Ford Fairlane ZD - Modern Classic

Thanks again, I didn’t know about the suspension options was it just different springs?

The Peak of beautiful cars to come out of that era...When i was young the XY Fairmont and ZD Fairlane were among my favorite cars...our family had the ZD Fairlane and XY Fairmont wagon...just a joy to go out in these fantastic cars !

That photo of the black 1966 Galaxie, its a thing of beauty, I dont know how many people would agree, but I tend to think most old cars never look better than when they're painted black , the 1966 Galaxie is one of those cars, that to me looks best as a 4 door , I love the tail lights and the body shape, Im not so in love with the grille, but its still absolutely acceptable , I'm pretty sure I've only ever seen one RHD 4 door version of a '66 Galaxie in NZ ( it was black). My AP6 Regal was sky blue from the factory, I changed it to black , because many year's ago I saw a black AP6 V8 that I thought looked stunning, sky blue cant compete IMO. On the subject of red line tyres, they are another thing I love , Ive noticed that red lines seem to be quite popular in Australia, but in NZ there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for them . I experimented for a long time trying to come up with a paint that I could use to stripe my own tyres , and I finally came up with something that really works and lasts , and doesn't crack and flake off , ( if anyone is interested , just ask and I'll pass on the formula ) . Sorry , I went off on a tangent or two again, this video was about the ZD Fairlane.

Farmers loved them. Big boot, tow anything. Went everywhere without issues. Seems that the XP program paid off.

Thank you Mark. I would say the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500/LTD influenced the styling of the Australian Fairlane. They better utilized space on this Fairlane. I guess our American models have more exterior bulk. This car has a long wheelbase, but not long in length. I am watching waiting for when the Fairlane is finally over 200 inches long. It is getting there. I see they had interesting colors too. This model was really focused on the Australian market. The options were interesting. Still no power windows and seats yet. I thought it was interesting they offered front bench seats. That was nice to see. I smiled when I saw the Holden Brougham and Statesman. That HQ Statesman looks like a Oldsmobile in the front. The Chrysler by Chrysler looks like a 70's Chrysler in the United States. The next generation Fairlane you showed in the photo looks like a Ford Torino. Thank you again Mark.

G'day Mark. Another awesome car history video. Have you yourself ever driven a Ford Fairlane ZD? Although not my favourite Fairlane, my favourite is the ZF Fairlane, it's still a nice looking car overall.

Until they developed chrome look plastic...the first plastic grills certainly look pretty plastickey, with some manufacturers getting around that by using black!....and strip speedometers where the outer division segments were stretched further apart, while the centre divisions and numerals were all bunched up close together were among my pet dislikes for the period.

I still remember this model as being most attractive in an understated way. The 351 was the popular choice.

In my opinion, the ZD was seriously defanged, probably due to a proliferation of the Falcon M code 170 hp 2V and two T (300 hp) and H code (GTHO) engine options, which Fo MoCo decided not to offer in the Fairlane ZD. From Ford's six cylinder stationary engine sales brochure, net hp values were supplied. This was the first time Ford's Fairlane line up aped America, with the US L code 155 hp gross 250 our 4.1 litre 102 hp net ( 76kw) L code. The US F code 220 hp gross 302W 2V our 4.9 litre 143 hp net (107 kw) Y code. The US H code 250 hp gross 351C 2V, our 5.8 litre 183 hp net (136 kw) K code. Ford Australia cars had no 1972 model year compression ratio drop like America did, and no quoted net figures. For 73, those same US engines were emissionised the the same standard introduced in Australia July 1976, but rated 88 hp net for the 250, 136 for the 302 Windsor 2V, and 156 for the 351 2V Cleveland, down 21 hp from 1972 Mustang's 177 hp net figures . In Australian production , Net figures weren't published until July 1976, and then, only by FoMoCo and Chrysler. GM Holden decided to await the HX to publish SAE Gross figures, and DIN net figures, September 1978..

Those old Fairlanes are by far the best looking cars compared to the Chrysler and Holden offerings.

Best car i ever owned! i was 22 and it was only a few years old, beautiful powerful car

By now the Chrysler VIP was into the second year of providing headrests, A/C and radio as standard and the VG VIP also had quarter vent window delete with the standard A/ C. The Fairlane sold more, but IMO the VIP was the better value car, with the better looks especially from the rear limousine angle.

I love those ZDs i knew a few people that owned one of these,one being my dads mate and i've been for a run in it. It was yellow and had a 351 T bar auto.Thanks for the episode.

I still have mine. 😄

I prefer the ZC, because the ZC had a cleaner look, especially the boot looked better.

Hey Mark, the dash photo at 12.25 is interesting being in kilometres.

Outside the 351, the factory sunroof was one of the best options fullstop. Had one in an XC back in the day and still think it looked better than today's glass, and for it's time it was pretty quiet when opened.

I’m biased, but the ZA to ZD were so far ahead of the competition back in the day. Performance, size, looks and interiors were outstanding.

I had one of these beauties. Ut was the 302 auto in Bronze. A fairly strong machine but not impervious to kangaroos unfortunately.
A very comfortable and quiet car.
The huge steel bumpers saved me in a prang when I suddenly saw the crossing lights with the sun in my eyes. I slammed on the brakes and a poor Cortina behind me ran straight into the raised bumper and was badly damaged. Not a scratch on the Fairlane. lol

I have had 2 of theses years back, one Nugget Gold 302 and a White K code with dealer air. On the sunroof, I worked on a ZC back in 76 which had a factory wind back sunroof fitted, it was a 351 that also had factory air, and power windows fitted.

I used to be a mechanic and these ZD's were really popular with country girls (good long distance cruisers). What most people don't know is that Ford had a bunch of 351 4V motors left over from their GT projects and they randomly threw these engines in ZD 351 fairlanes. There was no identification on the car at all, the only give away was they were as fast as f*** and, if you looked closely, you could find the "4" cast into the heads. I had two customers with these.

I always thought the ZD was the better one of the two. You don't see many ZCs these days, so my assumption must be right. I have never seen a metric dash in one of these, considering metric wasn't coming in until July 1974, so it was a way off yet. It could be an after-market conversion back in the 70's to replace the plastic lens to give you a metric speedo, but the odometer would have still been in miles.

Re the volumes: ZD Fairlanes 12797. Custom series 1136, 500 series 11661. The 302 column manual was quite rare - 68 produced (all Custom series obviously). Even rarer is a Custom 351 auto — only 10 produced.

In 1970-71, the ZD was far superior to look at than the HG Brougham.
XY Fairmont vs HG Premier on the other hand, I'd definitely take the Prem.
The HG offered more optional equipment than the Fords at that point.
A fully optioned V8 Premier was a very pleasant car on long trips.

Never liked the ZC/D Fairlane interior as much as Fairmont / GT... I feel that Ford missed a great opportunity by not making a GTA Fairlane.

In 1972 one of my colleagues in the Truck Plant had a ZD 500 351 - and very nice it was, too. 👍 We'd just switched over to the ZF at that point, but he was in no rush to change it for the newer model, as he liked the instantly-recognisable look of the ZD. The ZF (and the ZG) Fairlane looked too much like the XA Falcon, which is why in 1976 Ford went to the more squared-off ZH.

Another great episode Mark, cheers. I could never decide between the ZC or the ZD. It's a tough one, depending on what you want Keep up the great work mate, Dan

hmmm i happened to be like number 351

Another enjoyable episode, thanks Mark.

I had a ZD. 351 auto. Forklift power steering 😂 The size of a state. And used petrol like it was water. I loved it. So good cruising that thing.

Ford Australia should have made a Fairlane in a convertible car for the next level

Your brothers was the same as mine. Dark green and tan interior

Love the ZD it's great to see some of your family and friends cars used in this video

God bless Slim Dusty and his purple Fairlane ...who towed his caravan for years across OZ entertaining communities everywhere...

Mark I would like to say how prompt you're i
Response is I like that and the way you can explain the finer points of the models and is a very professional

Slim dusty car He called IT Old purple and has a song called Old purple

Ford could do no wrong with the Fairlane.....until the XA Falcon look a like ZF Fairlane. I could be wrong but I seem to remember the ZF Fairlane being out sold (slim margin) by the new HQ Statesman for a brief period.

I can't believe these were only about 100kg heavier than my Datsun 720.

I have a ZD T Bar K Code in Vintage Burgundy with a white vinyl roof, boy is it a big car to drive. I was amazed how many people give you a wave and a thumbs up as you motor around town. I guess you just don't see cars like this on the road anymore. I don't recall seeing another ZD on the roads around Sydney since I bought the car.

Hi Mark My uncle had a ZD with all the good gear-4 valve heads, FMX auto and 9 inch diff. I think these cars were built in batches and they had a name. Any ideas?

Nice cars! Far more attractive and dependable than todays cars. I still find the outside windshield visors common on newer Aussie vehicles odd. They were common on 40's and early 50's North American vehicles and then disappeared. Always great to see the classic Aussie vehicles.

G'day Mark,

Another great video, you got to be spewing as a buyer no matter what you ordered 302 or 351 it was only
2BBL.

No more GT spec 351.

Really enjoying every episode.

Cheers

Louis Kats 👍

just a little side note from Fordburger at Roadkill garage...did you know in 1980 ...Ford introduced a 250 cubic inch Windsor !!!

Another great episode. One of my favourite cars. We had a ZD for many years, specifically when our two young children needed pushers, high-chairs, cots etc. The boot was perfect for this! Originally copper bronze(?) I repainted it Diamond White in our garage and had a black vinyl roof fitted -- not the norm in the 1990s! 302W with Quadrajet, GT suspension and power steering from an XC Falcon it was just like a huge gokart. Very fun to drive. Also surprisingly easy to park as each corner could be clearly seen.
I don't see otherwise mentioned (I apologise if it has already been discussed) that this was also the transition from Windsor to Cleveland V8s The last of the Windsors had some unique ancilliary items, such as waterpumps and other bits'n'bobs I've since forgotten. It was always a pain trying to get the correct parts. Earlier and older build date ZDs were easy but not the month mine was built in. Always the way......

Here is the 4th episode in the Ford Fairlane Auto History Series - the ZD. Please help the channel by hitting the old Like 👍 Button. It will help the channel get seen by more enthusiasts like you. Plus, please Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode as there is lots more to come! Thanks for watching. 👍