Between the time, the effort, and the money that's required of classic car restorations, there's no denying that they can make for rewarding projects and fascinating stories. However, sometimes, older vehicles are better appreciated for their originality, and their patina is worth preserving as part of the final build. Just take this NASCAR-inspired 1963 Fairlane for instance. The Ford is a little rough around the edges, but it packs quite the powerplant under the hood. Ford's Small Block Never Sounded So Good In building this Fairlane, the owner (Joe) was inspired by the cars that he would see growing up. He states that "ever since I was a little kid I would see old abandoned race cars out in the field... and I always wanted one just to drive.” For this reason, he focused more on making the classic Ford drive like a performance vehicle than he did looking like a show pony. Nevertheless, with over 1,200 hours invested in the build, it's the product of some extensive fine-tuning.Under the hood, it's powered by a Ford 289-cubic-inch V8 that originally powered a classic Galaxie. Joe had the engine rebuilt by RNR Speed Shop with a Comp Cams valve train, some Edelbrock heads and an Edelbrock intake, as well as a Holley 4150 double pumper carb. Though he didn't have exact numbers for the build at the time of the video, Joe estimated output to be "in the 470 range now."To account for the extra grunt, the Fairlane also got treated to a four-speed Ford Top Loader manual, as the owner is of the belief that it's "the strongest factory transmission ever manufactured". At this stage, however, he has yet to upgrade the eight-inch rear end or the stock 28-spline axles, so we don't get to see any donuts or tire smoke— only noise. Thankfully, when funneled through a homemade exhaust with eight-inch straight-through resonators, a crossover tube, some cherry bombs, and dual outlets, it makes for one of the better soundtracks you'll hear. Rocking The Barn Find Look Loud And Proud 1963 Ford Fairlane Restomod - 6In the spirit of the race cars that he would see in fields as a boy, Joe wanted his Fairlane to "look like we found an old race car in a barn." Accordingly, he focused on preserving the patina, applying Permatex rust treatment to freeze the rust in place. To give the decals a weathered look, Joe used dark walnut wood stain to simulate oil and age before topping everything off with a Krylon flat clear. Underneath the seemingly tired bodywork, however, you'll find a fully-built race car. Along with some x-bars in the doors and a set of Speedway Motors sportsman seats, it also features a set of Autometer Sport Comp gauges. Moreover, the Fairlane now rides on a set of Speedway Motors Mustang II double A-arms with coil springs up front— enabling rack and pinion steering as well as disc brakes— along with some modified stock Fairlane leaf springs at the rear. Top it off with period mods like an old-school anti-hop setup and the result is a restomod that looks as raw as it drives.