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

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My neighbor has a titan. Seems like a nice truck. Nice standard options but his is well equipped and beyond nice. My Chevy Colorado... not bad but not great. 35k miles and the diff is completely shot and they said it’ll be months before they get replacement parts they need so I’m driving a 21 Silverado z71 loaner, friggen sticker is $50k! I told em to take there time on my Colorado LOL.
 
Those sticker prices led to me spend $2500 on a trans rebuild for my ‘02 F150. Can’t see spending 50-55k on a new full size truck! Almost 2 years later.... ‘02 still going!
Good luck with the new rides Mike!
 
I think that I’m officially getting tired of the endless “ Change/fix this, after changing/fixing that” routine owning this car has become.
The rear is back together, but still isn’t right. When I changed out the housing ends, I had to redo the passenger side because it was tweaked despite having used a jig. It was so far off you couldn’t even get the axle in. On the other side, even though you can get the axle in ( if you beat it in) The drivers side has some degree of misalignment too.
It’s weird to me, because the bearing will seat properly in the end. I’ve been telling myself that maybe the heat from welding has caused the end to contract slightly, and tightness is because the hole is now a little too small..
Who knows. All I know is that the issue was a talking point ( with myself) in the wee hours this morning.
The new tru-trac differential is now in. Bearing preload is so tight, you gotta beat that fckin thing in too. But that is how it came apart when I removed the old 28 spline T-loc, And that is how I put it back together. Backlash still checks out at .012”.
Im actually looking forward to having the power brakes again. MOF, out of all of the recent change outs that have been done, that, and having working AC again are the highlights for me.

Lastly, and I gotta say that once I usually start down this path, I walk it the whole way...
Im considering selling it.
 
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I think that I’m officially getting tired of the endless “ Change/fix this, after changing/fixing that” routine owning this car has become.
The rear is back together, but still isn’t right. When I changed out the housing ends, I had to redo the passenger side because it was tweaked despite having used a jig. It was so far off you couldn’t even get the axle in. On the other side, even though you can get the axle in ( if you beat it in) The drivers side has some degree of misalignment too.
It’s weird to me, because the bearing will seat properly in the end. I’ve been telling myself that maybe the heat from welding has caused the end to contract slightly, and tightness is because the hole is now a little too small..
Who knows. All I know is that the issue was a talking point ( with myself) in the wee hours this morning.
The new tru-trac differential is now in. Bearing preload is so tight, you gotta beat that fckin thing in too. But that is how it came apart when I removed the old 28 spline T-loc, And that is how I put it back together. Backlash still checks out at .012”.
Im actually looking forward to having the power brakes again. MOF, out of all of the recent change outs that have been done, that, and having working AC again are the highlights for me.

Lastly, and I gotta say that once I usually start down this path, I walk it the whole way...
Im considering selling it.
We will start the bidding at one dollar, do I have one dollar? One dollar from the crazy guy trying to shove a 4.6 in a rusty old Pinto, ahem, Mustang II. Do I have two dollars? Two dollars anyone?








Don't sell it Mike. If you do, nobody will inspire me to do crazy :poo: like shoving a 4.6 DOHC down a Mustang II's throat... or sell me cast off parts from their project to make it possible, or give me the occaisional verbal kick in the ass I need (okay, so you'd probably hang around and still do the last one).

Besides, you'd just find something else stupid to play with. Like I did with the 4Runner... It was "just a beater I'll flip later" and now it's... it's the one on the front burner I'm having all the fun with.
 
Ah....the good ole I'll sell it routine. Get yourself together, Mike. We all consider selling when the small things come along after the first couple drives. There are plenty of things on this car you didn't make yourself.....the rear could always be one of them. There are companies that specialize in such things.

Are you open to trades....I have a cookie cutter notch that I'd trade if you stack a little cash on top. It's a notchback so it's worth about 45k. We can make a deal. Inbox me :dig:
 
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Ah....the good ole I'll sell it routine. Get yourself together, Mike. We all consider selling when the small things come along after the first couple drives. There are plenty of things on this car you didn't make yourself.....the rear could always be one of them. There are companies that specialize in such things.

Are you open to trades....I have a cookie cutter notch that I'd trade if you stack a little cash on top. It's a notchback so it's worth about 45k. We can make a deal. Inbox me :dig:
Meh, don't be too sure,..Its always been on the table. There are times when I'm more vocal about it, and others when I'm not.
I told Kate this morning that I'm about there on the car..and in reality, its not about whether or not its a pain in the ass to drive. Its losing its appeal to me, and I'm likening it to the usage you get out of a drag car..
When the car sits for days/weeks/months without ever being driven, and even when I do, its for a regional/once a quarter event like the one im waiting on, it makes "doing without" the car entirely a real easy choice.
Conversely, driving it regularly adds yet one more rock chip or scratch..I won't drive it if it looks like its gonna rain, I don't want that leather dash exposed to the Alabama summer sun, so I dont like parking it out in the open....
Trust me when I say I'm getting there.
 
Don't worry, when you sell the Monster, you'll still be working all the time...on that Titan. Or at least taking it to the dealer. Least Reliable full size trucks are that generation Nissan. My first vehicle was a 86.5 Nissan Hardbody....that I got at 16 and tried to literally destroy. At 100k, I changed the tranny and diff fluids and both had teeth come out...no noise, no issues. Nissan literally has fallen off a cliff quality wise.
 
Meh, don't be too sure,..Its always been on the table. There are times when I'm more vocal about it, and others when I'm not.
I told Kate this morning that I'm about there on the car..and in reality, its not about whether or not its a pain in the ass to drive. Its losing its appeal to me, and I'm likening it to the usage you get out of a drag car..
When the car sits for days/weeks/months without ever being driven, and even when I do, its for a regional/once a quarter event like the one im waiting on, it makes "doing without" the car entirely a real easy choice.
Conversely, driving it regularly adds yet one more rock chip or scratch..I won't drive it if it looks like its gonna rain, I don't want that leather dash exposed to the Alabama summer sun, so I dont like parking it out in the open....
Trust me when I say I'm getting there.
For the leather concern-


For the paint concerns-


B7C2785F-DC0E-413F-8EE5-2B0A10B41094.jpeg
 
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You know you’ll never get close to what you’ve put in it. I’ve had that thought on my car several times since buying my old house to fix up. At the end of the day it’s an “unfinished” project that yields pennies on the dollar to potential buyers (and internet assholes that just like to insult people).
 
You know you’ll never get close to what you’ve put in it. I’ve had that thought on my car several times since buying my old house to fix up. At the end of the day it’s an “unfinished” project that yields pennies on the dollar to potential buyers (and internet assholes that just like to insult people).
Tell me about it. I’m entertaining high teens if this ever was to go forward ...
( I left the “ high teens” about 3 years ago.)
 
I bought a HF power brake bleeder that uses suction from a siphoning effect to pull brake fluid through the system w/o the need for somebody pumping the brake pedal.
I did the rear brakes first, and right then and there was gonna give this tool a glowing review..It seemingly worked great.
I watched through the clear hose that was attached to the bleeder valve as the brake fluid went from bubbles to clear much in the same way you used to watch to make sure your ac system was fully charged.
It worked great.

But then came the fronts..

Large air bubbles would never stop coming,..I literally pulled the entire contents of the wheel cylinders out while new fluid pulled in, but full of air.

It was at this time that the “Rocket Scientist” in me decided to check for leaks/loose fittings at the master cylinder.

I found one alright...apparently I must’ve damaged the line when bending and twisting it when reconfiguring it when I added back the booster.

But it was the front line that was leaking...I thought the front brakes were fed from the rear port on a master cylinder.

So,..that brings up my question for the day,....When ditching the factory prop valve, and using an aftermarket unit like I have, Which port feeds which set of brakes?:shrug:
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