for 2 decades when it changed hands to a good friend of his Robert Pond founder of RPM (Robert Pond Motorsports) who has set more records, and has had more wins then any other racer using FE components. Specializing in the Ford 427 using his own engine components made from prime ingot aluminum A356. So what do you do with a badass 64 Fairlane that is already blistering fast ? That's right, Make it faster and that's exactly what Robert did. Adding his own Custom aluminum heads and aluminum intake to a FE 427 with 2x4 BBL carbs 710cfm with a 15:1 comp ratio built by Lance Line of Line Performance Racing . Then added a C4 Trans built by Joel's on Joy in Detroit Michigan. So this is where Terry comes in , It was a complete accident as Terry was looking to put together a "Class Car" for the NHRA circuit and went to Robert Pond about some parts to build a 427 for his build. After a while and some conversation back and forth Robert aked Terry how the build was coming along and when Terry said that he hadn't even started is when Robert mentioned he had a 1964 Fairlane that he would sell him him. This peaked Terrys interest and asked for some pictures. When he received the pictures of this 64 that Robert would sell him he was in disbelief and thought this couldn't be true because right away Terry knew it was John Calverts Indy winning Fairlane as Terry was there there when he won ! so after some conversation with Robert and some close friends he knew he had to have that car enough that it was 2 weeks and couple drinks before he told his wife about the purchase lol if that's not a devoted car guy i don't know what is . Once Terry had the car in his garage, the process of going over everything and refreshing parts and pieces, making sure not to tamper with any of the already dialed in and race ready Calvert suspension front and back. Terry removed the engine and decided the engine bay needed cleaned up and the fiberglass front fenders and hood didn't quite pass his standards of what the car should be.This is when we come in . Terry discussed with Dave what his issues were and brought us the car. Right away Carter Sandblasted the entire engine bay and firewall so we could apply epoxy and a silky smooth matte Black finish . then we made the required adjustments to the fitment of the fiberglass fenders and fiberglass hood when Terry decided that the whole car with the history it was packing, and what the car meant to him deserved to have a complete paint job. He wanted to make it his own but stay true to the Thunderbolt . so after a conversation about what he wanted and what he would like Ryan B. went to work on making a custom colour and created a white pearl that Terry branded "Thunderstruck White". Now that they had a colour, the process of removing windows, all the chrome and doing the necessary bodywork to certain areas to tighten up body lines and gapping issues. Ryan P. fabricated hood hinges to allow the Fiberglass hood to sit right and Dexter, Chris and Ryan B. got the body work done. We removed everything in the trunk and sanded the entire trunk area then applied a factory spackle coating . The steal front bumper was blasted and painted to resemble an aluminum bumper like the Thunderbolts had. Then the car went in the paint booth where a 2 day process of putting colour on all the parts and car then everything had to be meticulously placed back together so Ryan B. could apply a uniform coat of pearl over everything so no colour difference between panels. when everything was taken back apart and on there assigned stands Chris was in on his weekend off to apply the proper amount of clear so the wet sanding and polish process could move along with no issues . After Carter finished the polishing the Team at CD got to work reassembling the car making sure not to damage anything . All the chrome and aluminum trim was polished before being installed. Dave and the team are so proud to have been a part of this journey with Terry and the smile he has everytime he looks at his beautiful custom painted 1964 Thunderbolt is a reminder to why we do what we do. Now the once almost forgotten Fairlane that became a championship winning car will forever be thumbprinted with Calvert bones , Robert Pond power and Terry Kelson for Proudly preserving the legacy of not just the car but to all the people who contributed to the making of its history and adding to its story. And to giving us at Cleveland Design the opportunity and the inspiration to make Terrys dream a reality and connecting the dots to give this insanely powered 1964 Fairlane that just cannot be ignored the elegant presence it so deserves .
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2023 Started off with a bang for our team as it was the year of '66' at Cleveland Design .The 1966 Ford Mustang brought home 3 awards : The ISCA (International Show Car Association) Hagerty award for Outstanding Display, The Mothers Polish Radical SpeedSport First Place in its class award and Best restoration of show . The 1966 Pontiac Beaumont collected some serious hardware with 4 awards : The ISCA award for Most Outstanding Custom, The ISCA award for Most Outstanding Display , The Mothers Radical SpeedSport First place in its class and the prestigious Greg Turner "Style Award" which is judged by a committee using Colour, Stance, Ingenuity and Imagination as there measures for the vehicle displaying the "Best Style" . The award is open to all entries in SpeedSport and can only be won once .
Anyone who has inquired on a restoration of any sort has heard the horror stories with the shady workmanship, shops that disappear overnight with customer cars left unfinished, or never being able to get ahold of the shop after dropping of your car. There is no question that the commitment is on both you and the shop to ensure you get the best bang for your buck! High quality shops document everything and send photos with updates regularly/on request to customers. Keeping you involved during each step gives you peace of mind, showing you that you have the option to ask questions, visit the shop, and interact with the technicians working on your ride!
The bottom line for many is “how much will it cost?” The truth is, a high end restoration or pro touring build is not cheap. It takes a team of specialists and patience is a virtue. For example, the 1970’s standard of a supercar is not going to happen overnight. The handshake deal you see on TV with the car being pushed in on the first episode and then on the track or local car meet by Tuesday in the second episode is not a reality. A good chunk of time is spent on fabrication, body work, and paint. Hundreds or even thousands of hours can be consumed by these steps to achieve a flat and smooth finish. That is why most projects are intentionally open-ended and not quoted to leave room for the unexpected. Specialized restoration ships are not like your everyday body shops, the work is totally different in many aspects, and that is what you are paying for. Cleveland Design is all about attention to detail, turning out high quality vehicles and providing the best customer experience possible. We build your dream car, and we truly take great pride in being a part of the experience with you. In the end, it is a huge investment in your money and the shops time, so building a strong and transparent relationship is key. |
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