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Hey Eric, you got me to finally sign up on your site. 😀
Planning on doing something similar to one of my project cars, a 1966 Mustang Coupe. It has the same engine in it as the Fairmont, but I plan on keeping it around for the good balance and fuel economy, since it should suit my needs as being a highway cruiser. The plan right now is to see about finding an LSD to replace the current open diff (whether I keep the 4 lug configuration depends on if it can be done), converting to disk brakes all around, welding in new floors and other rusty spots, getting a new coat of paint, converting to a 5 speed from the old 3 speed dog leg, new seats with harnesses, roll cage and other stiffening options, coil-overs to replace the leaf springs, and work on increasing the output of the old engine with a fresh rebuild and a head from the 250 I6.
It will be incredibly interesting to see how you will install those parts, as the set up didn’t seem to change even with the 13 year gap of our cars.
If there is room in the budget please install an Accusump oil accumulator system to help save the bearings on start up and heavy braking.
what about going to 4:11 gears and then sticking a gear-vendors overdrive behind the tranny you can get custom ratio’s from them so it will still get down a boogie but you flip the overdrive on and it will cruise down the highway at ~2000RPM especially with a 5 speed
you could also pair it with 3:55’s or 3:89’s or whateverecoboost //press the gas pedal “well I guess I am going to accelerate now…”
small block V8 “grRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
if you would have put that eco boost engine in that faromont I would have been admittedly frustrated, I am not a big fan of the Ecoboost, I don’t like the idea of it, and of coarse there are tons of electronic inputs for the PCM… just got too love technology. plust lets just face it, a V8 is just cooler and sounds better B)
buy the way eric, that Ford F-150 you drove, I made the bumper for it… 😉
This is going to be such a cool project. I think the 302 is the right way to go, best fit for the car and the type of personality you want. A supercharger would be cool too, but that will probably be too pricey. I’m surprised you aren’t going for power brakes and steering, but either way. Also, I think black steel wheels with the chrome centers would be more stealthy than body color.
I love the idea of a sleeper, I think one of the coolest cars I ever saw was an old Checker Marathon wagon that I saw on vacation in San Francisco. This car was immaculate, and very cool, but seemed totally stock. When looking through my pictures after I got home, I looked closer at the wheels and noticed it looked lowered and had a set of big drilled rotors and big calipers. Obviously this car was packing something serious under the hood, but you wouldn’t know it. I wish I could have talked to the owner.
Anyway, good luck with the project Eric, I am very excited to see the videos.
(Included some pics of the Checker, thought some might appreciate it!)
[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=126165]ecoboost //press the gas pedal “well I guess I am going to accelerate now…”
small block V8 “grRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
if you would have put that eco boost engine in that faromont I would have been admittedly frustrated, I am not a big fan of the Ecoboost, I don’t like the idea of it, and of coarse there are tons of electronic inputs for the PCM… just got too love technology. plust lets just face it, a V8 is just cooler and sounds better B)
buy the way eric, that Ford F-150 you drove, I made the bumper for it… ;)[/quote] V8s always sound the best. The fairmont deserves a proper engine….a V8.
[quote=”CapturetheBomb” post=126156]Hey Eric, you got me to finally sign up on your site. 😀
Planning on doing something similar to one of my project cars, a 1966 Mustang Coupe. It has the same engine in it as the Fairmont, but I plan on keeping it around for the good balance and fuel economy, since it should suit my needs as being a highway cruiser. The plan right now is to see about finding an LSD to replace the current open diff (whether I keep the 4 lug configuration depends on if it can be done), converting to disk brakes all around, welding in new floors and other rusty spots, getting a new coat of paint, converting to a 5 speed from the old 3 speed dog leg, new seats with harnesses, roll cage and other stiffening options, coil-overs to replace the leaf springs, and work on increasing the output of the old engine with a fresh rebuild and a head from the 250 I6.
It will be incredibly interesting to see how you will install those parts, as the set up didn’t seem to change even with the 13 year gap of our cars.[/quote]
Sounds like a fun project. Good luck.
[quote=”Legitsu” post=126160]what about going to 4:11 gears and then sticking a gear-vendors overdrive behind the tranny you can get custom ratio’s from them so it will still get down a boogie but you flip the overdrive on and it will cruise down the highway at ~2000RPM especially with a 5 speed
you could also pair it with 3:55’s or 3:89’s or whatever[/quote]I considered an option like this but the more complex you make a system, the more prone it is to failure. Also, there’s an added expense. Lastly, 3:73 will do just fine with that amount of power.
Thanks for the suggestion.
[quote=”13aceofspades13″ post=126165]ecoboost //press the gas pedal “well I guess I am going to accelerate now…”
small block V8 “grRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
if you would have put that eco boost engine in that faromont I would have been admittedly frustrated, I am not a big fan of the Ecoboost, I don’t like the idea of it, and of coarse there are tons of electronic inputs for the PCM… just got too love technology. plust lets just face it, a V8 is just cooler and sounds better B)
buy the way eric, that Ford F-150 you drove, I made the bumper for it… ;)[/quote]
Yea, it was fun to consider the option but the expense and effort wouldn’t really be worth it in the end I think. A solid V8 will do the job just fine with little hassle.
So cool to think you made the bumper for the truck.
[quote=”RyanS93″ post=126187]This is going to be such a cool project. I think the 302 is the right way to go, best fit for the car and the type of personality you want. A supercharger would be cool too, but that will probably be too pricey. I’m surprised you aren’t going for power brakes and steering, but either way. Also, I think black steel wheels with the chrome centers would be more stealthy than body color.
I love the idea of a sleeper, I think one of the coolest cars I ever saw was an old Checker Marathon wagon that I saw on vacation in San Francisco. This car was immaculate, and very cool, but seemed totally stock. When looking through my pictures after I got home, I looked closer at the wheels and noticed it looked lowered and had a set of big drilled rotors and big calipers. Obviously this car was packing something serious under the hood, but you wouldn’t know it. I wish I could have talked to the owner.
Anyway, good luck with the project Eric, I am very excited to see the videos.
(Included some pics of the Checker, thought some might appreciate it!)[/quote]
You need to plan forced induction from the start if you want to go that way. Starting with lower compression for the engine. Like you said, it’s an added expense. It would also cost fuel and this is a car I hope to drive, so I don’t want it killing me on gas.
I’ve been driving this car with manual brakes for a while and I’ve kinda gotten used to it. The reason I’m not switching over to power brakes is because of the set up I hope to get from Wilwood for the clutch and brake master. It’s an interesting set up that I don’t even need a proportioning valve for.
http://www.wilwood.com/Search/PartNoSearch.aspx?q=340-3950
The rep at SEMA for Wilwood suggested that set up for my application.
I am glad to hear that you decided to move forward with the auto-manual trans conversion. I think you will have a lot of fun driving it. I am looking forward to the vids. Wondering if it will be done in time for the Meet-Up? Good luck.
I am wondering why you are not going with a detroit locker in the rear?
Also in the future years are you going to continue to mod the Fairmont or are you just getting your feet wet with it?
About the cat and engine. Just wanted to point this out, not directed at the build.
Regs say that the cat has to “match” the engine.
Meaning, if you put in an engine that still requires emissions testing (25 years or newer), in an older car, the emissions requirements go by the engine year.
another thing is that regs also say that you aren’t allowed to put in an engine that is older that the car that it’s going into.
For what the car is intended for, forced induction is unnecessary. What a lot of people tend to forget is that a good torquey motor like a 302 doesn’t need a crutch like other smaller motors in order to do whatever it needs to do. As Eric said, normally aspirated small block Fords make MORE than 1 hp per cubic inch without forced induction and thats plenty. Power steering is an unecessary expense, a good rack needs no assist, and manual steering gives more road feel. A Fairmont is not a front wheel drive car that needs all these silly things to cover up its downfalls. Power brakes with 4 discs, not needed. Plus depending the camshaft, the engine might not power a booster anyway. Catalytic coverters are absolute waste of time on a car with a carburetor, and I think they should be removed from everything, they just increase back pressure and steal power.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=126336]For what the car is intended for, forced induction is unnecessary. What a lot of people tend to forget is that a good torquey motor like a 302 doesn’t need a crutch like other smaller motors in order to do whatever it needs to do. As Eric said, normally aspirated small block Fords make MORE than 1 hp per cubic inch without forced induction and thats plenty. Power steering is an unecessary expense, a good rack needs no assist, and manual steering gives more road feel. A Fairmont is not a front wheel drive car that needs all these silly things to cover up its downfalls. Power brakes with 4 discs, not needed. Plus depending the camshaft, the engine might not power a booster anyway. Catalytic coverters are absolute waste of time on a car with a carburetor, and I think they should be removed from everything, they just increase back pressure and steal power.[/quote] There’s no replacement for displacement. I can still supercharge an 8 cylinder and make more power than any turbo 6 can possibly imagine. Cubic inches does equal power and potential. As far as cats go…they are a main reason our leaded gas went away. The lead would coat the inside of the cats making them ineffective. Cats and carbs don’t go well together either. If we still had leaded gas, we would have no reason to use ethanol as an octane booster, but I digress.
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