Another Fairmont FNG

[Fairmont]

Hey guys,

I'm Justin, I'm 22 from Livonia, Michigan and i have recently acquired a 1978 Fairmont Futura 200 C4 factory A/C medium chestnut metallic chamois interior in awesome shape. I bought the car from a guy who bought it from the original owners estate sale not too long before he sold it. He included the owners manual, dealer brochures, some maintenance records and a NOS rear bumper with no bumper guards that has never been installed and about 20 8-tracks.

Before you say "oh great another punk kid that's gonna tell us everything he is gonna do the car and never do it" let me give you a little background.

I work For the Ford Technical Assistance center as a transmission, axle, 4x4 service engineer currently, previously worked at a Ford dealer as a trans, driveline, 4x4 tech. Before that an independent and a classic car restoration shop/dealership.

This is the first car i have ever owned, I've had 4 trucks that have all been modified before this, so its all new to me. I have a 302 i built ready to go in, i just re-geared and installed the 8.8 with 3.73 gears and carbon fiber clutches last weekend, and a have a T-5 i have to put a 5th gear synchro in and its ready to go. Im getting so excited to pull the motor and trans out of it, i just wish someone would buy it before i pull it so they can hear it run and drive but whatever.

I'm no stranger to automotive forums, being a long time Ranger-Forums member and FordTruckEnthusiast member, so i know how vital pictures are. Ive been lurking for a while and it seems like there is a ton of stuff i can learn here. Anyway, on with the pictures

[Mr. Squirrel]

wow, thats a beautiful car. I love it

[Fairmont]

Thank you, forgot to add it had the 14" steel wheels and Futura hubcaps on it, the 10 holes were included with it so i bought 235/60s and put em on...i dont know if i like them or not

[Mr. Squirrel]

if I was to drop a 302. I would go with the other rims just to give it a sleeper look but thats me

[Fairmont]

yeah but they are kind of gross and narrow...id really like the repro 93 cobra wheels but id like to try them on before ordering them for fitment issues

[dburdyshaw]

Holy Moly ---- no, make that HOLY MOLY!!!

As you may or may not have found in your lurking, the interior color of your car is my WEAKNESS ---- and the exterior is sweeeeeeeeeeet, too.

If I had that car, I'd put it on a pillow at night and hug it before I went to bed.

As you may or may not ALSO have found in your lurking, I LUV original time capsules ---- so I'd leave it just as it sits.

It's beauuuuuuuuuuutiful.

[Mr. Squirrel]

I see what you mean. those rims would look sweet that cobra rims that is

[Mr. Squirrel]

this is the first one I have seen in this color combination and I love it as well

[dburdyshaw]

And do my eyes spy an 8-Track player???

[02Z06]

Beautiful car, welcome to the site!

[Fairmont]

Thank you guys so much, i love the color combo

yes it had an AM 8 track player...i drove it almost every day weather permitting so i threw my "of the era" kenwood am-fm casette in it, but im on the hunt for an am-fm 8 track for it

as for the keeping it stock, any of the vehicles i have modified, i am in no way going to hack this up, i am using as many ford parts as i can and it will appear pretty stock and clean

[Fairmont]

here it is with ponies when the previous owner had it. There is one quarter sized rust spot on the passenger rear quarter and the drivers front fender is a little lighter than the rest of the car. I wish the trim wasnt removed because you can see where it was, some of the paint came with it on the passenger rear quarter. maybe one day it will get paint.

I had this vision of having a highland green Futura with bullitt rims and making a Bullittura as i has also planned on doing with my 88 ranger i sold to buy this, but i dont think i can do it to this car...heres my 88 ranger that was months away from a merkur xr4ti 2.3 and t-5 (and my 98 ranger 200k mile DD) but the fairmont needed a home

[Gemini1999]

I love Futuras! This one is a beauty... It's like a time capsule - it looks brand new inside and out and it is truly a marvel to behold. The fact that it has a functioning 8-track player and that you actually have tapes to make use of it is brilliant.

Additionally, I love the fact that the current owner wasn't even born when this car was built, but is someone that can appreciate an older car in excellent condition. While I'm not a fan of 10-holes, I think that they look great. There's something about the size of the tire though....I can't put my finger on it.

One thing about the Futura coupes is that I can't help but think of them as a "baby bird" (T-Bird, that is). The styling from the front windscreen all the way to the rear really shows that it works on a smaller car just as effectively as it does on the much larger and longer T-Bird.

Welcome to FEP and thanks for sharing your Futura story with us!

Bryan

[Mr. Squirrel]

that is one bad ranger. you should of kept it

[Fairmont]

When I first put the 10 holes on i stood back and said "oh no its a 79 t-bird" outloud...hopefully i can fund some new wheels when the car is done.

My goal is to run the hotrod magazine power tour when it is done, equipped with air conditioning (it has air now) and cruise control

some of my previous vehicles

1996 F-150 (first vehicle bought at 14) mild 302 5-speed


1999 F-250 9" 38.5" 7.3


1991 S-10 built 4.3 (ugly but fast...i know a bowtie...never again)


1998 Ranger (current DD)


1988 Ranger

[8384GT]

wow great car

[Mr. Squirrel]

what did you do as far as performance on the ranger

[Fairmont]

the 88 was left stock when i sold it

the 98 has dual exhaust, regeared to 4.10 and just basic maintenance. I get 20mpg with a 3.0 and a 5-speed with 33's and 4.10s on a regular basis. It isnt the fastest but it serves its purpose. The 98 is about to turn over 200k miles in the next month or so and im hoping to run a cummins 4bt turbo diesel with a ZF 5 speed in it when the 3.0 decides it is done. this may be a long time considering i get 5qts of oil out of it every oil change, and its clean, and it doesnt miss a beat...ever

[dburdyshaw]

Nice rides, Justin ---- and it appears that you take good care of your vehicles.

IMHO, your "new" fox chassis looks good in ALL the above pics ---- with any of the different wheel choices.

Commonly, as you know, I'm all for stock ---- that whole "time capsule" thing ---- but I actually said a "WOW" out loud when I saw it with the ten-holes.

I really said it out loud. The cat (Midnight Lace) heard me.

[Fairmont]

Thanks alot,

Id really like to find someone local with some GT500 4 lugs or repro 93 cobra wheels to try on just for grins.

I had a dream last night that the car had Keystone wheels on it...like the mag keystones not the spoked wheels and now i keep thinking about that...so who knows

[knuckl-head]

nice fairmont, welcome!

[BigSkyGT]

Very nice rides! Love the Fairmont.

[SHO-PNY]

looks great i like it alot wish mine was in that great of shape when got it