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I’d say just build up what it came with. New internals balanced/port/polish/aluminum heads/intake.
Nothing out of the ordinary until you step on the pedal. That way even when looking under the hood it is still decieving as to the true nature of the beast.Wild thought here but just for laughs how about a six pack intake?
i say make her a sleeper
get a Ford 351 Windsor or a big block 429 or maybe a more modern crate engine, if you want too stay carby get a big 4 barrel, or convert too malty port fuel injection, MSD ignition, coils distributor wires ect… port and polish the intake and heads, shave a couple thousands off the heads and put a nice cam in it, not something too loapy but something when you get on it it allows a little more flow, bump up compression a little bit maybe slightly higher compression pistons, and some pinker or eagle rods and a nice forged crank and balance the assembly, get some headers and run some straight pipes with some nice mufflers that aren’t too raspy that allow a little rumble but not deafening, maybe even some nitrous oxide, a wet injection kit so you won’t run lean… if you want forced induction too keep noise down go with a pro charger… get yourself a bigger radiator too cool it better.
if you want too keep the same trans i would suggest beef it up, maybe get a shift kit that doesn’t take too far away from the stock shifter… get a LSD and maybe some tires that are a little wider for the street, but for the drags have a nice set of drag slicks for the rear…
get a nice set of LSP sway bars and some stiffer springs especially in the back drop the ride height about 1 inch not too much but just enough too make it not so saggy but slamming cars is just kinda boring too me and i think will take away the sleeper concept, poly bushings all around, maybe a little extra neg camber on the front with a little extra on the rear for the track.
as far as brakes are concerned if it doesn’t have disks up front convert too disk up front maybe rear too, steel braided brake lines, cross drilled slotted rotors and hide them suckers behind a stock looking set of hub caps, steel braided brake lines…
any way you can shed weight, do it!
put a tacho and a wide band o2 and a few other things inside the glove compartment so when you line up for a drag you can just drop it all right at the line.
as far as exterior goes stay away from HIDs but LED as some have suggested is a nice idea, stay with stock paint but keep her nice buff and polished….
Frist Thing Before You Add Any Performance to that car is install some good Full Length Subframe Connectors!! Many mustangs have found this the hard way when the doors suddenly don’t open the same.
Find a 87-93 5.0 donor mustang (for some reason the convertibles seem to be the cheapest). The 5.0 Engine, Auto Trans. 8.8 rear & fuel injection can all be used.
For the suspension, 95-98 GT 4 wheel Disk Brakes, Hubs with the better wheel bearings (the 95-98 Cobra would be better, since they came standard with 13 inch Rotors, 4 piston calibers)
You can also use the 95-98 control arms and the updated steering rack with the longer tie rod ends, if you use the Maximum MotorSports Conversion Steering shaft. This alone makes a huge difference in the steering.
You can also go real big and go with the 03-04 Cobra Parts, these are the only mustangs that had the IRS with huge front Brembo Brakes. Other then the IRS and Front Brakes, the front suspension was regular SN95 Hardware.
If you do go with a tubular K member, I would go with Maximum MotorSports, I feel these guys make the best Supension parts of any of the others for the Fox Body, they have race tested parts that not only look pretty but work extremely well.[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=103447]i say make her a sleeper
as far as exterior goes stay away from HIDs but LED as some have suggested is a nice idea,[/quote]
Agreed on the HID. It just doesn’t look right on an old car. Its also far cheaper to just replace the stock sealed beam units with 80/100watt lamps. Build a relay harness taking power off the battery, use 12g wire for everything including the wiring to the lamps and turn night into day.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=91503]I have some plans of my own but they say that the more the merrier. I’m opening this thread to see what some of YOUR ideas are for the car. If nothing else it will be nice to see how you, the fans of the project, think.
[/quote]I would have to disagree with most other people here. You have a little piece of American automotive history there and the important part, the body and interior, are in amazing original condition from the photos posted. The rest of the car also seems unmolested and authentic which is what you want.
1. Before touching anything I would talk to some ford classic car gurus and get some advice from them as to what you should do with the car to improve it’s longer term value (and what not to do that may detract from its value). These guys are just so knowledgeable and they are also happy to offer advice to help others. From what I have seen of the classic car scene the vehicles which are kept as close as possible to original (aside from some mechanical upgrades such as brakes that need to be done) have the greatest value and are the ones most sought after.
2. Anyone can take a nice car like that and turn it into a restomod. Sure there is a market for restomods but they are so significantly modified the mechanical originality is entirely lost as is the car’s authenticity.
3. Taking a car like that and Mustanging it does not make sense to me either. If someone wants a car with a 5 liter Mustang drive train then why buy a 6 cylinder Fairmont. You buy a 5 liter Mustang of the same era instead and restore that. Equally you would not take an old original 1969 Mustang GT500 and throw away the old drive train and stick some other ford product in its place.
4. From what I have read, I understand that 1979 Fairmont model in that body was available with 3 engine options, the 4 cylinder unit, the inline 6 cylinder in the car now and a V8. I think one thing the experts can advise is whether upgrading the entire drive train to identically match the original 1979 Fairmont V8 drive train option (if indeed it was an option on that car) is the way to go or whether you would be better off just staying with the 6 cyl to keep the car very original and authentic.
Anyhow that would be my approach and, whatever you do, the best of luck with it.
i think what Eric is trying too achieve with the Fairmont is a sleeper, something no one would suspect is fast, something when you are at the drags some guy comes up with his souped up honda civic and brags about how fast his car is, and you walk up with your ford fairmont and just offer too race him, then he gets silenced when a old classic looking ford fairmont walks all over his souped up honda civic and is silenced!
i think eric stated that there are lots of these ford fairmonts i think if Eric wants too go with a V8 and put fox body mustang parts on it i think he should go for it, i think its a awesome concept.
I think I would like to see him do something with that Inline 6. there are some good vids out there on YouTube that people have changed out some things for some more performance stuff that really got some horsepower out of the little guy. New intake and exhaust possibly dual carbs or a good 4 BBL on there new cam and such. give it some new life with brakes and suspension stuff as well maybe change out the Rear end.
Not sure what kind of stereo you have in there (or not) but if you can find a stereo from that era it would be a nice touch. Most of them will need some service like heads and capstans cleaned, belts replaced, etc. I am guessing you may know a thing or two about deck repairs? That and maybe even an 8-track player, even if but for the overall image.
But yeah as far as mods – why ruin the car? May have to do SOME mods like convert to R134 if you want A/C (unless you can get your hands on R12)
OR – you could also put some eyelashes on the headlights. Ehh maybe not… It just wouldn’t be “Eric the car guy”. 😆
Id leave it orginal. Upgrade to disc brakes, alternator if u dont have one. 6 cylinders are the way to go. they give you that proformance, but that fuel comsumtion. My 6 Cylinder sounds mean enough for stock exhaust. You may wanna try a couple of flow masters and a glass pack.
So Eric, I may have missed this somewhere but why a 79 fairmont? Or just any car that age?
Might i guess it is for nostalgic reasons? I shouldn’t speak for all in our age bracket but yeah some of us are into nostalgia from our childhood. When the 79’s came out, we were fighting with our siblings over “who’s turn is it to sit in the front seat?”I wouldn’t mind having something from the early 80’s but when I looked, most of them needed a LOT of work (epecially body) and the ones in good shape cost a mint.
Back in the sixties I’d attend the dirt track races at the Kearney, Nebraska fairgrounds. They were just starting to switch from straight 6 engines to V8’s. Well, those Chevy six cylinders would scream. It was a while before the V8 engines were competitive.
As I recall the engine in your Fairmont came in three displacements, 170, 200 and 250 cubic inches. I think it would be an interesting project to make that 6 or one bigger into a screamer.
You’d have some work finding parts and a cam to accomplish this. Maybe it would be impossible. Put imagine opening the hood of the old Fairmont and showing people it still had the Ford 6 banger.
I’d shoe horn in a 302 V8 , make it into a sleeper , maybe bolt a supercharger to it , but having said that , it’ll be hard to part with that inline 6 .
Eric, the vision you have for making the Fairmont a sleeper reminds me of back in the day, my grandpa and great grandpa were ridge runners down here in South Carolina. My grandpa would tell me about the sleeper cars and trucks moonshiners had that looked normal and quiet and wouldn’t attract attention from the law. But they had some serious power under the hood and if they needed to get out of dodge quick they could.
[quote=”Summer_Night” post=117181]So Eric, I may have missed this somewhere but why a 79 fairmont? Or just any car that age?
Might i guess it is for nostalgic reasons? I shouldn’t speak for all in our age bracket but yeah some of us are into nostalgia from our childhood. When the 79’s came out, we were fighting with our siblings over “who’s turn is it to sit in the front seat?”I wouldn’t mind having something from the early 80’s but when I looked, most of them needed a LOT of work (epecially body) and the ones in good shape cost a mint.[/quote]
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