Head gasket Blew - due to prior neglet of old owner he never repaired it - he notified me he travelled around 80 thousand kilomiters with a blown head, in which he told me he just topped up 4 litres of oil a week to keep her going.
Central locking solonoid motor in drivers door collapsed.
Power window switches wiring can sometimes become loose - easy fix.
Drivers seat foam was a little saged - previous owner above average weight - to be expected.
OK here is the story.
I Aquired the vehicle september 06. I purhcased the car for a slab of beer. I was aware of the kilomiters, the blown head (it just wouldn't die) still drove home. as long as you kept your foot on the pedal. from the day this car was purhcased it was on LPG. - conversion - I personally knew the owner and I know he never used petrol. he got 18 years out of this motor, 365000 kms out of it 80 thousand of which was driving with a broken engine mount and blown head. due to the car only being run on LPG the fuel pump had ceased after 18 years of non use. this to me is a true testiment to ford reliability. to think this man couldnt possibly negrect this car any more and it still Never gave up on him. so I took it off him. replaced the motor with the EB 4.0L which was more powerful at 148 KW and quieter, I replaced all the blown shocks and made it super low. foxed the body dents and resprayed it. added EL side mirrors and handles And changed the egg-crate grille for the DC LTD chrime grille with emblem. as for the interior I swapped it for the NC Fairlane ghia and the car is still on its original 3 speed transmission. which in my opinion is more relaible than the 4 speed having owned both.
If there are any other people out there with a testiment to ford durability please comment back.
I agree with you. I have had my NA Fairlane for 7 years and can't find a valid reason to retire it. It is used as my daily driver and I run it on LPG always, the fuel sender and injectors are kaput as a result. I agree with your view about the 3 speed auto. So far (240,000) no symptoms of head gasket going, but I am sure its around the corner. As a preventative measure I am fanatical about regular coolant cleanout, and an anti-leak soluble cube in the reservoir tank, so far so good. I replaced the clutch fan with a genuine replacement– boy what a difference that made to the temp gauge in summer!
All in all a great motor car. So roomy. I love the climate control: set at 22º and leave it all year round. I would have to spend minimum $15K to find a viable up to date replacement.
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