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

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How was the drive down(aside from the oil eating and such.)???
The car is the closest thing to right I’ve ever had it. The AC works, albeit a little too undersized for the car. It sounds great under throttle and yet is still the farthest thing from loud. The LJK sounds great with just the right amount of sub-bass to feel a kick drum hit the back of the seat. Windows down in this car doesn’t allow a lot of wind noise to make talking difficult, only i’m the only one talking...( cause i’m the only one in the car).
The car rides great, steers nicely, and doesn’t take any effort to stop it now that the brakes are converted back to power assist. The Prius EPS works very good too.
The weather is about as perfect as any human could want to live in with very low humidity and a max temp of just about 80 degrees during the height of the day..

Other than the oil loss scare, I‘d say this has been a winner.

It doesn’t hurt that
A: I’m not at work.
B: This is my temporary back deck.
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Could you make a hard line for the oil drain? Then you could bend and shape it around the obstacles but keep it smooth and 90 free for max flow? Just connect a short section of braided hose at the top or bottom to isolate vibrations a bit?
 
Makes me happy to see you out enjoying the car after I proposed that horrible 2jz idea . Cheers my friend enjoy it !
I wish I had thought to record the interactions with people...
I SWEAR TO GOD. IF I HAVENT SAID:
"Thats a 2jz: about 100 times in the last 2 days..
But I gotta admit...im loving every minute of it.
 
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LOL....how many "purist" have walked away shaking their head.
There are no fairmont purists. A lot of people actually stated that they were glad I didn’t put a ( you ready for this?) a mod motor/coyote in it. If not having to tell people about the engine after telling them that it was a 2jz, having to tell people Which mfg made a Cyclone, and No, it’s not that rare ( the car) because it wasn’t a Cyclone. Answering to the “Well, what is it then?” and telling them Ford Fairmont Futura.
Alot responded to their friends with a “Told Ya!” ( usually followed by a slap to the back). Alot responded with “My mom had one,...kinda a two tone brown/yellow/baby blue ( i heard all three exterior colors) with an orange vinyl roof with plaid interior......that thing was slow as hell.”
Everybody that stopped liked the car..and i heard that all day long. Just like with the last engine though, a lot of people never looked past the engine.
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Now i gotta ck the oil, fill it with gas, and drive it back home.
 
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I would spend quite some time with your car. Just the detail of the engine build is enough to mystify me. All your brand new fasteners, and connections are really something to behold. There is something about the " Cyclone " would make me have to ask. It's a very cool one of a kind car.
 
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Well, back home again..this time with no oil loss. Evidently the oil was running straight out the down pipe. That didn't stop me from fixing the thing when I got home,...I found a left over oil pump pick up tube that had almost enough offset to clear the header tube,..the rest of it got "persuaded" with a hammer, and a piece of tubing slid over the thing so I could bend it just enough to clear..
I call it the Dirk Diggler mod..
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You can figure it out for yourself.
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It jussst sneaks by the header tube.

The exit brief regarding the drive was without incident..other than it is truly a blast to drive. With over 100 miles of two lane as an alternate route versus how I came down..All it took to muster up the speed to pass a slower car was simply a matter of unlocking the converter and rolling into the throttle enough to put it into boost. 85 mph came in about a second, and the car that was going 65, watched as an orange blur blew past them. After passing i slowed back to 70, re-engaged the converter clutch, and hummed along at 2300 rpm..all the while as the LJK was screaming his ass off, the AC was keeping things cool, and I watched out the windows at the countryside blowing by...I gotta drive this thing more often.
 
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The exit brief regarding the drive was without incident..other than it is truly a blast to drive over 100 miles of two lane as an alternate route versus how I came down..All it took to muster up the speed to pass a slower car was simply a matter of unlocking the converter and rolling into the throttle enough to put it into boost. 85 mph came in about a second, and the car that was going 65, watched as an orange blur blew past them. After passing i slowed back to 70, re-engaged the converter clutch, and hummed along at 2300 rpm..all the while as the LJK was screaming his ass off, the AC was keeping things cool, and I watched out the windows at the countryside blowing by...I gotta drive this thing more often.

Congrats. I know you have had many sessions with the 3AMD and many doubts. Glad to hear the drive back was icing on the cake.
 
So...
As normal with me, I get the car to an almost Nirvana place, and I start thinking about what I want to do next.
(Or, the “next” time I decide to do something, whichever comes first)
The oil pan leaks bug me. Although they only seem to amount to a slight drip, you can see that it’s leaking in quite a few places. If I drove it enough, the underside would eventually become an enviro-disaster.
Fixing the oil pan obviously requires a K member drop. Dropping the k member brings in the “ Do I really want to convert this thing to tubular” conversation with myself.

Id have to build new mounts..the current K member is for the factory 6 banger that came in the car. If I changed the K, i’d also change out the LCA’s which potentially create an issue...I think my factory control arms are shorter than Mustang pieces. Putting a mustang LCA on there would cause me to have to push the tire out at the top to compensate for the added length at the bottom.

And that would cause the tire to hit the fender. ( provided that the C/A is in fact longer).

Remembering that the reason for doing this would be a ”while I have it outto seal up the oil pan” side effect.. i gotta check into this.
 
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Besides the cool factor, is there another reason to change the K member? For the street, how many times has it been posted the stock ones are strongest? I could see the Cyclone hooking up and getting front wheel ground clearance some time. Are you going road racing or killing orange cones in a parking lot that other alignment changes are needed?
If not-
Can you live with cleaning the stock K member and powder coating or using POR-15?
 
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For those that have wondered, I didn’t just go away.

I was exiled. For being a bad boy.
For being an opinionated, self righteous prick. ( Usually my normal behavior I know, but this last time I was all but begging for it) So I got smacked down with Thor’s Ban Hammer.

It took me a few weeks to realize that this wasn’t my “normal” behavior, and the longer it set in, the more I realized that an apology was in order. So, starting at the top, and since he was also one of the “most offended” I reached out to Noobz and apologized, not really expecting anything in return other than to lighten my load.
Since then, we have exchanged a few emails, and he has offered to allow me to come back here and sit in my chair on my front porch, occasionally yell at the damn kids running across the lawn, and blather along nonsensically about this thought or that.

I cant go into certain rooms,..( No great loss, I never went into the O/T forums anyway,...I’d just get myself banned for saying more stupid sht that I know nothing about)
I have to steer away from controversial topics.
I have to leave the How much power, What muffler, What wheel, What color, and Why am I so stupid threads to the nice guys here.
Additionally, I appear to have lost simple powers, like being able to edit my own thread title,..that may just be a glitch IDK.

I know there are some that will read this and think “ that dick-head is back”. And there will be just as many that won’t even bother to look at it. To those that have read this far along, I’m sorry to you as well, because having to watch Me spout off some angry ill informed rant about this thing or that can’t be that much fun for anybody...So.......once again, not the guy I really wanna be.

So,...before you start thinking I’ve become the sites Snow White, and now dance and sing with all the furry and feathery little woodland creatures,...smack yourself..I just cant be such an ass.
 
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