Beauty And A Beater: Is There A Better Combination Than A Junkyard LS Engine In A Ford Fairmont?


Beauty And A Beater: Is There A Better Combination Than A Junkyard LS Engine In A Ford Fairmont?

It’s strange to think that LS swaps really took off because of one Ford Fairmont. The “Leroy Brown” 1982 Fairmont sedan built by Matt Happel was known for clubbing unsuspecting racers over the head with a 4.8L and a single turbocharger, and if LS Fest is any indication, that setup won’t change anytime soon. Why a Fairmont? Easy…it might have all the aerodynamic prowess of a brick, but they come in around 3,000 pounds curb weight and usually underneath that mark. Light car plus capable motor equals fast…you can’t fight physics, and when your only goal is to be as fast as possible, things like brand loyalty get launched out of the window. Besides, you can still score a Fairmont for a song, leaving more money on the table for the good stuff. BigKlieb34 caught up with this blue wagon out at Wild Horse Pass Raceway in Arizona and for a car that is busy killing the engine off for good, it’s still a bad mother.


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17 thoughts on “Beauty And A Beater: Is There A Better Combination Than A Junkyard LS Engine In A Ford Fairmont?

  1. Michael Thompson

    Why can’t the Chevy guys put their junk in their own brand. Why must they always taint examples of the greatest automobile manufacturer on earth, the Ford Motor Company?

    Kinda makes you feel sorry for the lovers of the lesser makes knowing they do not have worthy chassis for performance cars in which to place their new very Ford-like small block since everything seems to be a pissing contest to them.

  2. Brent

    My parents had one of these (a Mercury version of the wagon in the picture with wood grain!)
    Even as a kid, I thought the car looked cool. This might have been the first indication that I might like the cars off of the normal beaten path.
    Regardless of your engine choice (how many Model A’s and Dueces have SBC’s?), I think they make cool sleepers.

  3. Mark

    There are a big handful of better combinations – try a Coyote 5.0 or even a pushrod Windsor. Or a Cleveland or a 382-series or a 4.6 3V – well, maybe not the 3V but I’d still take it over an LS-powered mutt. Aside from the powerplant, though, Fairmonts are cool as hell and being a longroof makes it even cooler.

  4. 75Duster

    Bob Glidden had the ultimate Ford Fairmont combination back in the ’80’s, a Boss 429 based block that took him to many Pro Stock victories.

  5. Rod

    That car while cool should have been sent home after that pass, even without him killing it. Mid 9’s with just a roll bar, obviously the car is not certified to go that quick on an NHRA sanctioned track.

  6. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    Hunka shit LS in a Ford!

    The guy that made the swap probably prances around in his wife’s soiled underwear outside the local high school….

    How else do you explain the kind of lunkhead that soils Henry’s finest with junkyard iron that should have stayed in the junkyard!

  7. jerry z

    Love the LS haters on here! Problem with the Ford camp is the Mod motor is expensive to build. The stock 5.0 block is junk above 500hp.

    Should I go on?

  8. ksj2

    Please do.That Windsor based Fairmont I posted is faster that th LS on Bryan posted.Your last name Springer? LOL

  9. Keith Hellum

    I have 1200 bux in the motor top to bottom. Threw it together 2 weeks before just to make the event. Lets not act like this is some built race car.

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