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

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I do.... but its in my car, I would need a auto assembly to replace it with.
I believe that under the dash my car is the same as yours considering that any mustang dash will fit my car, but IDR what I had to do to the assembly to support the EPS unit. I’m thinking you don’t want mine back in exchange. In reality, I’m considering making my own pedal out of bar stock, and building my own custom hydraulic system instead of relying on that pain in the ass quadrant. Just gotta get the dash out and start “cyphering”.
 
I believe that under the dash my car is the same as yours considering that any mustang dash will fit my car, but IDR what I had to do to the assembly to support the EPS unit. I’m thinking you don’t want mine back in exchange. In reality, I’m considering making my own pedal out of bar stock, and building my own custom hydraulic system instead of relying on that pain in the ass quadrant. Just gotta get the dash out and start “cyphering”.
Could a kit like this be used/Replicated?

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Well guys, I may be the 'between' mike and steve.
I happen to still have that parts car that steve already has a good bit of the parts from. :chin And it just so happens that I could use some company pulling my engine out far enough to swap an oil pan gasket.
Just thinking out loud here.
 
Well guys, I may be the 'between' mike and steve.
I happen to still have that parts car that steve already has a good bit of the parts from. :chin And it just so happens that I could use some company pulling my engine out far enough to swap an oil pan gasket.
Just thinking out loud here.
So...you’re saying you want me to come down there and help you pull an engine in exchange for a set of pedals?
I would.....if “down there” was the equivalent to 25-50 miles.

I believe you are almost “between” ten times that distance though...

I’ll have to take a pass.
 
Ok then.

I guess i’ll install the other Scott Rod fender apron on the Driver side, And with what ever time is left after that, Clean up the 6 speed and cut the bell housing off of it. The Shifter, Flywheel, and the bell Adapter kit will be here sometime today.

Not that I intend to attempt any more than that in the grand scheme, I did talk w/ McCleod about choosing the right components for the hydraulic clutch actuator part of the deal yesterday.Seems I gotta find out which T56 T/O bearing is intended to work with the adapter first.
I asked the guy that made the adapter if he would tell me which one he specs, and i’m currently waiting on his reply.
I don’t know exactly, but he seems a little stand off-ish with regard to wanting to take care of his customers. When i bought the last adapter, and the T-bolt inserts he supplied broke on almost every hole, it was because “I must've broke them from being overly aggressive with an impact wrench”. On this current shipment, He required an adult signature in order to take delivery. I told him i wouldn’t be home during the day, and asked that he change that. “ Nope, all expensive orders require an adult signature”.
(So,..hopefully it’ll get here today,...if not, I’ll miss the damn delivery driver, and have to schedule a drop off at an alternate location where they’ll sign and hold it).....Dick.

Or maybe it’s me,...maybe i’m expecting too much from somebody dependent on mine or others purchases to keep his ass in business.
Dick.
 
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Doing my homework,...it appears that I have two shifter options with this transmission:
1. I can buy a couple of different “ kits” that include the shifter, relocation bracket and hardware...
2. I can buy the shifter i want ( that costs the same as the entire kit above) and MAKE the relocation bracket.

But...

Both kits look wimpy to me, and the mount location is fixed. Wherever the shifter ends up i’ll have to live with it.

If I buy any of the standalone shifters out there, I’ll have to make the mount, and adapter to get it to work, but the shifter will be exactly where i want it. And While that doesn’t look too difficult, it is still has potential to create some bind/ or hard shift as a result.

Ive already committed to a Collins adapter and shifter. The instructions that i’ve read state that their shifter doesn’t have a reverse lockout like every other one seems to have. Their justification for which is stated as “ it’s impossible to put the thing into reverse at speed anyway”. This kinda Makes sense to me.
So that will be one less adjustment I’ll have to make.

They also have a disclaimer stating that you will have a learning curve if you are used to the old shifter pattern, because the newly shortened travel distances are much closer together. Again, it kinda makes sense to me as I have no reference standard for what the regular pattern felt like anyway.

I guess we’ll see won’t we?

Since i haven’t tried to hide my research from Kate, she asks me why I’m changing the transmission out again..I say because Im considering converting to a 6 speed...
“Considering, or Doing”? she asks..
“Well...I have to consider something it before doing it”. I reply.
I get a pair of rolled eyes from her.

One one hand, after 35 years, it kinda sucks that a person gets to know you so well that there are no secrets.
on the other hand, if the only penalty you take for being read like a book is a set of rolled eyes, where’s the problem?
LOJ has some very nice shifter pieces for using your trans behind an LS in the 3X0s. Might be worth a look or call.
 
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Well that’s done....
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As with all things I do, it’s not perfect. I scratched it in a couple of place,( Now Conveniently covered up by all of the other junk on top of it) I’d say for all that they do, the cosmetic benefit was worth the 200.00 it cost to purchase these things.

Now on to cutting up that trans...
 
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before..
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after.
Pretty easy all things considered. Its clean, ready for the front mount, and the shifter mod. Ck the cutoff wheel on the ground...I told myself that this time around i was gonna wear full face protection.
Good thing I did..The wheel bit hard into the aluminum, and chattered the wheel pretty hard and it fractured. It threw chunks back at me, with two pieces that actually went through my t shirt and cut me. I didn’t know that I was bleeding, so I changed the wheel, and finished the cut. When I removed the welding hood, I could see the two chunks of cut off wheel hanging out of my shirt, (and me).
 
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The shifter did show up after all...The adapter will probably be tomorrow, but I’ll miss it, and have to schedule a pick up if I can’t leave a signed note at the door.

I decided to bite two small pieces off when I came in, so I ordered the front slip yoke for the trans, and the 3.31 rear gear so that the almost 4:1 first gear won’t be pointless, and the .70 6th gear will actually stay at the same RPM i’m at now.

There is still a clutch and the hydraulic system left to buy, but I called Spec and will purchase their stage 2+ next week.
Spec is local here in Birmingham, and they give a 25% discount to locals. The clutch is listed at 620.00 on summits‘ website,before they tax it. and with the discount and tax added in, it comes to like 580 if I pick it up, so that will be my clutch.
The hydraulic part will be all custom, and THAT will be what causes me to wait on this, because i’ll take the interior, the steering, and the dash out to make this all work. I will not want the car to sit this summer considering it is done, and running in its current iteration, so even though i’ll probably have everything bought for this conversion w/i the next 30 days,...A running auto beats a non-running manual project any day .
 
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One of my friends came through on the pedal assembly. Not gonna charge me anything ( i’ll give him something, if he knew that these fox pedals are selling for 300.00 on ebay, he may think twice.)

i went downstairs and quickly bolted the shifter in place, and ran it through the gears...seems like it’ll be ok. It’s gonna be way back when compared to a stock shifter location though...thinking maybe as much as 8-10”, ( about 30”-31” back from the bellhousing mating surface.) That should put it right where your hand would be when seated with your elbow bent at 90 degrees.

While that’s not a bad thing in theory, i think it’ll get into the double wall structure that makes up the tunnel reinforcement, and ultimately where the stock crossmember would’ve mounted.
( This car doesn’t have any of the stock crossmember structure left under the floor anyway)
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