LTDMan's '87 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (Big Red) *DUW*

[LTDMan83]

Another Update.

I have the day off today, so I'm spending this gorgeous summer day outside working on Red. Took a break from the heat for a little while, and I thought I'd post some updates for you mangs, of what I have accomplished on the car in the past couple of weeks.


Chassis/Body Updates:


First up, we have Frame Braces from a Box Towncar. I have installed these on 3 stock '87 boxes so far, the PS one bolts right on, but all of them required the DS bulkhead to have new holes drilled and tapped, in order for it to bolt right on. Here's why. (See next pic)




As you can clearly see, the holes in the DS of the Crossmember which the braces bolt onto, are not only drilled further forward, but also at a different angle. This is why they will not bolt right on. All 3 boxes I have installed these on have had the same problem, and this is why. The PS is drilled in the correct place though and will bolt right on.




On the DS, I had to carefully Measure and Drill/Tap new holes for the braces to bolt onto the Bulkheads. PITA, but it worked out great. Don't worry, I know how to drill and tap a vehicle's frame, and there is no chance of these bolt holes stress cracking at any point in the future.




Frame Braces painted with a rust-resistant Red Base, and then topcoated with Midnight Canyon Red Metallic. Makes for a very durable finish, which will not chip, and can easily stand up to road abuse.




Installed. Made the entire car feel alot stiffer, ride a little smoother, and feel more stable during hard cornering. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade.





Next up, we have Fender/Core Support Braces from a Box Wagon. These will bolt right on with no problems.




Painted these with a durable Red Base, waiting until I paint the jambs to topcoat them.




Installed. The Body of the car feels noticeably stiffer with these installed. A nice and cheap factory upgrade for sure.







Interior Updates:


Finally got around to installing a basic aftermarket stereo system. Here are the install pics.


A good used set of 6x9 3-way Rockford Fosgate speakers. These can handle up to 180w without blowing out.




Installed, and bolted down in the already present holes in the rear deck.






Sony Xplōd CDX-GT110 CD Player, that I bought off of an eBay seller for only $20! It works great, and even has an Aux input for me to hook my ipod up to!




All the wiring for the entire deal with everything labeled and ready to be hooked up, it's pretty simple. I used an aftermarket power harness adapter, to hook up the head unit power wires to the car stock stereo power harness. Gave me a completely trouble free install. It's nice when things just work.




Head Unit Installed. I used the stock stereo bracket, modified it, and bolted it to the back of the unit, to hold in into the dash bracket just like the original unit was. Then, since there is no way to bolt it to the outer skin of the dash, I stuffed blocks of soft foam under the bottom of the stereo to act as shock absorbers, and keep it from skipping over hard bumps. Finally, I had to fabricate a trim piece out of black plastic to cover up the gaping holes between the dash trim and the unit.







Next up, I will have many pics of my progress with the Slicktop Conversion. I'm taking my time with it, because I want it to come out right. That way I only have to do it once.


Now,

[87gtVIC]

Nice job. I never knew about those Town Car braces. i now gotta add that to the list.

[LTDMan83]

Nice job. I never knew about those Town Car braces. i now gotta add that to the list.

Thanks. Just keep in mind that you may have to Drill/Tap new holes in the DS Bulkhead for them to fit your car. All the boxes I have installed these on were '87's, and had to be modified in order to fit, not sure if it was a factory mistake or if they meant to drill the holes so that the braces won't fit on the DS. Maybe they found that the braces where more effective on the DS pitched at a slightly different angle. This is Ford 80's engineering where talking about here, so who knows...

Looking at the holes in your crossmember, and comparing them to the pic I took will tell you for sure if you will need to mod.

[Brandon]

Nice man. It's looking good.

Maybe one day you can convert my top to slick

[LTDMan83]

Nice man. It's looking good.

Maybe one day you can convert my top to slick

Thanks Man.

Sure man, that would be great. Just give me a little bit of time to recover afterward from doing this one. Like anything, it can be done quick and dirty, but it's a metric shit ton of work to actually make one look good, lol.

[LTDMan83]

Also, I would like to note, that as of today, I only have $640 total invested in Big Red, including the purchase price and all the upgrades I have done thus far, (not including maintenance items). This is the cheapest, and Best car I have ever owned in my entire life!

I truly feel humbled and blessed to have found this beast.

[Jason_GMQ91]

Thanks. Just keep in mind that you may have to Drill/Tap new holes in the DS Bulkhead for them to fit your car. All the boxes I have installed these on were '87's, and had to be modified in order to fit, not sure if it was a factory mistake or if they meant to drill the holes so that the braces won't fit on the DS. Maybe they found that the braces where more effective on the DS pitched at a slightly different angle. This is Ford 80's engineering where talking about here, so who knows...

Looking at the holes in your crossmember, and comparing them to the pic I took will tell you for sure if you will need to mod.

I always wondering what about my Mark VI, its still the same as box Town Car? that mean not have to worry to drill it?

[packman]

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye out for these braces. I know of one box wagon and two box TCs at the JY I go to. Perhaps they might have the braces. Thanks for the heads up on that.



Packman

[LTDMan83]

I always wondering what about my Mark VI, its still the same as box Town Car? that mean not have to worry to drill it?

Since your MarkVI has the exact same frame as the Town Car does, I would think that the braces should bolt right on, on both sides.

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye out for these braces. I know of one box wagon and two box TCs at the JY I go to. Perhaps they might have the braces. Thanks for the heads up on that.



Packman

No prob.

If your feeling ballsy, the Town Car also has front and rear Frame Endcaps. Both of them together installed on a CV/GM should make a huge difference in the stiffness of the entire frame. They are welded to the end of the frame rails behind the bumpers though, so you will need to cut them off of the donor car.

I'm getting a set for my Merc, as soon as I can get access to a Cordless Sawzall to take to the junkyard, and cut them off.

[LTDMan83]

After much contemplation, I have decided that in order to complete the Ultra Slick look that this car is gonna have, I'm gonna have to delete the Vent Windows and install the 1-piece glass front door windows, as well as deleting and shaving the extremely fugly Granny Lights on the front fenders (which completely kill the smooth look of the body). I will be converting the original panels, instead of trying to find new ones.

Now my search begins for a set of 1-piece front door glass in good shape.

and I'm off....

[Grand Marquis GT]

I hope you're shaving the lower rock chromes too. If not, you're doing it wrong.

EDIT: I just saw it's already gone. Shit

[P72Ford]

I hate the vent windows. 1 piece glass is the win.

Never had a car with ditch lights. I don't like them either.

Also, since you seem to be removing alot of the clutter: one of the things that I like best about police cars is that they don't have chrome around the window opening. Looks more modern without it. Is that something you considered? Not sure if all civilian cars came with that trim or not.

I'm liking your choices thus far.

[87gtVIC]

I hate the vent windows. 1 piece glass is the win.

Never had a car with ditch lights. I don't like them either.

Also, since you seem to be removing alot of the clutter: one of the things that I like best about police cars is that they don't have chrome around the window opening. Looks more modern without it. Is that something you considered? Not sure if all civilian cars came with that trim or not.

I'm liking your choices thus far.

I used to dislike the look of a full windowed tudor, but now I wised my car was one. I dont use the vent window often and it does really clutter the look of the car. I was also contemplating leaving the chrome trim around the windows off (since i removed them already for paint) but i dont like how the window channels sit without them.


Looking great! Full windowed cars didnt use a different regulator did they?

[LTDMan83]

I hope you're shaving the lower rock chromes too. If not, you're doing it wrong.

EDIT: I just saw it's already gone. Shit

Yep, the previous owner removed them. Lots of old trim holes left behind to close though.

I hate the vent windows. 1 piece glass is the win.

Never had a car with ditch lights. I don't like them either.

Also, since you seem to be removing alot of the clutter: one of the things that I like best about police cars is that they don't have chrome around the window opening. Looks more modern without it. Is that something you considered? Not sure if all civilian cars came with that trim or not.

I'm liking your choices thus far.

Thanks. I really like the Slick and Clean look of the old Cop Cars, as well. Which is the look I'm going for here for the most part. Base Model Exterior/Luxury Interior. AKA: All business on the outside, party on the inside.

I have been considering removing the chrome around the window openings, and lately I've been looking at pictures of Box PI's with the trim removed, and I'm still very torn on what I should do. It does make the window frame look a little smoother, but something about it just doesn't look right to me. I am gonna give it further consideration though.

I used to dislike the look of a full windowed tudor, but now I wised my car was one. I dont use the vent window often and it does really clutter the look of the car. I was also contemplating leaving the chrome trim around the windows off (since i removed them already for paint) but i dont like how the window channels sit without them.


Looking great! Full windowed cars didnt use a different regulator did they?

I've looked at the Full window regulators in my LTD's front doors, and they appear to be the same between the two. I also found out that the factory Full window front doors do not have a metal Window Run Channel at all inside the forward section of the door, and that the Window Run Channel weatherstripping pieces are the same length between Vent and Non-Vent front windows.

[neums]

I think there were two kinds of vent windows. My old '84 had a large round opening mechanism that you had to turn with the palm of your hand. A friend of mine had a later car (can't remember what year) which had a clip and a swing-out hinge. I thought his made more sense than mine, but an old-fashioned window crank would have been better than both. I agree that the vent windows do nothing for appearance, but they were nice to have for ventilation, especially when it was raining and you didn't want to roll down a window.