cisco

Mine kept falling off so I made a mount from aluminium plate. It is held by the two screws holding the centre visor clips and the mirror held to that by a 1/8" bolt through the mirror foot with a bit of rubber tube cushioning it off the screen. End of problem. Eventually the super glue just won't hold it any longer.

Well dean the point may be moot in this case. Despite two enquiries I sent via Carsales on the 87 Fairmont without replies the car is now on hold. Had this happen before and it pisses me right off. Why do people list things for sale if they are not going to respond to enquiries???? Got me beat. I remember the old Austin/Morris engines that had a heart shaped combustion chamber. The point of the heart would get red hot and sometimes you had to clutch stall the engine to stop the run on. The other issue with modern fuels is that they require VVT to extract the horsepower. Because of that my old school Ford man says if you are rebuilding an engine a standard cam is the best option if you are not building it for high performance. My XE has a Dynotec CM251D cam shaft.The spec sheet says it has 214* duration @ .050"cam lift and 291* duration with SAE Valve timing .006"valve lift which is a little beyond me. The engine builder called it a "Tow and Go cam". The result for me is that idle is still smooth, is still tractible in traffic but has that bit extra grunt when you want it. Torque peaks at 3000 rpm and it will wind out to 4500 rpm easily. I think it will go to 5000 rpm if I want to flog it. The diff is 2.77:1 and with the 4 speed single rail I put in it rpm at 100k is 2350-2400 and from memory economy is about 13 L/100 klm. My son made me promise the car to him so I am happy to keep driving it daily. Some people have gotten the 200 crossflows really screaming them being a square engine or slightly over square when bored out. They are under rated I think.

The compression ratio in my XE went up a bit after 2 head removals over the years and just would not run without pinking unless I retarded the hell out of it. With that I have become accustomed to only using 98 octane fuel all the time. It actually uses less fuel on 98 but not quite enough to offset the cost. The added benefit of 98 is getting a cleaner burn.

A couple of handy pages with specs for xe and xf. https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/falcon_XE_technical_specifications https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/falcon_XF_technical_specifications You will see the pre unleaded XFs had a 9.35:1 compression ratio and then 8.7:1 for unleaded and the XEs had 8.8:1. I would think 9.35:1 is an ideal compromise for performance and economy.

Thanks for your response. Yes it is a carby model. I don't own it yet but an original rust free 87 Fairmont with 220 on the clock at $5,000 has to be good buying. If I get it I will pull the head off and if the bores are OK just give it a decoke, tidy the ports. valve grind, bash the ceramic out of the catalytic so it can breathe and drive it. Maybe 10 or 20 thou off the head. The one I had in the late 90s I took the family on a 4000k road trip Bundaberg, Dubbo, Lithgow, Sydney and back to Bundy and it drove a dream. Fingers crossed.

The 87 XF had a low compression engine and was the first Falcon to get a computer. I had one years ago and from memory the distributor did not have the electronic ignition module on the side of it and the timing was controlled by the computer module behind the passenger side kick plate. I believe this module compensated for different octane fuels and they would just about run on kerosene. I took the head off for a decoke/valve job and noted that the lips in the bores were progressively more from cyl 1 to 6 which creates piston slap issues. I was told by a Ford specialist that it was because they did not run hot enough. My question for the brains trust is if I rebuilt one of these engines with high or higher compression ratio pistons, would the computer module compensate the timing enough for the engine to run properly on 98 octane fuel??? I would be fitting a higher temp thermostat also.

I had to buy one to change out the plugs in my Corolla which are down a 6 inch hole. At first I had a socket with a rubber grip and it gripped the plug so tight that when you put the plug in and tried to take the tool out the extension bar came out but not the socket. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Repco has 3/8" spark plug socketwith magnetic grip for about $27.

With the age of the car it is a good idea to fit NEW rubber brake hoses. What happens is that the inside layer of the hose starts to break away and become like non return flaps for the brake fluid. I had the problem with my front brake calipers so it is worth replacing the hoses all round.

Have a look at my post in "The Wreckers". I have a BW 35 gearbox complete with bell housing, converter, shifter, hump and cooling lines. Was regularly serviced and working perfectly when removed and replaced with a single rail. The blue/gray console is available too. Also I have a BW 40 which was reconditioned at some time too. I am located in Bundaberg. You can pick them up or I can deliver to Gold Coast. Private Message me with phone number and email address and I can send you photos and we can negotiate a price. There is a steering column also which from memory came out of 4 speed manual XD.

I think you could Loctite the female part into the carburettor. The Webers have a plastic thing in there and can cock up if not careful. I had a few XDs in the past and never had any issues with the Strombergs, simplicity being the key.

Really good F100 chase clip here. Charles Bronson Mr Majestyk.

I cut the damned thing off and flare the intake end. It is only to get the engine up to temp quicker. I don't think it affects RWC but check with your RWC guy.

Not steering mods, just make sure all components are up to scratch. You might consider heavy duty sway bars. Some say that is the best handling upgrade you can make. I have a set of Kings Super low springs if you are interested. $100 and I could bring them to Brisbane next time I am down which will be fairly soon.

That looks great but will costalotta moola. In Brisbane I get my instrument work done by Lionel Otto Instruments, Evans Rd Salisbury. Ph 0732773888. What you can buy. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/325441893751?hash=item4bc5d93577:g:DdUAAOSwaBRjhFtZ&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoBuk9xJKm0w8pmPXpxAQ4RWCNWr7QSV2KPsqHHp3YwTIMThwj%2Ff9dYx6ubAyR2rwDncJs7koiDArTWwPrlYQHcjkCd4lQwH28rdJmHf%2B4tuiHEqFBCq7jHgV2QUN6UMo4k2Q7ZzQRwqE0%2BLblQpMUQyo5dJoUR9nInOGbtdzOc7GBS1lrF4guXayaARzhZao%2BzeXPWC%2FaHwEtZDYuX2XAbA%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9ai-cCeYQ https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/234809114821?hash=item36abb6c0c5:g:DzkAAOSwcThhCNQy https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334639247511?epid=1542143734&hash=item4dea0db097:g:kb4AAOSwgSFigzji&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsFEq24cdHsKgnKb%2Fy%2BqxDolQV%2Bm991KVFQGyLDW%2F9DkqkHRqPGgwCjiWt5IEYfF5xB8ynO7LbZ0g1ddFcY%2BLdh6UmSuPkyjJse1%2Bkw8moG5m5Aw7LcsQxKMkjDiMjLzri7XU2nRJZ7YBchBwkvWDgB5yHQ5Wm%2B3ptGLafP%2F0UT%2FmD%2FZVFywcCbQndllvVp%2FarfU2poX4FMzVQDZxvymZ7%2FBC%2FBd4SAHdCHbBANKeX%2FYi|tkp%3ABk9SR6ThuMGeYQ I would go with the genuine cluster. Fits straight in and plugs into existing wiring loom, only need to find correct speedo sender unit cog to suit diff ratio. Also maintains originality. I have just changed the cluster in my 84 Fairmont, no problems. Next thing you will need to consider is the fuel tank sender unit. They do not like the latest fuels which oxidize the copper strips in them. Otto Instruments are currently making up a new unit for me which has a float for $350. It will save me carrying around a 10 litre fuel can. There are a couple of threads on here about sender units. By the way you shouldn't worry about the chrome strip on the front of the bonnet. It is useless and only promotes rust. The same with the strips around your tail lights. Remove them, bog the holes and paint. With the huge engine and transmission mods you intend you need to upgrade your steering and suspension to match starting with rims and tyres. In 14, 15 and 16 inch diameter sizes there are few if any performance tyres available. I have seen 18' snowflakes available but can't find them. I think it is the wheel mob at Kingston who make them. The only mods I have done to my XE are a blueprint and balanced crossflow engine with a mild cam, extractors and a single rail 4 speed gearbox which is more than enough to take it to the edge of it's handling capabilities and makes it a great cruiser with a nice note. If I was ever going to consider putting a V8 in it, a Windsor fom an E series is the way I would go to maintain the weight balance these cars are designed for. The Clevelands are way to heavy and require sand bags or lumps of lead in the boot to maintain rear end traction