Taking the 1955 Ford Fairlane to a Car Show

Daniel Jessup

Sep 1

3 min read

Back in late June I was encouraged by several of our church members to check out the Markets at Shrewsbury car show in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. You can read more about that excursion by reviewing some of the article I wrote in July entitled, "Setting Up Shop in Red Lion, Pennsylvania." After visiting the parking lot for just a few minutes that Friday afternoon, I decided that I should bring my 1955 Ford Fairlane out there to participate. After all, the venue is only 20 minutes away from where I live, and it does draw hundreds of cars in an informal setting.

Now, I will be the first to admit I am not much of a car show/cruise in type of guy. I have no problem with those types of events, really, and plenty of guys get a charge out of showing their car. I get it. In my lifetime though I have seen many owners bring their car to a show with full expectation that they should get a trophy, their car and paint job is simply the best, etc. These yahoos would drown if they walked outside in the rain because their noses are so high in the air! For me, it's all about the drive - the experience of driving the car and enjoying the overall feel of the car, the surroundings, the interior, the styling, the classic car instrumentation, and all the rest. I do not even carry antique tags or classic car tags because I drive my car so much; so I register the 1955 Ford Fairlane just like all the other daily driver cars on the road.

However, the wonderful afternoon and evening I was given during the Markets at Shrewsbury car show put on by Motor Menders car club certainly changed my perspective. I found that most who attended were there to meet other enthusiasts, check out someone else's car, and spend time talking about restoration projects or things they learned during their latest build. The owner of the 1966 Plymouth drag car next to me was enjoyable to speak with.

Along with so many genuine car guys was the aspect of so many makes and models not readily seen these days. While there were a good number of tri-five Chevrolets and tri-five Fords, it was enjoyable to see many other automobile manufacturers represented. Among the literal hundreds of cas were fine representations from Studebaker, Willys, AMC, Nash, and Packard to name a few. A couple of examples are shown below.

This Rambler was a fine example of the "orphan" makes that show up at Shrewsbury.

I really liked the looks of this American Motors Marlin.

A Special Moment!

Any time I was around the 1955 Ford Fairlane, I spent considerable time answering good questions, meeting new people and making friends, and helping others with a few Y Block challenges. I even met several people who tune in to the Wednesday's in the Word Bible study each week!

While going down to the markets to pick up a soft pretzel, I received a phone call from Baltimore native and Y Block guru John Harding. John has been at the forefront of chronicling Y Block Ford performance history and owns several cars powered by a Y Block engine. When John showed up at my car, his first question to me was whether I remembered our first conversation over the phone. I certainly said, "Yes," and how could I forget? John is the one who first began calling me "Hot Rod Reverend" because during that phone conversation (I ended up buying a high performance camshaft from John) I was making an effort to ask him about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ while talking to John about Y Blocks! Yep, this. is the man to whom we owe the moniker and the eventual explosion of all things Hot Rod Reverend - from the website, printed materials, logos, the YouTube channel, and all the other things I have in the hopper these days.

John and I spoke for a few minutes as he relayed the waning ages of fellow Y Block enthusiasts and where certain businesses like Prestige Thunderbird and even CASCO were headed. Thankfully, not all of the talk was gloom and doom as we also discussed his F Code setup and search for an F code bird, his E code 1957 Ford Ranchero, and a few other projects in the mix. We had a wonderful time, and I am thankful that he reached out to me during the event. Prayerfully, I will be able to spend some more time with him in the coming months.