Wes Eargle wrote:
DickRasmussen wrote:
The only advantage of the Fairmont (if you can find a decent one) would be the ability to swap a later model Mustang engine, trans, and various other parts into it. Might be better off to get the next to last T-Bird or Cougar and give up on the 4 doors. Then swap a Mustang manual into it. (after verifying that it is doable).
I know that a manual was offered in the Fairmont, just wasn't sure if it was there with the sedan. A Maximum Motorsports/Griggs equipped 1980 Fairmont with a EFI 302 and a T5 would be the cat's pajamas.
I should remember this, having spent several days one August helping my mother shop for a new 1978 Fairmont. As a I recall, there were a lot of 4 speed 4 cylinders, a few 3 speed sixes (200 CID in-line), but I don't recall seeing any manual 302s. The fours and sixes were slow as ..well, they were slow, but they were light and handled extremely well for the time. You won't find any originally equipped 79-83 Fairmont that your friend would think has acceptable acceleration, compared to most any late model car. However, it would make a cool project car, like Dave Blum's 302 Fairmont wagon track car. As Dave will tell you, the Fairmont/Zephyr has better weight distribution than the Fox body Mustang/Capri, not only due to the longer wheelbase, but due to the fact that the engine sits farther back in the chassis.
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