Fred Smailes
Newbie
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2024
- Messages
- 26
- Location
- BC Canada
- Vehicle Details
- '89 XR7 5speed In a '64 Mercury Comet

These pics are from the fall of '13. I bought the long block here from a friend who had it rebuilt but never installed. Stayed on the shelf at the ready for 9 years in his garage. Eventually moving on from SCs it became surplus. We met up at a car show got talking how my motor was tired and "have I got a deal for you" so a deal was made. This was mid summer '12. He and I were a 12 hr drive apart so it took a while to get it hm.
Ended up another friend was living about half way between us and was making a round trip to where the motor was so he picked it up and I drove to the second friends place to get it still over 6hrs one way. But it was home this was June "13.
We were planning a trip to SoCal with the car and camper leaving Jan 1/14. So work to be done.
I took the car to a show in n Libby Montana August /13 called Light up the Night which was almost a free for all on main Street burnouts galore. Sassy was in full song until it hooked real hard and broke the driveshaft output yoke and split the tailshaft housing
.
Another friend, with a trailer hauled me 2 1/2 hrs home. October 13 started on the swap.
The new motor came with another "low mileage" 5 speed so great deal.
After a ton a work, upgrades, maintenance and a whole 3 or so hrs of breaking! We left for California, about 1800 miles one way Jan1 and other than ignition module challenges ran great.





Ended up another friend was living about half way between us and was making a round trip to where the motor was so he picked it up and I drove to the second friends place to get it still over 6hrs one way. But it was home this was June "13.
We were planning a trip to SoCal with the car and camper leaving Jan 1/14. So work to be done.
I took the car to a show in n Libby Montana August /13 called Light up the Night which was almost a free for all on main Street burnouts galore. Sassy was in full song until it hooked real hard and broke the driveshaft output yoke and split the tailshaft housing

Another friend, with a trailer hauled me 2 1/2 hrs home. October 13 started on the swap.
The new motor came with another "low mileage" 5 speed so great deal.
After a ton a work, upgrades, maintenance and a whole 3 or so hrs of breaking! We left for California, about 1800 miles one way Jan1 and other than ignition module challenges ran great.





Last edited: