Progress Thread My return to the fray (Backwards fox progress thread)

hoopty5.0 · Dec 13, 2012

OH oh oh yessss. I just saw this thread - disregard my question in the build thread.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 13, 2012

I was hoping you would make me guess. I guessed before you told me though
I am a huge WWII buff.
although I wouldn't have been able to spell it properly ,I
said "vermacht" in my head as soon as you started to explain.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 13, 2012

hoopty5.0 said:
OH oh oh yessss. I just saw this thread - disregard my question in the build threae]
Well,...giving credit where credit is due, it was your build thread that inspired me to get "back
in the boat" so to speak.

hoopty5.0 · Dec 13, 2012

aww you made me blush.

HotFox · Dec 13, 2012

Sweet project! Looking forward to Megasquirt build portion specifically!

Scott

chgovfk · Dec 14, 2012

madmike1157 said:
I was hoping you would make me guess. I guessed before you told me though
I am a huge WWII buff.
although I wouldn't have been able to spell it properly ,I
said "vermacht" in my head as soon as you started to explain.

MM - that's right ...I guessed at it.... I saved all of his medals and photgraphs (even had some of the concentration camps ) - he was friends w/a G.I photographer - burned out buildings / miltary vehicles etc ....they were like little very tiny photos ....before he passed- I made him 'sit' down and I recorded all of his 'war stories' - on cassette tape - some of them would make the 'hair' on your head stand up (especially him dresing as a German officer) ......the funniest one's were when he interviewed the nazi's foot soldiers before letting them go back home - he'd sit a soldier down at a desk.....he'd tell them to lossen their boots / relax ......give them a cigarette ....they would take it ....sniff it under their nose and say "Ahhhh Americannna" - .....

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 14, 2012

Funny how things work out.

Called one of my Chevy motor transplanting Mustang building friends to see what I could scrounge off of him, looking mainly for an 8.8.
After talking for a while and I explain my intention to build a big power 4 cylinder Fairmont w/ an auto trans and an 8.8, he says:

"You know Ken has that 88 Turbo Coupe sitting in his shop he's looking to sell, and it already has all of that weak-assed ford shi t you're looking for still on it." HMMMMMMMMM.

So I call him and find out that he does in fact have a running 140k mi 1988 Turbo Coupe sitting there,.....unmolested,.....w/ an auto trans, behind an I/C 4 cyl turbo motor w/ a disc Brake 8.8 that he is indeed looking to sell.

Did I mention that I also lust after this body style as well?

So I ask the obvious question...........How much?

"What I got in it" he says, 800 bucks.

Did I buy it?

OH HELL YEAH!!! I'll have that dude in my driveway by end of year.

Poses a problem w/ my intention to build a complete stand alone replacement ECU, as now, this turd has already got one in there that not only is controlling the engine, but that funky ride control system these cars have, and perhaps the transmission as well as the fuel and ignition.

Maybe a piggyback controller for the fuel ignition/ and boost control instead?

So, I'll get it home. Take some "before" pics, fix what is wrong w/ it and drive it while I amass the necessary parts to make it mine. At least it's a Fox.

I go from the lightest fox made to probably one of the heaviest.

Ask me if i care.

88LX5.Oh · Dec 14, 2012

madmike1157 said:
Funny how things work out.

Called one of my Chevy motor transplanting Mustang building friends to see what I could scrounge off of him, looking mainly for an 8.8.
After talking for a while and I explain my intention to build a big power 4 cylinder Fairmont w/ an auto trans and an 8.8, he says:

"You know Ken has that 88 Turbo Coupe sitting in his shop he's looking to sell, and it already has all of that weak-assed ford shi t you're looking for still on it." HMMMMMMMMM.

So I call him and find out that he does in fact have a running 140k mi 1988 Turbo Coupe sitting there,.....unmolested,.....w/ an auto trans, behind an I/C 4 cyl turbo motor w/ a disc Brake 8.8 that he is indeed looking to sell.

Did I mention that I also lust after this body style as well?

So I ask the obvious question...........How much?

"What I got in it" he says, 800 bucks.

Did I buy it?

OH HELL YEAH!!! I'll have that dude in my driveway by end of year.

Poses a problem w/ my intention to build a complete stand alone replacement ECU, as now, this turd has already got one in there that not only is controlling the engine, but that funky ride control system these cars have, and perhaps the transmission as well as the fuel and ignition.

Maybe a piggyback controller for the fuel ignition/ and boost control instead?

So, I'll get it home. Take some "before" pics, fix what is wrong w/ it and drive it while I amass the necessary parts to make it mine. At least it's a Fox.

I go from the lightest fox made to probably one of the heaviest.

Ask me if i care.

I may be a little slow. Are you ditching the Fairmont idea now and just doing all your ideas to the turbo coupe?
I figured you wouldn't strip out a complete drivetrain from the car you lust after

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 14, 2012

88LX5.Oh said:
I may be a little slow. Are you ditching the Fairmont idea now and just doing all your ideas to the turbo coupe?
I figured you wouldn't strip out a complete drivetrain from the car you lust after

No, the T/C becomes the project. Fairmonts have for some reason become......."collectible?" Price them. Some of these guys think they have a gold mine. From what I've seen on average, a running, bench seat, column shifted, 4-6 cyl fairmont is between 3000 and 6000. W/ the little old ladies car who only drove it back and forth to church commanding 10-12k.
There have been a few drag cars out there around 5-6k mark, but I'm not looking to return a hagged out ex drag car to street driver in this particular build.

Regardless, there is no aftermarket for either car. If there is a broken tail light, bad quarter window, cracked door belt molding, I'm gonna have to source it used, as there is no place to buy it new like you can w/ a fox, so I'll have to start w/ the best example I can find that has the most junk already on it.

while this DEFIANTLY isn't it, this is what I'm soon to be working on:

90stang5speed · Dec 14, 2012

That's awesome Mike. You got a great deal. cant wait to see this build. I like it more already that its not a fairmont lol. good luck

hoopty5.0 · Dec 14, 2012

Mike,

I did a lot of reading about Megasquirt on one of my recent trips. Many people use the stock ECM to control other aspects of the car while using MS for engine management. There is a massive MS forum chock full of off the wall projects like that. You can spend days reading and learning. . . I did, haha

88LX5.Oh · Dec 14, 2012

madmike1157 said:
No, the T/C becomes the project. Fairmonts have for some reason become......."collectible?" Price them. Some of these guys think they have a gold mine. From what I've seen on average, a running, bench seat, column shifted, 4-6 cyl fairmont is between 3000 and 6000. W/ the little old ladies car who only drove it back and forth to church commanding 10-12k.
There have been a few drag cars out there around 5-6k mark, but I'm not looking to return a hagged out ex drag car to street driver in this particular build.

Regardless, there is no aftermarket for either car. If there is a broken tail light, bad quarter window, cracked door belt molding, I'm gonna have to source it used, as there is no place to buy it new like you can w/ a fox, so I'll have to start w/ the best example I can find that has the most junk already on it.

while this DEFIANTLY isn't it, this is what I'm soon to be working on:

I'm liking where this is going now, Mike

RacEoHolic330 · Dec 16, 2012

I did a TC engine swap about 7 years ago in my buddy's 4-cyl LX. Those are cool little engines. It was a fun car. I think you're going to have a lot of fun with this project of yours, Mike.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 17, 2012

RacEoHolic330 said:
I did a TC engine swap about 7 years ago in my buddy's 4-cyl LX. Those are cool little engines. It was a fun car. I think you're going to have a lot of fun with this project of yours, Mike.

I agree Scott. Having had two turbo cars in the past, I am looking forward to a 2.3 l 400 WHP wheezer that wont give up it's potential through an audible exhaust note. ( Think GN at the drag strip. Other than a modest exhaust drone at the beginning of the burnout, all you could hear after that was turbo whine and slicks barking as those things went down the track). That'll be what I'm after w/ this one.
I haven't seen the car yet, so I don't know how rough it is. I gotta admit, I cant envision any radical change to the body or the interior like I had in mind for the Fairmont, so this will be a Restomod at best.
Except this one will go around a corner. Big brakes, 5 lug 18" wheels, 3 link rear w/ a torque arm.

I might get a chance this week to go look at it on wednesday. I'll update then.

Noobz347 · Dec 17, 2012

madmike1157 said:
I might get a chance this week to go look at it on wednesday. I'll update then.

...and post highly degraded cell phone pics with your thumb cover half the frame after 3 double shots of espresso.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 17, 2012

Noobz347 said:
...and post highly degraded cell phone pics with your thumb cover half the frame after 3 double shots of espresso.

That would be misleading. It might make it look better than it actually is.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 19, 2012

** UPDATE**

Well that ain't happenin'

Went to look at the T bird this afternoon.

Let's just say it was a little.......uhhh,.....rough.

Paint is shot, interior is hagged, passenger side window has fallen down in the door and it can't get up.

I expected it to need help, but there are things on this car that cannot be fixed. (i.e., broken, cracked belt moldings, trim pieces that are rotten, cracked tail light lenses, broken aero nose, cracked, split dash , console lid and door handles)......just too far gone, and no LRS to get repro stuff for.

So I passed.

Back to building an engine and transmission for a yet to be acquired Fairmont

hoopty5.0 · Dec 20, 2012

Why not just find another TC? That blue one you posted earlier tickled my happy place.

chgovfk · Dec 20, 2012

Found one in AZ for you MM - $3k - kind of pricey for me .....but no issues w/ rust etc ....the "skull" shifter handle is a real nice touch....I called on it left a V/M

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/3388621401.html

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 20, 2012

hoopty5.0 said:
Why not just find another TC? That blue one you posted earlier tickled my happy place.

Well, I'll not rule one out in the future after I get the backwards build going. Since the 800.00 "Garage find" was too far gone to consider, I'll redirect the money back into the drivetrain. It is a second favorite to a 'mont, and has a buttload of additional chassis weight stacke up against it,.....especially since the 4 cylinder wheezer will definitely be the power plant.

Called several engine part suppliers, and priced conn rods and pistons. Gotta get past the reason as to how 4 of anything cost more than 8 of something else. Looks like the conn rods are gonna be 450.00 For a capscrew I beam.

Pistons are gonna cost between 500.00 and 650.00.................really?
I gotta put a freakin' swedish head on the thing to flow enough air to make enough HP to justify the 450.00 connecting rods, and Volvo heads just don't "bolt" right on.

But it's all good. It always works this way for me. I have an "idea" of what something should cost, find out what it really costs,.....then spend several hours/days justifying reality to myself before I pull the trigger on even the first big buy.

chgovfk said:
Found one in AZ for you MM - $3k - kind of pricey for me .....but no issues w/ rust etc ....the "skull" shifter handle is a real nice touch....I called on it left a V/M

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/3388621401.html

Arizona eh? Did you notice that I live in Birmingham,....like 1800 miles away? Each way?

Progress Thread My return to the fray (Backwards fox progress thread)

hoopty5.0

mechanicus terribilis

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

hoopty5.0

mechanicus terribilis

HotFox

chgovfk

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

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CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

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my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

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CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

hoopty5.0

mechanicus terribilis

chgovfk

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

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