What the heck is a Fairmont Squire?

[Roadrunner]

Somehow, I have a theory "oldfairmontwagon" might have the exact answer.

 

What is a Fairmont Squire?

http://jalopnik.com/photogallery/nosojunk/1637882

 

Was this the wagon? When was it built under this name? Trim line? Where was it built? What's happening here?!

[lfeg]

Back when the Fairmont was built, it ws a "full line". In 78 there was a 2 door, a 4 door, and a wagon. There were at least 3 levels of trim. On the wagons (in their day they were attractive and had decent room) the Squire was the top trim level. It had the woodgrain vinyl on the sides and the nicest interior. That year in the Fairmont lineup you could get the 2.3 liter 4, a straight six (200 cu in I think) or the 302 V8. The Squire had the six as the base engine.

 

A friend had a 78 Fairmont Squire wagon with the 302. It was a nice car with decent power for its day.

[FordManBrad]

I recall the popularity of that car, as it seemed like everyone had one. Wikipedia yielded this fact: "The Fairmont was a stunning success for Ford, and the 1978 model set the record for production of a new model, eclipsing the record held by the 1965 Mustang" The production numbers were 461,000 Fairmonts and 152,000 Mercury Zephyrs. WOW!

 

They had some really unique drivetrain combinations. A friend had a station wagon with a straight six and four speed. The models w/ the 302 weren't bad performers. They outlasted the FWD garbage competition by a long shot, namely the GM X bodies and Chrysler K cars. They were the foundation for the 5.0 Mustang, Lincoln Mark VII and the sleek 83-88 T-Birds. I had an '88 T Bird that I put 205,000 miles on w/ original engine and transmission. Great car.

 

Lots of people laugh at them, but when you look at some of the later models built from the platform, and more importantly, the sales success of those models, it makes you wish for that kind of success today.

Edited September 27, 2007 by FordManBrad

[Hemiman]

I recall the popularity of that car, as it seemed like everyone had one. I couldn't find the exact production numbers, but Wikipedia yielded this fact: "The Fairmont was a stunning success for Ford, and the 1978 model set the record for production of a new model, eclipsing the record held by the 1965 Mustang" Whatever the production number was, it was huge, possibly even eclipsing the numbers for the entire Ford lineup today.

 

They had some really unique drivetrain combinations. A friend had a station wagon with a straight six and four speed. The models w/ the 302 weren't bad performers. They outlasted the FWD garbage competition by a long shot, namely the GM X bodies and Chrysler K cars. They were the foundation for the 5.0 Mustang, Lincoln Mark VII and the sleek 83-88 T-Birds. I had an '88 T Bird that I put 205,000 miles on w/ original engine and transmission. Great car.

 

Lots of people laugh at them, but when you look at some of the later models built from the platform, and more importantly, the sales success of those models, it makes you wish for that kind of success today.

 

 

They were everywhere! My dad bought a 78 wagon, green with pumpkin interior, 200cid auto. Not a bad car compared to the GM X-cars and the Chryco Aspen/Volar'e. The 200 six was barely adequate for the car, (can't imagine the 2.3 4cyl).

 

I remember getting beat by a girlfriend in her Omni O24. As soon as I got home I removed the Cat, richened up the carb, and bumped the timing. That little bit of work really improved the drivability of the car, (and made it faster than the O24), such that my dad commented how well the car was running. Weak point of the car was it's trans, had to replace it @ 48K, Ford paid 1/2. We drove it 120K with few other problems.

 

Another friends mom had a 79 wagon with the 302 that ran no better than my six. She had me do the same to the 302 that I'd done to my six. That car flew!, it would smoke one rear wheel (open diff), whan ever you wanted.

 

Good memories!

[old_fairmont_wagon]

Ahh, good times, good times. Yes, the Squire was the high trim level of the Fairmont. I had the regular one with the automatic tranny. The tranny held up well in mine, even surviving the early generations of the monster I planted under the hood. The vehicle I had originally started life with the 200 cid I-6. Very soon after I got it, the number 1 cylinder rings started leaking and it began to burn oil and foul the plug.

 

I originally tried to get some additional life out of the six cylinder engine after I first got it. I had a friend who's father worked in a machine shop. We did some metal work to what passed as the intake manifold on that beast and mounted a small 2 barrel carb sideways with one barrel feeding the front three cylinders and the other feeding the back three. We also machined an exhaust header for it and did a little valve and breathing work on the head. With all the smog gear removed and the other mods with a fairly clean exhaust setup, the engine wasn't so bad. But, before too long, the piston rings all started to let go and it was quite obvious that fooling with it wasn't worth the time and effort.

 

That's when I got a hold of the first monster to go under the hood. It started life in a pickup (at least, according to the guy that sold it to me) but, by the time it was planted under the hood of the fairmont, it was a 347 stroker with aftermarket heads, cam, etc. I don't remember all the final specs on it, but, I did have a smallish supercharger on it (which required some minor work on the hood) and would obliterate any street radials that I put on the back wheels on command. The torque was too much for the frame and body, and I wound up cracking and breaking the glass in the wagon area of the vehicle, so I had to replace it all with some more forgiving plastic (it wasn't as cool as lexan, but it was clear enough to see through and didn't crack when the vehicle flexed). That was all before I learned of such things as sub frame connectors and stiffening bars and useful safety gear like roll cages.

 

Eventually, the 347 flew apart one fine saturday and, that's when I got together with another friend of mine that was much more into drag racing than I. He wanted to race it at the track, I wasn't interested in it as a daily driver anymore. So, I signed it over to him in trade for his 85 LTD (which was far nicer than the Fairmont on the inside) with the blown 3.8L v6 (freeze plug had come out on him and it overheated without setting off the idiot light). I swung a wrench with him while he turned the thing into the nastiest sleeper you ever could imagine.

 

The engine that went into it started life as a 351W, but, aside from the block, there wasn't a single factory part on it when he was done with it, and its displacement was right around 400 ci. The tranny was a built C4 with a manual valve body with a floor shifter. The nitrous bottles went up against the sides of the wagon bay in the back. He redid the entire rear suspension setup. He put in a rollcage that sat as flush to the sides of the Pillars as possible, then painted them to match the interior beige. He stuck the extra gagues in where the radio used to be. He pulled the gas tank and put a fuel cell in where the spare tire was kept.

 

All I can say is that the thing made rediculous power and would embarrass almost anything on the street at will and tore up the track like a mad man. The outside looked as plain as possible (completely intentional). The exhaust was heavily muted with resonators and mufflers (but, there were bypasses for those track passes). Only the front two seats were habitable. The second row was basically stripped of the upholstery and padding and then bolted in the folded forward position. The cross bar for the roll cage went through the footwells anyway. It was a blast to ride in.

 

But, I have to say, the car, as I originally got it when I first started driving, was a pile. IT was my folks car originally. We had to replace the rear brake lines as they started leaking from corossion. Other parts just started to fall apart. It was rediculous. But, it would almost always start (even in the winter with a broken choke) and would eventually get you where you needed to go.

[LincolnV]

My father had a metallic blue '78 Zephyr Wagon with the 302 V8. I thought the car was cool - I loved the imitation shark-gill vents on the side.

 

Due to the light weight and the 302, it certainly could move. Although bigger than the Comet/Maverick they replaced, the Fairmont/Zephyr were a lot lighter.

 

It held a ton of stuff and was extremely reliable. Funny how back then wagons weren't as cool to have as they are now. I think the original Taurus wagon helped change people's opinions as they were beautiful cars.

 

My father traded in his '77 Mercury Cougar Villager for the Zephyr (he used to get a company car so we got a new wagon every year). The Cougar was only built for a year before the Zephyr came on the market. Prior to the Cougar wagon we had a Torino wagon in almost every colour available (I was fed up with Torinos by the time the Cougar came on the market).

 

The Cougar was essentially a Torino Wagon with a new front end - even the dashboard for the Thunderbird/LTD II/Cougar was carried-over from the Torino.

[Roadrunner]

Aha -- this makes sense.

 

Here is a sheet of the Fairmont options from an era sales brochure. (Maybe 1980??)

[Edstock]

I remember the cover of Car & Driver when they tested the Fairmont: "Ford builds a Volvo — and it works!"

[SVT_MAN]

My dad had a 78 Fairmont which he purchased brand new. It was a 2.3L I4 with the 4 spd. It was just barely adequete. Without a stick, it would have been painful undoubtedly. Wasn't a terrible car, but the 87 Sable we replaced it with was a night and day difference ...

[Bored of Pisteon]

My father had a metallic blue '78 Zephyr Wagon with the 302 V8. I thought the car was cool - I loved the imitation shark-gill vents on the side.

 

Due to the light weight and the 302, it certainly could move. Although bigger than the Comet/Maverick they replaced, the Fairmont/Zephyr were a lot lighter.

 

It held a ton of stuff and was extremely reliable. Funny how back then wagons weren't as cool to have as they are now. I think the original Taurus wagon helped change people's opinions as they were beautiful cars.

 

My father traded in his '77 Mercury Cougar Villager for the Zephyr (he used to get a company car so we got a new wagon every year). The Cougar was only built for a year before the Zephyr came on the market. Prior to the Cougar wagon we had a Torino wagon in almost every colour available (I was fed up with Torinos by the time the Cougar came on the market).

 

The Cougar was essentially a Torino Wagon with a new front end - even the dashboard for the Thunderbird/LTD II/Cougar was carried-over from the Torino.

 

Not to be a blowhard or anything but your father made a huge mistake by trading in that Cougar Villager... Do you have any idea how rare those cars are?

[630land]

Hmm, Ford restyled an existing car design, Torino, and renamed it LTD II.

 

Sound like something Ford recently did to a current car line?

Edited November 17, 2007 by 630land

[Watchdevil]

I recall the popularity of that car, as it seemed like everyone had one. Wikipedia yielded this fact: "The Fairmont was a stunning success for Ford, and the 1978 model set the record for production of a new model, eclipsing the record held by the 1965 Mustang" The production numbers were 461,000 Fairmonts and 152,000 Mercury Zephyrs. WOW!

 

They had some really unique drivetrain combinations. A friend had a station wagon with a straight six and four speed. The models w/ the 302 weren't bad performers.

 

Fairmonts were also available with the same turbo 4-cyl. engine as the Mustang...

[Hellcat_F6F]

When I was a kid, we had an '80 Fairmont 4 door w/ the 200 inline 6. Good car, we took it back and forth to Florida several times.

 

Funny, my dad complained the car couldn't climb hills or merge...with all of it's 90 hp, I can see why.

Now he has a 66 Mustang convertible, with, you guessed it, a 200 inline 6.

[Hemiman]

Fairmonts were also available with the same turbo 4-cyl. engine as the Mustang...

 

 

Did that ever happen? I know it was talked about in the press, and even made it into early sales literature. But, I thought Ford pulled the plug on that just before production.

[twintornados]

I do believe that when Fairmont 1st rolled out, the V8 option was a 255 CI version of the 302 design....

[Mustang_Marty]

Did that ever happen? I know it was talked about in the press, and even made it into early sales literature. But, I thought Ford pulled the plug on that just before production.

 

 

It was available in 1980. I have seen two in person, both in 2rd Sport body style. One was baby blue with matching plaid seats.... what were they thinking?

 

 

The 255 also arrived in 1980. All the 79 V8 Fairmonts were 302s

[630land]

'78 was first year for the Fairmont [30th anniv of the Fox!] and it had 4, 6, and 8 cyl motors. 302 was the top, but only with 2 bbl carb.

Edited December 14, 2007 by 630land

[mr_mann]

It was available in 1980. I have seen two in person, both in 2rd Sport body style. One was baby blue with matching plaid seats.... what were they thinking?

 

 

The 255 also arrived in 1980. All the 79 V8 Fairmonts were 302s

 

Ah, the 255 V8. Edmund's calls it "one of the worst lumps of iron to ever make its way under the hood of a Ford".

 

I did have a 1978 Brown Fairmont wagon with the 3.3L I-6, 3 speed (no lockup torque converter IIRC). I loved it! I've had many cars over the years, both FWD and RWD, and the Fairmont wagon was the best out of all of them in the snow. I never slipped while driving on snow or ice. I eventually had to get rid of it at 248,000 miles, when the thermostat blew, the transmission basically stopt ped working, and it would no longer start. I would have kept it if I didn't have a stupid HOA that doesn't allow unregistered cars. It held a lot of stuff (I believe 80 cubic feet with the seats folded down!) and still got about 23 or 24 mpg even though it didn't have a lock-up torque converter and no overdrive. I loved the plain center-cap hubcaps that it came with; I kept those when I had to get rid of the car. It served me well for a long time (more miles than the distance from here to the moon) and wish I still had it.

[LM4EVR]

The Fairmont/Zephry was a fine example of giving the customer choice. There were three interior and three exterior trim options that you could mix and match (low line inside/high line outside, etc.) Paint and interior color choices, wheel and tire choices, body style choices - 2 and 4 dr sedans, a coupe and a 4dr wagon.

 

Today it is "here is the car, not too many options, take it or leave it".

 

Choice sells.

[Watchdevil]

Hmm, Ford restyled an existing car design, Torino, and renamed it LTD II.

 

Sound like something Ford recently did to a current car line?

 

 

Oh yes indeed. And they also did a restyled variation of the Gran Torino Elite (which was a badge and grille engineered Ford version of the Mercury Cougar which itself was a dolled up Montego coupe) and called it a Thunderbird.

 

And later the Fairmont/Zephyr was restyled into a Granada/Cougar as luxury companion models for 1981-82. The it was restyled again for the mid-size 1983-86 LTD/Marquis.

[Watchdevil]

Things could be worse:

 

1991 Ford Falcon...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will be happy to send Brazil the tooling of the Crown Vic at any time! Oh wait Brazil has internet. Now they don't even want the Crown Vic....

[falcon lover]

Back when the Fairmont was built, it ws a "full line". In 78 there was a 2 door, a 4 door, and a wagon. There were at least 3 levels of trim. On the wagons (in their day they were attractive and had decent room) the Squire was the top trim level. It had the woodgrain vinyl on the sides and the nicest interior. That year in the Fairmont lineup you could get the 2.3 liter 4, a straight six (200 cu in I think) or the 302 V8. The Squire had the six as the base engine.

 

A friend had a 78 Fairmont Squire wagon with the 302. It was a nice car with decent power for its day.

 

 

The full line have 4 models: 2 and 4 door sedans, 4 door wagon and 2 door sport coupe called Fairmont Futura, with "opera" windows like the 1978 Thunderbird. Some Ford's insiders sugested that the Futura was designed to replace the Thunderbird...but new "shoes's box styling" Thunderbird debuted in 1980, without succes.

[falcon lover]

My father had a metallic blue '78 Zephyr Wagon with the 302 V8. I thought the car was cool - I loved the imitation shark-gill vents on the side.

 

Due to the light weight and the 302, it certainly could move. Although bigger than the Comet/Maverick they replaced, the Fairmont/Zephyr were a lot lighter.

 

It held a ton of stuff and was extremely reliable. Funny how back then wagons weren't as cool to have as they are now. I think the original Taurus wagon helped change people's opinions as they were beautiful cars.

 

My father traded in his '77 Mercury Cougar Villager for the Zephyr (he used to get a company car so we got a new wagon every year). The Cougar was only built for a year before the Zephyr came on the market. Prior to the Cougar wagon we had a Torino wagon in almost every colour available (I was fed up with Torinos by the time the Cougar came on the market).

 

The Cougar was essentially a Torino Wagon with a new front end - even the dashboard for the Thunderbird/LTD II/Cougar was carried-over from the Torino.

 

 

The Fairmont- Zephyr replaced the Maverick_Comet compact car line and LTD II-Elite-Montego midzise lines. That's why the Fairmont-Zephyr where bigger than the compacts.

[jonas1022]

I remember the cover of Car & Driver when they tested the Fairmont: "Ford builds a Volvo — and it works!"

I remember that magazine well. I was a GI in Germany at the time, and owned a Mercedes 280 SEL.

It was a real Autobahn touring car, but a real POS for reliability. Something broke every month, just about two days after I got paid...GRRR! So I was looking for something that was European, yet reliable. Tada! The Fairmont. Did I buy one? No. I got a Capri. Great little car with the 5.0L V-8 and a stick. Dang I miss that little rocket!

[jonas1022]

Things could be worse:

 

1991 Ford Falcon...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will be happy to send Brazil the tooling of the Crown Vic at any time! Oh wait Brazil has internet. Now they don't even want the Crown Vic....

Dang, that will mess with a persons' mind! Sheesh! I thought they were out of production! LOL!