I was a bit surprised to see this forty year-old Granada wagon at one of the many trailheads we hit this summer. It’s just not quite what one expects to see at the end of a long gravel forest road, so of course I had to shoot. Taking a closer look at it revealed why it wasn’t quite so unlikely: it’s been improved, as were so many Fox body Fords in their day.
That was obvious already from across the parking lot, given the beefy tires on these Mustang alloys. Hmm; wonder what’s under the hood? Presumably something other than the very weak sauce that it came with: either the 86 hp 2.3 L four, the 87 hp 200 CID Falcon six, or at best, the new 112 hp 3.8L V6. More likely a later 302 V8 with some real kick, I assumed.
A look inside tends to confirms that guess: Looks like the shifter for a five speed transmission, and there’s bucket seat and a console, along with a sports steering wheel. There may have been more that I couldn’t see.
But the single exhaust looks…stock. Hmm. I’m pretty sure that only the 2.3 four was available with a stick, so…either it’s that, or a V8 with a very modest exhaust. I’m stumped.
The hike was less of a head-scratcher.
The only brochure on Old Car Brochures appears to be Canadian and I’m not sure if the US got different engine/trans combos. But the Canadian brochure says that all ’82 Granada wagons had automatic transmissions.
I always felt like the non-sporting Fox-body cars were (at least partially) inspired by – or a ripoff of – the Volvo 140/160/240/260. They both offered, among other things, a coupe with a weird roof 🙂 And both could be built in a very Lego-like fashion with factory parts from other models to create whatever the builder had in mind.
I think this is an ‘81, since 82’s IIRC have the blue oval on the top of the grill… also I’m gonna split guesses at the drivetrain and say the engine is indeed a 4, but a turboed Pinto setup
There was no Granada wagon in 1981 – the wagon was moved from Fairmount to Granada in 1982 (one year only) and I believe the 3.3 with automatic was standard on the US wagon, with the 3.8 optional. A 1982 model indeed should have a blue oval at the top of the grille but this car is significantly modified. Unless there was a delete option for the automatic I think this car’s manual transmission also is a modification. Who knows what might be under the hood at this point. Motorweek tested a 1982 wagon with the option 3.8 and found it barely adequate. I factory ordered a 1982 sedan with the 3.3 and it was a reliable slug.
While the grille is 1981-specific, there’s plenty of evidence that this wagon isn’t exactly in factory condition. The side and rear emblems are missing, the wheels are non-original, and the seats are transplanted from an early ’90s Explorer.
I’d be REALLY curious to look under the hood of this one…I’d bet my life that it’s had an engine swap, or at least extensive performance modifications.
It looks remarkably like an Aussie 80s Falcon in size, they were good cars but no four banger that idea never got past prototype stage, a 4.1 six was the popular choice 3.3 was taxi grade on LPG.
V8s in 302 or 351 were discontinued in 83/4 and the alloy headed 4.1 gained fuel injection instead ironically or not only 3 and 4 speed manual was offered the 5 speed only on 3.3 engined XFs in 85, slushbox was 3 speed, Very very few left in regular use here.
Perhaps the best looking version of the Falcon XD-XF, the wagon looks similar at the rear to it’s American cousin, but with an even lower sill line on the sides. Five stud wheels to take power up to 351 V8 mated to a five speed manual.
The XD-F Falcon wagon actually used the same tailgate as the Granada.
Whatever it has in it, it’s awesome. Looks like it’s had some suspension work…or at least a drop of an inch or two. Potentially a perfect sleeper…looking stock with just the most subtle hints. Love it.
4-lug wheels = weak brakes. Nothin’ special.
All the speculation, I do presume something with a little life has been done nder the hood. Now to an obviouse change not mentioned. it does look as if the bumpers have been snugged up closer to the body. less exposed shelf. this is a better look. and the several inches lost are likely better for approach and departure angles as well as parallel parking.
You may be right. Here is a pic of my 1982 GL sedan just home from the dealership with the paper plates still attached. The rubber guards were standard.
And here’s the 1981 L sedan that I inherited from an estate and traded for the 1982. Same bumper and guards.
Why the trade ? Only “one year” newer.
Four cylinder, no A/C. Not suitable for LA.
Neat find.
The steering wheel sure reminds me of my ’82 Mustang GL (my first car). I can’t see what’s on the center hub, though, and it looks brand new.
Hopefully the lowered stance isn’t from dropping an eight atop the stock four or six’s suspension. The back height matches so I don’t know.
Even if it is it’s still a cool car.
I think it would look even better without the lower body brightwork.
Ooooh, I like! I read about one guy who converted a box Crown Vic to a stick shift, so I am sure it can be done to one of these (that offered the stick in some related variants even if not in these). I wonder if the underside of the wagon creates a problem for a true dual exhaust, which raises the possibility of a 5.0 that loses a touch of power by emptying into a single exhaust system. In any case, these are really rare cars and this may be the coolest looking one I have ever seen.
These Fox-body wagons boast truly handsome profile and rear three-quarter view. I wish today’s vehicles had a similarly airy greenhouse. The grille on this Granada projects an LTD vibe, and is not my favorite; I prefer the cleaner 1978-80 Mercury Zephyr front clip.
The lowered stance and larger tires and Mustang wheels are subtle additions here. I’d like to think the owner has added 5.0 liter V-8 in place of whatever was in the engine compartment originally. From my experience, those power plants were really pathetic in the malaisiest possible way.
Looks a bit “barren” without the roof rack.
When the Granada moved to the Fox platform in 1981 and its replacement the LTD in 1983 also heavily based from the Fairmont chassis, it seemed as though only in 2 Door Coupes as in the case of the 1981-82 Granada and the 4 Door Sedans on both the Granada and its replacement the LTD were the only models that had unique designs which sets them apart from the Fairmont. However the Wagon versions for both the 1981-82 Granada and 1983-86 LTD remained totally unchanged dating back from the 1978-83 Fairmont except only the front end and grilles distinguishes them from the Fairmont and one another. At least when the Fairmont was replaced by the Tempo in 1984 and the Granada/LTD were discontinued after 1986, the many iterations of the Ford Taurus a totally different FWD mid-sized car broke away from the continuous successions of the Fox derived platforms. Only the Mustang despite of two major redesigns in 1979 and 1993 through 2004 kept the outdated Fairmont platform legacy until the Mustang was totally redesigned for 2005 on an entirely different new platform and slightly larger than the 1979-2004 vintage versions and more similar in size with the 1964 1/2 through 1970 predecessors.
One important point that I may also add is that when the Ford Torino was discontinued and replaced by the LTD II in 1977 that the one year only wagon version of the LTD II was actually based from the Mercury Montego wagon (later becoming the Cougar Villager) body which was still based from the 1972-76 Torino wagon so this option was not redesigned. Same can be said with its Mercury cousin counterpart. Practically speaking Mercury Montego body with either an LTD II or Cougar front end. Some even later customized their wagon to even have the same year Thunderbird front end.
Bit of a shock to think this is forty years old!
A conflicting styling detail between the tall lower body side chrome molding conveying domestic ‘luxury’, and the black plastic bumper end caps, conveying cost-cutting/economy. Ford’s coming aero styling, dated the styling on these quickly, in the context of that era. Especially, on the four door, and two door versions.
Well it came from the factory with the Falcon six, at least. To my knowledge the stick was only offered with the four-cylinder, and not on the wagon at all, so I would also hazard a guess that the engine was swapped out when the transmission was as well.
Wow – a great find! I hate to say it but- if it is a 4cylinder stick, the manual will not do it any good. My girlfriend had a 1979 Fairmont with a 4cyl stick and it was “DANGEROUSLY “ slow. Yes, slugs are faster than 4cylinder Granadas and Fairmonts. But for their time, they gave you great gas mileage, 22-25 mpg. You just barely could get them moving, no joke.
Retro fun. It has the look and feel of a large car, but with a lot of upgrades. Nice. I’d bet I’d love it.
It appears the bumpers have been modified as they do not protrude near as much as the factory 5mph would
Nice, I love sleepers .
The lack of roof rack makes it look svelte .
Kudos to whomever built this quiet Hot Rod .
-Nate
Well, if it has a 4cyl, It is definitely a sleeper. Sound asleep. Definitely a cool survivor. The thing I like about Ford in the eighties was that they stuck to RWD cars. I like them and all the other models using this Fox platform. GM decided to “Force “ FWD on everyone on most of their cars starting in 1980 and that’s what started the “TRUCK “ craze. In trucks, you could still get your 350 V-8 and RWD. Thus, what we have today is a direct result of smaller, FWD cars that people did not like. The craze took off and now we look back with reverence at cars like this Ford Granada because “FORD” decided to give people what they wanted.
I’ve heard that more and more non Mustang fox bodies are being modified, as prices for the Mustangs are going up. I’ve heard about Fairmonts with LS swaps. It makes sense someone would drop a 302 in one of these. Mr Regular has an episode about it.
I love mine!! I have a wagon that I purchased in 2005. It has the carbed V6 and I have put over 200,000 miles on the car. I am running BF Goodrich radial T/A’s with slotted mags and a dropped front end.
This summer it will be getting a 302 backed by a AOD.