My 1987 Two Door Crown Victoria AKA THE BROWN BLOB

[87gtVIC]

Pulled the Vic in the backyard today to address some issues, things I wanted to get done.

First on the list was hardwiring in the dash cam with its power supply versus me having to plug in the damn power adapter every time I drive the car. That went nice and smooth and it is nice not having to plug it in. Got annoying when I had that to plug in to the lighter and my GPS and my phone charger…Less is more.


Next up was investigating the sweating going on around the oil cooler. One of the fittings appeared to be leaking a bit and caused a sweaty oily mess on top of the cooler.

Factory box panther cooler mounts to the left of the hood latch when looking from the front of the vehicle. The left most fitting was the leaker. (pic was from 2015 when I had the front end apart...one does not need to remove front end to install oil cooler)



Dropped the cooler down from its brackets and removed the line and then the fitting. I was going to put some thread sealer on the 90 degree fitting that goes into the cooler to help stop the leak.



Did so then notice that the fitting that is part of the cooler itself is cracked.



Found the leak and proceeded to remove the entire system.




If I ever find a stock exact replacement I will reinstall the system..until then into storage it goes....

[IPreferDIY]

Does the crack extend down below the threads? If not, I'd be inclined to use JB Weld to secure the fitting and add a glob around the crack on the outside.

[87gtVIC]

No it does not extend past the threads into the cooler. I thought about jb welding the crack and around the piece (actually received an order of jb weld while doing this job lol) but decided it was not worth the effort. The crack just gets larger as you tighten the fitting down, plus it would be highly visible and unappealing to me. Again It did cross my mind but decided against it.

[IPreferDIY]

I've been doing so much JB Weld catch-up work lately that it would be a trifling thing for me. Getting crack expansion would seem to be a good thing in the sense that you could widen the crack slightly/carefully to get enough JB Weld to seep into the crack from both sides. Before leaving it to cure, loosen the fitting to close the crack and then just snug the fitting enough so the crack is not widened appreciably. With the JB Weld doing the sealing in the threads, the fitting doesn't have to be tightened down. You could also shape the layer on the outside and paint over it. But yeah, I know what you're like with your cleanliness etc. You actually came to mind yesterday when my car was due for one of my rare 'good enough' car washes in the rain.

[87gtVIC]

Haha. Thats good. This cars getting clayed and polished tomorrow...weather permitting. Amazingly for being painted in 2010 and spending all of its time outdoors since that day (under cover since 2011 i believe) she still looks damn good. Covers seams left some marring on the paint in high stress areas so I just want to knock those down and have it looking extra good again.

I can always try the repair in the future as I am sure it can be made to work. Nothing was discarded. And if it was a necessary component to the car I would have tried it. I can guarantee that I will not notice a difference with the engine oil cooler missing furthering my acceptance of defeat with this project.

[87gtVIC]

Went out at 6am and took advantage of the cool weather and shade before the sun came peaking over the garage onto the car.

Clayed the paint and windows. Treated the vinyl top and polished/waxed the paint.



Needed to touch up a couple spots on the paint so I did that to. Also dabbed in black into all the rock chips on the front grille.









After that was done my dad and I tried to get the ac system up and functioning again. It worked fine last year after a recharge of r12 but no longer this year. We vacuumed out the system and tried to charge it up. Compressor engages and it did suck in r12 but not much happens after that. Ac is just cool not COLD. It just is not what it once was.

Full retrofit coming for this car. Just have to figure out what that consists of. I do know I want new of everything BUT the evaporator…That I aint changing….I want new receiver drier accumulator things, condenser, compressor orifice tube is a must as well as hoses. This is going to be difficult to source I am sure.

Then my dad and I cruised around town a bit…Showed him the line lock.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I take it your full retrofit will be swapping to R134a? Only thing I know of that might need a little adjustment is the low pressure cycling switch. R134a seems to be a bit happier cutting out around 20 PSI. Seems factory R12 cut out around 25. It’s got an adjustable screw inside, so getting it dialed in isn’t hard.

I’ve been happy with my converted system Nick did. Works well, even in the southern heat. Only thing that I’d say would help these cars would be adding an electric fan similar to the Aeros for low speed A/C efficiency, assuming a mechanical fan is still fitted. If full electric fans are fitted, I’m sure that’s not so much an issue.

[87gtVIC]

Yes converting to r134a.

I can find everything through rock auto BUT the condenser.....what do to? The condenser is okay and the compressor has not grenaded itself so I know there is not shit everywhere. I will flush it with ac flush..... And the price for all the stuff I chose comes out to under 400 before shipping. New lines, compressor, accumulator, orifice tube and the works.

[87gtVIC]

I was rushed...dinner was calling...

compressor has always leaked oil. Never from the front but from underneath. And new this year, maybe last, was sweating around the accumulator/receiver drier fittings. Other than that everything else appears to be okay.

I heard that the lines to the manifold on the compressor can seize up over time. I will try to find a back up one in case mine do not give up easily. It seems most compressors do not come with a new manifold.

[DerekTheGreat]

I had a new compressor put in to replace the one which blew up in my '88. Drier/accumulator too. Ashley's '89 still sported it's original R12. There was no noticeable difference between the performance of the two. If anything, I'd say my car was colder with that ceramic tint. You do not need to go about replacing the condenser if yours is in good shape. Mine was also converted about 4 years ago and I haven't had to touch it since.

[87gtVIC]

Excellent to hear Derek.

[87gtVIC]

Order placed.

Part Number Part Type Price EA Core EA Quantity Total
No Vehicle Specified
FOUR SEASONS 69991 A/C System Flush $ 22.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 22.79
FOUR SEASONS 59172 A/C System Flush Gun $ 99.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 99.79
1987 FORD LTD CROWN VICTORIA 5.0L 302cid V8
FOUR SEASONS 55644 A/C Refrigerant Hose $ 17.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 17.79
FOUR SEASONS 55673 A/C Refrigerant Hose $ 41.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 41.79
FOUR SEASONS 55747 A/C Refrigerant Hose $ 53.79 $ 0.00 1 $ 53.79
FOUR SEASONS 26777 A/C System Valve Core and Cap Kit $ 7.96 $ 0.00 1 $ 7.96
FOUR SEASONS 26715 A/C System O-Rings, Seals, & Gasket Kits $ 9.38 $ 0.00 1 $ 9.38
FOUR SEASONS TSN0264 A/C Compressor & Component Kit $ 212.79 - 1 $ 212.79
FOUR SEASONS 33168 [Kit Component] A/C Receiver Drier / Accumulator $ 18.68 $ 0.00 1 -
FOUR SEASONS 38621 [Kit Component] A/C Orifice Tube $ 0.69 $ 0.00 1 -
FOUR SEASONS 58111 [Kit Component] A/C Compressor $ 193.42 $ 0.00 1 -
GPD 8011276 A/C Refrigerant Oil $ 5.80 $ 0.00 3 $ 17.40



lets see how much arrives damaged, incorrect part, or just ordered wrong part to begin with. lol Some stuff I got just for the hell of it. I am young yet. Good things to have Already have manifold gauge set.

[gadget73]

If the pressures are reasonable, it will get cold unless there is a blanket of fuzz on the evaporator. I'd be looking to clean that before buying new parts.

If you're changing the condensor, get the new multiflow style. Check with John what he used on his. They're more efficient and will work better with 134a.

[87gtVIC]

I have r134 gauge set. Didnt bother or want to try an adapt it fully to the r12 system. Dad also did not want to contaminate the gauges...if thats even possible.

How can I examine if there is a blanket of fuzz on the evaporator? Where is it visible from? I did fire off the parts cannon but like you said if the evaporator was my issue due to fuzz covering it I will still have an issue. Though some components may still function the system looks like hell under the hood. It was due for replacement so I will not feel bad about that.

At the moment I am not looking to replace the condenser. I will speak with John about it though. I could not locate any through rock auto and figured maybe they no longer exist for this car.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

So they show this unit here: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...197075&jsn=380

For whatever reason it only says it fits 1986 LTD Crown Victoria, but covers the wagons, GMQ ('86-'91), and LTC ('86-'90). Don't know why it doesn't list LTD CV properly, but should fit fine otherwise.