Ride Of The Week 09/14/2020: Harrison Young's 1980 Ford Fairmont

"Keepin' It Junkyard Fresh"

Harrison Young of South Williamsport, PA is a hot-rodder who loves a 'sleeper'. Oh, what's that? You don't know what a 'sleeper' is? Well, a 'sleeper' is a car that appears to be run-of-the mill on the outside, but under the skin, is a performance monster!

Enter this 1980 Ford Fairmont, an econobox if there ever was one. In 1978 the Fairmont was introduced on the Fox body platform, shared with the third generation Mustang and came in 3 flavors: a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a five-door station wagon. The engines ranged from an inline-4 to an inline-6 to the Windsor V8 that put out only 139 hp in 1979.

Now, Harrison is a fan of both 'sleepers' and these old Fox bodies. Between its sister cars, the Mustang and Mercury's Zephyr, parts and aftermarket applications are plentiful. It would be easy to slap Mustang performance goodies on a Fairmont to go fast. However, Harrison is budget conscious and believes in hybridization. No, not like a Prius with gas and electric power plants, I'm talking cross-pollination!

"Junkyard Fresh" is how he describes his ride. He harvested a GM LS engine from an old work van along with a GM 4L80E transmission. Crossing those with a Ford 8.8 rear end harvested from an aforementioned Fox body Mustang. He added a Billet 80mm turbo for a build that will run the 1/4 mile in ETs in the low 10s/High 9s.

Adding to the bewilderment of the uninitiated are badges taken from "Hybrid" and a hood ornament from a Cadillac. This hot rode hides in plan sight, sleeping, and ready to pounce!

If you’d like your ride to be featured as a #carshowlife #rideoftheweek, send us your story and photos to info@carshowlife.net.

And don't forget that each submission from now until Nov. 30, 2020 will be in the drawing for a custom Car Show Life Show Board valued between $175-250! Click here for details!