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My first Grand Marquis a.k.a "Charleston"

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    My first Grand Marquis a.k.a "Charleston"

    Alright, even though I've been posting random help threads on here I haven't made one for the reason of those threads. I wanted to wait until I gave him a bath and cleaned him but since I plan on doing that tomorrow I figured I would go ahead and start the time line of Charleston.

    He is a 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis, with 66,967 original miles.(awesome!)
    Obviously he has the 5.0L(302W) V8 w/ that AOD transmission.
    I've been trying to figure out the rear axle ratio but no good on that one.
    He has a blue leather interior with the rear door window pull shades.
    Everything on him works. The cassette player, windows, mirror, horn(my first car with a working conventional horn) the air conditioning/heater and to my surprise the cruise control even works. Now the locks are a little funny. The switches unlock and lock the rear doors only. The front doors are untouched. I can't lock the front driver side door from the inside at all. The passenger atleast locks. It honestly shocked me, because my 1995 Buick LeSabre which was a one owner car had all of the same equipment as the marquis, just lacked a gas light, but the lesabre had faulty locks, driver window worked when it wanted to. The blower motor died after a while so no ac. The cassette player was inoperable, as was the cruise control. It just surprised me the fact a 23 year old car was so much better than a 14 year old.

    Now out of the 6 days i've had my car in my possession I have sanded all of the critical rust of my car's painted surface(rust bubbles/streaks) I primed them all and am just waiting for my paint. It's not going to be smooth but a reminder of where my car came from, Battle Scars oh and i put a pin hole in my hood by trying to scrape off the bubbled paint :p whoops

    I have realized a lot of the front end pieces need replacement of newer, non-corroded parts for my safety and his longevity . Being native to Florida, my car has the under-body tarred and until I can replace the front end parts, I am going to use all my waste-oil and oil them down to prevent any further deterioration.

    The brakes like I've said before have very little brake pressure in the peddle until the floor, when it then stops like a normal car. Since driving it a little since i've bought it the pressure is gradually returning and stopping distance is improving. So I'm going to be watching that one for a while.

    Also as I have posted, my engine has a severe oil leak problem. So in the next week it'll be tune-up time. I'll be replacing the following.

    -Valve Cover Gaskets.
    -Intake Manifold Gaskets(Upper,Lower and Plenum)
    -Oil Change with 10w 30 or 40(haven't decided on what type of oil)
    -Radiator Flush
    -PCV Valve w/ grommet and filter

    *Probably the fuel filter once I run it all out of gas?

    On top of that I am buying some sort of leather conditioner, because my seats don't seem moist. They're starting to crack and feel dry.

    My vinyl top has turned green and is dry and when you touch it green rubs off on you. So I will hopefully find some sort of vinyl x or something until I replace the top.

    Because of the two cracks on my dash cover I am getting a dash pad.

    I also will be restoring my hood ornament that was stuck under the battery broken off from it's original place and putting that where it belongs.

    Finally, I will be replacing the quorum of bulbs I need. The driver side coach light, the side headlights, driver side front turn signal, under-hood light, trunk light, glove box light and if i'm looking at it right there is supposed to be a light under that lip at the top of dash, correct?

    So sorry for all the babbling and length. I'm just so happy I have this car!






    "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

    #2
    Nice car mang! It's got that coach roof, nice.

    Sounds like you've got alot on the to do list... don't run the car out of gas because you can clog up your 'sock' (an in tank pre filter thingy). You can use leather conditioner for your seats and the top too, like blue coral( it says it works on vinyl too) works great! Probably soak everything down a couple times. Let it sit for 30 then wipe off.

    Comment


      #3
      Yeah, I just gotta figure out how to replace the coach bulb, but oh okay. I did it in my buick when it was effed up and stalling at every turn and skipping like mo-fo hah finally 4 cycles of running it out of gas and 3 fuel filters later it ran nicely

      but thanks again for the Blue Coral suggestion. I'll definitely get some of that tomorrow.
      "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

      Comment


        #4
        Nice ride. I used to own an aero GM
        '79 Continental Town Car
        '90 Crown Victoria LTD
        '94 Crown Victoria

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by 79lincolnlover View Post
          Nice ride. I used to own an aero GM
          Haha My mom almost got an a new marquis back in late '06 a shame she didn't That was such a marquis. Silver exterior, sunroof, black interior.. sigh but One day I will own a 1977 Lincoln Continental! :p One day
          "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

          Comment


            #6
            and now i'm freaking out about my TV bushing and cable coming off and my car either full throttle accelerating by itself or frying my transmission.. Sigh haha
            "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

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              #7
              Originally posted by tyler_hubbard2003 View Post
              and now i'm freaking out about my TV bushing and cable coming off and my car either full throttle accelerating by itself or frying my transmission.. Sigh haha
              It will just fry the transmission if the tv cable falls off...

              The cruise control on the other hand, can go wide open on you without warning though... ha ha.

              Comment


                #8
                It looks like I still have the plastic bushing too.. Not sure.. Just went out and checked.. I'm about to go double check. But the cruise control I can just unplug one day and not worry about sudden rocket speed? And how exactly does one prevent a tv cable from falling off? I know I'm always asking questions Ford Man, but I gotta have my bases covered! This is my baby!
                "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by tyler_hubbard2003 View Post
                  It looks like I still have the plastic bushing too.. Not sure.. Just went out and checked.. I'm about to go double check. But the cruise control I can just unplug one day and not worry about sudden rocket speed? And how exactly does one prevent a tv cable from falling off? I know I'm always asking questions Ford Man, but I gotta have my bases covered! This is my baby!
                  I'm not familiar with your cable setup to be honest. My car has the tv rod deal. I'm sure someone will be happy to answer your question.

                  The cruise control pull cable can be disconnected at the throttle plate. The other end should go to a canister looking thing on the fender well. This is my setup, your's may be different...

                  Comment


                    #10
                    87 is sefi, should use the TV cable setup

                    This is a must-see site for fans of American luxury hot rods. Message forums, tech advice, news, and automotive performance links are offered for Lincoln Mark VIII and Mark VII, Lincoln LS, Town Car, Continental, Navigator, Aviator, Zephyr, MKR, MKS, MKZ and more.

                    This is a must-see site for fans of American luxury hot rods. Message forums, tech advice, news, and automotive performance links are offered for Lincoln Mark VIII and Mark VII, Lincoln LS, Town Car, Continental, Navigator, Aviator, Zephyr, MKR, MKS, MKZ and more.


                    the cruise cable and throttle cable just pop off, might need to jimmy them off with a flat screwdriver but be careful you don't break anything, they just use a ball socket type setup. dunno why you'd want to disconnect the cruise cable but i suppose you could without any troubles. the cruise, throttle, and throttle valve cable all run through the same bracket.
                    sigpic


                    - 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria P72 - the street boat - 5.0 liter EFI - Ported HO intake/TB, 90 TC shroud/overflow, Aero airbox/zip tube, Cobra camshaft, 19lb injectors, dual exhaust w/ Magnaflows, Cat/Smog & AC delete, 3G alternator, MOOG chassis parts & KYB cop shocks, 215/70r/15s on 95-97 Merc rims

                    - 2007 Ford Escape XLT - soccer mom lifted station wagon - 3.0 Duratec, auto, rear converter delete w/ Magnaflow dual exhaust

                    - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate Edition - Daily driver - 4.6 2 valve Mod motor, 4R75E, 2.73s. Bone stock

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                      #11
                      No light under the dash lip.....that cut out in your picture featuring the compass is used for gathering temperature readings with a sensor that atc cars have. Atc or not...all cars had the cut outs.

                      What type of door moldings are those on the outside of your doors?
                      ~David~

                      My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                      My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                      Originally posted by ootdega
                      My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                      Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                      But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                      Originally posted by gadget73
                      my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                      Comment


                        #12
                        No light under the dash lip.....that cut out in your picture featuring the compass is used for gathering temperature readings with a sensor that atc cars have. Atc or not...all cars had the cut outs.

                        What type of door moldings are those on the outside of your doors?
                        ~David~

                        My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                        My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                        Originally posted by ootdega
                        My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                        Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                        But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                        Originally posted by gadget73
                        my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                        Comment


                          #13
                          pull and plug the vacuum line to the cruise servo and that will disable it. no need to jack with the cable.

                          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

                          Originally posted by dmccaig
                          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            nice merc, looks like you got some 88-91 merc styling ques on there too

                            1981 Mercury Marquis Brougham 2-Door 302/ 5-speed -special blend (GMGT)
                            1987 Lincoln Mark VII 5-speed (Errand runner)
                            1989 Mercury Grand Marquis (Base Runner)
                            2007 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited (Hustlyn)
                            2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (Down with O.P.P)

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Oh okay, just making sure so I don't try to find a bulb for that dash lol but thanks for the cruise info. Whenever it stops working, i'll plug it up lol and yeah it does have the same emblems as the '88-'91.. I like them better any ways ;p
                              "Charleston" the 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS sedan

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