This is my 89 Grand Marquis GS. I got it for 800 dollars about three years ago. It ran excellently and was in great condition, so I was more than happy to have it. Everything works, nothing is broken and it fits me in every way. Shortly thereafter someone asked me if I had a name for it. I decided to call it the first thing that came to mind: the Monolith.
Since then, I've spent about 2500 fixing things that were starting to wear out. First off was the tires. They were completely bald to the point of being visibly smaller.
I bought four used tires, two of them for 20, two for 25. Only two of them match.
After that, I have since replaced the power steering pump with one off a Continental, the alternator, the battery, the fan clutch, the tensioner, the rear air shocks and airline, the wiper blades with much larger ones, the missing dash knobs with aluminum bolt-ons, the entirety of the brakes and a tune-up, the gas tank padding, and the fuel pump. The tune-up made it run better; the fuel pump made it run fantastic, even though it's really noisy. It's the loudest noise the car makes. I've also added some black self-adhesive rifle wrap to the stripped door handle and gear lever knob, and Gorilla-Glued some cuts in the upholstery and whatever parts of the dash were rattling or loose.
Then I bought these for about 45 each.
I got them sandblasted for 25 each, painted them myself, and added some chrome lugnuts after the fact.
Now that I have it running exactly as it should, if not better, I figure I can start improving it.
First off, I want to add fog lights. I don't want to drill holes in the bumper or anything, so after doing a bunch of research I figure I should probably mount them on a push bar. I got this idea because of a thread I saw right here where someone had one custom-made. Same year and everything.
They also offered to make one for the OP of that thread. If this person is still around, I'd love to talk to them.
The other thing is routing a switch into the console. I'm not sure where to put it, since there aren't many convenient places. I was thinking right next to the headlight knob but I would have to cut through the metal plate around it to do that. This'll take some thought.
Next is the tires and wheels. I've decided on General Grabber AT2 tires, and I'll probably get 1-inch wheel spacers to make up for the empty space that the wheel covers have left in their absence. Some steel mud flaps would be nice as well.
After that, the exhaust system. I want a dual-exhaust setup to improve power and mileage. I know I don't want headers. I have eyes on Lincoln Logs that I also heard about here, and I'll be getting those soon before they're gone. What I'm not sure about is the mufflers. I don't want it to be much louder than it is. I like how virtually silent it is right now. I won't mind it being loud enough to mask the fuel pump, but I want to keep it as quiet as absolutely possible. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be grateful.
Up next would be the half-top. I want to re-upholster it with ballistic nylon. Don't want to replace anything, just put it right over the top, cut slots for the badges and lights. Ballistic nylon will not be damaged by rocks like this is. It'll also look really nice and make the car a real individual worthy of a name. Not sure how I'll attach it or what I'll use, but I think some silver embroidery would look neat whether it's needed or not.
Last of the main projects would be a tow hitch. As I'm sure you know, the 89 Grand Marquis had an option for a tow package, which is one of the reasons for the standard rear air suspension. I want to add one, so I have the capability if I ever need it.
Everything else I need to do is just small knick-knacks and visual touch-ups.
I want to keep this car for as long as I concievably can. To that end, I want to improve it for the long-term and make it as practical as possible. If anyone knows of anything else I might be able to do, I'd be thankful.
This is all going to take a considerably long time to achieve, since my budget is very small. But I'll make it happen.
Since then, I've spent about 2500 fixing things that were starting to wear out. First off was the tires. They were completely bald to the point of being visibly smaller.
I bought four used tires, two of them for 20, two for 25. Only two of them match.
After that, I have since replaced the power steering pump with one off a Continental, the alternator, the battery, the fan clutch, the tensioner, the rear air shocks and airline, the wiper blades with much larger ones, the missing dash knobs with aluminum bolt-ons, the entirety of the brakes and a tune-up, the gas tank padding, and the fuel pump. The tune-up made it run better; the fuel pump made it run fantastic, even though it's really noisy. It's the loudest noise the car makes. I've also added some black self-adhesive rifle wrap to the stripped door handle and gear lever knob, and Gorilla-Glued some cuts in the upholstery and whatever parts of the dash were rattling or loose.
Then I bought these for about 45 each.
I got them sandblasted for 25 each, painted them myself, and added some chrome lugnuts after the fact.
Now that I have it running exactly as it should, if not better, I figure I can start improving it.
First off, I want to add fog lights. I don't want to drill holes in the bumper or anything, so after doing a bunch of research I figure I should probably mount them on a push bar. I got this idea because of a thread I saw right here where someone had one custom-made. Same year and everything.
They also offered to make one for the OP of that thread. If this person is still around, I'd love to talk to them.
The other thing is routing a switch into the console. I'm not sure where to put it, since there aren't many convenient places. I was thinking right next to the headlight knob but I would have to cut through the metal plate around it to do that. This'll take some thought.
Next is the tires and wheels. I've decided on General Grabber AT2 tires, and I'll probably get 1-inch wheel spacers to make up for the empty space that the wheel covers have left in their absence. Some steel mud flaps would be nice as well.
After that, the exhaust system. I want a dual-exhaust setup to improve power and mileage. I know I don't want headers. I have eyes on Lincoln Logs that I also heard about here, and I'll be getting those soon before they're gone. What I'm not sure about is the mufflers. I don't want it to be much louder than it is. I like how virtually silent it is right now. I won't mind it being loud enough to mask the fuel pump, but I want to keep it as quiet as absolutely possible. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be grateful.
Up next would be the half-top. I want to re-upholster it with ballistic nylon. Don't want to replace anything, just put it right over the top, cut slots for the badges and lights. Ballistic nylon will not be damaged by rocks like this is. It'll also look really nice and make the car a real individual worthy of a name. Not sure how I'll attach it or what I'll use, but I think some silver embroidery would look neat whether it's needed or not.
Last of the main projects would be a tow hitch. As I'm sure you know, the 89 Grand Marquis had an option for a tow package, which is one of the reasons for the standard rear air suspension. I want to add one, so I have the capability if I ever need it.
Everything else I need to do is just small knick-knacks and visual touch-ups.
I want to keep this car for as long as I concievably can. To that end, I want to improve it for the long-term and make it as practical as possible. If anyone knows of anything else I might be able to do, I'd be thankful.
This is all going to take a considerably long time to achieve, since my budget is very small. But I'll make it happen.
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