Ford Fairmont Wagon

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 12/08/2016 at 18:06 • Filed to: None

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Ford Fairmont caught at a stop light.

for Michigan > ImmoralMinority 12/08/2016 at 18:09

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Do want.

vondon302 > ImmoralMinority 12/08/2016 at 18:14

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Fox body wagon!

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > for Michigan 12/08/2016 at 18:58

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You only think you do, but actually don’t... unless you have a plan to transplant the engine/transmission from a late 1980s/early 1990s Mustang GT, upgrade the brakes and upgrade the suspension, give it a paint job and more comfortable front seats.

And once you do that, you’ll look at all the money you spent and realize that you could have just bought one of these new:

Or one of these:

...for less money. And You suddenly realize that for less money, you would have had a better all-around vehicle that is more reliable with a warranty.

And then you would start to cry.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ImmoralMinority 12/08/2016 at 19:00

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I owned one of those; inline-six and a manual transmission and Armstrong steering. I wanna say it was a ‘78. And brown in color. And gutless. And needed a carburetor rebuild.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > for Michigan 12/08/2016 at 19:00

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You probably don’t. See above.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/08/2016 at 19:02

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Can’t say I could get enthused about either of those wagons, but I owned a Fairmont just like that one and it was pretty uninspiring. I was intrigued by the manual transmission, so I gave it a roll. I don’t think it ever broke down on me. I owned it in the late eighties. I think I paid $700 for it and sold it for $500.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 12/08/2016 at 19:35

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Compared to other cars from the same era, they were okay.

But I still remember how cars from that era were like.

It would be interesting to drive from a “look how far we’ve come’ kind of way.

But I wouldn’t want to live with one on a regular basis unless I wanted to upgrade it with late-Fox Mustang bits, upgraded brakes and upgraded suspension.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/08/2016 at 19:50

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I’ve written in Oppo numerous times about the ‘77 Caprice that I drove when I was 18. I went off to basic training and I wanted to try and buy it from my folks when I got out, but they traded it in while I was away for an ‘84 that I didn’t think was much of a car. Certainly not as good as the ‘77. I blew the head gasket in the ‘84 running the crap out of it on I-64 in Virginia. It didn’t fail all at once, but a bit later after I’d gone back to the Army from leave.

for Michigan > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/08/2016 at 20:10

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No, I actually do. I really like the way Fairmonts look, even if they are Malaise Beige.

If I were to own one, I’d want to restomod it. Probably drop in a 2.3 L EcoBoost out of a new Mustang, stiffen up the chassis, and put some decent suspension underneath of it. If I couldn’t find a good wagon to start with, I’d settle for a two-door sedan (not the Futura coupe, don’t like the basket handle).

If I were to buy new, I definitely wouldn’t go with the Alltrac or Outback, it’d either be a BRZ Series.Yellow,

or a Mazda3 GT Hatchback.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > for Michigan 12/08/2016 at 22:57

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You’d probably also want to upgrade the brakes if you were to restomod the Fairmont.

A 2.3L ecoboost would do nicely though.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > ImmoralMinority 12/08/2016 at 23:14

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A friend in high school had one of those in that very color. It was a 4 cylinder 4 speed and it could muster about 65 on the highway with him, me and his drum kit in the back.

for Michigan > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/08/2016 at 23:56

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Yeah, I was assuming brakes as part of the suspension upgrade.

Alternatively, it’d be a whole lot of fun to put a 93 Cobra drive line underneath with some go-fast bits and have a bit more period-correct of a hi-po Fairmont.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > ImmoralMinority 12/09/2016 at 01:05

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The Mustang wagon we never got. The wagon we needed, not the wagon we deserved.