One cold day, the block froze, and I found someone who could swap engines for cheaper than I could rebuild the original engine.
What a mistake!
I was just a kid and didn't know any better, but the other engine was a Ford, yes, but not built for the Fairlane. So the moron welded in the motor mounts.
Next..... /Duh! The transmission would not match up with that motor, so moron finds a good 3 speed manual to install.
After many weeks and mucho dinero, I had my car back. Great! But within a few weeks, guess what happens to welded in motor mounts?
Yep. They break.
I can't tell you how many times I had to re-weld those motor mounts in, until I found some universal motor mounts that took.
And even then, because the mounts had slack in them, the engine would torque and shift, and when that happened (often) the clutch linkage slipped off the side of the block. No clutch = No go.
I carried a small floor jack for when that happened. I would climb under the car, base the jack on the inside fender well, jack the engine away about 2 inches, slip the clutch linkage back into place, release the jack, and be back on the road.
Happened way too often.
Man I hated that car, but man I loved that car. My first car; a 1968 Ford Fairlane.
My first car was a 1964 Ford Fairlane.
When I got it I thought it was grey. Then I washed it and discovered that it was light blue.
I'm short so I had to attach a wood block to the gas pedal and my eye level was even with that huge steering wheel so I had to look underneath it!
I loved that car.