'79 Zephyr ES Build

[ZephyrEFI]

Congrats Brad! Nice to get some acknowledgemant for your hard work but that has to almost bethe ultimate!

Thanks, absolutely! Very proud to have gotten props from the car magazine I respect the most!

[ZephyrEFI]

Dammit, now I'm all hyped up to do the 3G alternator swap. Like I needed another project...

[ZephyrEFI]

I just got my Marti Report!



What did I find out that I didn't already know? Well, my car came stock with the truck wheels I like so much, like this car has:


Also, it was originally purchased from the very same dealer I bought my '07 Milan from some 26 years later! Pretty cool! Looks like she sat on the lot a while though.

And then probably the most important one, only a paltry 1007 ES 2-door Zephyrs were built for 1979! I'm sure there were even fewer 4 doors.

[ZephyrEFI]

Marti Stat report!



So, mine is one of only two just like it.

[Mike1157]

Marti Stat report!



So, mine is one of only two just like it.

Yeah, the other one was already crushed. Your's just got lucky

It's a Zephyr, Brad. A box top at that.

You know, The car voted most likely to replace the dozen or so 1963 falcons that Pakistan uses for taxis and govt staff vehicles when the government frees up money for a new fleet.

[ZephyrEFI]

Yeah, the other one was already crushed. Your's just got lucky

It's a Zephyr, Brad. A box top at that.

You know, The car voted most likely to replace the dozen or so 1963 falcons that Pakistan uses for taxis and govt staff vehicles when the government frees up money for a new fleet.

Haha, I know that. You don't see me hanging only NOS parts on it and parking it in a hermetically sealed climate controlled chamber do you?

I happen to prefer the look of the boxtop. Especially in ES guise. For my money, stock for stock, not even the coolest, most decked out Futura/Z-7 looks better than an ES boxtop.

And it's funny you mention the Falcon thing. If I remember correctly, when Red78 bought his beloved Zephyr 4-door, it was to replace a cherished early '60s 4-door Comet, which would have been the same car.

I know Zephyrs are lame. I bought mine as a blank canvas, as you did yours (now that it's a Mercury). I just find the ES package really interesting and cool, especially considering how little is known about it today. Even before I knew about it, I always liked special editions with blackout trim, like your Grand Nationals and T-bird Turbo Coupes. I think if I were my age in 1978, I would have liked them even then. Despite the fact they couldn't accelerate, stop, or handle worth sh**.

[xctasy]

I'm not suprised at the 1007 examples. The car probably brought a lot of people to the show rooms, though.


The trim package was ESO (Eurpoean Sport Option) for the 78 Fairmont, and ESS (Eupropean Sport Sedan) for the 78 Granada. Like the Stallion option, and perhaps the LDO (Luxary Decor Option), they were all small take up interest spikers, in the same way the XL Galaxie was.


In terms of total numbers, they were really small production.


Down here, Ford used the ESP (Europen Sport Pack) option on the Ghia as well from 80-83, but take up was a little bigger as a percentage of total production because Aussies liked sports variants on three box 'sedan' type cars a lot more.

[ZephyrEFI]

Those are sharp! Yeah, since mine sat on the lot so long, I'm guessing it saw a lot of similarly trimmed Capris sold before it got its chance.

I know the GLX package on the Fox Granadas was similar too, but you never see those either.

I have a request in to Marti to see what it would cost me to learn what the total Fairmont/Zephyr ES production was. It'll be interesting to see what they say. Hopefully its reasonable.

[ZephyrEFI]

Starting to buy parts for this spring!

I already have all 4 new '95 GT style calipers, and the brackets and axles I'll need to do the SN95 rear brake swap. In case you didn't know, I recently discovered that SVO/Mark VII style rear disc brakes use a longer axle than SN95 style rear brakes. Here're the specs:
First number is axle shaft length, second is wheel flange to wheel flange.
1979-93 29.16"/ 59.07
1994-98 29.91"/ 60.57
SVO/Lincoln 30.41"/ 61.57
1999-04 30.63"/ 62.01

So, with the SVO/Mark VII style brakes I had on my car, I had an addition 1/2" per side working against me fitting wheels under the rear fenders. No wonder I seemed to be having more trouble than other guys! It's fair to say a ton more people have the SN95 brakes on theirs. I probably had several conversations with people telling me what wheels fit fine on their cars, and my trying to tell them no they don't!

So, other than that, I have some new, proper Zephyr carpeting coming from Stock Interiors, the Hose Wizards R134 A/C kit, the SVE 3G alternator swap kit, and a Wheelskins leather stitch-on steering wheel wrap. I also am getting a full stock accessory drive to replace the underdrive set I have on there now to help address my steering and charging issues. AND, I finally get to tint the windows.

It's going to be a fun year!

[4-barrel Mike]

Don't forget to take lots of pictures along the way, Brad.

Mike

[Mike1157]

Starting to buy parts for this spring!

I already have all 4 new '95 GT style calipers, and the brackets and axles I'll need to do the SN95 rear brake swap. In case you didn't know, I recently discovered that SVO/Mark VII style rear disc brakes use a longer axle than SN95 style rear brakes. Here're the specs:
First number is axle shaft length, second is wheel flange to wheel flange.
1979-93 29.16"/ 59.07
1994-98 29.91"/ 60.57
SVO/Lincoln 30.41"/ 61.57
1999-04 30.63"/ 62.01

So, with the SVO/Mark VII style brakes I had on my car, I had an addition 1/2" per side working against me fitting wheels under the rear fenders. No wonder I seemed to be having more trouble than other guys! It's fair to say a ton more people have the SN95 brakes on theirs. I probably had several conversations with people telling me what wheels fit fine on their cars, and my trying to tell them no they don't!

So, other than that, I have some new, proper Zephyr carpeting coming from Stock Interiors, the Hose Wizards R134 A/C kit, the SVE 3G alternator swap kit, and a Wheelskins leather stitch-on steering wheel wrap. I also am getting a full stock accessory drive to replace the underdrive set I have on there now to help address my steering and charging issues. AND, I finally get to tint the windows.

It's going to be a fun year!

Well there you go,you're all set.....Next year.. mini tubs, and Shelby tail lights then?

[ZephyrEFI]

Don't forget to take lots of pictures along the way, Brad.

Mike

I always do! I'm interested to compare the SVO and SN95 components, especially!

Well there you go,you're all set.....Next year.. mini tubs, and Shelby tail lights then?

Oh, we don't joke about changing up the suspension yet again. I'm finally happy with it. I would kind of like to do something different with the taillights though when I go to the LTD nose. I was considering cutting up some '87-93 GT "cheesegraters" and see if I could make something work with those... I don't know.

[ZephyrEFI]

Well, I kind of figured the louvers on the cheesegraters probably wouldn't look right after I cut them down to fit my taillight openings. So I considered a number of other designs, including the ASC McLaren Mustang taillights:



I liked the sort of tinted grid pattern they have. But, the tinted grid pattern part is just a cover that sits on top of standard '87-93 LX lenses. I saw one on ebay for $200. FOR ONE. Nope.

Next, I started thinking about what else looked like that that would be big enough to fill the tall boxtop taillight openings. There were several T-type Buicks that looked like that in the '80s, but I'd guessed those would be too narrow. Then I remembered the later 3rd gen Firebirds...



Those might work with some significant surgery. Again though, I wasn't sure if they were tall enough. I ran across this car, which appeared to have 3rd gen Firebird tails:



but its owner dropped off the face of the earth. Moving on. Since I plan to put a Marquis nose on my car, why not go straight to the source. I do like how clean the later full height Marquis tails look. I found some NOS lenses (all I need anyway) on ebay for a reasonable price, so I pulled the trigger.



and the guy does have more if you want some. Anyway, the next part of the puzzle will be to trim the part that wraps around the side off, and maybe trim them for height. I think they're a bit too tall, but should work out fine. And then after that, I plan to add tape stripes to sort of replicate the SVO taillight look, which should give me the "tinted" effect I was looking for!



Should be cool!

[ZephyrEFI]

Finally got some time out in the garage this weekend! I removed the underdrive pulleys and accessory brackets, and wired the car for the 3G alternator swap. I even removed the old black/orange and yellow alternator power circuits. It would've bugged me if I'd left them there and they were service no purpose. I also disassembled my new calipers most of the way so I could paint them with Eastwood Brake Gray. They turned out cool!



The color's a bit lighter than I would have liked, but it's definitely darker than straight silver. So, then after that, I busted out my old stock pulleys and spiffed them up by de-rusting them and giving them a new coat of gloss black. I painted the alternator pulley too because it was gold and that would've bugged me too. So, mostly odds and ends this weekend, but it was a good way to ease back into the swing of things!

[forgotn]

Will we be seeing you at AVF this year in June?

[ZephyrEFI]

Will we be seeing you at AVF this year in June?

I'll be there... my dad's '66 Mustang always makes that one... My car... maybe? I really hope to be able to finish my projects quickly this year. Now that I've gotten my feet wet again turning wrenches last weekend, maybe i'll be able to speed things up. I'm still not sure if I'm going to need to make some new front brake lines (which I HATE doing) or not. my previous front brake hoses were pulled really tight for some reason between the hard to soft line bracket and the caliper, and I'd like to make sure that's not the case with the new ones. I was thinking I may need to move that bracket, and therefore make new hard lines that will reach them.

[forgotn]

Yeah doing the brake lines is a pain. I've done almost all new lines on the 79. Both my 79 & 93 have had brake line upgrades at the front when I've swapped master cylinders also. I don't do any flaring myself though so I bring them down to North Minneapolis and have them made. Did your front lines get pulled tight due to the suspension upgrades?

[ZephyrEFI]

Yeah doing the brake lines is a pain. I've done almost all new lines on the 79. Both my 79 & 93 have had brake line upgrades at the front when I've swapped master cylinders also. I don't do any flaring myself though so I bring them down to North Minneapolis and have them made. Did your front lines get pulled tight due to the suspension upgrades?

Well, I didn't notice it until I went to the braided stainless hoses. it seems like they have a longer rigid part before the flexible part starts at the bracket end. I got new ones when I got new calipers just in case the old ones were weakened. But apparently the combination of Zephyr + '94-95 spindles + '99 and up calipers + braided stainless hoses = bad. My new calipers are '94-98, and my new hoses are Maximum Motorsports instead of J&T, but if they have the same issue, I definitely want to move those brackets.

Where do you take your lines to be made? What do they charge?

[forgotn]

Well, I didn't notice it until I went to the braided stainless hoses. it seems like they have a longer rigid part before the flexible part starts at the bracket end. I got new ones when I got new calipers just in case the old ones were weakened. But apparently the combination of Zephyr + '94-95 spindles + '99 and up calipers + braided stainless hoses = bad. My new calipers are '94-98, and my new hoses are Maximum Motorsports instead of J&T, but if they have the same issue, I definitely want to move those brackets.

Where do you take your lines to be made? What do they charge?

Brake and Equipment Warehouse
455 Harrison St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Northeast
Phone number (612) 378-3141

They will flare and they make custom lines as well. They are really good guys there. If you go, bring what you have now and tell them what you want and they should be able to fab you new lines that will suit your build.

[ZephyrEFI]

Brake and Equipment Warehouse
455 Harrison St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Northeast
Phone number (612) 378-3141

They will flare and they make custom lines as well. They are really good guys there. If you go, bring what you have now and tell them what you want and they should be able to fab you new lines that will suit your build.

Sweet, thanks!

[ZephyrEFI]

Alright, here's some fun comparison pics from what I've been up to. This past week, I've been chipping away at putting the stock accessory drive + 3G alternator together. I cleaned up and painted the original crank and waterpump pulleys, a stock alternator bracket, and A/C brackets.

Here's my cleaned up '85-93 style bracket I picked up because I like the way they look better, compared to my old one, a '79-84 style:



Here's a couple of looks at my 3G alternator compared to my old 2G:





I wanted to use the 2G's smaller pulley, it did not fit on the 3G alternator. The pulley itself is closer to the mating surface on a 2G setup, while on a 3G it's farther out. You can see that in this pic. I had painted the 2G pulley to use.



But I had to go back and paint the 3G pulley and put it back on. Let that be a lesson for the kids out there.

[grabbergreen84]

Thanks for crushing my dreams. I guess I'll throw the SN95 V6 pulley back on there. I guess it must be the same track-width as the 2G pulley.
Didn't the V8 Sn95s have a smaller pulley? Or do all 3Gs have that same pulley?

[ZephyrEFI]

Thanks for crushing my dreams. I guess I'll throw the SN95 V6 pulley back on there. I guess it must be the same track-width as the 2G pulley.
Didn't the V8 Sn95s have a smaller pulley? Or do all 3Gs have that same pulley?

Haha, sorry. All I can tell you is the two I have are different. LMR's video gave me the idea it's arbitrary what pulley ends up on a 3G, sizewise. As for my 2G pulley not fitting, it bottoms out on the housing in case I didn't make that clear. Again, LMR's video (or maybe a MM&FF article or something) gave me the idea you can swap if you want. In fact, I believe it said YOU MIGHT AS WELL SWAP THEM. Maybe that's true with the different style external fan, since that's what LMR had, I don't know. In the end, they really aren't that different in diameter, their being different styles make it look more dramatic than it really is, and the 3G will put out far and away more amps than the 2G ever dreamed of at idle, so it doesn't really matter. Maybe I'll mic them and post pics of that.

[Walking-Tall]

Yeah, there's a ring spacer behind some alternator pulleys, that will make the shallower pulleys work, if the stud is long enough. Regardless, the bigger pulley isn't that much bigger, and something less than 3-4 times engine RPM isn't a bad thing anyways either, lol

This is a great looking car, btw, and cool progress and ideas you're incorporating with it

[ZephyrEFI]

Yeah, there's a ring spacer behind some alternator pulleys, that will make the shallower pulleys work, if the stud is long enough. Regardless, the bigger pulley isn't that much bigger, and something less than 3-4 times engine RPM isn't a bad thing anyways either, lol

This is a great looking car, btw, and cool progress and ideas you're incorporating with it

Thank you! Yeah, that's what I was trying to illustrate with the blue squares. The flange is thicker on the 2G pulley, so if I tried putting the spacer on, I couldn't even get the nut threaded on.