My XR gets about 13.5L/100km in town and 9.1L/100km on the highway. That's with EA T5 and 3.45 rear end.

Wow Nice clean fairmont you have there mate.
Sounds like you got her for a good price too, Way to go

Ok, so what your saying is the Tickford head and cam is worth getting over a stock head with Wade cam or regrind cam? I thought the spec's on the Tickford i6 was a noticable increase in fuel consumption over the stock.
Cheers Licion, yeah I am surprised actually how clean she is for a city car. There's the odd scrape in the paint thats not too noticable, and lets face it cars in the city generally get hammered because nobody gives a s**t and everyone is going at 1 million miles an hour. I was hopeing all the 200,000k " breakable" stuff would happen at 200,000 but its started early. I put that down to the fact that even though it has 170 odd on the clock, its still an 18 year old car. I like it though and if I stick to fixing things the right way it should last another 18 years.

By the way, pink slip yesterday went like a charm. She passed with flying colours and even the mechanic had a little rev of the engine and a smile from the sound the Lukey cat back makes. I really do go Nazi when getting my cars ready for pink slip. I put it down to the time I spent in Vic with the Vic RWC, also it had to pass as rego was due the next working day. Glad its all done as now I have another 12 months to repair what I am not happy with.
I was once told by a mechanic who lived next door to me in Baxter that if I took care of a new car the way I use to with my old cars ( Lj, Hx, Vb,Vc,Vh,Vk.... the Holden list goes on sorry guys) It would last forever. I did try this theory on a new car I bought and yeah it was mechanically mint but I got sick of paying the banks all my hard earnt money. The Ef cost me $1850, if I spent the $10000+ I payed the bank in interest ( on the new car I had) on the Ef I think it would be as good a car than the new one. Maybe not worth as much on the market but at the end of the day as soon as you drive a new car out the lot its loosing money ( generally more than what the Ef cost me).
Yeah its an Ef and always will be just another E series but as long as I like it who gives a f**k what anyone else thinks. I use to work for a guy who bought a 1/4 mill 911. He would not drive it because it depreciated too much every k he did. Whats the point? A car is to be enjoyed and as soon as you think a car is an assett ( vintage excempt) or a tool then you have lost the passion. Thats what I think anyways

Painted the old power window master switch panel the other day Saturn Black with a VERY light spray of chrome. Turns out the chrome almost makes the black two toned and morphing from black to chrome does look nice. Going to do a trial install over the weekend, se if its any good installed. Got the fuel sender and a replacement boot seal in the mail thanks to a fellow fordmodder. Still think replacing a working fuel pump with a new one is the way to go. I know the cars ran dry 2 times thanks the the better half, but the pump still works the way its suppose to........ But to be sure, to be sure. New pump will come with the injectors, extractors, o2 sensor and fuel system freshen up.

Last Saturday after spending a week off work home jailed because my 2 year old got whooping cough the mrs went down to the local shops to get some basics....... When she backed out a d**k in a Prado decided to ignore the Ef Fairmont behind him and backed his over priced a** into the Mont. Broken tail, bent metal under the tail, scraped rear bumper. Thats what I can see for now, who know what else has happened. Will find out when I fix it all up. Well, the Mrs trusted the wanker when he told her it was all his fault and his insurance will fix both, but got no proof he had said it...... So she gets home and I call him asap, and by that time he had changed to she backed into him. When he found out I make just enough to cover the rego, so cannot afford insurance and that if he wants to pursue this line he will be getting paid $10 for the next few years he changed again to it be both there faults. I will say my Mrs is no liar and could not even lie to my boss so I could have a sicky, so I know what happened.
Well, through a horrid childhood and a s**t load of bad choices I find myself at the bottom of the food chain work wise. But I still have a passion. I get stuff on the cheap when I can and make do. So now I am faced with a broken car that still needs all the above mentioned parts on an a** holes budget. I put a thread up seeing if the bottom piece thats bent under the tails could be unbolted and dont ask me how but a fellow fordmodder came to the rescue. Not to mention they will fit the lukeys for me to the cat. Some times humans amaze me. It dont happen too often these days. I think all the getting f**k over in the past makes us all a bit on edge but when someone helps someone else just for the reason of helping a fellow human out its proof people aren't all a**hole.
Anyway pics of the damage
[img][IMG]http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg616/79raven/GEDC0007.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][IMG]http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg616/79raven/GEDC0006.jpg[/img][/img]

f**k picture setup! Just let me insert a pic you f**k faced a** licker

Got the Lukey Extractors put on last Saturday. Made a HUGE difference in response and pull. Economy increase has already been noticed. Sounds mean.
On the way home from getting them installed, hit the on ramp for the M4 off Northern Rd..... thought lets see if the powers any better. On economy it kicked my a** and by the time I felt it she was doing 130. The only thing, I being the stupid moron painted them in Engine enamel. They looked awesome too. Now we have more of a pink powder coated effect but the heat shield that was installed covers almost everything. The only real part of the extractors showing is right up on the head, and the paints still sticking right on that spot. Must have been the heat shield helping too, but its still an apprentice error and a stupid one at that. Heat shield looks Mad Max but its cool and very useful.
Looking at getting a big mouth snorkel next. Still got the injectors and fuel pump to get. Senders ready to go in. Fuel pumps buzzing and she occasionally is hard to start so they need to be gotten next. Au injectors with the big mouth and Lukey air filter, extractors & 2.5 cat back should make her not only cheaper to run but more power at the same time. Those extractos really cut my fuel down.
Still mucking round with the stereo setup. Boot lids rattling and needs to be sound proofed. Decided to paint the power window, climate control, centre vents, clock covers and cluster face saturn black with specklied chrome. Its nice with the stock dark grey. Ash tray and screw cover under the ashtray was then done the same, and I painted the trans plate black with chrome specks and the selector bar chrome. Looking to do the vent behind the console, outer dash vents and maybe the glove box handle the same. Still unsure about doing the roof light.
Changed the broken rear light over today in the pissing rain. I bent the beaver(?) panel on it now with a crow bar. Looks better than smashed but I just ran out of time to change it over. Starting to think maybe the suspension/bushes need to be done before the head. I hope the head holds, but the brakes are crap even with good pads ( they pulse so I would say the disc's are in need of a machine). Thinking better off going the ADB slotted drilled rotors off ebay for $130 with pads on the front and doing the job right 1st time. Suspensions really floaty and the front end squeaks a fair bit. I can do the rotors, but not too confident with bushes and suspension. Then I noticed the other day the harmonic ballancer has a slight kink in its run......... If I take the radiator out to do it I may aswell do the heater tap while I am at it and run some solveall (?) for the head leak. Busy times to follow

Also I have been slowly changing the light setup on the dash through Jaycar. Clusters now all blue with a red odometer. Climate control is red display ( need to change to wide LED's), buttons are blue. Clock/Trip is red display and blue buttons.
I need to get a red t10 wide angle LED to fill the climate control display. There are so many on ebay, but what ones have been tried and test? Anyones advise on the best wide red t10's on ebay would be appreciated.

Well its only taken us 4 months of the baby bonus paid to bills to allow me to start. Last weekend dropped genuine au injectors, big mouth, new pump and sender, modified the air box and a new o2 sensor. Got the fuel pump late due to an order and will be dropping it in next weekend with a new set of leads. Brakes are s**t, so instead of getting these ones machined I am going to opt for ADB's slotted drilled on front and new pads on the rears. Already the set up of power + economy has saved me heaps of cash. $20 of fuel in 2 weeks instead of every 4 days, but it pulls so smoothly and hard even with the head drama's.
Going to change the heater tap next weekend too in the attempt of gaining better hot air to the climate control... hope it works because it fecken freezing up the mountains now.
Heads to be done on tax, still throwing up ideas ranging from me doing it to getting a high performance head. Just dont want to go too wild because then all the fuel saving work has been pointless.
The baby bonus has been a help. Want to create a safe yet fun and comfortable car on a budget. Its been hard to get the bargains but they are out there and its good to be gaining ground on the Mont. Had some help too along the way thats been a huge help mind you too.
Before Tax comes in I want to have done the brakes and dropped the 17" Racing Sparco's on her with new rear tyres and thats it. Wheels are really light and allow heaps of ventilation on the brakes, and they look great too. Whats the $70 job tyres like off ripbay? For that price its tempting for a short term idea just to get the wheels on.

Try Taleb tyres at Arncliffe. Its a drive but well worth it.
I got tyres there yesterday and I was suspect on the way down with them being known as Topleb tyres.
Seriously they were great. Probably one of the best dealings I have had with a tyre service ever.
Admitedly I got crap tyres as they are for the ute rear and no rear tyre has a long service life with me driving so theres no point spending big bucks.
I got 2x 265/30 19's fitted and balanced , a tyre swapped over to a different rim and all the wheels fitted for the sum of $290.
Was out the door half an hour after I walked in with the job all finished.

Thats it. I can get a full set for $270 + fitting. I have been told those ones are alright, but I only want rears. The name you said sounds familiar, might be the blokes on ebay I am thinking about using.
Once the heads done it will be an auto flush and service, diff fluid change and then a tune on the dyno at Blue Mountains fuel injection at Katoomba. Brad up there does Candos dyno's and knows his Fords. It will be interesting what she pulls.
The head is leaning towards a stage 2 setup with a wade cam. Got a heads up of the setup installed for 2k, but dont know about the excess fuel for a daily. She pulls hard now, but I know how much an i6 benefits from a cam upgrade.

Dont take it the worng way mate but if you are preparred to spend extra then just the basics to do a performance head dont put s**t tyres on.
At the end of the day your missus and kids are in it driving around up the hill in the rain and ice.
Do a basic rebuild of the head back to standard for the reliability and put decent rubber on.

I've been thinking that way and thats why its been hard to decide. The stage 2 head for 2k is really tempting, but its a bit over kill for a daily mum taxi.
The fronts of the rims already has Dunlop Sp sports with near new tread. The rears also have sp sports but they are 40 tyre wall. Been checking for decent tread second hand off ebay too, would love Khumo's but for 235/45 17's its not going to be cheap. Just need something to last maybe 12 months because alot of cash is going into getting the car fixed, 12 month time I will have the cash for decent tread all round. We do around 5500km a year, so if they are not too hard compound they might be the trick. The rims aren't critical, but I want them on and the space in my shed.

Ok well there are a couple of options in 235/45 17.
Falken 912. About $165 a tyre. Used to run them on the missus old XR8 and they are a bloody good tyre.
For cheap but the Hifly made by Maxxis isnt bad. $110 each at Tyrepower Penrith. Had a pair on the front of the ute for a bit. Not going to set the world on fire but not junk.