kishy's 1983 Grand Marquis 2dr

[DerekTheGreat]

Eh, your photos look good to me. Just 'cause you didn't go to photography class or got low grades in it doesn't mean you're not or can't be in the same league as those who have. Just look at the guy who started FedEx, his professors essentially told him his idea was a lost cause.

Oh, yeah statistics would agree with you there. That's the thing I like about the Ferds- all the lights up front.

[gadget73]

when I take pictures you end up with an off-kilter and out of focus shot that probably has my thumb in it. I have no eye for it at all. Also why you never see me post pictures of anything.

[DerekTheGreat]

Eh, at least your YouTube vids are entertaining.

[kishy]

Car-working-on things have happened.

As I ran this car out of gas recently, it was the ideal time to address the inoperative fuel sender. Pulled it out, testing showed it works, so the float just didn't float anymore evidently. No visible holes, but it must have one somewhere. I have a few new plastic floats and one will go in this, as one did into the wagon.

The sender as a whole is a "rare" item, in that it's the carb setup (fuel pickup tube and float combined on a 2" sending unit. The pickup strainer seems to be D1FZ-9A011-A or very similar.

However, something I had wondered about in the past has surfaced. This car sat for a number of years before I bought it...well over a decade. It sat for that time with very little fuel in it. These conditions are how you rust the inside of a fuel tank.















I just put it back together with no float for now. The tank and sender pulled out of the junk Town Car are correct for this car, so I'll likely just do that. Very convenient timing on that.

[DerekTheGreat]

Backlighting on that cluster is nice.

[Arquemann]

Backlighting on that cluster is nice.

It's stock, or atleast mine's like that too. Mine has the mph and km/h digits switched around and the inside digits are in blue for some reason.
The blue numbers are insane hard to read when it gets even slightly darker outside. The dash lights don't help at all, I've memorized the corresponding mph and use those even in daytime.
Also kishy's car doesn't have a gas light or trip meter, which is really interesting.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

It's stock, or atleast mine's like that too. Mine has the mph and km/h digits switched around and the inside digits are in blue for some reason.
The blue numbers are insane hard to read when it gets even slightly darker outside. The dash lights don't help at all, I've memorized the corresponding mph and use those even in daytime.
Also kishy's car doesn't have a gas light or trip meter, which is really interesting.

His is a Metric cluster. You’re right about the blue numbers at night, they’re hard to make out.

The low washer/low fuel light and trip odometer were optional. The cluster I have in my ‘87 has a similar basic idiot light panel.

[87gtVIC]

Car-working-on things have happened.



I just put it back together with no float for now. The tank and sender pulled out of the junk Town Car are correct for this car, so I'll likely just do that. Very convenient timing on that.

Condition of that tank?

[gadget73]

If the sender is basically solid but crusty, maybe some EvapoRust is the answer. You can wrap soaked rags around the sender and put it in a bag or wrapped in plastic to keep it wet for a day or so. It will stabilize the rust at least.

[87gtVIC]

If the sender is basically solid but crusty, maybe some EvapoRust is the answer. You can wrap soaked rags around the sender and put it in a bag or wrapped in plastic to keep it wet for a day or so. It will stabilize the rust at least.

I can attest to evaporusts greatness. Use it on many many things and am always amazed.

[DerekTheGreat]

It's stock, or atleast mine's like that too. Mine has the mph and km/h digits switched around and the inside digits are in blue for some reason.
The blue numbers are insane hard to read when it gets even slightly darker outside. The dash lights don't help at all, I've memorized the corresponding mph and use those even in daytime.
Also kishy's car doesn't have a gas light or trip meter, which is really interesting.

Yeah, I've just never seen an early stock cluster illuminate so nicely with that flood lighting. I'm a big proponent of backlit gauges for that reason. But even those get nasty when a car left in the sun or without a shelter for years. I remember my '88 Townie the first time I sat in it and drove it at night. The cluster was (and still is) beautiful, the indicator needles perfectly orange and the text bright white like brand new. I was stunned, especially when compared to Ashley's '89 TC which did not have the "garage kept" power up.

[Arquemann]

Yeah, I've just never seen an early stock cluster illuminate so nicely with that flood lighting. I'm a big proponent of backlit gauges for that reason. But even those get nasty when a car left in the sun or without a shelter for years. I remember my '88 Townie the first time I sat in it and drove it at night. The cluster was (and still is) beautiful, the indicator needles perfectly orange and the text bright white like brand new. I was stunned, especially when compared to Ashley's '89 TC which did not have the "garage kept" power up.

This kind of gauge lighting does look pretty cool yeah but, as I've mentioned and most of you've realized, it just doesn't work that well, especially trying to see the needles. Meanwhile my Volvo has the most readable backlit gauges ever, even if a couple bulbs have burned out.

[gadget73]

the stock lights in mine were horribly dim. Ended up converting it to LED in warm white. Stock color, just brighter. Not sure why mine is so dim honestly, the domes are nice and the inside of the cluster is clean. 86 doesn't light the needle, but the lighting was dim to the point where I could barely read the speedo. Might be low voltage through the dimmer switch or something, don't know, don't care to put all the stock bulbs back in and screw with it.

The Towncar cluster is black back with white numbers and an orange needle. Its easier to read than the silver face with black digits. Earlier Towncars had that, never cared for it. The clocks on the early ones only tell time in Italian too, which doesn't work for me.

[DerekTheGreat]

"Tach? Whaddya need that for, dude? I've got a three inch clock! I always know what time it is, even when I'm putting in OT in the back seat! "

The lighting on my TC is so bright I had to turn it down. I do this on all of my vehicles now though, actually improves night time visibility. I kind of chuckle a bit when I pass by cars and the driver's side window is glowing from how bright the person's instrumentation is. Equally same reaction when people change the cluster lighting to blue. That's the worst color for night time driving as it's the hardest on your eyes. Phones even have an option to reduce blue content at night for that reason.

Yeah, maybe the dimness was a result of the voltage through that dimmer switch. I'm pretty convinced that with cars which have backlit gauges and they're dim, it's also because of UV damage to the plastic which is supposed to carry the light to the numbers and all that. Also, if the bulbs are old and all black on the inside from use then that's a problem as well.

Clocks only tell time in Italian? Seems like a joke that went right over my head.

[87gtVIC]

Roman numerals I am guessing.