1979 Ford Fairmont a Closer Look

[@lontarian2228]

WOW ! My mom had the same car, the same colour ! I ended up driving it until I graduated, like 20 years after. Sweet memories

[@billycook5688]

I was a Ford mechanic back in those days and liked those cars, years later I bought a used Mercury Zephyr with a 302 in it and loved it.

[@DanJ30]

Once upon a time I couldn't believe I would say this, but I miss these boxy car bodies from the late '70s, early '80s that I saw while growing up. This era in automotive history doesn't seem to get alot of love, so I'm happy to see you bring this 79 Fairmont back Eric.

[@2thedudestdude]

They had class and character. Something which most modern cars lack.

[@Victoria3232-j7o]

The dude is said the same thing with my friends they all got triggered when one of our friends said how can you tell your cars and. I said its okay nick its not your fault today's cars lack character or personality everyone was triggered with my comment. But there only more rounded now so they are aerodynamic to get better gas millage then a boxy style does.

[@lukeFugate]

looking forward to seeing this build come together. I'm not much of a Ford guy but I do like the history of the older cars like that. A lot simpler to work on.

[@simonwoolley592]

Great car great project!

[@merrillschaps2325]

This brings back memories! I had a '79 Ford Granada two door coupe that originally came with a 351 Windsor V-8 engine which I modified to take the 400 big block from a '71 Ford LTD. Your Fairmont is in great shape! Great find!

[@Toolsinaction]

Wow, My mom had one of these when I was a kid. O the memories!

[@spelunkerd]

I'm excited to learn about how to install a power braking system .This project's gonna be fun!

[@ericthecarguy]

That just might be the first thing on the list.

[@greygoosemafia]

my dad did that on his cougar.

[@midos6767]

I like these old fox body Ford Fairmonts from the 70's & 80's because any type of engine can be adapted to this type of vehicle. The best engine to use in a Ford Fairmont is the 302 V8 such as the Mustang engine. But the old school straight 6 was a dependable fuel efficient standby for a driver that only desired a reliable daily driver to go to work or the grocery store.

[@mrz80]

@Mr Cabot Yeah, that. My 79 wagon with the 6 got a steady 16mpg around town and maybe 20 on the highway if I didn't wrap the speedo around :D. But it *was* dependable. Tended to eat carbeurators though.

[@robbrees9]

My grandparents gave me their 79 Fairmont back in 1988. Good little car. Very light. It always started right up in the Cleveland winters. However, I had to let it warm up before driving it or else it would hesitate to drive. This video takes me back a bit.

[@Rick-cx1yr]

My first car was an '81 Fairmont w/ straight 6. My family got it in '86, and I inherited it in '98. I'm astounded at the fantastic shape that yours is in! I used to pull the center cap off the steering wheel and hide money in there.

[@gregcrwanafly]

This was my first car in 1989. 79 ford Fairmont with 10K miles on it. 4 door. I loved this car. I lowered it, painted it metallic blue, with fog lights on the front and a kick ass stereo. Load it full of friends and have a blast. I always like the front grill, looks like a big smile!

[@aychmorgan21]

I couldnt stop smiling when you started to talk about the plans you have for the car. Cant wait, man! Its pretty much gonna be a big deal.

[@MrFreeze79]

I don't care what video it is man, bring them on!! I could watch these vids all day long... wait I have been watching them all day long. always lovin' it eric, keep them coming ;)

[@mctobbsi]

Very nice to see some more of the Fairmont! The body looks great for being that old!

[@tonytigeer]

Amazing video! I have to agree with your point on the manual transmission. I too like the look of the column shifter in the 1970's to late 1980's American cars. I own a 1987 Suburban and I would not change its automatic to a manual transmission. Every time I step into my truck It takes me back to my childhood. Such good times.

[@Gaspipenicklioni]

I had a 79 Fairmont in late 80s in high school, 3.3 l inline 6, they could have made every episode of the dukes of hazzard with that car, I put it through pure hell and It never quit! Hill jumps, hill climbing, mudding, reverse to drive at 30 mph many times, turned it on it side one time, drifting on gravel, deep water, it was indestructible.

[@cheesemons]

Hey Eric, if you really upgrade that Fairmont, please make a video of it. It's really interesting watching you do all of those upgrades. I can sit here and watch all day

[@olipirard]

This 35 years old lady seems to be in good shape! I think you will have tons of fun by upgrading or refurbiching this car.

[@Viper81766]

Seen a 1984 LTD 2 with the 5.0 and performance suspension on ebay about 2 months ago but it was gone by the time I checked on it. The Fairmont is a neat looking car and with a small block would haul the mail. Love your videos

[@GaryRubino]

This car is pretty sweet to be honest! Love the older rides, they just have a charm to them.

[@stertheder]

Thank you for taking us on an in-depth tour of your Fairmont, i appriciate it! :)

[@michiganborn8303]

Thanks for the free tour Eric. When you got to the bench seat that brought back a ton of memories when I was a kid going to the drive-in theater and every time one of kids wanted to get out of the car (because we had to sit in the back) BOTH people in the front had to get out to let us in/out of the car. Sucked to be them lmao. Also for one resource for your independent suspension,check with Chris Duke . He has done a lot of videos on Mustang conversions.

[@mosthuggable]

hey eric im right there with ya bud, i picked a 78 fairmont n im building a beefed up 302 to start with, but i wanna build it into a twin turbo, big tire beast in a few yrs...ill be watching your build bro....GOOD LUCK

[@GeorgeVassalloJr]

Wow brings back memories! I had a 1983 Ford Fairmont heavy duty package NYC Taxi $8,800 brand new! The easiest car to work on! Changed oil & filter every 3000 miles, brakes every 10,000 miles, tune ups every 25,000 miles, timing chain every 50,000 miles, struts, wheel bearings…you name it! Tranny went at 99,000 miles had Aamco fix it $35O. @ 180,000 would not pass Taxi Limousine inspections. Great video Eric!

[@Ukraine732]

It's refreshing to see someone so passionate about their car. Great vid

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

I have always had a thing for Fairmonts, even though I never owned one myself. I remember seeing the commercials on TV back in the fall of 1977. As many of you know, the 1978 Fairmont introduced the "Fox" platform, which served as the foundation for many of Ford's other vehicles, such as the 1979 Mustang, the 1980 Thunderbird, the 1981 Granada, and even the 1982 Lincoln Continental! The "Fox" platform lasted until 2004, last seeing duty under the "SN95" Mustang.

[@skyfi7]

Great tips Eric ... my pipe wrench could have saved me many rusty struggles over the years .. bingo ! A tip I would share here is that cotter pins need not be an obstacle. I constantly reuse them by gently bending the loose ends back together as straight and flush as possible starting with a flat screwdriver if need be and then using needle or regular pliers to crimp the ends back together as straight as possible .. then grip and pull the on the loop end so as to pull it out the way it went in. It's a far more time and money efficient approach. Cotter pin metal is soft enough to be very forgiving and easily extracted and tapped back in for re use repeatedly.

[@BluStatic]

This is the car that left us stranded all over nyc when I was growing up.

[@touringsedan]

Takes me back to one of my first cars, 1979 Mercury Zephyr. It too was banana yellow with the same drivetrain. Of all the older used cars I had in my youth, that one was the most reliable and durable.

[@chriskeiley5343]

oliver is an interesting older car. very well taken care of also. any resto mod will take much time to complete correctly, however at the end, you can say you did it, and that is very satisfying. something about these older cars that brings you back to an earlier time. newer cars require less user input to operate but can be much more of a pain. I myself prefer older vehicles, throttle cable over fly by wire anyday.

[@dbratboy92]

If you wish to upgrade to 4 wheel disk brakes. and 5 lug conversion. You can take spindles and axles from a 94-2004 mustang it is direct bolt. you will also gain sealed front wheel bearings.

[@tallboyyyy]

My first car!!! My 79 Fairmont had the fire breathing power of a 2.3L 4cyl. Got it in 1984 and had it until about 1988 or 89. The cars body still looked good but the undercarriage rotted out. It sat for a couple years but always started like it was still a daily driver. In fact it started right up and drove itself to the junk yard on the day before the registration ran out with giant holes in the trunk floor and no exhaust. I drove it on it's final trip with all the windows open cause I didn't want it to be my final trip also ;) I remember an article in a car magazine back in the 80's when I still had mine about this guy that put a 460 Lincoln in a Fairmont and kept it looking stock from the outside except for the big fat tires on the back.

[@justinramey9239]

me to the floor boards and the dash were rotted out! it had copper head in it. I parked it in 1999

[@anothersiguy]

You should consider doing a Kickstarter/Indiegogo to help fund this. You have such a huge subscriber base, if just 2.5% of your subscribers donated just $1 this project would be funded. I know I and am sure many others would love to see this thing happen and would be willing to contribute.

[@Skitter302]

I'll kick in $1 for Eric :)

[@caskinsro]

hell id kick in a couple bucks. I know at least one of his vid saved me a jag of time and money...

[@northhankspin]

I will watch for free thanks.. ......M*R#N

[@hamza3608]

would be cool to have a "benchmark" video, a series of tests to determen what you are starting with. Weight, power output, 0-60 ect so we can compare once the work is done. looks like an awesome start!

[@ericthecarguy]

See the first video for the 0-60. I like your idea though.

[@tanman1501]

My grandfather bought a 1980 Fairmont new and drove it until he died in 2001. He loved that car.

[@gedisdiop]

Eric, I really admire the vision you have for the Fairmont. My friend's Mom bought one new, a 2 tone, light & dark blue. 4 doors. Even though this is probably the most "plain Jane" car EVER produced, it has character. The aerodynamics are like a telephone booth on wheels. You expressed that you intend to do a V-8 conversion. I would suggest considering a Turbo 2.3 SVT. They are wicked quick, and the fuel economy is a plus. I had a friend that had this set up in an '87 Thunderbird, with a 5 speed, this HUGE car would get rubber in 2nd gear, zero to sixty around 6 seconds, and get nearly 30 MPG. No, you don't get the pleasant rumble of a V-8, but the factory exhaust on my friends T-Bird (duals, no less) was, let's say, inspirational. If you decide on a V-8, I would only assume that you would go with the 4.6. Excellent choice. 3:73 gears and an AOD tranny. I have this set up in my Crown Vic Sport. I can only imagine how this would propel a Fairmont. (!) Best of luck with the Fairmont project. I will be watching.

[@lluwd]

I had a 1980 ford future...this video made me miss it. Thank you for sharing.

[@19553129]

The 200 I-6, was a derivative of the ' Mileage Maker' Six. The Falcon ,Mustang, Fairlane, Comet , Montego , Torino , and , Industrial applications all used this fairly reliable long running 60's mill. Love your video .

[@holton345]

My first car was my mom's old 1979 Mustang. She bought it new and I ended up with it in 1989. It wasone of the rare ones from that year that had the same block as your Fairmont, and your video brought back a ton of memories. All my earliest nightmare wrenching sessions were under the hood of that car. My sister had trashed it in college and I inherited the sky blue hulk. I was so broke when I was in college that when that stupid Ford flexible coupler in the steering shaft came apart (which was a rather harrowing experience on the highway, to be sure) I had to repair it with a shoelace. It held for almost two years until I could get a junkyard flexible coupler that was in good shape. I hated that car. I loved that car. Thanks for the memories. Looks like you actually have quite a bit to work with, here. The rocker panels are a good indication of the condition of the body on these old cars, and yours are in what look to be excellent condition. Have fun. I will enjoy watching your videos that follow your work on this vehicle.

[@LMacNeill]

Rack and pinion! That totally surprised me! I didn't know Ford put R&P in these cars at all -- I thought for sure it'd be an old-school recirculating-ball power-steering system. So looking forward to this project! Should be a couple of years of great videos, I would think.

[@RToddRothrauff]

You've got a great project ! My '82 Mark VI had that same horn setup, as did my mom's '82 Colony Park wagon. Those hub caps are a must have for a sleeper . . .

[@eformance]

Lovin' it, Straight 6, Saginaw PS pump, single core/pass rad. Man those 6 motors are smooth.

[@AlainHubert]

I really enjoyed that "tour" of Oliver. I laughed my head off when looking at the step motion (with sound) of the lifting of the car @11:40. If only it could be that quick to work on cars! lol Thanks for posting this, and good luck with the eventual upgrades.

[@wayimangaccat4087]

I will be following the progress of your project, keep us posted!

[@mhtube01]

Eric I'm glad you talked about how emissions choked cars of this era were. A lot of people seem to ignore that. But that explains why engines generally produced significantly more torque than horsepower back then. It was like that throughout the 80's as cars began to move to fuel injection and then we saw horsepower numbers begin to rise.

[@EmptyPsychosis]

Brings back memories for me. My first car was a 1981 Fairmont Futura.

[@Minitrucker231]

Best of luck to you Eric. Looking forward to this series of videos. This is a perfect start to what's gonna turn out into an excellent sleeper. I saw a video on here not too long ago,that reminded me of a cool sleeper. And if i'm not mistaken it was a year newer than your car. A 1978 Chevy Chevette with a 454 big block stuffed between the frame rails. Cheers from up in northeastern Ohio. Bill Mesker aka Minitrucker231 on KZbin

[@fernfirm]

This car is awesome!! Lol, I use to have this car in maroon ish kinda color. I had an 81 but same horn thing lol. It was the same age I was when I was driving it. Good memories.

[@LGilman479]

Very interesting, brought back a lot of memories. My dad used to own an almost identical Fairmont as his "beater" car ('79, 2-door sedan body, 3.3L 6 cyl., 3 speed automatic). Only difference is his was white with red interior. Even had those same style hubcaps lol. His had a hood ornament (which eventually fell off and was kept in the glove box) but oddly didn't have the "Fairmont" badge on the rear trunk lid, not even any glue marks where it would have been if it had fallen off. Mom hated that car, but I actually miss it now.

[@robauerbach7709]

I like this car and I like what I can see of your mods. Reminds me (at my age) of the 62-3 Chevy II base model 2 door sedan with all the ways you could go to modify it. A picture of a 62 Chevy raised up a bit with a straight front axle and a larger but not outrageous size engine up grade makes me smile. The look of a bench seat with a Hurst shifter with a patterned white ball just brings me back to those days. Your Fairmont could easily be a newer version of that 62 Chevy II base model 2 door sedan with a rum, rump cam and a 5 or 6 speed Tremec manual transmission (a little pricey) with a 411 rear gear with some tubby tires. I haven't explored any of your video's about what you did to this model but I'm very, very much looking forward to going through them.Take care and thanks for your time...Rob (ex Bronx boy)

[@nik12937]

That thing was taken care of pretty well, it runs so smooth!

[@INNO222]

I'm really looking forward to see all the videos for the transformation of this very pristine Fairmont. I always liked Fairmonts.

[@240kDatsun]

This is a fantastic project Eric. We don't have these cars down Under and it's great to watch these installments. I know you have covered the topic of engine rebuild versus replacement before, but I'd like to see you do a video on replacing rings and bearings on a Car that can have a new lease of life. I think many of us out there Have done this and kept our daily drivers going for another year where Otherwise it would have been the end of the road for that vehicle. Cheers Eric keep up the good work.

[@01ps]

My dad had an 81 Fairmont wagon, not the sportier Mercury Zephyr, lol. Had it for years, I learned to drive with this car.

[@ddylangrier7777]

ive got a 78 that ive had for six years, has 358 thousand miles on it and i just drove it across the US twice. starts up and purrs like a kitten all day. 23 strait hours driving and not a single problem. sure its under powered but that c4 transmission shifts very well and its a fun constant project

[@TheFRiNgEguitars]

I had a '78 Fairmont wagon with a rare factory trailer package. (5 lug hubs, C6 trans, HD axle and suspension) I am a performance car enthusiast, so it was sort of a between car for a while. It drove like a dream, and this one did have a rather spirited 6, maybe had a higher hp engine with the trailer pkg. I drove cross country with this car, never a problem or worry.

[@lifeasaentrepreneur5685]

Just want to say Eric you r very good at what u do and thanks for helping me....

[@RedneckGarage]

I had one of those back in the day - remembering how it sounded like a tin can when I shut the doors. The 200 I-6 engine model was introduced in the middle of 1963. It produced 105 hp

[@bmollenhauer70]

Good car. Looking forward to seeing the process. Definitely make videos of the work. I've got an '82 that I have 5.0 / 4 speed auto plans for.

[@TheSleepyMechanic0524]

I love the sound of your feet hitting the ground in the time lapse portion

[@BIGpoppaKEGdog]

I don't know why, but I feel like this thing needs an RB30DETT, if you don't know what that is, it's an RB30 bottom end (an engine made by Nissan and used in Australia) with an RB26DETT top end. I know it makes no sense, but it just feels right. Can't wait to see this thing being built, good luck on the build.

[@glasmaster]

My mom and dad had the mercury zephyr loved that car and would of loved to put a 302 in er!! Can't wait to see you work on it!

[@vandammefan34]

Can't wait to see what you do with this Eric. Best of Luck!

[@newtekie1]

This series is going to be epic! I can't wait.

[@john_trimble78]

This was my first car. 79' Ford Fairmont. We bought it in 1987. I found it in the Thrifty Nickel (the Facebook Marketplace of the day) and traded a .410 shotgun for it. No windshield, no back window, four different size tires...and the engine was burned up. My dad and I spent an entire summer rebuilding that engine. It had a rear main seal leak. I literally kept a case of oil in my trunk. It left contrails where you drove. 😂 Oddly though, eventhough the oil leak continued, it didnt smoke as badly after a few months. That was the car I drove to college. I used to make trips from Tyler, TX to Fayetteville, AR in it. I think the only real issue I had was needing to replace the alternator. The interior (oddly enough) was in excellent shape and it blew cold air. I sold it to a school teacher in 1989. Good memories.

[@petrocksgarage]

I was shocked and delighted when I saw that four link rear suspension. My wife's '98 Mustang (SN95) has the same suspension. The front suspension and power steering rack is also very similar. Ford still runs that rear suspension in Mustangs. I think the 2014 Mustang is supposed to switch to an independent rear suspension for the first time. I'm not aware of any independent rear suspension kits for Mustangs. Polyurethane bushings would help handling a lot. Energy Suspension makes a complete kit for Mustangs. I installed the master kit on my wife's Mustang and it handles like a new car. I made a few videos of the install too. I'm looking forward to watching the build up on this car.

[@critter7981]

Ahh the good old horn on the turn signal. Parents had two Fairmouts a '80 like you yours but 4 door with a light brown color and a '83 4 door Futura. Remember riding with my mom to work and she had a large hill to climb in the '83 we would hit 70 before the hill and by the time we hit the top were lucky to be doing above 50. These car have a spot in my heart, I even though at the age of 8 it was a good idea to drive around the block only went into one lawn fun times.

[@critter7981]

Also don't forget about you foot vents.

[@bowserdude20]

Dude you have one awsome car, I happen to own a 1978 mercury zephyr Z7 coupe and love it. honestly horsepower doesn't always matter as long as the car drives well. great video :)

[@maskof]

@11:30 I really enjoyed the sped up video of you jacking the car up. I was trying to figure out the what that faint whooshing sound was in the background when it occurred to me,,,that's the traffic noise from outside!

[@BaronRosenhein]

Oh the joys of owning and restoring a car from late 70' or 80's :)

[@flightmaster178]

You're right, it makes me think back about the light weight. I can see the emissions because of the gas problems in the 70's. Also, I had a 1980 F100. Thinking back when you said light weight, Ford drilled a bunch of holes in the frame around the truck to lighten the weight of the frame. After production, they realized that by doing that weakened the frame and they stopped doing that afterward. Beautiful Fairmont, can't wait to see what you do with it!

[@Divinxu]

Oh man a suspension change. I keep dreaming about putting a VW Bug or a Citroen DS on something more contemporary. This project is gonna rock so hard, thanks for the videos!

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

For the DS it would be a shame to lose the suspension of the time. Yes, it was prone to failures, but it was awesome technology (you could drive the thing on three wheels in case you had a blow out!!!)

[@Divinxu]

Yeah can't argue with that- that suspension is automotive history and should be preserved on the proper oldtimers in original state. Still, when talking about sleepers nothing sounds as awesome as a DS with a modern day air suspension or something of that sort.

[@john5743]

This car is going to be pretty awesome when all is said and done!

[@eliteinventor]

That's a beautiful car, reminds me of long trips across the country

[@LMacNeill]

I really like this Fairmont. Definitely brings back memories for me, too. My Mom had a '79 Fairmont with the 3.3L 6-cyl engine (green with a black interior), and my Grandmother had an '80 Fairmont Futura coupe (blue with a tan interior). I really thought the Futura had a nice line to it -- the coupe with the "fastback" look was definitely sportier-looking than the "plain" Fairmont. Can't wait to see you turn this thing into a world-class sleeper. Gonna be sweet!!

[@EIBBOR2654]

Eric, as I remember the charcoal canisters started on cars in the early 70's. Some had some real problems back in the day. I've seen a few that somehow the fuel tank got pressurized (or it was a vacuum problem) and the fuel would pour out the bottom of that canister and would become a real fire hazard! I had to stop a guy that was stuck in traffic out here a few years ago. He had a 1975 Corvette, I was on his left at a stop light with my windows down, He was cranking it and it wouldn't start. But I could smell the gas and shouted for him to stop. We were able to push the car off the road to a parking lot with the help of a cop holding traffic. There was a big puddle of gas on the ground and the charcoal canister was still leaking gas when we opened the hood. I don't know if Ford had that problem but I know that GM did. As for the AIR System, that goes back to the 60's. I know that my 68 Camaro had one stock. I removed it when I put on headers! I do like your videos, brings back some memories of when I worked at a gas station back in the 70's. By the way I still have the 68 Camaro and am going to start to restore it late this year or next summer. That is my retirement project. Any suggestions on where to get good parts and body panels?

[@aquateen77723]

This looks to be an interesting build. It'd be cool to source a late 80's H.O. 5.0 from a Stang. I like the sleeper aspect, Eric. The interior looks great!

[@2885jutt]

Kick down for the transmission (9:35)... I always wondered how that worked! Thanks Eric!!

[@TheStiver]

Got a nice taste of spring weather comin up next week... should be a great opportunity to take her out

[@ericthecarguy]

That and I hope to drive it to Pittsburgh next month.

[@TheStiver]

EricTheCarGuy Looks like a nice little cruiser. Kind of jealous to be honest. Looking forward to following this project, exciting potential there. Enjoy her!

[@RoyCousins]

A really great project car. Please don't be tempted to change the paintwork or upgrade the interior. Fantastic condition for its age! It reminds me of the old Fords I had here in the UK in the late 70s.

[@ericthecarguy]

I love both of those so they're staying.

[@MrSlowestD16]

Really look forward to this project, man. Kinda the same thing I would want out of a daily TBH. AC + V8 + decent suspension + old styling....kinda doesn't get any better than that. All you need is like a healthy 250-300hp and you'll be content all day long in terms of power. Awesome.

[@ncrdisabled]

I am catching up on his videos as I am a disabled vet and got stuck in the va hospital with no internet. Back in 1976 was 16 and my days was a master mechanic . I used to help him where he worked in a taki company . They dad not mind. I started sweeping the floors but by the age of 9 I could take a car apart and put it back together. I even was getting paid at 15 for helping out on every thing. He paid me 5 and hour for 4 hours at night . I saved up over 7k by 15 . I had been going to police auction at the age of 14 just to check out what was being sold . They usually had 20 cars . But then at 16 I found a 1979 dodge polara with a slant 6 but it had 42k miles And it was leaking oil bad. So nobody bid on it so I got for 200.00 bucks . Then I seen a 1968 fury and the hood was jammed as you could not try to open and you could not start them as they had no keys .I crawled and could see the engine number ad it had a police 440 6 pack nobody else even got under it. I got it 1670.00 but when I got it home and jot the hood open the 6 pack was gone and it had been converted to a 4 bbl carb . So went to quite a few junkyards to find parts . We got everything for around 2k we changed back to a 6 pack and we made some mods and got it to 560 hp. . Then I was winning a lot of street races . Then 1 day I was racing a guy and it was unmarked cop car. I was leaving him behind at was at 135 mph when my left right tire blew. The last thing I remember was seeing the flying off.. I woke up 3 days later and the cope come by and say it did not turn me in and he said loosing a nice car and tore up you body he did not even give me a ticket. Man I miss that car!!!

[@oldskoolbassvan9809]

I love how simple it looks to work on and it gets great gas milage

[@clockbuilderhg]

My family had a 78 Fairmont wagon with a 4 speed stick. Awesome car you got there! You can't find one in Michigan. They rotted away years ago.

[@666mrjimbo]

THEY NEED TO ROT AWAY

[@murmaider2]

Oh man, this is gonna be great. I can't wait.

[@TV-yb6yp]

Hi friends! Look on my channel of the Russian car crash. I would be grateful. Thank you.

[@thejerm2246]

I like the way you think. Cant wait to watch the process.

[@SimplyBimply]

Can't wait to see all the videos on upgrading this car!

[@azkid110]

Sweet ride Eric! I'd say the best is doing the most with the least! I'd do the little upgrades, get an electric fan or a clutched unit, fix up the brakes, clean it up etc. I say definitely keep the catalytic converters so it doesn't smell bad, otherwise it could gain a bad image on the road. I wouldn't upgrade everything to modern stuff, I like the classic vibe. I'll certainly stay tuned!

[@boomerm8655]

Wow - does this bring me back. My wife and I had a '78 Mercury Zephyr from when it was new up until about 10 years ago. It was essentially the same as this '79 Fairmont in many respects. Major differences were that the Zephyr had 4 headlights, different grill and hubcaps, little stuff like that... but pretty much the same car. We even had a very similar plastic tray on the transmission hump to hold cups, change, tapes, etc. The body and interior on this '79 Fairmont are in amazing condition, as are most of the mechanical parts when you consider their age. Will be interested to see how it progresses.

[@NotRealNamesAgain]

I'd honestly drive that thing as-is. I'm all for you updating and "rodding" it a bit, but looks perfectly alright as a daily driver too. (once that trans leak is addressed)

[@ericthecarguy]

You know, I've debated that. I've actually considered finding another Fairmont in worse shape and going nuts on it and restore this one to factory condition. Thing is, I can't keep 2 projects like that going at the same time.

[@NotRealNamesAgain]

Fair enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging, I'm just complimenting your little old Fairmont. :D

[@MrRandomcommentguy]

Push-in horn stalk! I remember that from my Grandma's Ford Cortina Mk 4 station wagon from the late 70's (Cortina was a Ford British Division compact car) Made from 1962 to 1982 in five generations.

[@j4ckGamez97]

ive been waiting for a video about the Fairmont all year. cant wait to see whats done with it :)

[@melaniexoxo]

I love this car so much. I wish you would keep it stock ... I guess thats no fun for some tho

[@DukeTheSPO0K]

Just picked up the Ultimate Sleeper... A 1981 Fairmont Station Wagon with a Fuel Injected Mustang 5.0, AOD,and a 8.8 inch Posi Rear End with 3.55 Gears. It Runs and Drives Great and I got for the absolute Steal of the Price of $1100. I'm told it runs high 13's in the Quarter Mile. It looks like crap with lots of rust in the fenders but i think that just adds to the Ultimate Sleeper Look.

[@mlitz90]

My first car was a 1978 ford fairmont i bought from my parents for a buck.. It was rotting away in the 2nd garage and being 14 and me and a buddy started pulling off parts of the top end of the 4 banger and if i recall we busted a socket removing the head bolts with no concept of a cheater bar, and that slowed us down.. I had a few friends push the car out and turn it around so it faced the garage door so I could use more natural light from the alley. The wheel were locked up and dring that process they broke free and I had them push me down a ways. Within a year or so I was given an uncle who had passed 1988 chevy celebrity. But hanging out with my buddies in a Chicago alley smoking ciggerates and turning wrenches will always be a fond memory that I will cherish...

[@rodblaine2514]

They did a similar car on Fast n' Loud, I like the boxy 2-doors from the late '70s, early '80s. The Malibu from that era is neat too.

[@shaolinkin]

I have a request for a video: what upgrades are most necessary or the ones someone should check for when they're beginning to work on a pretty old car. This provides that in some degree, but perhaps you could go more in depth on the matter. Just subscribed to you and I'm learning a lot. Much obliged.

[@kevinmalone3150]

On something of my own when I need to replace an inner, I do both inners/outers. One outer has to come off anyway, and the other side is just as easy. Boom, new steering linkage (preferably greasable ones)

[@MrZappy101]

Gunna be a nice sleeper, and I agree about keeping an auto trans, you won't have to tear a hole in the floor, and it looks more stock...just throw a stage 1 or 2 shift kit in and you're golden!

[@mikeferrante7341]

cant wait to see this project underway. gonna be so cool!