Yes, there is a reason why you are looking at a dirty, dingy, craptacular 1982 Ford Granada. Probably the most unloved of the Fox platform cars, and one of the shortest-lived (1981-82), the Granada didn’t make the downsizing move gracefully. I’m not a fan of the original, Falcon-platformed car at all, but I’d rather take one of those abominations over this. A shoebox has more style. No, not a Ford shoebox, not a GM shoebox…the cardboard box my Merrills come in has more style than a Fox Granada. These are bad…everybody remembers Chrysler’s issues at the beginning of the 1980s, but Ford wasn’t that far behind them, and it’s cars like this that weren’t helping.
But the back window holds a couple of clues as to why we are enamored with this beige nightmare. Sloppy Mechanics is your first clue. These guys have a V8-swapped Chevrolet Colorado that will rock, host dyno days where a car is sacrificed to the gods on the dyno, and have a ball. The other is more obscure, but we can explain it. That’s the “Team BabySoft” sticker. I know I’ve asked about the name, and I can’t remember it off of the top of my head, but I know what other car I’ve seen that sticker on: the Crown Victoria that shows up and kicks ass at LS Fest.
Here’s the deal: this is a half-done build that needs some completing. According to the listing: “the car is not finished. It runs and drives but will need the cooling system completed and the wastegates plumbed along with the drain being finished.” It’s up for $8,000…which the seller claims is simply cost recoupment. Here’s the list of what’s inside:
AJE Tubular K-Member
5.3 LM7 SBE
Mild “turbo” cam
Head Studs
Custom Billet YANK Converter
PAC Valve Springs
GM MLS Head Gaskets
TH400 w/shift kit
New Transmission Pan
New Transmission Flexible Dipstick
New TH400 Slip Yoke
AJE Tubular Transmission Crossmember
GT45 80mm Turbo
Dual 44mm Wastegates
4″ Downpipe (Sounds Good)
Big 2 Speed Electric Fan
Bar and Plate Style Trans Cooler
New Struts/Shocks (in box)
New Brake Lines
8.8 Rear End To Go With Car (Not Installed)
Tubular Upper & Lower Rear Control Arms
Megasquirt ECU
TCI Shifter
Double Pass Aluminum Radiator
33x12x4 A2A FMIC
3″ Intercooler Piping
New 15 Gallon Fuel Cell
AEM 380 Fuel Pump
Goodridge Braided -8an Line
(All Fuel Line Is Braided)
Bosch 95# 1000cc Injectors
All New Gauges
AEM Wideband
Bowtie Tach
JEGS Boost, Oil, Water temp, Trans Temp
Brand New Tires
Yeah, the car is ugly, but finish up the build, keep it quiet and you’ll be able to hear the guy in the other car blowing his voicebox out as he vents his anger after getting spanked by the ultimate Malaise-mobile.
Craigslist Link: 1982 Ford Granada GL
Whistley? is that like Sqatchish?
LS power? Nope. Crack pipe.
I’d rather spend $40 on some new shoes and just walk…..
Sounds like enough of the turbo parts are recyclable onto a Ford power plant or just outright sellable to make this not too bad of a deal for some decent work put into the rest of the car and you know you can sell the Gen III/IV swap into a Fox for money.
I’m just plain weird but I’m thinking it would be interesting to put a 4.2L Ford V6 with a Supercoupe M90 setup on it under the hood and either the matching Mazda 5spd or another stick setup (normally I’m an automatic guy) and make it a Butta-Face pro-touring type car that is straight up ugly but does the rest of the pro-touring stuff of accelerate, handle, and stop well. Being that it’s a 4dr, get 5 point harnesses for 4 seats and let the whole crew/family have a ball. But then again, I’m weird.
The car is in NC! Oh to piss off a lot of people would be awesome!
\”Team Babysoft\” was coined by Cameron Powers, who own the Crown Vic you saw at LS Fest. It is a joke, a joke about keeping your timing low on a Turbo LS tune….a \”Babysoft tuneup\” and a reference to all of the people who regularly talk about how much is \”left in it\” and how the \”tune is soft.\”
I just so happened to find this ad yesterday afternoon at work. This is actually my car and I took the Craigslist ad down not long after it was up because I decided to finish it and drive it. I named the car \”Blanche Cooney\”. Seemed appropriately random. I bought the car from a junkyard and done the entire swap/build at my cousins shop. I wanted the ugliest most cost effective sleeper I could find and this was it. Thank you Bryan McTaggart for the write up! I really enjoyed this! I will send you some pics of smokey burnouts when it is done which should be this weekend lol