the wagon i just bought is 95 % solid , it has a couple of soft spots in the rockers and one soft spot on the rear driverside lower quarter panel , im trying to find replacement rocker and lower quarter panels . if anyone knows where i could purchase these i would really appreciate it , i am also in need of a replacement dashboard . thank you in advance ... Brian 1980 ford fairmont squire wagon 3.3 inline 6 ( for now ):banana:
Sheetmetal parts are in the unobtanium category, except for Mustangs and Capris of the same vintage. This site might be able to point you to some other business that makes them. http://www.classicsheetmetal.com/mustang7986.html I'd check out the junkyards for a sedan model with good rockerpanels. Same floorpan length, so they should fit. They are structural, so you need the whole section from the inside to the outside to restore the body integrity or else make up some custom steel rails and use fibreglass panels for the outside finish. http://www.usbody.com/ Now, the Dashboard issue. Now here you have lots of choices: Replace it with a stock unit or change up to a Mustang or Capri, or even a 1980 T-bird (fox body 2- door) or go all the way to a 1989 Cougar or T-bird (wiring is major). 1979 to 1987 Mustangs are a direct swap, but you need the wiring harnesses - from the engine to the taillights - they have warning and lightbulb sensors. You need both to update your Farimont system, so you also need the Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting Manuals for both (EBAY or the Foureyed Fox website). http://vb.foureyedpride.com/index.php Their Library section doesn't need Registration. Fairmonts are under Other Fox... http://vb.foureyedpride.com/forumdisplay.php?f=43 This Capri site is good too: http://www.ascmclaren.com/ And this Cougar site: http://www.coolcats.net/ There's nothing like gauges. Check out what I did to mine: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=34795#post34795 At the end of it all, I used an entire 1981 Capri dash and console. http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8926
Oops! Forgot one small detail. The Mustang/Capri floorpan is 1" shorter than ours. There are a couple sheetmetal sites that offer them. I think USBODY is one of them. They can be adapted to ours. That would bring back the strength in the body structure as well. And if you're gonna beef it up for racing, the Mustang racing subframes bolt right up to our Fox wagons. Then you could use fibreglass panels.
Thanks for the info , my whole dash is in excellent condition except the top cap , i just need to find one of those , as for my body panels , i have a 79 futura for parts , thats where i got my subframe for my v8 swap. , if i cant find rockers for it i will cut out the bad parts ( only about the size of a quarter here and there and patch them , i am going to put subframe connectors on it , the one thing i am having trouble with finding is window tracks inside the doors and the rubber seals for the windows , the ones on the bottom of the windows and the top of the door that push against the window , actuallt i need to replace all the weather stripping , as soon as i can find that ill be ok Ive tried putting pics of my wagon on here but it keeps saying they are to big :banana:
Dashpad: http://www.dashtop.com/categories/fairmont You might be able to get your color or you can use SEMS vinyl coatings: http://www.semproducts.com/ Mustangs and Capris again and Ford Escort or Mercury Lynx up to 1987 The Tailgate seal is the same as the older AeroStar Ford van - dual door van. The window sweeps are a major pain, but since Mustang and Capri doors are longer, you can trim to fit the Fairmont cliphole pattern on the inside and out, so all you need is a Mustang parts vendor. Check over at FourEyedPride for vendor lists: http://vb.foureyedpride.com/index.php The rear door fixed window track sweep is a piece of cake. Go to a fabric store and ask for 2" wide black velcro tape. See my thread on Roller Painting my wagon, near the last few pages: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=711 Now the main door seals. The newer Baby LTDs up to 1986, sedans or wagons fit perfectly. If you want NEW ones, you need to cut a small cross section and take some dimensions, then compare them with Metro Rubber's images. You can order it by the roll. Make sure that you use the weatherstrip adhesive in the corners, AND buy a yard of the solid round rubber shape (3/8" diameter) to fit into the cut ends which are usually at the center of the door sill. It keeps water out and ensures that it maintains its sealing form. http://metrommp.com/ Once you get their catalog number, you can go to a local dealer and get it from their stock.
Resizing Pics: See the second Sticky here: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=19
Oh! One more thing on the dashpads. You can use a Mustang/Capri dashcap/pad, BUT you need to notch out about 1/4" of the pad underneath and just above the heater control corner, UNLESS you use a Mustang Instrument panel. If you want to do that, I made PDFs and downloaded them from sites that are now gone, with all the wiring details. Its 'patience work', but if you're going to run a beefed up 302, you'd get the tach, oil, temp gauges right where you need them. The Fox tachs are switchable from 4/6/8 cylinder setups, and most yards sell the Mustang clusters for around $40. A tach alone would cost far more. Plus the Mustang Speedos run up to 140 MPH (A bragging rights feature.)
