Build Thread 1978 Fairmont. I bet somebody back home’s thinkin’…I wonder why he don’t write..?

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Im laying in bed last night thinkin’: I’ve done the exact same thing to this car that I’m constantly bitching others out here for doing...Taking a driveable fun street car, and turning it into a pain in the dick.

You’ll get it sorted, and it’ll be sweet when you do. You didn’t really think you wouldn’t have to do it twice, did you?
 
Brakes....as in returning it back to stock POWER brakes.;)

Along with my previous statement regarding “ making the car a pain in the dick to drive”, the power brakes are making a comeback.
Fairmonts come with two different boosters. The big ass flat plate 9” single diaphragm, or the “ Police/taxi” dual 7.something-or other version.
Although I made room previously for a monster Cobra PBB, by clearancing the back of the strut tower, and welding in a relief, the intake manifold won’t allow it to fit..( hence the reason for getting rid of the power brakes this time around)
The dual diaphragm fairmont booster is significantly smaller in diameter than that thing, and I understand that I may not get the full benefit of the potential assist because of the Cobra calipers...But i’m thinking that in this case, when compared to the effort required to stop/hold the car with these manual brakes...it’ll be way better.
 
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Brakes....as in returning it back to stock POWER brakes.;)

Along with my previous statement regarding “ making the car a pain in the dick to drive”, the power brakes are making a comeback.
Fairmonts come with two different boosters. The big ass flat plate 9” single diaphragm, or the “ Police/taxi” dual 7.something-or other version.
Although I made room previously for a monster Cobra PBB, by clearancing the back of the strut tower, and welding in a relief, the intake manifold won’t allow it to fit..( hence the reason for getting rid of the power brakes this time around)
The dual diaphragm fairmont booster is significantly smaller in diameter than that thing, and I understand that I may not get the full benefit of the potential assist because of the Cobra calipers...But i’m thinking that in this case, when compared to the effort required to stop/hold the car with these manual brakes...it’ll be way better.
Mike, you just made me realize something. Like you, I'm only done changing things when I've sold the car. Otherwise it will never get left alone.
 
Mike, you just made me realize something. Like you, I'm only done changing things when I've sold the car. Otherwise it will never get left alone.
Its not so much about an upgrade this time. Despite having tried this three times ( on three separate cars) I’ve never been able to make manual brakes perform even remotely close to a power brake system, despite reading that differently.
I moved the pivot point so high, the ratio is like a bagillion to 1,..the master cylinder is like a 15/16” bore..I should‘ve been able to give myself a brain bleed from the stopping power...
Instead It was like driving a bus....I had to plan ahead if I wanted to stop at a light.
This time it was all about returning the car back to a safer, more fun to drive version than it currently was.
All that changed today though....I now have “ cop brakes”
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This is the booster that is spec’d for the “Police/Taxi” 1983 Fairmont ...An awesome car, that will go down in history as one of the most fearsome vehicles ever to roll out of Dearborn......
:rlaugh:
The brake pedal had to be removed so that I could unbolt the rod end that made up the pushrod for the manual brake system..Now that the Prius EPS motor was there,...I couldn‘t even see the top left nut, much less get to it..

Its gonna be a mutherfcker trying to get it back up there...
Probably on par with trying to change out a differential while laying on the ground,....under the car...
 
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There is more there than meets the eye.
And.....No, there’s not always hydoboost.....I have electric power steering.

You could run stand alone hydroboost using a Volvo EPS to push the fluid. No need for that though. In the old movies the cop car Fairmonts had no problem locking up the brakes...or screeching around every turn they made.

Must've been the early 89s sound effects. Lol
 
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in reality I don’t need anything more than what I’ve put back on the car. This engine makes plenty of vacuum at idle, and doesn’t suffer from the typical high overlap cam/ low vacuum scenario that a lot of V8 guys experience.
 
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in reality I don’t need anything more than what I’ve put back on the car. This engine makes plenty of vacuum at idle, and doesn’t suffer from the typical high overlap cam/ low vacuum scenario that a lot of V8 guys experience.
I am working on a 2j in a Lexus (in Trinidad) stock idle speed is 950-1100.. just an FYI I know yours gets upset sometimes at the speed we set it to.
 
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I am working on a 2j in a Lexus (in Trinidad) stock idle speed is 950-1100.. just an FYI I know yours gets upset sometimes at the speed we set it to.
Ive learned that already. When I went to PC last November, the idle in drive was around 800. The car acted like it was gonna die sometimes. While down there, i turned the idle screw up a tick to about 950-1000, and it got instantly happy.
 
Ill do this tonight because I can. I’m thankful, optimistic, and hopeful that what has ended, has truly ended. At the same time, I’m pissed that a rabble raped one of the most sacred institutions of American democracy in their vain attempt to overthrow my vote...For the ex military, and ex police, that took an oath to defend the constitution....and then decided to storm the capital, and threaten the government members lives inside...Prisons gonna be a bitch.
For the yeahoo gawkers that followed along because you were fed lies for four years from the liar in chief and now have to deal with the video evidence of your face/ entity while trespassing into that building while you streamed along inside like tourists... ....Don’t look into buying a timeshare anytime soon....The “free” 3 day vacation they are offering at the resort...isn’t really free...in the end, you’ll be just as fcked as you are now.
For the future neighbors of that prick in Mar-a-lago...keep the faith, and enforce the covenants...He can only stay there 21 days.
After that.....please Donald,....please.......go back to NYC....They have a warrant with your name on it.
12 hours and a wake up....And that weasel flies out,....without ceremony,..in the dark,...waiting on the subpoena.

Cya you treasonous bastard..I hope a NYC corrections orange jumpsuit doesn’t clash with your unbleached grey hair.:flag:
Dude, keep that kind of talk for our PMs. I'm here for you, no need to expose everyone else.

Kurt
 
Ill do this tonight because I can. I’m thankful, optimistic, and hopeful that what has ended, has truly ended. At the same time, I’m pissed that a rabble raped one of the most sacred institutions of American democracy in their vain attempt to overthrow my vote...For the ex military, and ex police, that took an oath to defend the constitution....and then decided to storm the capital, and threaten the government members lives inside...Prisons gonna be a bitch.
For the yeahoo gawkers that followed along because you were fed lies for four years from the liar in chief and now have to deal with the video evidence of your face/ entity while trespassing into that building while you streamed along inside like tourists... ....Don’t look into buying a timeshare anytime soon....The “free” 3 day vacation they are offering at the resort...isn’t really free...in the end, you’ll be just as fcked as you are now.
For the future neighbors of that prick in Mar-a-lago...keep the faith, and enforce the covenants...He can only stay there 21 days.
After that.....please Donald,....please.......go back to NYC....They have a warrant with your name on it.
12 hours and a wake up....And that weasel flies out,....without ceremony,..in the dark,...waiting on the subpoena.

Cya you treasonous bastard..I hope a NYC corrections orange jumpsuit doesn’t clash with your unbleached grey hair.:flag:
I'll drink to that.
 
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I had been telling myself for months now that “ come new year, I’m gonna get rid of the BMW lease, and the Jag, and buy myself a pickup.

The i3 BMW is all electric, with a small gasoline powered generator on board to add range to the car once the short range battery goes away ( basically adds about 60 miles to the 100 mile battery range)
A stupid concept,...Driving the car on the generator is annoying. While it worked great to get me back and forth to work, especially since there was a free battery charging at the front of the dealership, the limited range made it impossible to use the car for anything except that. That lease was due to expire in June, which meant I had about $2,000.00 in payments remaining at 416.00 a month.
Getting a car that was capable of normal driving range was my justification for buying the jag 18 months ago.
But the car was so nice, I didn’t want to drive it. And.....it’s a jag. it’s only a matter of time, and something‘s gonna fail,...and cost a stupid amount to fix. It was also financed...for a long time..( like 84 months I think) add..280.00 a month to that.
Alabama penalizes you if you drive an electric car. They figure that you aren’t paying your fair share of road use tax by not buying gas, ( where that tax is built in), So come annual registration time,...you pay a surcharge to renew ( about 250.00 extra dollars) Insurance on the BMW was about 120.00 a month, and the jag ( even though it was an 07) was about 80.00/mo. ( guess they figure it was originally a $70,000.00 car)
Neither of these cars were serving my interest. I wanted something that would allow me to throw whatever greasy, dirty, bulky, oversized thing in back w/o concern...I wanted to have something that If I needed to could pull a trailer..I needed a V8 truck.

I don’t know if anyone here has purchased a late model Domestic PU here lately, but they ain’t cheap. Whether it be a Ford/Chevy/Dodge,...a 17-18 my low mile version of a quad cab anything is like 40k. I wanted to spend 30k
When 30k is the budget, What you find when you want a low mile truck with remaining warranty..Is an 30k mile Eco-boost 2.7, plastic mat-no carpet/ no heated seats/no power seats/no XM radio, white base 2017 2 door crew cab...
”But it has a 7/100 CPO warranty, and it’s rated to tow 7500 lbs”
Bunk. I don’t want some base looking white weenie-mobile.

Enter,..the offerings from the boys who live in the land of the rising sun.
20210124_070155.jpg

2018 V8 Nissan Titan Quad cab...Still probably closer to their base offering, but it has everything that the Ford didn’t.
And a 5/100 b2b warranty, and only has 11.5k miles, And...a 28k price tag.
Which finances at 2.65% to 60 months ( 562.00/mo) and only costs 22.00 more monthly than the Jag did to insure.
I pay the lease off and turn it in early..( and save the 600.00 it would’ve cost to insure it, and the 250.00 that Alabama was gonna charge me to register it) So,...spend 2000.00 but save 850.00 in doing so.
I trade the jag in, and break even..I eliminate an additional 350.00 monthly, shorten my finance term by 2 years, and reduce the interest rate from 4% to 2.65. On a used car.
All in all...I’m happy..I’m thinking I did good.

The wife, was at 118k miles on her Cad SRX, So, we freshened her up too..She got a 19 Subaru Ascent. Pretty cool car actually...Especially when you know how a BMW x7 is equipped...Cause this thing has everything that that x7 does.
Except an engine with any balls..and a CVT trans.
But it’s her car, not mine
20210124_070134.jpg

Now, the problem is garage fitment. While the Jag could fit next to her small Cad with no problem,...two full size monsters,....not the same deal. Looks like the Titan might have to live the life of a P/U truck........outside
 
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