Muscle Wagooon?

This 1978 Ford Fairmont station wagon has the biggest V8 available in the line. And with its standard-issue aluminum bumpers, is it a factory super stock? Watch and learn!

[@robertclevenger697]

Please watch as many of Steve’s videos to support him during his recovery. Thank you.

[@Sleeperdude]

Good information. One of my favorite cars of all time.

[@jonathangehman4005]

I was thinking about you as soon as I saw this, lol. They really are neat cars, and Rocky approved!

[@eddean6663]

Bob Glidden was undefeated in his 1978 Futura. Also a 460 will fit.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon

[@brakedd]

I miss station wagons so much.

[@ChristopherTrimble]

One of my first cars was the 1978 Foard Fairmont wagon. It had a 302 with 351 heads on it. We used to drive it all over going to bmx races back in the late 80's and 90's. It was one of my favorite cars!

[@SteveMagnante]

Very cool!

[@alan6832]

@@SteveMagnante My mom had one, a 200, replacing the 225 Aspen wagon 3 on the floor and posi on which I learned to drive. Why would coil springs wheel hop in the face of rigid trailing arms? Also, why they discontinued the Falcon, Valiant and Nova wagons just before the energy crisis, and didn't just bring them back, has always been beyond me.

[@craigstreetzel7743]

302 and 351 have the same heads e6 for the roller motor 5.0/302 which is the same as the 92 lightnings 👍

[@vernonslone8627]

Bob Glidden had a pretty quick Fairmont back when.....

[@xlmi7021]

Sleeperdudes dream car!

[@sbf_fox2434]

He bought a few of them last year. One of my favorite youtubers.

[@johnh2514]

Great video. Can say it's been years since I've seen a Fairmont, and hard to believe that 40 years ago these cars were as common on the road as a RAV4 is today.

[@michaelpalm2210]

My dad had a baby blue wagon that I took my drivers test on....onlt had an AM radio. As a teeneager , I wanted FM radio....neverliked driving that car because of that. Vinyl bench seats too. not luxury at all.

[@talfacprez]

Ziebart DID work IF you came back every two or 3 years to get your car re sprayed but rarely did anyone come back after the first treatment.

[@mikebrown8065]

Good morning everyone! I remember as a kid my parents had a creamish yellow '79 Fairmont wagon with the v-8, and it was definitely a rocket for the time. My grandmother had also purchased at the same time a yellow '78 Mercury Zephyr that also had the 302. Unfortunately her car only lasted for 2 weeks before an 18 wheeler milk truck removed the front clip off the car. She escaped without a scratch! I've noticed these cars are getting very popular in drag racing because of their lightweight design. Thanks for another great video Steve. Motor Trend definitely made a mistake doing away with "Junkyard Gold ", in my humble opinion!!

[@M21-w1y]

Yeah, some guy named Glidden used to race a 2 door Fairmount back in the day. He won a couple races in it, I think🤔

[@rayt1590]

Thanks for continuing to feature various wagons. A true part of American culture.

[@sandyman541]

Ahhh yes I worked on plenty of Fairmonts in those days, granada's, monarchs and yes futura's.. that's when Nissans were also called Datsuns. Did anyone notice the Marlboro ad in the magazine? ...back in the days when cigarettes were cheap and the ads weren't banned yet....ahhhh yes the 70s I miss em.

[@smokey2459]

I bought a 1980 fully loaded Fairmont wagon complete with the v-8 and fake wood grain side treatment. Burgundy with matching interior. $9800 out the door. Transmission went out with 2000 miles in the clock! Otherwise was a budget luxury wagon for the times.

[@brucecourchene8090]

“Rust wins in the end, just ask Neil Young” lol, great stuff!

[@stephenhenderson9871]

Good morning Steve, this video sure brings back a lot of memories. I worked at a Ford dealer in the 80’s so consequently I have many memories of Fairmonts and Rusty Jones (I think I still have some of it in my hair). I loved these cars and always wanted one but never have been able to get one for some reason or another. Oh well I’m not dead yet so I still have time. Thanks for the memories.

[@throckmorton8477]

Ah yes! The rusted off rear bumper! Often seen by R.R. crossings too. I never really noticed bungee cords until people started using them to lash up their bumpers. Then people found all sorts of other uses for them. Also, the 2"x 6" rear bumper option was popular too! On a Fairmont note, I always liked the Futura and the custom Rancheros that were made from them.

[@scootypooper]

Good one about the bumpers! 🏎

[@61rampy65]

Those "custom Rancheros" were called Durangos. A friend of mine had two of them.

[@jeffrobodine8579]

It was always fun to write messages with magic marker on wooden 2x6 bumpers. 🤬

[@scootypooper]

WOW !!!!! I want to see your car Mr. Magnante .

[@AlanG58]

I love it! This car actually looks to be in decent shape. If I had the room I'd bring it home.

[@BriBeast8566]

Mom and dad had a maroon 79 Fairmont Wagon it had that 302 as well. They had it many years up into the early 1990s if i remember correctly.

[@mikeyb.3004]

Thanks for explaining the roadside bumper epidemic of the 70s and 80s!

[@EJohnDanton]

My dad had a 75 Maverick that needed some major engine work thanks to a mechanic's foul-up and so they gave him a new 78 Fairmont for a week. We got to talking to the sales guy and he said Ford was giving bonuses, and lots of incentives to get salesmen to push these. Free trips etc. My dad though the 200 6cyl was a "gutless wonder" when compared to his 250 6cyl in the Maverick and couldn't get back to his repaired car fast enough.

[@ExilefromCrownHill]

My mother bought a 1979 Zephyr in 1980 with 10,ooo miles on it. She asked me to check it over first, and after 2 miles on the Interstate, smoke started rising out of the steering column. I barely got it back to the dealer when the motor died. They fixed the car, supposedly, and put it out on the lot again. She bought it anyway. Zephyr was the Mercury equivalent of the Fairmont. It needed all kinds of repairs, all the time.

[@xfactorautomotive1496]

Studded tires inside that car! They were outlawed here in Wisconsin so you don't see them here. I do remember the Uniroyal penetrators when I was a kid...the tire with the wire as Uniroyal called em. Us 16 year old kids would search high and low for an old set of them so we could go out at night and burn the tires on our cars. With the penetrators, you also got a nice rooster tail of Sparks with the smoke. Ahh, good times!

[@googleusergp]

You guys get some real deal snow out there. I've been to WI on business in the cold weather (and I'm slated to go in February this year, go figure). Whoa Nelley.

[@xfactorautomotive1496]

@@googleusergp yeah, it gets a little chilly here too! Lol

[@googleusergp]

@@xfactorautomotive1496 One of our vendors came here to visit and said for a straight month it was -25 degrees there. Your washer fluid won't even work in that temperature. LOL.

[@sombra6153]

You presented a really nice piece! My folks bought a new wagon in 1980. It was a six cylinder car. Had dog dish hub caps. My mom liked it because it was easier to drive than the 75 Montego wagon it replaced. I don’t know what gas mileage it got, but was certainly better than the Merc, although the smaller gas tank gave them both about the same range between fill-ups - still true today. Despite being a cheap car, cheap in materials and cheap in assembly, the Fairmont was a good car for its time. They were affordable and reasonably reliable, especially when Ford started their Total Quality campaign (Deming). Ours was reliable. Wasn’t fast but would generally keep up with traffic. I have no idea how fast it would really go as I never got caught - probably hard pressed to go much over 90, although it saw the needle pegged once in a while. My folks kept it until the mid 90s before selling it. It was still running and never suffered any major problems other than the occasional out of whack smog 1V carb and maybe the AC quitting. I think the drivers seat broke down and how to get fixed. I never drove a 302 version but the local police department got a fleet of them and was very happy as they’d had to live with six cylinder Dodges for several years.

[@BCaldwell]

The mere sound of the door latches brings back memories....

[@dave-atv-guy1049]

Back in the early 90s as a young fellow I bought a 79 fairmont 2 door futura it had a 302 2v with high miles been clean I was buying hot rod magazines and hanging out at the drag strip I pulled out the 302 traded for a rebuilt short block less the heads install a set of used 69 heads the C4 tranny was rebuilt with a B&M shift kit first time at the strip she was a dog cause of the 2.47 gears when to the boneyard and picked up a 7.5 with 3:45 gears out of 4cyl mustang man a lot of memories thanks for vid Steve

[@Bbbuddy]

Nice look back at that era.

[@van84agon]

we (my dad and my 8.5 year old self) bought a 1979 Fairmont sedan in June of 1979 from Russel Henderson at Bramview Ford Queens Street Brampton Ontario. the Fairmont was silver/burgundy with rear side window vents! our 1973 Ford Galaxy 500 had died on the 401 near the airport, it was a 2 door bronze on bronze with brocade fabric, perfect for a family of 7, I always thought it would be the rust that would win with the 500 but it was the rad/engine over heating on the highway. our test drive was in a black/black 2 door Fairmont, buckets, center console which hosted a manual transmission, this 2 door (good looking) was the closes thing to the mustang, pre-Futura (never fond of the styling?) and short lived. still thinking about that 2 door...

[@wreckerjonny6144]

I converted the 5.0 and 5 speed in a 78 futura. Used everything from the mustang into the Fairmont. EFI right down to the 3.73 gear ratio

[@petervitti9]

Excellent video. I remember so many Fairmont were everywhere. They turn it into the fox LTD . Then in 1986 sold side by side with the revolutionary Taurus for one year.

[@peterjohnson3260]

I got my one and only speeding ticket in one of those 302 cid equipped wagons. It was a company fleet car and the Mountie who stopped me clocked me at 70 mph in a 65 mph zone. They didn't cut you any slack in those days. It wasn't my intention to speed - the darned thing was just so zippy you had to concentrate not to, and a moment's inattention was all it took. Enjoy your channel - keep up the good work : ).

[@MrGlenferd]

I put a pair of those rear springs in my chevette as I was carrying a lot of tools and parts in it. It was great. Raised the back by about 3 inches and didn't hurt the ride at all.

[@TeslaRoadtrips]

My dad had an 85 and 86 ltd wagon like this. Good cars. Burned oil at the end. Both made about 250k miles which is pretty good for a car of 70s design.

[@robertmoffett3486]

Working in a NYC body shop in the 70s, almost all the rot was from the inside out because of clogged drainage holes. Doors and quarters would get full of water. Like a 2 year old 75 El Camino filled to the marker lights on both sides

[@vleldaddio210]

Talk about a Stealth powerhouse this is it 👏🙌👍 WOW ! I had a 1960 Ford Falcon station wagon put 3 2 bbl carbs on it and it would move and groove 🤪💯

[@fishgeralding9224]

Hi Steve, I enjoy your videos, good information and history. One correction on this one, as I was a collision repair/refinish technician (rust repair tech lol) for over 40 years in Florida. I also retired from teaching it in a public technical school. The main difference "we" noticed about Florida cars, as compared to "northern cars". They tended to rust from the inside out. I once had a customer complain about a noise his Buick road master wagon tailgate was making. It was one that opened both ways, either as a normal tailgate, or swing open like a car door. When he opened it, it fell off, right on the ground, the only thing still connecting it to the car was the wiring harnesses. Lol It was completely rotted out inside, with no noticeable rust on the outside. I guess that's salted roads vs salt air. Anyway, to be fair, the car spent its life on Sanibel Island. But, I dealt with many vehicles with rust from the inside out.

[@throckmorton8477]

Northern cars actually rust from the inside out, too. And yes, I've seen coastal cars from Florida rust from the top down. All along the roof would be rusted out, from the inside!

[@zzzoo2]

Thanks Steve! A buddy had one of those and at first I thought it was just a boring semi-small car. He’s had it for ages though, and it’s got just enough room for almost anything he needs to pick up and it handles better than a minivan. They certainly had their place.

[@jeffclark2725]

They could have been a coil Ranchero at the time, they definitely did thecjib

[@albertgaspar627]

@@jeffclark2725 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Durango

[@jeffclark2725]

@@albertgaspar627 Wow those were a cool little set up, and based off the hardtop cars, would have been interesting if he had some of those built on the Granada platform,thanks for the link

[@albertgaspar627]

@@jeffclark2725 yeah, they weren't well known even when new, and had some interesting potential as you pointed out. If Mercury had been allowed to build some, they could have been "cowboy cadillacs" :)

[@jeffclark2725]

@@albertgaspar627 Agreed,a missed opertunity

[@mikee2923]

This brings back memories of my pre driving youth. Our family had a 78 Ford Fairmont wagon with the 302 2BBL. Unfortunately it was gone before I got my license. My dad traded in a green 73 Ford Country Squire station wagon that had a Torino front, a 351 2BBL (I think it was either a Cleveland or Modified) and the fake wood paneling on the side. The Fairmont was just a solid brown with no wood. My brother was old enough to drive it and said it was pretty quick for the time. The thing I remember best about the Fairmont was the 4 lug rims. My dad had a flat tire in the rear once and was throughly pissed because he couldn’t get the rim off because it rusted onto the axle hub. He beat the crap out of it with a sledgehammer and it still didn’t come off until my brother brought him a torch to heat it up then the sledgehammer finally broke it loose. I have driven Ford vans for work for many years and always made sure the rear rims had anti-seize applied to the rear hubs in case I got a flat. Usually they were E350s with the 8 lug rims. One of the many lessons I learned from my dad. Thanks for the memories.

[@dfb1111]

Very interesting perspective on the Fairmont, thanks!!

[@SteveMagnante]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mec7568]

Our family had a 78 Squire wagon - with a 302! That car was a blast and pleasure to drive, weighing around 3200 pounds wet.

[@Cstoreri]

Morning gents

[@bobhill3941]

Morning!

[@Drmcclung]

Morning

[@UncleSi1]

A little late but Good-morning from ohio

[@jeffclark2725]

Good morning

[@Whats-It-To-Ya]

Mornin' from Allentown PA

[@mikewasfaret9563]

When I got married in 91, my wife had a 81 Fairmont 200 6. It was a ex-police car. Certified speedo, rear door disabled inside handle. Must of been some small towns cop car.

[@sombra6153]

The police department for the University I attended was restricted by the state board of regents to six cylinder cars because the board decided that the roughly square mile of university didn’t warrant V-8s. They had at least one Fairmont police package car, but it had the 200 six. That six was probably well suited to patrolling parking lots. A police chief was enamored with the Chevy Citations and ordered several of those. The only thing the Citations had in common with a police package was being stripped down. With the special service electrical system, the Ford probably handled the added radio and emergency lights better. Neither really shined in performance, especially when speeds rarely exceeded 40 mph.

[@googleusergp]

True. You couldn't catch a cold with something that slow. LOL.

[@SteveMagnante]

Hello Sombra, yes, your Campus Police vehicle was probably from the "low end" of the Police Car Spec Book. The high flying police packages for highway use were called names like "Interceptor" while the slow-mo inner city / campus police / private security models at the bottom of the barrel were given names like "Patroller" to suggest a slower pace. Cop cars are cool - but not always fast. Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante

[@rogercamp6071]

A local village marshal drove a Fairmont as a police car, it was probably an 80 model,got my first and so far only speeding ticket from him 😂

[@googleusergp]

@@rogercamp6071 What were you operating, a Schwinn 10-speed? LOL.

[@edmccandlish520]

Good Steve !!!!! Cool little wagons. My father a 79' Zepher back in the early 90s. Brown, with wood paneling and plaid interior. It was a 4 cylinder with a manual !!! Felt cool being dropped off at school in it. One day it went away on a flat bed as a tax write off. 😪 Wish I was a little older at the time, and could have acquired it for myself. Thanks for the profile 👍

[@ernielaw]

The white turn signal lights on the 1978 Fairmont differentiate it from the 1979 and later models as they had orange turn signal lights.

[@metalbill]

I grew up in one of those on Cape Cod! Same model, same year, same wood siding, but blue and probably a six.

[@michaelpalm2210]

my dads blue fairmont wagon only had an AM radio!

[@marioncobaretti2280]

I remember seeing an 83 Ltd wagon drop the rear bumper in the middle of the road with a splatter of rust with it, laughed my arse off

[@MattHardison-ir7cx]

Thanks, Steve, but this one was too close to home! My Dad bought one of these Fairmont wagons in 1978 in baby blue with the 6 cylinder engine and - wait for it - a 3-speed manual on the floor! That combo made it less than ideal to impress on date night. Fortunately (?), he eventually traded it in for the new Ford Taurus station wagon with the oval windows. Yipes, what a run!

[@noahbarrett1172]

Holy crap!!! My uncle Mark had a 1982 Fairmont wagon! Originally it had a straight 6 engine. But around 1992-93 he squeezed a 460 big block in it and….. Holy God! What a car! Sadly that 460 Fairmont is sitting behind his garage, and has been basically abandoned since 2004, the last time he drove it. And he refuses to sell it.

[@joeromanak8797]

A 460 in a Fairmont. I’m sure you risked an engine torque induced rollover of the entire car every time you reved it up. A sleeper for sure. It would have been even faster if the front bumper wasn’t on the pavement at all times, lol. 🤠

[@centralbears3010]

Steve, I have watched a ton of your vidya and they are the best. Your knowledge is the best and the most accurate.

[@burthenry7740]

Lots of good info!. When I bought my new '73 Pontiac Lemans, I had it rustproofed by Rusty Jones. How well it worked depended on the guy who applied it.🤨 While most cars were rusted within 5-7 years, my Lemans was still in good shape 11 years later with 135,000 miles. I ended up selling for $250 as a 'transportation special' (pre-hooptie term) as my wife had several minor fender benders with it. 😁

[@Elchupa_Nebrea]

I believe you are correct, I have a 1978 F350 that is Ziebart coated, that sucker still 45yrs later is hardly rusting and it sits outdoor in the Illinois weather.

[@googleusergp]

Ditto on my 1980 Trans Am. Only place it rusted was where the rear bumper mounted. I had a body shop cut it out and weld in new metal. That was in 1995 and it's still solid today. I brought them the car dismantled and I reassembled it at home after it was repaired.

[@throckmorton8477]

Several TV news stations did consumer protection reports back then. They would remove the door card on a rustproofed car to find little or no rustproofing applied. The company merely drilled some holes and installed the plugs! On a related note, since severe rust starts on the inside of the body panels, people who say ""There are some bubbles/blisters in the paint" are misleading at best! The only reason older paint 'bubbles' is because there is rust underneath it. Steel actually expands as it rusts, stretching the paint!

[@googleusergp]

@@throckmorton8477 You were supposed to bring it back every year for a "yearly inspection" to keep the warranty in effect. On my car, it was done. I've had the door panels off and there's definitely Ziebart in there. They are still popular today. Many heavy trucks have Ziebart applied to them.

[@throckmorton8477]

@@googleusergp I will say, having owned a few new and used cars that were rustproofed (and done properly), it is a wise investment. Seeing how the newer pick-up trucks rust today. If I were to buy a new one (even an aluminum Ford bodied one) I'd have it done!

[@zoldcarsntrucks]

Loved the altered wheelbase fairmont you did a video on awhile ago with the intake stacks sticking straight up

[@markmcentire656]

Love that V8 what a sleeper

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Morning Steve & Mags ! Very informative !

[@williammeszaros3382]

There are so many cool trucks and cars around you....lucky bastard !

[@somguy728]

Done that - '89 5.0L EFI, 5 speed, 8.8 diff. Easy as it gets, all of the '89 LX parts bolt straight into these. Converting to EFI was the only part that required half a brain. They only weight 3000lbs. and actually handle well because the weight distribution is better. My mildly modded version ran 12.75 @ 102 and was used for autocrossing too. Fun, fun, fun!

[@Tmrfe0962]

Lots of fun Steve…thanks, drove one of these in 81…sedan version…damn horn on the directional …ugh. My buddies said it was the box my beetle came in….lol…

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you Steve, Get well soon.

[@philipstreechon4523]

Hi I had one just like the one you reviewed it was so cheaply made and got about 15 MPG highway compaired to my 1971 Pontiac Catilina wagon that beast got 18 MPG highway with a 455.

[@gillboardman8998]

Wow, thought my Roadmaster with a 2.76 rear end was low. 2.47 was really looping at highway speed, but my wagon gets 22-24 mpg. This probably a bit better. Love wagons! Keep 'em coming, Steve.👍

[@jeffrobodine8579]

Good mileage for a V-8 powered tank.

[@robertclark9]

I had what I called a 79 “Fair/Scort”. A four door Fairmont that came thru with a 4cyl Escort motor and a 4spd. Thing couldn’t get out of its own way, but made for a nice winter car.

[@mexicanspec]

That wasn't the Escort engine, it was the Pinto engine.

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

@@mexicanspec Correct. The Escort and Mercury Lynx were only available with either a 1.6L or 1.9L 4 cylinder while the Fairmont/Zephyr had the 2.3L as their 4 cylinder.

[@mexicanspec]

@@MikeBrown-ii3pt Yes and the Fairmont came out 3 year before the Escort, but that is a minor detail.

[@sbf_fox2434]

@@MikeBrown-ii3pt Don't forget the 2.0L diesel option.

[@mangomcpoo475]

Man this makes me think about how cool (and very rare) 302 falcon wagons are here in Australia. That thing is awesome!

[@Alwhite1929]

I had a 78. Futura with a straight 6/auto. Strobe stripe on the roof. Loved that car.

[@ultraviolettp3446]

I owned a 1982 Futura two door sedan (this was when the coupe front end was migrated over to the rest of the Fairmont lineup). It was a champagne (tanish silver) with red interior. It was a very nice car with a 4 cylinder and automatic. It got great gas mileage and reminded me of a modern Falcon replacement (my first car was a 1964 Falcon two door). Unfortunately the car had been wrecked in the back (I was not told) and would take on water in the gas tank and then leave me stranded. Once I got that sorted out, the car was okay to drive. It was "too big" of a car for me in the end so I traded it on a new 1987 black Escort two door hatchback with red interior (actually a striking looking car). Fairmonts were actually quite nice cars other than the sheet metal was very thin and could dent easily. I would not mind a Futura (mini T-bird coupe) to drive on Sundays with a manual transmission.

[@javierdenardo2607]

I think Sleeperdude has rescued a couple of Fairmonts and posted on KZbin

[@jeffpriem4888]

Had a 78 2 door base model with 302 with posi.. a blast

[@davidchristensen6908]

This may have been the car to fight opec and to get Americans into smaller cars. The one thing you didn’t talk about was the buzz this car made. I would go to work and in the lunchroom was sale info everywhere on the Ford Fairmont. Being a young man with a wife and 2 kids we test drove this car and ended up with one it really served the family very well for about 8 years after I year we sold it for over half what we paid for it. So it was a car that was very good to my family

[@piggy310]

Nothing to say about prices under captain dementia?

[@AlienLivesMatter]

An episode on your personal car would be a highlight

[@markp0752]

I worked at a ford dealer in 1978 These were awesome cars. The v8s were rockets. Drove a Granada Gaia with a 351 m. That was super

[@gillgetter3004]

Pop had one 👍

[@hackfabrication139]

Ah.... The Fairmont! Love those boxy vehicles, especially the two doors and the wagons. Now you need to find a Granada/Monarch/Versailles!

[@ddellwo]

There’s a guy in my suburb of Houston that tools around in an old Versailles - even all these years removed from production I giggle at it……😂

[@willhorting5317]

I don't recall ever seeing the Fairmont station wagon before (I am sure I seen plenty, but just don't remember them). But I remember both 2-door and 4-door Fairmont sedans seemingly everywhere.

[@daleclontz5421]

They were good cars. I had a '78 Fairmont 4dr sedan, with a 2.3, 4 cylinder engine in it . It was surprisingly peppy for a 4 cylinder. Another companion car was the Ford LTD ll, and the Mercury Marquis wagons. Another good Fox Body platform is the '80 to '88 Thunderbird's, Cougars, and the last year or two of the Granada. Of course the '79 to '93 Mustang's, and '79 to '86 Mercury Capri's.

[@coletrickle-km7cl]

Dale I have owned a 1985 fox chassis LTD for decades and there ain't no II on it anywhere. The LTD ll was a 1970's full size frame on body 2 door ( thus the II) that replaced the torino. LTD II'S were 1977, 1978, and 1979. After that the II designation was never used again. The full size frame on body version Was called the LTD S in 1980. Later called LTD crown victoria. and The fox body LTD name was 1st used in 1983 when they restyled the foxbody Fairmont, got rid of Fairmont name and 1983 on used LTD. I think it was bad confusing marketing to use LTD on both full size and foxbody cars. And people still to this day and forever it seems get this badge labeling on these cars confused.

[@daleclontz5421]

@@coletrickle-km7cl Thank you Cole, I stand corrected. But, if you say LTD II to most folks, most of the time they going to think of the '79 to '86 "Mid Size" LTD, aka Fox Body LTD II. I want to cry when I drive by an old garage, about 7 miles away from where I live. About 25 years ago, someone took the engine out of a black with red stripes, '77-9 LTD II ( the T-BIRD Style), and parked it on the out side of the garage, and it's sit there all these years, and rotted away. It was still there several months ago when I drove by there.😭😭😭

[@budp9844]

I've seen these Fairmont wagons with 2JZ swaps too. Ultimate sleepers 😉

[@eddiepatterson5025]

SLEEPERDUDE channel brought me here for the Fairmont. He’s a fan of these.

[@rixkafer56]

Cool car that came out of a strange era in american car history. I was always weary about that rust proofing... thought it just plugs the factory weep holes... im a sticker for cleaning out the inside of doors and making sure the weep holes are clear and let it drain out... hopefully all weather seals, window scrapers and door panel protection is in place and in good shape. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@dominickserignese8837]

Back in 82 my friends dad had a 79 Fairmont wagon. It had a 302 no options. That thing had balls! For some weird reason it had a posi in it from the factory! That thing did some great smoke shows in the high school parking lot! LMAO!

[@societyschild6055]

Used to do undercoating when I worked for GM. We used AUTO ARMOR at that time. A GMC Suburban ended up in my bay with instructions to "drill no holes". The customer was a retired Marine and waiting in the showroom for the job to be done. After crushing my hand on a handshake, he assured me my head would be next if I missed a spot, LOL! Managed to find enough factory holes to fit the wand in to give this man what he wanted.

[@gregkellow4723]

So far the northeast winter is holding back, normally t-shirts are not seen this time of year. I had a '78 Firebird that was treated with Rusty Jones. In the summertime heat it would oooozzzz black goop out of the rear interior trim panels

[@googleusergp]

"It's Us or It's Rust". LOL.

[@funnlivinit]

My father looked closely at that car while we all screamed NO! Instead, he chose a BMW 530i sedan and was much happier.

[@ragtopdeluxezl1]

I did like the graphic overlay of "gold", but I rarely watch TV so I see this channel much more. The TV guys have done well and have great content too but I watch at leisure.

[@russellbroadwell]

Just typing a comment while I watch the entire commercial, get well soon Steve!

[@autosalvage]

One the best cars to build for a drag car light weight still can find parts for

[@johnwalsh7256]

Thanks to Steve!

[@projectdriven4493]

I wonder why he draws in these brochures like dang they’re collectible

[@gdaytrees4728]

We owned 3 Fairmonts. 2 wagons, 1 sedan. Wagons were both chocolate brown paint, 302 V8 automatics. I changed the heater core in one, took me exactly 20min start the finish. The sedan was black 4 door with red interior, 2.3 4 cylinder, 4 speed manual. I still deeply regret selling it. Should have hot rodded the sedan with a V8 and 5 speed manual. Great cars.

[@rogerbranch9248]

Awesome I like the old wagons

[@johnnersinger9771]

My grandfather had a Fairmont for a county health dept vehicle. Had a 4 popper

[@OneCarGarage777]

I'd only argue that the falcon was Fords first venture into smaller cars in the name of being a smaller car. Great video, new sub 👍

[@coyote50585]

Sleeperdude would die for this car

[@EffequalsMA]

Me ol 79 Mustang had this poeertrain. Woke up a lot with headers, duals and a 4bbl Holley. The rear was a 7.5 with 2.47 too...changed that for a 3.08 with a Trak lok out if an 85 GT.

[@haljohnson5729]

Nice info.Thanks Steve

[@SteveMagnante]

Any time!

[@ClaremontClassicGarage]

My dad had a blue one with a 200. was a great little car. It was small but you could fill it with stuff. They were goofy, the safety release for the hood is in the headlight door and you beep the horn by pushing in the turn signal lever. The bumpers used to fall off of them in the salt belt. Aluminum plus steel plus salt equals big mess.

[@danlove4270]

It ain’t a sleeper anymore when these days we really only see Fairmonts at the race tracks. Cant recall the last time I seen a Fairmont or Zepher on the street.

[@LuciFeric137]

Do that line of old pickups!! Please?

[@chrisscearce]

Hi Steve, great video on this very cool Ford Fairmont Wagon. (Probably the 1st time ever to put those words together in a sentence 😆) For whatever reason, we didn't see many Fairmont wagons around here. (Ford Dealership 3 miles away from me). But I'm a fan of wagons and it's white, my favorite car colour. I took a 79 Cutlass Cruiser wagon (midsized) white with the woodgrain that belonged to my grandma and stuffed an early Trans Am 455. I'm not sure if it was a Super Duty. The 305 Olds engine became an oil burner, and grandma had stopped driving it. I kept the car because it was in mint condition light blue interior with all the bells and whistles you could get on one. Guy owned me some money, and I settled for the TA it had been wrecked in a street fight. The 455 looked factory setting in the Olds wagon. This was when the 5.0s and IROCs were at their height of popularity. Every weekend, I'd cruise around looking for victims 😁. If I could keep it from smoking the tires off the line I'd freight train on by any stock Rustang or Camaro. The car had a stock posi-rear, but it didn't matter with a big block Pontiac up front. So because the car looked factory under the hood whenever I popped the bonnet. If you didn't know what you were looking at, it looked mundane. While wearing my Fedora the sleeper appearance was complete. "No officers, that wasn't me racing. I'm out here to getting groceries." That was definitely one for a burnout competition. Eventually the car was wrecked by a drunk competitor who at the time probably shouldn't have been driving at all. Well to find out the rest of the story you'll have to watch all of Steve's previous videos. Where I describe the end of the sleeper wagon and a bucket of tar. Tar... white paint 🤔 light blue interior 🤪. Thanks, Steve, for all you do. Don't forget to like share and subscribe. Namaste 🙏🏼

[@googleusergp]

305 Chevrolet engine, not Olds engine. The Olds engine would have been a 307 and didn't come out until 1980. It likely originally had the 305 Chevrolet small block V8 originally. Oil burners, soft cams and wheezy. They were OK when those problems were fixed up.

[@chrisscearce]

@googleusergp Hi, I may have been wrong about the 307 but I remember it being an Olds engine because it had the oil filler neck located in the timing cover and the ID sticker on the radiator shroud said 5.0L. May have been a late 79 but if the internet says I'm wrong it's not the 1st time. Namaste 🙏🏼

[@googleusergp]

@@chrisscearce Yes, but the 5.0L Olds engine was a 307, not a 305. It wasn't used until 1980, so if it was in a 1979 car, it was swapped in at some point. Both would have said "5.0 LITER" on the emission decal back then. Yes, the Olds V8 had the oil filler tube up front.

[@chrisscearce]

@googleusergp preaching to the choir brother. I know that the 307 is a 5 liter engine. The car was bought new by my grandparents. I'm not sure what the deal is, but it was an Olds engine because the Pontiac engine wouldn't have bolted to the existing transmission. The donor TA was a factory 4sp car. I'm not saying the internet is wrong, just saying that I did make a mistake in my description and labeled the engine a 305. Im not sure what's up, but I'm sure about the V8 Olds engine and the label. With over 45yrs of experience as a shop owner, a dealership owner and master tech with all 16 ASE auto mechanic certifications (*my certification have expired 😁 as of 2018) I can't count how many times I've been wrong and all I know is what I've learned. I couldn't tell you if the car was built later in the yr of 79, and that would explain the error. It could be similar to one of those blooper cars Steve has made videos on. 🙃 It's cool GP you got me thinking about how many times I was wrong, and it turned out right no matter how hard I tried. 🤣 Namaste 🙏🏼

[@googleusergp]

@@chrisscearce My only point is that "305" and "Oldsmobile" V8 do NOT belong together. Ever. LOL. No factory "blooper" here (Mr. Magnante was incorrect about that being a factory blooper the other day, BTW). Again, there was no 307 Oldsmobile V8 before 1980. So either the car was a 1980 (and you thought it was a 1979), or someone swapped in an Olds V8 at some point, OR it was a 350 Olds V8 which was available up through and including the 1980 model year. The 307 and 350 Olds V8 look very close in those later years and are hard to tell apart. My guess was that it was a 1980 model year purchased and/or made in late 1979 for the 1980 model year. I get it, you've got experience. I do too, that's not the point. LOL. I've got ASE certs too, and I've worked for Big 3 suppliers and I helped write many of their engine and transmission usage charts over the years. That's not the point. The point was that the Olds 5.0 in those years was not a 305, that would have been a Chevrolet V8. The 307 Oldsmobile V8 was RPO code "LV2" and was a VIN code "Y" engine. I know them inside and out. I've worked on them, owned several of them. I've sold parts for them, I've researched and sourced parts for them and as noted, I worked in the industry for years. The "LV2" was offered from 1980 to 1990 and was the last GM carbureted passenger car engine offered.

[@Mercmad]

Down here in Australia we had falcons badged as fairmonts with a small selection of engines to choose from ,a six and 302/351 V8s . The 8's spawned a big business in hot parts including better heads in alloy . The blocks were thin wall castings known in the US as Mexican blocks.

[@williemoon7522]

460 also fits nicely in one of those with a fox kit ..

[@ddellwo]

Every time I travel back home to Minnesota for a visit and see four-or-five year old cars already showing blossoms of rust around the wheel openings I thank my lucky “car guy” stars that I now live in Texas! Been here 27 years and never a spec of rust on any of my vehicles - the Midwesterner in me still can’t believe it’s even possible……😂

[@googleusergp]

I've traveled to the Minneapolis, MN airport on business and if you're going to get stuck in any airport, that's one of them. LOL.

[@rockettcustoms6266]

I was excited to see a video about a Fairmont as I have owned four of them in the late '80's and early '90's. Two of them were just plain 4 door Fairmonts, one was a 2 door Futura and one was the Mercury version Zephyr that I bought from my aunt for $500 when the car was 11 years old. It never saw winter and was pretty mint. It only had 45,000 miles on it. I loved those cars. Always thought they were good cars.

[@edwinbruner1026]

I was working in a Mercury dealership and remember the Zepher also carried the 302. I always thought they were great sleepers as you describe.