Who Knew There Were So Many Fords In Barns?: 1947 Lincoln Club Coupe vs 1968 Ford Fairlane

Welcome back! For our fourth installment of Project Car Week, our search terms included that now-tired phrase, “barn find.” But as overused as the term is, both of today’s cars look like viable projects.

Yesterday, our two contenders were nice clean examples of interesting cars. They don’t need anything except love and care, and someone to keep up their already excellent condition. I expected the wild Subaru coupe to win, but as it turns out, the beige-but-bulletproof Mercedes cleaned up. This would be my choice, too.

Some of you cited parts availability as a problem for the Subaru; the mechanical stuff shouldn’t be hard, but the body and trim pieces are unique to the SVX, not shared with any other Subaru, and could be tough to find if the need arises. Also, some of you wanted to manual-swap it. It didn’t occur to me that there was no manual option available for the SVX. I keep forgetting that the Japanese like automatics almost as much as Americans do.

It’s a daydream I think most of us have indulged in at one point: Opening a barn door on some old property and finding an old dusty car, something we never even knew we wanted, just sitting there waiting. It does happen; cars get parked for all sorts of reasons, and forgotten about, until someone leaves this plane of existence and the inevitable estate sale uncovers a hidden gem. Or an old rusty wreck. Some folks have made whole careers out of this practice. And of course, the online classifieds are riddled with so-called “barn finds,” usually at hyper-inflated prices, and often not that interesting of a car. With a little digging, however, I was able to uncover two cars for sale, both referred to as barn finds, for reasonable prices. Both of them have the potential to be something really cool. Let’s take a look.

1947 Lincoln Club Coupe – $4,450

Engine/drivetrain: 337 cubic inch flathead V8, three-speed manual, RWD

Location: East Wenatchee, WA

Odometer reading: 81,000 miles

Operational status: Starts and runs on a gas can

After World War II, automakers wasted no time switching their production lines from bomber parts back to cars. But since the design departments had been idle for years, the 1946-47 models looked very much like the 1942 editions. Five years isn’t a long time to keep sheetmetal around these days, of course; Chrysler kept the recent 300’s design the same for almost three times that long, and so did Toyota with its 4Runner. But back when this Lincoln was built, automakers typically changed a car’s look every year or two.

Not only did the styling stay frozen in time, the mechanical specification did too. For Lincoln, that meant a flathead V12 displacing 292 cubic inches. It’s by far the Lincoln’s coolest feature, but unfortunately this one no longer has that engine. Instead, it has a 337 cubic inch flathead V8 from a ’49 Lincoln. Still a cool engine, but no V12. The seller says their father owned the car, and the V12 was already gone by the time he bought it. The good news is that the V8 runs – as long as you feed it with gas from an external source.

Restoration work was begun years ago; the seats and carpet were redone, and it looks like someone added, or was trying to add, power windows. At least I think that’s what those switches on the door are for. The door panels are off, but included.

It’s straight, and as far as the seller can tell, not rusty. The trim is all there, it looks like, and the intricate chrome grille is still impressive all these years later. It’s got a cool set of wide whitewalls, but there’s no indication of how old they are; hopefully they’re serviceable.

1968 Ford Fairlane 500 – $1,500

Engine/drivetrain: 200 cubic inch overhead valve inline 6, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Ormond Beach, FL

Odometer reading: 48,000 miles

Operational status: Not running, engine condition unknown

If you’re looking for something a little newer, and a little cheaper, here we have a four-door Fairlane from two decades later. In typical Ford fashion, the Fairlane changed sizes in 1962, from a trim level on the full-sized line to its own model on a mid-sized platform. 1968 was a big year for the Fairlane; it switched from stacked headlights to side-by-side, and the Torino name made its first appearance at the top of the line, making this Fairlane 500 the mid-level model.

This Fairlane has the smallest engine available, Ford’s 200 cubic inch inline six, backed by a four-speed manual, if I’m reading the shift pattern on the knob right. It’s a little hard to see in the photo. The seller has no idea what condition it’s in; they haven’t tried to start it. But it’s easy enough to pull it out and drop in a known-running V8, if you’d rather. I mean, it’s already a four-on-the-floor; might as well have a good engine to go with it.

The interior obviously needs some work, but it’s just worn out, not gross or dusty. You could either reupholster the bench, or pull it out and drop in some bucket seats. Whichever way you go with the seats, that new-for-’68 steering wheel with the crash pad in the middle just has to go. An old three-spoke Mustang wheel or something similar would look so much better.

It doesn’t look very rusty, but it does need some work on the outside. It’s missing some side trim and one hubcap, and one rear window is taped shut. I don’t know if the window is missing, or just stuck partway down, but it obviously needs some attention. And I’m pretty sure the black paint isn’t original; I think this car used to be that damn ubiquitous Ford green again.

Whether or not either of these cars was actually found in a barn, I have no idea. But it’s as good an origin story as anything, I suppose. However they got to this point, though, what really matters is what happens to them next. One is pretty much all there, and already started, even if it has the wrong engine in it. The other might need more work, but the price sure is right. Which one are you going to tell people you found in a barn?

(Image credits: sellers)