kishy's 1985 Country Squire

[kishy]

Test-fitted one of my trailer hitches on this. Have found that nobody is selling a 2" receiver for the wagons, but a few brands do for the sedans. It does appear the frame is different enough to make a difference at the very back, but there will be a way to mount it up...it just can't use holes that pre-exist on the sedans because they don't exist on the wagon. More drilling, not the end of the world.

[87gtVIC]

I pulled a wagon hitch from the junkyard for my car. I believe it came with some sort of wedge shaped spacers for the forward? Mounting positions. I did not utilize them for the installation of the hitch onto my coupe.

Again excellent photos.

[DerekTheGreat]

Nice pics dude. You could be a freelance photographer. Need to find me an abandoned road like that for similar angles. I think it's time to put a for sale sign on my Lincoln.

[VicCrownVic]

The wagon looks good. Also, I was there the day those wheels were acquired.

Nice pics dude. You could be a freelance photographer. Need to find me an abandoned road like that for similar angles. I think it's time to put a for sale sign on my Lincoln.

Park it by that old middle-of-nowhere abandoned corner store by my parents' place. Also, I know of an old abandoned one room school house not far off the route we take up there. Lots of potential up that way for picture backgrounds.

[DerekTheGreat]

Those will make great shots. I do have some photos from when we road tripped it several times that'll make for good pics as well. I could just use those, they're several years old but it's not like the car has changed.

[kishy]

Thanks folks

I really am completely obsessed with how this looks. I love when I have a vision for something and can make reality match what was in my head. I'm a super visual thinker...all my ideas are like photos, apparently that isn't the case for everyone, but anyway when you think the way I do it's super rewarding to see the result pan out like this. I realize they're just steel wheels and pretty standard tires but I'm thrilled with it.

The hitch that came on the car was the little baby receiver, and also hopelessly rusted, but it did fit without any spacers. However, the direct-fit-for-a-wagon hitches only exist in the little receiver size, so some sort of spacers need to be fabbed up to make the sedan hitches work. No reason it can't be done, just needs to be done. Some sort of triangular wedge thing will need to be found as described above.

[sly]

Thanks folks

I really am completely obsessed with how this looks. I love when I have a vision for something and can make reality match what was in my head. I'm a super visual thinker...all my ideas are like photos, apparently that isn't the case for everyone, but anyway when you think the way I do it's super rewarding to see the result pan out like this. I realize they're just steel wheels and pretty standard tires but I'm thrilled with it.

The hitch that came on the car was the little baby receiver, and also hopelessly rusted, but it did fit without any spacers. However, the direct-fit-for-a-wagon hitches only exist in the little receiver size, so some sort of spacers need to be fabbed up to make the sedan hitches work. No reason it can't be done, just needs to be done. Some sort of triangular wedge thing will need to be found as described above.

Since I installed 2 sedan hitches on the Mad Marquis and the Red Velvet Cake, I may have those pieces left over. I'll try to remember to check my washers box. I know I have leftovers of the rectangular "inside the frame" bolt trap washers.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I installed a hitch I got from Nick that came off an Aero, IIRC.

I used a Curt brand install kit for the ‘92+ cars and it fit fine. Just have to drill two holes in the frame towards the bumper, but I had to do the same thing when I also installed one on my ‘97. They include these little shims for the rearward mounting holes to make everything level.

[sly]

Nope... apparently I used them for something. I kept the slight forward tilt on mine since it was level with the trailer attached after the car squatted.

[kishy]

This is it mocked up, with the rear bolt in the existing hole in the frame which is ever-so-slightly too far back. I'd be fine with mounting it there, but the existing holes are not spaced enough to use them to mount it (can only bolt one side or the other, but not both), so it will get kicked forward a bit for new holes spaced correctly.





I think even a non-triangular 1-5/8 x 1-5/8 x 7/8" block would suffice as a spacer (after measuring it to get those figures), which ignores the fact that it's fitting in a triangular space, but I think it's close enough that it would all smoosh together properly. Maybe. I would prefer a triangular wedge that better filled the space but that's not as easy to come by.

Regardless, maybe the U-Haul hitch install place will have some little chunks they can sell for negligible cost. Otherwise I can find some scraps somewhere.

[GM_Guy]

Aren't Wranglers truck tires? Fronts look a bit "meaty."

My box grand marquis and my pickup truck are within 200 pounds of each other when crossing the dump scales, close enough for truck tires for me.

[sly]

This is it mocked up, with the rear bolt in the existing hole in the frame which is ever-so-slightly too far back. I'd be fine with mounting it there, but the existing holes are not spaced enough to use them to mount it (can only bolt one side or the other, but not both), so it will get kicked forward a bit for new holes spaced correctly.

[pictures here]

I think even a non-triangular 1-5/8 x 1-5/8 x 7/8" block would suffice as a spacer (after measuring it to get those figures), which ignores the fact that it's fitting in a triangular space, but I think it's close enough that it would all smoosh together properly. Maybe. I would prefer a triangular wedge that better filled the space but that's not as easy to come by.

Regardless, maybe the U-Haul hitch install place will have some little chunks they can sell for negligible cost. Otherwise I can find some scraps somewhere.

I had to drill all the holes on both of my cars. It wouldn't line up to anything that was already there. I just held it in place with a jack and marked the drill spots. One car I dropped the receiver and drilled the holes... the other one I left the receiver up and just drilled the holes with it in place. Probably was safer to drop it after marking the hole locations. The bolt fishing wire was a godsend getting those things into position. Also, making the holes one step larger than the needed size makes getting them in much easier.

[gadget73]

If you have a grinder, triangle wedges aren't that hard to come by.

[kishy]

When mounting the hitch on the Lincoln, the forward mounting bolts called for the use of existing openings in the frame, and those existing openings did exist on my car so I only had to drill the rear holes. But, the same openings do not exist on the wagon at all, regardless of the fact they would be too far forward on the wagon version of the frame.

While I could make the wedges, I would need good stock to start with. Going to talk to the fleet maintenance guys at work, they've got all sorts of scraps hanging around.

Achievements for the day:
-re-unblocked the washer fluid nozzle. Added inline filter from some junkyard car to avoid this plugging up again.
-replaced the driver wiper mounting stud/post/tower thing with a junkyard pull with less play. wiper no longer parks above hood and should also resist trying to run off the A-pillar in the wind.
-heater core plumbed in, Motorcraft ATC blower lockout installed, heat verified to work well and quickly.





Blower resistor seems to have a defect, need to investigate (low and medium are same speed, high works normally). Blower wiring seems to want to be re-done as blower feels a bit weak, but is a new motor. I seem to recall mention of a blower motor relay or rewire mod that skips some harness sections but I can't find it with my half-assed search attempts right now. EVTM will tell its secrets.

I think the next project will be the idle speed. Fast idle does not exist currently. All parts are present, just need to configure them properly.

3G is coming too, but the 1G is being pretty well behaved, so it might just stay until something goes wrong. Depends on if I randomly stumble upon a good 3G and associated bits in my garage I guess.

[Arquemann]

-replaced the driver wiper mounting stud/post/tower thing with a junkyard pull with less play. wiper no longer parks above hood and should also resist trying to run off the A-pillar in the wind.

What part of the post has play? Since I have the mentioned issue aswell. Is it just in where the motor linkages attach to the post?
In which way does it have less play?