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So I picked up another Fairlane the other day for $150 off of Gumtree. I was stoked.

Same colour as mine but 2 years newer so it had a nicer interior (Although it needs a clean, But hey, My Dad is a steam cleaner )

The only problem is I didn't get keys with it and it has no electrical power whatsoever, so I can't get in to the boot. There is also a giant gas tank in the way so no going through the back seats either.

If anyone has any idea's on how to get in to the boot that would be greatly appreciated!

It allowed me to fix up a few minor cosmetic things that were bugging me and also a few mechanicals.

Anyways, here are some pictures of the Donor car and some other pics I took during the last few days.

The Donor being delivered
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And on the ground
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Rear of the Donor and Front of Mine
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Donor Interior once I had removed the.. well.. Interior..
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New Seats installed in Mine (Still need a clean)
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And the Rears
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Engine bay of the Donor ( 3.9 with a gas system installed )
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And The reason why I can't get in to the boot!
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Nice load of spares you picked up there man. Its always good getting a cheap donor car. Its the best part about them that they are so easy to swap parts between, and isnt anything that strenuous to do, like you did swapping the seats etc.

I need to get out into the yard and get my cars moving and update my own garage thread..

With the boot, find the plug that goes to the boot button and using a 12v battery and some wires try jumping power directly to the plug. Thats how Ive gotten them open every time Ive been stuck.

Are you going to swap to an EL engine in the future or keep it the 3.9?

I have a EL tickford head and some other conversion parts if you need..

Dammit, now you've gotten me itchy.. Im gonna go take some photos and update mine..haha.

Yeah I was pretty happy with the pick up, lots of things to be swapped over cosmetically.

And nah i'll probably just keep the 3.9 that's in it for a while yet but thank's for the offer. ( Mechanical stuff isn't my forte' really )
Once I am done with the donor car i'll probably offer it up to anyone that want's what's left before sending it to the wreckers tbh. No point wasting good spares.

And cheers for the idea with the boot, it's had me massively stumped and I am so curious as to what's in there ( Probably nothing, but it's the fact I can't see that makes me need to know so badly lol ).

And yes, update your build thread, it's a great read in there, I've gotten a lot of ideas and sparks of inspiration from looking at your car!

Cheers,

Shaun

I've been mucking around on photoshop to try and get my car to look how I want it. Nothing over the top or outlandish, just nice and clean.

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Ive taken my side strips off, but having them color coded white looks way better than the grey ones..

Agreed, I much prefer the all white over the Grey and White. I originally was going to leave it, but after looking at other Fairlanes and having some time to think on it I think I will definitely go all white.

Good to see you put the proper front end back on the Lane as well! Looks beast!

Yeah at the time I had the accident, an standard front was all I could get easily, but I also came across a donor car and kept the front for a swap back.

Oh nice. It was definitely something different seeing a Falcon front on a Lane!

One last question for you though. How hard is it to put an EF/L interior into an NA? Seats and doorcards that is, no dash conversion planned as of yet. Is it as simple as a straight swap?

Rear seat is direct replacment.

Front seats require a little custom work.. I did my seats when I did the complete swap because I used the centre console hump and welded it into mine, but there are some tech threads to custom fit the seats.

From memory its pretty simple..

The front bolt holes wont line up, so I hammered mine flat, welded a tab on to make the whole thing wider, then re drilled them out.

the rear outer tab will line up exactly, but the rear inner tab is different, You can use some steel tube as a spacer and a longer bolt from the EF/EL

For the trims, I followed this tech doco here.. Its pretty straight foward and once you have done one you cant go wrong..

fordmods-technical-documents-diy-f38/ef-ghia-door-trims-into-eb-fairmont-t59714.html

Awesome. Cheers mate. I'll be doing that relatively soon i think.

if its clean, why change it man? why bastardise another box car into a wannabe bubble car? imo anyway

Tbh i prefer the EF/L Seats and doortrims. Although I've been thinking i may just reupholster the new ones i just put in it. Get some new foam etc for the seats as well.

For what little it's worth, that's what I'd do. Not many clean genuine box cars getting around anymore. That's what kept my car standard and restored inside

Ford should have made an ED with an EL interior and running gear from factory, they look so much better inside with the newer designed more comfortable seat, better arm rests/grab handles and overall look with the door trims, and the smoother curved dash is much nicer.

The boxier exterior is more appealing to me than the ef/els smoother shape too.


"Not many clean genuine box cars getting around anymore."

Every single EA-ED I have seen (that hasnt been owned by a enthusiast) have all had factory interiors... There are plenty getting around in standard form..

To me it comes down to a choice of originality over custom.

If you want to keep it at its peak value for resale, then keep it original, not that they are a big money fetcher anyway lol.
Or if you have a collector type personality and like things to be the way they are supposed to be then perhaps.

Otherwise, these are the perfect car for upgrading at a low cost, you can create something you like and mix and match them together to create a blend of your own car. This is usually 90% of the reason people come onto a site called Ford Modifications, because they want to modify it..

Are those front seats (read "couches") getting a little flat and hard or just plain unsupportive?? Upgrade to the EL fairmonts ones and feel the massive difference..

Sick of just having a giant speedo on your dash? Plug and play a sports pack version..

Want a smoother look inside?
Want a little more practical handbrake?

Also the drivelines arent too shabby with a turbo attached or charger. Drop 2500-5000 on the engine and your looking at a pretty quick piece of machinery.

Its all up to your choice of original over custom in the end. Its the best part of owning a ford.