What should we do with the Fairmont? Daily it? Budget sleeper build? Let us know!!

Engine hoist - a device used to test the tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect or missed while preparing to remove the engine.

This was an awesome video as always

You turned the radio on at exactly the right time to catch the top-of-hour Legal ID. As a former broadcaster of 16 years, I can appreciate that!

I absolutely love it!! It deserves to be saved. One of those throwaway cars you just don’t see anymore.

This Fairmont doesn't look too bad for the year. Since it is a Foxbody it has a lot of potential. I say just beef it up and make it a sleeper

Not much wrong with that car like it is. Maybe throw a VERY mild setup at it, so it keeps it's nice road manners, but could turn 14 inch tires into smoke with little effort. Nice rig to throw some friends in to go get ice cream.

The older I get, and the more new crap gets produced, I find myself appreciating everything old even more than I did already. Old is gold.

The blunt honesty about the shift kit and running time killed me 😂

This episode will probably make sleeperdude cry!!! He is always on the hunt for fairmonts..But a 302 four door would probably be his holy grail car...Great video Kevin and Mook!!

That exhaust turned out decent. Throaty but not raspy for being a Y pipe with a glass pack. Keep up the awesome videos!

Back in 1980, my grandpa bought a wagon version of this car. From factory, it was dark gray with red interiors. V8 with manual transmission. Later on, my mom got it and we painted it white. I tell ya, that car was a tank and, keeping up with the maintenance services on time, never gave us a single issue. Great video.

I had a 78 zephyr with the in-line 6. My first car, loved it! Had it for 8 years until a fender bender wrote it off. Total granny car but it helped me start my landscaping business and did everything about to it with ease. Great cars!

You two just get more and more entertaining. Mook's timing and on the fly sense of humor still gets me every 3 1/2 seconds

Always a great pleasure when a JD video pops up, especially when the Mookanic is taking part. There seems to be so many really crap stuff on You tube these days its great to know that there are still the old faithfulls on here. You and Mook get it just right, an excellent mix of entertainment, knowledge and fun.. Definitely my No 1 must watch channel. Keep it up guys and all the best from Yorkshire UK..

We all wish we had an assistant mechanic as sassy as the Mookster! 👌👌

Keep it as is. That's a great running daily driver. Awesome channel you have. 302 is one of Ford's best engines. Great score.

It's always a joy to see you and Mook wrenching together! Looks like a blast.

Back in 1991 I changed the automatic trans in an '81 cutlass wagon in four feet of snow. Had to jack it up and put solid concrete blocks under the wheels from the rear and then tunnel under it to lift it more and add more blocks. I did the hella long extensions thig to get the top bolts! If I'da had me a Mook.... It would have gone a LOT easier.

Hi Kevin when your hoist is lower then your last safety lock, we use axle stands underneath the arm of the hoist on both sides of the car and then it can’t come down on you. Hope you and Mook are have a great day. We really enjoy your videos. Thanks guys. Doug. Cheers!

I can't believe this car was in such good shape, what a find! I had an '80 with the 4 cylinder when I was young, ran great, until the head got a crack in it, but to this day, the Fairmont holds a lot of nostalgia and great memories for me. My mother in law had an '83 with the 6 cylinder, that , because of a leaking oil sending unit, unfortunately died. When I found out soon after how easy the fix could have been, I vowed to never let any of my family's cars die like that because I didn't know how to fix it. So, quite literally, the Ford Fairmont was the reason I ended up going to school and becoming a mechanic. I have seen a few up for sale over the years since, but could not afford what they were asking for it, and none had the 8 cylinder, which I always coveted. These days, it's a pipe dream for me to ever have one again, as I have financial issues that have resulted in not even owning a car, which has prevented me from having transportation to be able to get to a job, further exacerbating my financial troubles ......so it was a real treat to see one revived on your channel. Thanks for all the great work you do, and all the great content.

I literally grew up in the back seat of that same exact style of car. My second oldest sister got stung in the upper lip by a bee in the back. I fell outta the front door going down the highway in the same car. It's crazy the memories seeing this car on your channel brings back to me. Right on man.

I think this would make an excellent fun and comfy daily driver. Maybe put some more comfortable bucket seats in it with a center console, firm up the suspension, perhaps a better camshaft, some better wheels and tires, and get the A/C working!

A word of advice when it comes to the Fairmonts, Venturas, and Mercury Zephyrs. The bolts marrying the driveshaft to the diff yoke have been known to back out. I bet you'll never guess how I know this.

Great video! Never thought that a Fairmont would be popular...again. My dad had a Ford dealership in the 70s and Fairmonts and Grenadas FLEW off the lot. I don't know if you know this but you could order a Grenada with a 302 and 4-speed-on-the-floor! We had one on the used car lot and I loved driving it! Anyway, the Fairmont was really popular with the Silver hairs...in fact, my Grandfather bought two brand-new Fairmonts. Good luck with it...muscle it up and keep it a sleeper...we who never thought young folks would like Fairmonts would love to see you romp around blowing doors off Corvettes. There's your challenge...

Geez around here, those things started to rust apart when they arrived on the dealer floors! The doors literally rusted off...literally..of the one we had. Amazing you found one that wasn't just a mound in the field.

You know its going to be a good video when Mook and Kevin are working together!

Kevin I tell ya this honestly, out of all the youtubers I watch, (Cleetus McFarland, Grind Hard plumbing co, SXSBlog, Matts Off Road Recovery, How Ridiculous, Boosted Boiz, Demo Ranch... ect) I crave your videos the most. I am ALWAYS waiting for a new Junkyard Digs video to come out! You deserve this Million Subs and its coming quick boy! cant wait to see what youll have in stores for a million subs!

The 1979 Fairmont was my first car- i even wrote a song about it 😂. But mine had the straight 6. I wish i still had that car! But seeing this one up close in the video is a great consolation prize!

Thank you for this revival. It reminds me of my dad's military surplus Fairmont. It had the 2.3l Lima motor and a 4 speed and wa OD green. It is only one of two Fords my dad had. I miss them and him very much.

21:31 Mooks encouraging "you're doing so good!" was just perfect lol

It's always a good day when a new JYD video is up! That's such a nice car and has survived so well that I would personally leave it as it is.

I just discovered this channel last week and have been binging videos. This channel and Mook’s channel are fabulous. My brother was into fixing up cars like this but never had the motivation to finish, or got sidetracked and moved on to an entire different project. You remind me a lot of my brother, although with a better temperament and more articulate.

I was a wrench at a Lincoln dealership in the late 70's. Loved road testing the Mercury Zephyr (upgraded Fairmont) with the 8 cyl. Damn near as fast as the Stang and a better ride! Keep that Ford and have fun.

I'd totally get that car operating as smooth as possible since it is in such good condition and RUNS

My first self payed car with a straight 6 cylinder engine and a 3 speed automatic transmission. Slow, heavy, save, reliable and cheap on gas my Father knew what he was doing when he recommend it. I was single till I traded it in for a VW T3 camper (best time ever)

New tires and dual exhaust, and it'll be ready for Power Tour. And if the AC works, even better.

A great video especially with the banter between you and Mook. This has to be the most problem-free transmission video I've seen, evidently you're pretty happy. Keep up the great work and the awesome videos 👍✌️🇺🇲

Great team at work ! MOOK & Kevin ! The older family cars are so unique !

I LOVED this episode. My family had an '80 Fairmont 4 door when I was in highschool. Straight 6. It put me in the hospital when I was delivering pizza one icy December and got totalled out. Now, about 3 months ago I decided to get back on the horse and bought an '82 Fairmont Futura straight 6 I am thinking about putting a spicy cam and pistons in. Great to see how easy the trans comes out, and to look out for the reinstallation.

Did sleeperdude call you asking to buy it yet 🤔 lol favorite granny car is it for sale

Watching this with the color, the interior, the sound, was bringing back a lot memories of me and my dad building his 81 Futura a few years ago. Another thing to keep an eye out is wheelbase I remember the Futura was a little longer then a mustang but not sure on the four doors. Loving the content Kevin keep it up 👍.

37:40 It's amazing that no one replaced that AM radio in 44 years; this car is like a time capsule. These early FOX cars had fantastic air conditioners and heaters; they were not only good at heating and cooling, but they were great at dehumidifying (with the selector on MAX) on muggy days. The controls were also nice and simple. The installation of that shift kit would have given me nightmares; I'd be terrified of letting something fall in, or out, before putting it back together. But what you did seems to have worked. Good luck with it; it seems like a great example of a car that's more interesting now than it was back then.

For the record, I am not a transmission specialist. I have rebuilt my own 4r70w in my 96 T-Bird, and it was the OverDrive successor to the C-4. Springs on accumulators, generally are for "smoother shifts". The 4r70w uses 4 pistons for bands and for accumulators to control shifting and they have springs inside before you put a shift kit in them, also. You also change some of the balls, springs and pistons in the valve body, and drill a couple of holes in the plate for fluid flow (quicker shifts). Automatics are really simpler than Manuals when it comes to rebuilds, and if you took it all the way down, you'll understand what all the clutch packs, sun gears and bands do, and it'll be burned in your mind like childhood trauma. Good luck.

It's great to see younger dudes out there still rocking the long hair! Ezra you the man!!!

That would make an amazing sleeper. It definitely deserves to be restored on the outside as well. That blue looks amazing.

Please keep up the videos, they get better and better every time

Had one in the 90s, old highway patrol sedan, super fast top end, but a tub on takeoff. Oil cooler power steering cooler, brake fluid cooler and all the associated brass to replace annually. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

That little Cushman is pretty handy! Mook is pretty cool, she might be a keeper. Ezra is always a welcome guest star. Breathe a little bit of power into that one and enjoy it as a solid daily.

Kevin man I just wanna say I always look forward to your videos. I consider you a huge leader for this generation to keep these things around for many years. You’ll always have my support!!!

Let sleeperdude know he loves those things! Could do a race!

I would Enjoy it the way it is for now. I have not seen a Northern one this clean in a long time. Keep up the great content

Just waiting for a breakdown. Good to see it up and running though and keep us updated with more videos on where this all goes.

My mother had one of these in 1998 I was 4 years old and still remember the vivid blue interior.. it had no AC and we spent a many hot South Carolina days doing the dash trying to cool off.. the exact same color and all

You guys have been putting out some bangers. Been a longtime follower. Please never change your format!!

I think just about every grandma had one of these in the 90s, I think a sleeper is in order though! and keep that mild patina too.

I think it's great your gal gets in there and helps! A built 302 would pull that along nicely! My neighbor did that w a Fairmont wagon, it was also sky blue. And it flew!

Man, this brings back a lot of memories. My first car was a 1980 4 door Fairmont. Yellow 2 tone with a straight 6. This was back in 1990. Thanks for the memories!

I love those cars! Such a great platform for making a sleeper daily.

Another outstanding video from the man the junk the junkyard dig appreciate the work you do!

I'm glad you're doing more 'unloved'/''unknown' cars. Gives people like me some drive to work on my 1989 Celebrity EuroCL and 1989 Cavalier RS.

Very cool. I remember having a Fairmont Futura growing up. Drove it a few times when I was learning to drive. Mostly learned in an 85 Grand Marque and a 79 Cougar/LTD. The good ole days. I'd go sleeper build!!!!

This was an awesome video as always. Y'all should definitely daily this car. Love ya gus and keep up the great work.

Great video Kevin and Mook.The Fairmont just needs shocks and it's perfect.

Nice survivor !! My older sister had a '76 Ford Granada that broke down on I-5 in the middle of summer in about '82 and forced us to walk miles to the nearest, single house with a phone. That perfect future gas station tourist stop spot is today Flag City at Highway 12.

Definitely a sleeper build. Bout to hit 1 million subs!!!

Great car! Great video. Always nice to see a revival from you guys. Bring on the boogertruck.

Love your vids Keep up the amazing work!! Hey do another tractor revival.

I had the 79 mercury zephyr 2 door, dark orange with the light orange vinyl roof, 6 cylinder in high school. Carb rebuild and a manual choke made it a pretty dependable runner,

Holy Cow, my grandfather had one identical to yours (except straight 6) he got new from the dealer (Jerry Hayes Ford, Independence MO), I learned to drive in that car. Amazed it is in so good of condition and astounding it looks so much like his, even the AM radio. Good times!

That’s a hell of a car. Definitely want one. Nice video as always Kevin.

Fantastic content! And what a car. My grandma would have loved it! It´s a keeper :)

My grandfather had a 2 door 2 tone baby blue and dark blue version of that car i was a teenager and always thought it was a nice looking ride.thanks john from arizona

The cushman pulling that car was majorly impressive. Never would’ve expected that. I’d say add a little bit more in the way of power adders and maybe clean it up a bit more but otherwise leave it close to stock

That’s one of them sleeperdude Fairmonts.

The look this thing has is soo perfect for a sleeper, it'd be a crime to not hide mega power behind that 100% grandma facade

I had a 255 Zephyr. Not big on power but cruised 80mph, sounded great and got 25mpg

We moved from Chicago to L.A. in 1979 when I was 10 years old. My dad got a job out there and we had just gone through the blizzard, so California called. He got a company car, a 1979 302 equipped Fairmont. I learned to drive in that and the family's 1974 Buick Electra. It took on many of the 'sporty' Japanese cars of the mid to late 80s, but I learned what a sleeper really was when I lined up at a red light next to what I thought was a V6 LTD, but was actually a LTD LX and it blew my door's off (well, it seemed that way, lol). It, and a subscription to Hot Rod magazine got me intrigued for real hp, and I ended up buying a '86 Capri GS with a 5 speed.

my mom had a 1979 Ford Fairmont back in 1992, it was Canary Yellow and a solid rust bucket, but always started up and drove for the most part decent.

Id say leave it as is, and just enjoy it! Love these type of cars!

Epic video as always! Honestly I'd love that here in the UK. Gorgeous colour combo and not too big for our titchy roads. And for me I'd just daily it!

Enjoyed this one a lot. My family had an 80 Fairmont wagon with a 6 in it, and much later an 82 Fairmont sedan (also with a 6) that a grandma had only put 30k miles on in 18 years. It needed a lot of work over the years by my dad once we made it a daily driver, and he installed a DIY throttle control in the engine bay which didn't fly well with my mom who drove it, since she had to spray brake clean into the carb and regulate the throttle with the hood up when leaving work. But, one does what one must when $ is tight!

I've rebuilt a few C4s, and they are simple as hell. Good luck. Built a racing one for my 65 Stang with all the kits in it. Patience in all items. You got this, easy peasy.😊

This looks like a great candidate for a two stroke diesel like a 6V-71 👀

I first showed up for that Durango video, have since binge watched 65% of every JYD videos, and I’m loving this one too. You’d love my old 79 Fairmont with the 408W/Gforce 5spd combo plus factory bench seat. Then again, who wouldn’t. Anyway, hello from Texas.

Kevin you should take this to Tennessee to @Sleeperdude here on YT. He's a fan of JYD (your sticker on his shop wall) and Fairmonts. You guys met at the event when you were driving the mustang. Be a cool collaboration with Dylan also!!

My dad had a brand new 1977 red two door , with a 6 cylinder with bucket seats. We had so much fun in that car! So simple to work on.

The last transmission I did I raised and lowered it using 3in ratchet straps and a jack. The ratchet straps allows you to raise and lower the front and rear independently and lodging to swing it to slide it right into place.

That car is in great shape! Back in the day I used to force feed 351C in them. Just fit, a bit wider than the 302/351W. The 351W fits with no effort if swapping an existing 302 power plant. Don't see these around up here anymore, well maybe from about halfway up the doors may still exist as on a quiet night you could hear them rust.

I’m rather impressed that the little cushman cart pulled the car so well

I'm here for the satisfying look in Mook's eyes while handling that drill.!! Great content!

My Mom had one of these, back in the day. 79 4-door Fairmont, but it was mint-green with a black interior and had a straight-six (a 260? I think? I was a kid, so I could be remembering that wrong). They're so simple and easy to fix. And they were so cheap that they were basically "disposable" transportation. You drove it until it the wheels fell off, then you scrapped it and bought a new car. So that means there are very few left in this kind of condition. Perfect for a "sleeper," because you don't have to do a ton of cosmetic work to it -- you can just do mechanical stuff. I do hope y'all will make some more videos with this car. I really like it!

for camshaft and crankshaft seals I didn't have the right tools, I 3D printered me some from plastic. I used the original bolts to evenly press in new seals. it was my first time doing that kind of seal, later for transmission I just hammered it with a piece of wood in between. point is, you can always do good work with limited tools.

4wd hub socket works perfect for those seals btw 😬 also national makes seals/bearings for everyone not just O'Reilly.. ford 7.5 rear ends actually use national and timken bearings depending on the years

My Dad had one of these with the inline 6. Blast from my past! Thanks! I vote for a cross between sleeper and daily driver. It's already most of the way there anyhow! 😊

My wife had a 79 Fairmont, white with a red gut. The thing I remember most about that car was the horn, you had to push in the turn signal stalk! It also had working air conditioning but non tinted glass, so it would never really cool off on hot days.

I enjoyed this so much! My husband and I bought our Fairmont the same year. The dealership only had candy apple red, and white with red interior. Wish they would have had the blue! We ended up with the white. That was four cars ago.

I'm pretty happy you guys still have the snowmobile RX7. I would love to see a video sometime of all of y'alls projects and Mook to continue working on the Nova. I'm missing videos on her Channel

Enjoyed this video. I was fortunate enough to own a 79 police package Fairmont from the CHP fantastic car and I had big plans for it in the end I just drove it because it was so nice.

My Grandfather had an 81 or 83 Fairmont. He purchased it in the early nineties from an old woman, the car had only 32,000 miles. I remember it was butter yellow with a tan interior with vinyl seats and if im not mistaken an AM radio. I hated it. I can't remember the engine size but the car would haul ass and the AC would freeze you out.