Tips for Fairmont-ers

[Anonymous]

There are so many of us who are not fortunate to have an old Mustang or Falcon or Comet, but a younger Fairmont (or the like). So, I'd like to use this post to present the good things that have worked on my Fairmont. I've had it for 8 years, bought it with 120k+ miles on it and have driven it that far again. I've rebuilt the engine, trans, driveline and axle, suspension and recently even got new paint! Now, it's a real nice wagon, getting 24MPG hiway and has lots of around-town pep, despite full power accessories and A/C. I've even done some of CZLN6's famous performance mods (from the Falcon Performance Handbook) with great results.

So, as I get time, I'll add posts below.

 

[Anonymous]

Before you rebuild, get 2 things:
1. - The Falcon Performance Handbook.
2. - A steel shim head gasket (or else plan to deck the block by the thickness of whatever gasket you will use).
The combustion chambers on the 3.3L/200CID engine is a low-velocity design, so you need to add all the turbulence you can to improve the power. This can be done by reducing the height of the squench (or "squish") band around the edge of the chamber, which will pay you back BIG TIME in the end.

Design for the compression ratio you want, then pick your pistons. These engines will run nicely on 85 octane with CR of 9.2:1, which is where I run mine. (It runs so cool now that I will soon switch to a 195 thermostat just to get more heat into the block!) More octane = more top MPH, but the MPG does not change significantly, only about +1 MPG at 91 octane.

Use chrome or cast-iron rings. I had poor sealing for a long time with the moly rings, and am disappointed by their sealing performance, even now. The chrome rings require a proper honing angle, so tell your machinist about it.

Spend some time with a grinder to smooth out and "un-bump" the intake port tracts. The difference is breathing will be immediately apparent when you leave the first stop sign. I also smoothed over the rough-cast chambers, removing and tapering the corners where the new valves were recessed in their new seats and the sparkplug boss was "squared" in some cylinders. Also, the edge of the top of the cylinder will be very sharp after boring: smooth it down a little with a round file and some sandpaper. After the smoothing everywhere is done, measure the CC volume of all chambers and open up the smallest ones so they all match. This is a pain, but is really worth it afterward. I ended up at 55.6cc's in each chamber.

When it's apart, polish the crankshaft bearings and find rod and crank bearings that will give you .0008" - .0012" clearance.

Replace the lifters with the best ones you can find: try to get the ones that have a spring inside instead of the ones without. It makes for extra efficiency and higher valve lift, both of which improve the end performance.

Find a roller-style timing chain. I think I got mine from NAPA. This reduces friction losses and only costs about $3 more.

Get new pushrods. Just throw the old ones away.

When installing the head at the end, torque it down and then leave it overnight. Come back and loosen each head bolt 1/4 turn (in torque order) and retorque to the final spec again.

Install a block heater (unless it never gets cold where you are). The gas savings in the first cold month will pay you back for the trivial cost of this wonderful gadget.

Watch out for this: it is extremely easy for the last cam bearing to get turned during installation. My (reputable) machine shop did this to mine: I discovered it by spinning the oil pump (reversible electric drill works) to prelube the engine, only to find out there was no oil in the head. They pulled the whole engine apart and reinstalled the bearings for free, which was appropriate, and got it right the 2nd time. It would have been a very expensive mistake to start the engine without the prelube check!

 

[Anonymous]

If you have a late-70's Fairmont with the 3.3L, chances are you also have a C4 automatic trans. Most did, because it let Ford pass emissions types more easily.

This is good and bad: good because it improves the around-town pep and passing situations, bad because it uses a little more gas and weighs 150 lbs. more than the manual.

If you rebuild yours, here's some tips:

1. Get the torque converter's internal blades welded up for more stiffness. A local shop here in Colorado does this on most small-engined cars because it improves the power transfer and makes it run cooler, last longer. This WILL improve your MPG and it gave my wagon a couple more MPH top end.

2. Use BG's MGC friction reducer in the trans. (Do this with manuals, too). This pricey stuff really makes a difference in the snappy 1-2 shift and keeps the servo in slippery condition, which is important.

3. Replace ALL the vacuum lines between the trans and the little manifold that FoMoCo used on the firewall to join into the trans, etc. They leak.

4. While the tranny's at the shop, pull the driveshaft and put in new u-joints. If the trans need rebuilding and these haven't been replaced, they are overdue. I had mine rebalanced, too, and it really smoothed out the hiway!

5. Drain that differential, too, and put in new oil with MGC or else use synthetic. Either one will improve the HP to the ground, instead of losing it to heat.

 

[Anonymous]

Losing 20 pounds of wheel weight is like adding 1 HP to the rear wheels. Lower wheel weight also improves handling in an instantly noticeable way.

So, get wheels! (Besides, they look cool!) Find ones that are lighter than your steel ones.

If you have the auto tranny, you also probably have a very tall differential in the axle: that was so Ford could attain the MPG ratings Congress required at the time. This is good for MPG, bad for acceleration. So, if you want more acceleration, and your car has 14 inch wheels, get the 13 inch ones instead. Most Fairmonts came with 14 inch wheels and 2.75 rear gears or 13 inch wheels with 2.54 rear gears. Remember, though, that if you only use the 1-bbl carb (usually about 185 CFM), the engine gets asthma above 3500 RPM and lower gearing will not improve the winding (that's a different story).

Get NARROW TIRES. The stock widths were "F78" one the sedans, "G78" on the wagons. The "F" translates roughly to today's "185" width when weights are considered: the "G" becomes a "195". Most of the time, the tire shops will try to bump you up a size, but it just wastes your gas and speed because these cars are simply not that heavy. Run 35 PSI in the tires, too - you'll get more HP on the ground instead of losing it as tire heat (almost 5% tire difference from 30 PSI to 35 PSI).

Also, look into the lower profile tires if you want lower gear ratios in that axle. You might find, though, that a "185-85" series tire carries more vehicle weight than a "185-70" series tire, so check the sidewall ratings.

 

[FastRonald]

8) Both my Sons have Fox body cars. A 1981 Granada GLX and a 1980 Fairmont, both are two doors and in great shape.

You might want to change over to five lug rotors and rear axles. We did this simple all Ford part swap some time ago.

If you need the parts........... let us know.

 

[Anonymous]

The 3.3L Fairmonts mostly had the Holley 1946C carbs, but the fortunate few also had the Carter version. If you have a Police Interceptor version (rare), it has the H/W carb with 32/36 mm barrels. All of these have EGR systems and the CSSA spark controls for the distributor.

The EGR problem is gnarly if you have a 1 bbl carb, because the carbs were specifically built to be "tamper-proof" in jetting. This means that it will run rich in the low midrange if you simply disable or remove the EGR. You can't adjust the jetting to remove this problem, either. Good luck passing emissions then....it runs poorly, then, too.

To run without EGR, get a carb from an old (1960s) Mustang/Falcon (consult the Falcon Performance Handbook for details). Surprisingly, using the older carbs with about 5% leaner jetting and no EGR gives almost identical emission readings at the tailpipe, compared to EGR-equipped engines! There are a couple of HP extra in the payback, too. Leave the catalytic converter in place when you do this: the ones on these cars were VERY large and as a result, breathe quite well, even when old. The only thing that kills them is long-term rich mixtures, but the little honeycomb can be unplugged with a long, thin wire and it works like new again. Leaving it in place will let us all breathe easier.

While running without EGR will improve the acceleration a bit, it makes the engine run hotter, so back off a degree or two on timing advance to prevent burnt valves in the long haul.

The CSSA system provides manifold vacuum to the distributor when the engine is under 100 degrees or over 220 degrees (approximately). The cold side improves that morning drive-off and the hot side cools off an overheating engine. In between 100 and 220 there is no vacuum applied to the distributor. Changing this arrangement to run spark port vacuum to the distributor all the time will give you better MPG and acceleration and will let the engine run cooler overall. Although technically illegal, this change does not make the engine exceed even Colorado's stringent emission standards.

Yes, Virginia, there was a Police Interceptor 3.3L in some Zephyrs. The ones I know of were modified by a Ford-authorized shop in Denver after delivery to local dealers. They were used for security companies and campus patrol vehicles, mostly. They have a very low-profile, wrap-over style air filter can that resembles the ones found on mid-70s Merc Capri 2000 engines, complete with a hot-air exchange inlet for cold weather driving. The only thing that is different from the stock setup is the flapper that diverts cold/hot air: it works backward if you use the stock thermal coolant switch, so you must change the switch to use the flat cannister. Then you can bolt on the 1/2" high carb adapter, which has the EGR port on the side, and bolt on the H/W 2 bbl. As soon as I find all of the parts, I'm going to do this to mine. Oh, they also have a fan clutch to reduce drag (instead of the flex fan). I added this to mine and instantly saw a better hillclimbing ability - very important here in Colorado.....

 

[Anonymous]

This isn't about the engine, but it IS about getting HP on the ground.

If you have disc brakes, they all have this common flaw: every time they are applied, they suck up a molecule or two of air when they are retracting. After a while, especially if the pads are getting thin, the calipers get some air inside. This makes the pads drag when new ones get installed. Also, the calipers themselves get quite dirty on their sliding surfaces, which can make them stick and cause drag.

Here's how to test: jack up that front wheel and give it a smart spin. If it turns at least 1.5 turns before stopping, you're in good shape. If not, it's dragging. If it only turns 1/2 turn, you're losing about 2 HP in that wheel alone!

How to fix: First, clean the caliper on the outside, especially the sliding surfaces where it mounts onto the axle. Brake cleaner from Checker works fine for this: I like the red stuff 'cause it doesn't stick as badly...do the spin test again, with the tire attached. If it still drags, bleed the caliper: you'll probably find one lonely little bubble, which is enough to cause all this trouble.

The drum brakes seldom get air inside unless you drove off with the Emergency Brake on for a while and really cooked the brakes and boiled the fluid (I won't tell you how many times I've done this, though...). Bleeding is the fix here, but the test is tougher because you must disconnect the driveshaft before doing the spin test. Also, if your brake springs are more than 40,000 miles old in the drum brake, they will be slow to disengage and cannot fight back aginst the dirt as well. They're cheap, cheaper than the 2 gallons of gas you'll waste next month if you have old ones, and easily replaced.

If you do all of these things, you will find a brake pedal with that "new car feel" afterward, which is always a nice, secure feeling in today's traffic.

 

[STEVEN.]

Thankz for the tips! I and my Fairmonts(and Zepher...)thank-you ! OO6.

 

[Mustangaroo]

Anything that works on an early 200-250 Mustang or Falcon will work on a fairmont or Granada as long as you don't change the required smog standards. A 200-250 from 1965 -1981 are the same, anything that works on the early models will work on the later models (even better) BUT! you do have to make sure you are in compliance with the EPA (smog) standards!

 

[Anonymous]

That's entirely true about the performance mods, old or new. My intent here is simply to deal with the foibles of the Fairmonts that inherited this engine WITH smog controls - and those of us who are still forced to abide by those rules.

For example, simply changing the Holley 1946 carb to the H/W 32/36 or 36/36 will cause this version to have nasty flat spots in the low-to-midrange throttle, because of the EGR. Simply removing the EGR valve (or disabling it) will cause improved acceleration, but low MPG and a rich-running around-town engine that will either overheat the catalytic convertor or cause a failure at the smog check for high CO (too rich). Raising the compression ratio past 9.5:1 will cause the hydrocarbons to go up in the check, too, far enough that here in Colorado it will then fail the very strict (tighter than factory) limits of 200 PPM (these were designed for 400 PPM). The Fairmonts also have a vacuum nightmare under their hoods, as anyone who owns one can attest. Loosing even a single hose connection can (and has, for me) cause a smog test failure. Advancing the timing past 12 BTDC also causes the HC to read 202 PPM on mine, which fails. Likewise, running vacuum advance causes the same failure.

It's things like these that drive me to share what I have learned here....

 

[xctasy]

Delightfull, Mark! The trick to passing the sniffer test via being high up smart, not low down and dirty!.

Just one question...did Ford ever file a FMV or EPA spec sheet for the police interceptor 3.3 variant? Seams to me, as long as there is a spec sheet on it, there are some interesting freedoms there. An example would be the CHP police spec 351 Mustangs and some of the cheater cars which the fuzz got. If the emissions gear is there, to a factory spec, then you've got a benchmark which people copuld blueprint the engine to.


I've checked the CARB website, and there's no EO number for the 200 2-bbl as far as I'm aware.

The cat is seldom a restriction point. I hear the late exhast is quite okay.

Is the later 1981 to 1984 cat exhast able to fit up to the US250?

The last question. If the squench/quench area is blueprinted for the optimum '0' deck, would it, in you opionion, allow a higher CR to be run without an emissions failure?

 

[Anlushac11]

8)

Check the vacuum hose coming off the EGR valve. Somewhere on the line should be a round disc shaped object plugged into the EGR line. That should eb the EGR delay valve.

See if you can get a EGR delay valve from a equivalent year Lincoln, IIRC 460 V8 engine. From Ford it was a dark green color.

Using the Lincoln EGR delay valve on a 2.3L or 200 I6 causes the EGR to open at a higher rpm so it doesnt affect lower rpm performance or cause stumbling.

 

[argo]

I always dreamed about making an EFI 3.3L six popper in a Futura with a 5 speed, all the Mustang 5.0 hop up suspesion gear, and a decent set of wheels and tires and going out autocrossing with my poor man's BMW. I also dream about inline six powered mid 80's Rangers (the compact ones). A little suggestion, however, is that while clutch fans are good, electric fans are better.

 

[Anlushac11]

I always dreamed about making an EFI 3.3L six popper in a Futura with a 5 speed, all the Mustang 5.0 hop up suspesion gear, and a decent set of wheels and tires and going out autocrossing with my poor man's BMW. I also dream about inline six powered mid 80's Rangers (the compact ones). A little suggestion, however, is that while clutch fans are good, electric fans are better.

Agree. The classic Mustang owners are wary of electric fans but Foxers have had them stock on our later cars for years. Ive had two Mustangs that were stock with electric fans and never had a problem with them.

I am thinking though that due to the lack of clearance between the radiator and the front of the motor I will need to use pusher style fan/s mounted in front of the radiator. Since our radiators are wide and low Im looking at a dual fan setup on a 3 row core.

 

[DrumRod]

Quick question - what was the basic weight of a 2-door Fairmont with I-6 and auto?

Thanks...

 

[Anlushac11]

Quick question - what was the basic weight of a 2-door Fairmont with I-6 and auto?

Thanks...

I dont know about a Fairmont but I had my 1980 Mustang weighed on a calibrated truck scale and it weighed 2866lbs. That was with 200 I6 and C4. AC car.

1666lbs on the front wheels and 1200lbs on the rear wheels.

I thought Fairmonts were 200lbs more?

 

[48fordnut]

A box top fairmont with a 6cyl weighs 2615. thats a lot less than a similar mustang. mine with a 351 and stripped inside just weighs 2600. fully streetable. :idea:

 

[Anlushac11]

A box top fairmont with a 6cyl weighs 2615. thats a lot less than a similar mustang. mine with a 351 and stripped inside just weighs 2600. fully streetable. :idea:

Im suprised that a Fox Mustang which has a 100.5" wheelbase compared to the Fairmonts 105.5" wheelbase would weigh 200lbs more.

EDIT: Did find this ad which shows a 4cyl Zephyr weighing in at 7lbs less than my 79 Capri Turbo RS.

http://stuartscustoms.freeyellow.com/ad ... 78MZES.jpg

 

[STEVEN.]

A FOUR cylinder(140ci.)2-door Fairmont 'post' sedan weighs in at:----2524 Lbs. That's with an auto-trans. OO6./The-X-Or-Six!

 

[Anonymous]

Back to xtaxi....

I've never seen a Ford spec sheet for the Police Interceptor 200/3.3L engine. There's a few still around here in Colorado: every now and then I see one when we start popping Fairmont hoods at "old Ford Shows" hereabouts. I hear they were locally modified by a Ford-authorized dealer for Security companies and the like.

They definitely have more gumption than mine! Someday I would like to get one of the used ones and pull the head (steal it) and put it on my wagon. I have no idea if the pistons are different, but I doubt it. They're all running regular unleaded, too. I suspect they might have 30-degree valves or back-cut valves or something like that: they get better MPG than my 24+ on the highway, so I don't think they have wild cams. They're sure interesting, though....