Ford EB2 Fairmont Ghia V8 - Part 5
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Here is my first drive of the 302 Windsor V8 Ford EB2 Fairmont Ghia. I hope you enjoy. Please leave a👍Like👍 and consider Subscribing for more cool old car content. Thanks for watching. 👍
Here is the first drive of my V8 EB Ghia. I hope you like it. 👍
Oh yeah, I know that. This was the first shakedown drive. I def gave it more than 2,000 rpm but I wanted to make sure coolant etc and other hoses weren’t leaking. I may have to check the thermostat as it started to get a little warmer at the end of my drive. 👍
Love the sound of the V8.
Me too 👍
I remember my first Ford a 1991 XF panel van with a T5 and I converted the whole dash and door trims with electrics to Fairmont Ghia. Then I realised because it was a later build it wouldn't bolt in X series seats but E series. I went to a wrecker who had a EB Ghia and I tried to buy just the fronts seats and he wouldn't seperate from the rears. 3 months later he caved in and sold me the fronts and they were one of best seats I had. It looked so good with the rest of the conversion interior wise.
Yes, they are excellent seats. 👍👍
To see someone really enjoying driving an old EB falcon in 2024 really makes my day. Back in the day I had an EF Fairmont and I still think about and miss that car. It's a real shame the Falcon and Commodore are dead.
Thanks very much 👍
These cars really hit the nail on the head in my opinion. Was very surprised and thoroughly impressed by the handling and steering coming out of a Fe LTD. Recently drove my Ed 2500k from Victoria to Queenlsand on gas only and with a badly blown head gasket. No issues aside from keeping the water topped up whatsoever😁
@@Veryfastslowcar66 Yes, cool cars. I love mine. 👍
Nice update. Looking and sounding good.
Thanks Michael. It does sounds good doesn’t it. I need to get back on that car again but the Renault 10 and the Cadillac Seville have taken up some of my time more recently. 👍
I just love how the resurrection of a classic ‘90’s V8 Ford is probably about a thousand times more environmentally friendly than producing 1 single new electric car.
Yep! 👍
Awesome Mark go the EB these cars are awesome
Thanks. I love it too. 👍
Very much like a European Ford Scorpio/Granada in stylistic lines and execution, although I am sure the car shares some to very little in terms of parts with its Euro cousin. We did get a very nice Cosworth Scorpio in Europe, never a chunky V8 though 🙂. Its great that people try and conserve common old vehicles not just exotic sports cars, they were a part of the real everyday culture and roads of the time that most people will remember. I really like the Australian cars from the late 60's to early 80's, kind of like a cross between restrained european style with American intermediate size and power.
Thanks. Glad you like it. Yes, some Scorpio influences. I am releasing my big EA episode tomorrow and I talk about that too. I agree re your summary of Australian cars of the late 70’s onwards. A mix of Euro and USA. 👍👍
My wife worked for a Ford dealer back in the 1990's and I got to drive a number of them. One was an EB2 S Pack six cylinder trade in. Not being a Ford fan I was really impressed at just how tight it was on the road and how smooth and strong the power delivery was.
It’s always a good sign if someone who likes the opposition product appreciates the car 👍👍
Looks great :)
Thanks 👍👍
Love it. Looking good. I have an NC2 Fairlane V8, so this era of Fords is one of my faves. The interior is a nice place to be.
Very cool re your Fairlane. I will be doing a series on Fairlanes eventually. 👍👍
@markbehr88 awesome. Music to my ears. Happy to send a couple of photos of mine through to you if you want to use. It's a 1994 model, the very last of the NCs.
@@andrewg2618 Sure. That would be great. I am going to do them in order from ZA so we have some time 😀👍
I’m with you, they can have their KIA’S & Hyundais, I’ll keep my Aussie made fords.
@@stevejohnstone5163 Gotta love our Aussie cars 👍👍
Nice! There wouldn't be many V8 Fairmonts.
Very few so I had to grab it. They ain’t making any more of em 👍
Man what a beauty! Wheels car of the year in 93
Thanks very much 👍
Hi Mark, the EB2's & following models had different valving in the rack than the AU's. Having had the cancelled VIC' police wagon for some years as a company car, it had seriously sharp steering. Then years later buying the AU3 wagon I was amazed at the slew-ey slightly spongy feel by comparison to the tightness and sharpness of the EB2. The same back years earlier when I had a Holden Commodore VB v8 wagon, all the VB's, VC's, VH's & VK's also had sharp quick turn lock to lock steering, however when GMH released the VL they changed the rack valving and gave all the VL's that weird slew-ey on centre feeling and more turns to get same job done, additionally GMH played with the VL's brake valving and the rear brake proportioning valve. Most of the staff wanted their earlier Commodores back and hated the VL's. So much so, that 6 months into the new VN Holden's we as a company did a full swap to buying Ford EA's instead. Finally swapping back to Holden nearly 20 years later in 2006 to the new VE, due to the BA and onwards Falcon sedans control blade rear ends kept eating out rear suspension components all the time.
Thanks Greg. Per my EB V8 video from yesterday, the steering was excellent, however, I don’t agree re the AU steering not being up to par. The AU steering is very good in my view, potentially better than the BA, especially if you have an IRS equipped model AU. 👍
I think the point of the 5.0 V8 in these was cosseted quietness with effortless eating of hills and miles.
That's what I noticed about our NC2 Fairlane Ghia. It was super quiet and muscular. That gave it a luxury feel.
That's what it's all about with these cars, not sportiness. Not knocking what you've done, I sometimes wished you could hear more and you've done a good job with this.
Great shot of the 71 Galaxie showing it's glorious body roll.
You can sure see it's family resemblance to the Aussie offerings at the time. They appear to share the door handles and steering wheel with the crest. The big three always sourced bits from their U.S parents into our local cars especially up to the late 1970s. As long as local content was met, I guess it was economic to do this rather than devise those same components from scratch here.
Thanks. The burble of the Ghia is pretty mild inside. I like to hear my V8s within reason. Deep burble not loud crackles. My 76 Mercury Grand Marquis (400 V8) sounds like a motor boat. I love it. Glad you liked the Galaxie shot at the end. I thought it was terrific. 👍
@@markbehr88 There's nothing like a lazy v8 burble. I will see if I can get my father to start his 76 f100 sometime so I can get video of the 302 cleveland's exhaust note. It's been stored in the shed for the last 25+ years and hadn't been touched in at least a decade... fired right up and ran perfectly first go.
If it was a modern car with fancy electronics/computers, they would probably all have mysteriously died after the first six months of sitting.
@@RustyShackleford Yes. Old school is best. 👍
@@markbehr88 Yep. It's much nicer to work on a car from the 60s compared to one from the modern era... not that you really "work on" modern cars, just replace parts since nothing is repairable.
@@RustyShackleford Exactly. 👍
Nice work Mark. My 4.0 was low on the pressure gauge until I started regularly driving it and did about 5-6 oil changes with flush. Even 4 years later, I still get small carbon deposits in my drain pan when servicing it. Give it a good spirited drive, that will loosen some of the rubbish up.
Thanks for the tip. My 5 litre AU Fairlane Ghia was like that but all good now. 👍
@@markbehr88 at least your fuel tank is plastic! My steel tank in my EB II wagon filled the filter full of particulate, was very therapeutic to clean it all out!
@@munnsie100 True 👍
Excellent video and excellent series about excellent cars! Can’t wait for EF instalment. Thanks and well done!
Thanks very much 👍
Thanks very much 👍
The EB handled extremely well . Especially on dirt.Had a wagon as a rep car. Did heaps of hard country miles on it. Gd times.
It had heaps of manufacturing defects tho- paint, valve timing
Yes. It feels smaller and easy to place on the road. 👍
Shame they didn't put the 351 Windsor in the EBs.
Yes, but the little 302 Windsors are gems. 👍👍
Oil pressure will be the sender unit. Common issue with VDO sender units.
I was gonna suggest this too, awhile back my Cleveland oil pressure started showing low on the dash so i bought a new oil pressure sender & it sits past halfway on the guage agian👍
Thanks guys. Will check that out too. I will pull the sump off though to make sure the pick up is fine too. 👍
Only time I see oil pick up tube blocked is, careless mechanics who peel off old gaskets and over use of sealants and the excess breaks off , and internal diesel injector that have become loose which allows carbon buildup to enter the engine
@@tba3900 This car sat around a lot and was mainly LPG (which I removed). Fuel tank was like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. 😵💫👍
@@markbehr88 the copper windings on the fuel sender are probably tarnished, in theory over time with the arm moving it will recreate the contacts . At least Ford put an access panel in the boot to get to the fuel tank, unlike the other company. The station wagon had 2 fuel pump , one in tank the other on the lh chassis rail. It beats me to this day why they put 2 on a wagon .
That first-person view of the interior/gauges is just iconic to me. Takes me back in time... I love the interiors in these cars. The Fords definitely had better quality materials in their interior compared to the equivalent Commodore. The plastics used on the dashboard feel so cheap and horrible in the Holdens... and the seats are so much nicer in the Fords.
It would be cool to see a detailed view of your car's interior. I'd be interested to see the condition of various interior parts after all these years... the quality of the leather on those ghia seats = better than the leather used in BA ghias in my opinion.
Also, willing to bet your headliner is in good nick. Never had a problem with E series headlining but I've had to replace/repair the drooping headlining in literally every BA I've had.
E series Ghias were really nice.
I’ll definitely do a more detailed video. Still need to clean the interior. 👍
@@markbehr88 I cleaned my car's interior thoroughly last month. Then, next day I was driving along at 110km/h when the can of sugar free energy drink in my hand suddenyl fizzed up for no apparent reason. It sprayed all over the place.
Moral of the story: energy drinks are bad for you.
@@RustyShackleford Yes, I try avoid eating or drinking in my cars. 🫣
@@markbehr88 I rarely ever do but was really tired and had to drive a couple hours - hence the energy drink. Lesson learned.
G'day Mark. Beautiful looking car. We used to get the Ford Fairmont here in the USA. I think it was from 1977 to 1981-82.
Thanks Jason. Yes, that was the Fox body. 👍
@@markbehr88 Or as I like to jokingly call a *"Faux"* Body Ford. 🤣
@@jasoncarpp7742 Ha. Hadn’t heard that one. Pretty modern at its 77 release though and one of Ford’s best all time launch year models in terms of sales. 👍
@@markbehr88 I'd buy a Fox Bodied Mustang or possibly a Ford Fairmont if I could find one in decent condition.
@@jasoncarpp7742 I’ve got a 79 Cobra, 86 GT convertible plus a 86 Washington State Hwy Patrol car so you can tell I like them. 😀👍
Congrats Mark! You are diving the car. I am happy to see you drive your car. I am off to watch the second video you posted. I did not quite hear or understand what you said as you mentioned something about the fuel gauge.
Thanks. It is probably the Aussie accent 😀👍
Nice progress. It’s great when you can enjoy driving them.
They are Recaro seats. I have 3 of them. 2 passenger seats I converted into desk chairs, and a stuffed drivers one for spares. Got them in 2013 from a customer. He had them sitting in his factory and I asked about them. Turned out he had a 5L EB Ghia for years, also on gas. He did weekend runs between Sydney & Melbourne to tend to his businesses and out over 800,000km on it over 15 years. Being a very large guy, he collapsed the foam in the base over time, and he’d just buy another pair from the wreckers and swap the good driver’s one in. The 2 passenger ones I got were near perfect in appearance, and they still look great, even after I’ve been sitting on them for over 10 years now - one in my home office, and the other at work.
But….. they weren’t as perfect as I thought. When I got them home, I noticed some issues with the bolster foam, so I pulled them apart, and washed the fabric. Then I turned my attention to the frames and all the foams. Had to put hessian on the base foam to stop the wires cutting into it like an egg slicer. The side bolsters on the bases needed some repairs on the inner one, and the outers needed replacing. But at least the good quality leather was still perfect. And these were the passenger ones that looked perfect (but still needed work).
You can get VW Golf Recaro bolsters for the backrests online that are similar in profile. I bought 2 and used an electric carving knife to trim them perfectly. You’d never know I rebuilt them from Frankenstein parts 😂
I haven’t bothered doing anything with the rough drivers seat, because its bolster foam is crumbling bad. I would like to take the lumbar support out of it and fit it to my home office desk chair. The passenger ones don’t have lumbar.
When he sold the Ghia, he swapped 2 of the headrests from the spare fronts into the rear of it, so I got crappy shrunk and cracked headrests. I’ve since replaced them with good 2nd hand ones I picked up, but it confirms the front & rears interchange.
I prefer the waffle pattern velour on them over the full leather ones. Full leather in the EB/ED Ghia is too bland as there’s no stitching detail to break up the panels. Your trim looks to be in pretty good shape. If you ever want to have a crack at the seats, they aren’t hard to tear down and work on. If the driver’s base feels like it’s sinking down in the middle, you can easily put something between the wires & foam to prop it back up to where it should be. They are easier to work on than FG seats, but you do need to deal with hog rings.
Thanks for all the great info. They are terrific seats. I hope I do find a Ghia at the wreckers down the track as I would like a couple or at least one headrest as one of mine has the stitches parting (back one). Plus, I am after the boot lid and rear garnish panel. 👍👍
Hi Mark, Got to agree with you that engine does sound good,the Windsor 302 V8 is that the same engine fitted to the Mustang is it US or Australian built. The Fairmont Ghia is looking great and looks a smooth ride , the oil pressure I would check out just above the red and the fuel gauge I know its not working and the low fuel light should be on a different circuit and will come on with low fuel usually 30 miles/ 50 Km left in the tank. looking forward to see more of this car , great video Take care
Thanks Shaun. Glad you like it. Yes, same engine. Different states of tune depending upon the Aussie or US models. We got our engines from the Mexico plant. I will fix those gauges for sure. 👍
Always so positive great to follow the EB story .
Thanks Gerard. 👍
Great channel Mark.
Refreshing to see these cars being enjoyed and driven.
Thanks very much. Glad you like it. 👍👍
Those things just love the open road!
2k @ 100kph is perfect, just a fast idle pushing you along for close to 1000 k’s on the highway
My WH Statesman used to get from Hay NSW home to Sydney with 1/4 of a tank to spare
Yes. Pretty amazing. When I was at HSV my auto VX ClubSport R8 would get about 9 litres per 100 km. Pretty good for 5.7 and four speed auto. 👍
@@markbehr88 has the EB got a computer display in it?
@@jamesmcgowen1769 I need to look into that. There are some fuses that need looking at incl the wipers. I recall seeing the trip computer working or am I imagining that? 🤔
@@markbehr88 it’s part of the fun!
I’m looking into buying new seat trim & fitting with new springs and padding for my HT Kingswood. That aint gonna be cheap!
Pretty sure they had a basic computer such as fuel usage distance etc the ED had one.
Looks and sounds good Mark , good job mate , i`m wondering how rare it is to find one like yours with a V8 in it in respectable condition given its age ?
if i had seen something like that when i retired my Au i would have bought it , instead i ended up with a low K 2017 Aurion , which i have to say is actually a pretty good car , it is almost clinical in the way it does everything it is supposed to well , and its even pretty fast , , and in its way of just doing everything well its a credit to toyota imo , but its just white goods boring mate☺ .
Is the EB a 4 speed auto or 3 , i`d be happy with either , the threes are very smooth , no loss either way ..
Thanks 👍. They are a bit thin on the ground. I know what you mean re the Toyota. The Ghia has the 4 speed auto 👍
When I did fleet work, most EB Fairmont Ghia’s were managing directors cars. My favourite one was a black one which had thin gold pin striping running its length and yellow inserts in the door mould and bumpers instead of the chrome, almost like a ESP rendition.
Yes, that is how I would have ordered a new one too 👍👍👍👍👍
Just a fuel filter hint. Don’t refit the tube nuts dry, apply a thin coat of moly grease to the threads of the tube nut and the steel pipe where the tube nut will sit once it’s tighten. These are notorious for firing up the aluminium threads on fuel filter.
What's moly grease? Not a product I see on my shops.
Thanks for the excellent tip 👍👍
@@jamesfrench7299 It’s a brand name. I think it may be American but we have it here too 👍
@@jamesfrench7299otherwise known as lithium grease. Supercheap etc all stock it.
@@jamesfrench7299 James otherwise known as Lithium grease or dust. Supercheap or similar all stock. Handy on bike chains too.
Great to see you making progress in your projects too m8, Im fixing up an Au ute atm but ive owned eb ea xf and xe falcons many of :) My fav was a Svo xf it'd do 180 all day long :) I got pulled over one day the cop was so impressed he let me go with a harsh warning lol :) good old days!. This particular car of yours is reminding me of them Old Gal's thnx m8. Keep it up! hopefully you'll keep this one too.
Thanks. You’ve had some cool cars. I’ll definitely keep the Ghia. It is really good to drive, even in its current state. 👍👍
Pity about the roof lining sag.
Yes, but I will get that replaced as part of the resto. 👍
Top stuff Mark. These older standard ford V8 are getting hard to come by these days.
Would love one as a daily driver but such a shame about the crippling price of petrol.
Yes, although I do like a v8 but the VCT XR6 is very good. 👍
I had one and the same color and V8 loved it, the only issue was the BTR Auto. The rest of it was a great car loved it.
Cool. This auto seems ok so hopefully…..👍
That’s a nice survivor 👍money into that is well spent !! Museum piece in 20 years time
Thanks. I agree. 👍👍
G'day Mark,
Looking good
Don't stop now.
Cheers
Louis Kats 👍
Thanks Louis. Only time and money stand in my way 😀👍
@@markbehr88 👍
Front indicators have to go...Looks like Temu
I have the originals still. I may fit them down the track. Plenty of other things to do beforehand. 👍
Alternator at 1:58 is just under 16 volts, that is a bit high!
Yes, the battery was down on charge and that is a brand new alternator but I will keep an eye on that so it doesn’t cook the battery.
@@markbehr88 use a multi meter if you have one to confirm if the dash voltmeter reading is correct.
@@blackpanther50 Yes, will do. I have one of those 👍👍
WTF!, Trust me, a Windsor can go past 2000rpm without self destructing 😥
That’s right. 👍
I've got an ED Fairmont Ghia and it's a beautiful car to drive, loving the content on your beautiful EB Ghia!
Excellent. Thanks. Glad you are enjoying it. I have just completed a marathon edit job for the big EA episode in the Falcon series. Look out for it tomorrow! 👍