Eric's 1989 Yellow Grand Marquis

[VicCrownVic]

Hmm... I'm fairly certain some of the mounting to the floor did change in '90. When I first got my first '91 I was going to swap the power passenger seat from my '89 into the '91. The changes stopped me from swapping, and I decided to just get a '90-'91 seat track from the JY. Now, the changes may be pretty easy to overcome for someone with a little more fabrication skill/patience than I have.

I'd be curious to know what Nick did to mount that '92 seat track in the '87. It might be easier to put newer tracks in an older car. The newer ones have two studs for the front mounts, iirc (or was it the rear, or all 4? memory is quite fuzzy on this). While the older ones had 4 bolts on the 4 mounts (right?). Also the newer cars have middle seatbelt/buckles that bolt to the inner rear mount of the track while the older cars have separate mounts on the trans/driveshaft tunnel for those middle belt/buckles.

[Rodentkiller]

As for the sterio get new head unit new speakers and amplifier that will solve your problems.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I'd be curious to know what Nick did to mount that '92 seat track in the '87. It might be easier to put newer tracks in an older car. The newer ones have two studs for the front mounts, iirc (or was it the rear, or all 4? memory is quite fuzzy on this). While the older ones had 4 bolts on the 4 mounts (right?). Also the newer cars have middle seatbelt/buckles that bolt to the inner rear mount of the track while the older cars have separate mounts on the trans/driveshaft tunnel for those middle belt/buckles.

I think he used the '87 seat track and base and put the '92 seats on top of that. I can get photos of the seats if need be. The car originally had the standard leather type seats since in GMQ of the era, just recovered in vinyl.

[VicCrownVic]

I think he used the '87 seat track and base and put the '92 seats on top of that. I can get photos of the seats if need be. The car originally had the standard leather type seats since in GMQ of the era, just recovered in vinyl.

I completely misunderstood/misread your previous post, lol. I'm a bit slow sometimes.
If I'm understanding now, he did the swap in a way that would allow him to not have to modify the floor to accept later seat track?

[DerekTheGreat]

My goals for this car are reliability-simplicity-longevity and gas mileage. I am planning a cross country road trip in April, so I have a lot to do (for me anyway).
It is time to start a to do list:
1. Oil change... Picked up amsoil synthetic with zinc added. Some say synthetic will cause leaks in an older engine that had only been serviced with conventional... Does anyone have any real world experience with this?

I'm not a proponent of [Sc]Amsoil. It comes off to me as some dark elitist cult in which only zealots use, promote or sell the stuff. I've lost track of all the YouTube videos where someone is trying to push that stuff off on others through affiliate links. Don't get me wrong, it's great oil, as I've seen real world test data on the stuff (from their own hands!) but Valvoline SynPower edged ahead in several tests which seemed critical to me and was nipping the heels of [Sc]Amsoil in every other test. Best part of the Valvoline business is you can practically find it everywhere and thus don't need to order in advance or pay extra for it like you would with the other stuff. I like to add Motorkote to my oil too. I've watched some videos on YouTube, Project Farm's specifically, where he sacrificed two lawn mower engines to determine if that stuff was worth the money. They were both run without oil, the one with Motorkote went for about an hour before it lunched itself whereas the other one ker-pow'd after about 10 minutes IIRC. Check it out.

As for leaks, I've been running Synthetic (Valvoline SynPower specifically) in everything I own for years, probably approaching 6 or 8 now. I own old stuff on purpose; 1989 K1500 (350 V8,5w-40), 1989 Firebird (305 V8,5w-40), 1988 Town Car (302 V8,5w-40), 1992 F150 (Spouse's, 300 I6,5w-40) and I've never noticed additional leaks sprout up or existing ones get worse. I'd imagine existing ones could get worse as it's reported Synthetics have better detergents. However if I suspect an engine of mine is dirty, I run Marvel Mystery oil in it or SeaFoam in the crankcase. Project Farm has a good video with that using a 2.9 equipped Ranger-turd as test mule.
People also say that switching to synthetic from conventional will also lead to increased oil consumption. Not true. The 350 in my K1500 and every 300 I6 Ford I've ever known (except the one which had it's headgasket replaced, stay away from anything that has had that service if you weren't there to determine how long it was run like that or how hot it got) has never burned oil, and switching to synthetic had zero impact on that so forget about that wive's tale.

2. Transmission service... Again, a lot of don't do this and don't change the tranny fluid if so many miles or it will go bad. A transmission shop told me that they don't use the machines that suck out all of the fluid from the system because a small passage will get clogged up. I don't know if this is true or they just don't want to invest in the equipment, lol...

I've got two automatic transmission vehicles, the Lincoln and the Firebird. Sad face about the Firebird. Anyway, I've had the pan dropped on both to have the filters changed and fluid topped off at the time of their respective service. Firebird has maybe 5 years on it (and maybe 3k miles) since that happened, Town Car has at least 4 years and 20k miles on it since it's service. Neither one has had an issue, the Firebird's torque convertor actually regained lock-up once I had the service done. So if anything, all effects were positive. Fluid in Lincoln was brighter red and better smelling than what was in the Pontiac.
Ashley, however, had a 1991 Mark VII. Fluid was brackish with a hint of burnt smell but nothing absurd. Trans usually shifted in to OD like a virginal teenage boy attempting to "find the hole" for the first time.. Welp, we decided to experiment by having the pan dropped, filter changed and then fluid flushed. Trans seemed to shift better 1-3 and OD shifting was slightly improved. However, about 4-6 months later OD decided to leave the party and never came back. I suspect the band broke as it would shift into OD still and would attempt to move, but it mostly slipped as if it were in neutral. So, was it the flush which caused it? Or was the thing already doomed? I'm not exactly sure. I'd try a flush one more time on something else and if the same thing happens, then I'll never flush anything again. That has been my actual experience with stuff.

9. I'm not picky about stereos, but something decent would be nice. At the very least get the stock system working. Right now it is staticky and speakers take turns working... volume goes up and down on its own etc.
.

Type F trans fluid is quieter in the PS system than the Dexron/Mercon or Mercon V the transmission wants. Both work though.

If you can find someone with a headlight aimer, that will go a long way towards helping the light output as well. Between relays and a proper aim, I see very well with my cars even with boring old sealed beam halogen lamps.


The stereo you might start with making sure everything is plugged in and hasn't been screwed with. The stock stuff is mediocre at best, even with the premium sound. The later cars had better stuff, but the 80s were not exactly a time of high fidelity unless you owned a Lincoln and spent a stack of money on the JBL system upgrade. I believe that was somewhere around a grand. Not an option on the Ford and Mercury models. The single best thing you can say about the stock radios is they look proper in the dashboard.

What gadget said about the JBL system. I loved the results I got by running the JBL box-specific amp with an aftermarket headunit, Sony. However, the volume didn't run as high and the amp's eq curve became obvious and luckily I could counterbalance that curve by using the one within the Sony headunit. I went with Sony because they were the ones who supplied the factory CD player in the Town Cars. That was the $1,000 option. I believe JBL on it's own was $600ish, and that CD player added another $400. For the '80s? Yikes. Definitely worth it though. Of all the 80's stereos I've listened to, those are great. You definitely want to pilfer the JBL 6x9's from a Town Car, door speakers and dash ones if you can find them. If not, JBL's from a mid to late '90's Continental will work great too, as the rears are identical yet without the coaxial job so you can use them as pseudo subwoofers. You'd have to spend hundreds of dollars to get things that only sound marginally better IMO. I can get them for $5/speaker at the local yards so they're definitely a steal for that price.

I've put three, yes three power steering pumps on my spouse's F150. I tried Mercon V after watching Fordtech Makuloco's video about it and I agree with gadget, Type F works best and is quieter. Try and get Valvoline. 1st go around we used parts store brand stuff, a bit noisier and more viscous compared to Valvoline.

I also echo gadget's opinion of the headlight aimer or the DIY method I used which was pull the car up to a wall and shine the headlights at it while aiming them. Don't go about blinding others with your brights, that's just not good form. I also run the Sylvania extra visions, they are very bright and give me just as much distance down the road as modern vehicles without the obnoxious "presence". Aiming is key.

[Eric62]

Most of the tranny fluid I see nowadays is universal... basically says it works for everything... I can't remember when I last saw Type F, but I will research further, although I'm not too concerned about how quiet it is.
Even with headlights aimed correctly, it does not seem to matter when you are on a hilly road, or trucks in particular with their headlights higher than the roofline of a car.
That's what I was hoping as far as seats go.
My stereo is just old... It gets all wacky when I wiggle the knobs.
Thanks for all of your help and wisdom!

[Eric62]

I think amsoil is starting to go more mainstream now... I bought mine at a Rural King store, which is a bigger version of Tractor Supply. I will for sure look into the valvoline for next time though and see what is more cost effective. I'm not too worried about engine leaks as records show the PO kept the oil changed and the car supposedly has 65k on it which I mostly believe.

Transmission on the other hand has probably never been serviced. Transmission fluid was definitely more brown than red. I will probably pay to have the tranny serviced and shift kit put in as I just have no interest in doing that job and I don't want to end up with a non moving car, lol. There is a 1 man shop down the road... the owner does all the work himself. Like many here, I have given up on anybody else working on my vehicles... especially after my drive home a few weeks ago (don't ask)

Like I said, I'm not picky about a stereo and have no desire to vibrate the innards of my neighbors as I drive past, so a stock JBL system with a few speakers is fine with me. I have never messed with upgrading a stereo, so stereo talk is all foreign to me. I plan on visiting a few close by yards next week to get an idea of what is out there. As far as a head unit... I believe I have seen them mounted in the glovebox before in HotRods and cars that they wanted to maintain the stock appearance. I don't know how they work, but I imagine they have some kind of remote buttons to scan radio stations? I'm thinking about this so I could use the radio dash real estate to mount gauges? Does this sound feasible at all?

Are the power steering pumps plastic by chance... I did not look close, but it kind of seemed that way. Is there any way to swap in an old metal saginaw version? I'm guessing not easily if you have replaced one 3 times. Yes, I hate plastic, lol... one of the many reason I loathe new cars.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond in detail. I'll be ordering parts in the next few days and I'll get started next week.

Eric

[Eric62]

Just as I thought... Did a quick goggle and this popped up right away... it looks like there are plenty of others as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Control-SECRETAUDIO-Hidden-Stereo/dp/B00T8AK7AG

A little pricey, but this should give me enough room for 3 gauges which is more important to me than a stereo.

[gadget73]

Sometimes Type F is marked as Type A or AF. I have no idea why, but it says something about being for older Ford vehicles. My local Napa has it on the shelf.

The Ford C2 pump does use a plastic reservoir on a metal pump body. Some trucks did have Sag pumps and I believe the brackets for that are different. The cars never had anything but the pump you've got. The C2 actually works fine for what it needs to do. I've replaced only one from a legit failure. The front pump seal on my 86 Towncar gave up around the 200k point. I think the one on the Continental is original at 186k. The trucks work the pump a little harder than the cars do, so that might be part of the issue there. Cars with the tow package got a PS cooler, and those do seem to hold up better than cars without the cooler so fluid temp probably has something to do with how well the pumps survive. My Conti doesn't have a cooler, but it has hydroboost brakes and a rack so its got a lot more line than the Panther system has. It ends up working something like a cooler. My Towncar does have the cooler, its just a loop of 5/16 steel tube bent in a U that is as long as the radiator is wide.

Don't be too surprised it leaks if the gaskets are original. Not much to do with the synth vs not, the original cork gaskets just don't last 30 years. Valve cover and lower intake gasket leakage is a common thing on every V8 really. Aftermarket gaskets that are rubber instead of cork can be had and that fixes the problem very nicely. Also if the PCV system isn't working well, it will be more inclined to leak. There is a screen underneath the valve that often gets clogged up. The rubber grommet also tends to turn rock hard and stop sealing.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yep, according to HisRoyalGhostliness, the only Ford stuff which got the Saginaw pumps were E series vans. The CII pump is fine, but after the fiasco I had with replacing my spouse's, I've learned to be careful about what I tell the parts store. I got two units from Rock Auto for an "F150" and both of those made noise, that classic "GAAAAHHHHH" dying Tom Petty/Cat/irritable bowel syndrome noise.. Well another lesson learned there is don't sit on your parts! By the time we got that second "replacement" pump on her truck it was after the 30 or 60 day warranty window. So I went to the junkyard and scoured for box units but settled on liberating Tauri/Sable's of their pumps as gadget helped me verify the mechanical properties were essentially the same. People don't tend to abuse cars like they do trucks and that theory paid off as the pump I slapped on is quiet & the truck steers easier than it used to. Fluid flush probably helped that out.

You will be very happy with stock JBL, even the stock deck. Hell, I spent a bunch of money on upgrading my Town Car's stereo and when it works, it's great. But mostly I find myself chasing my tail with stupid problems like dead amplifiers and shitty connections courtesy of the installers. Plus I no longer have the factory look. I do have the factory deck though, and I could even hook that POS up to my amplifier and such. Hmm...

As for your headlights, no offense or anything but I wasn't there to aim them for you so I can't exactly trust your job.. But I will say the factory headlights & aim job are garbage. At one point my spouse and I both had Town Cars, her's an '89, mine an '88. They had the same aim job so it must've been factory: Driver's side headlight was aimed ultra low and pointed off the middle of the car whereas the passenger side was aimed a few degrees higher and roughly straight ahead. Looked like two dark piss streaks in the dead of night. I was lucky enough to find "Made in USA" Sylvania Ultravision replacements (Ones I had to buy for my K1500 are now China, sad face.) dropped them in, aimed them and wow, what a difference. I could tell even with the previous aim job I gave the factory headlights. I've went on several multi day road trips and usually never pop my brights on, they're just that good to me.

As for your trans, leave it alone. Don't put a shift kit in it, sounds like it's already wounded. At best, have the filter replaced and replace the lost fluid or flush the thing and replace the filter & see what happens after you verified the TV cable is set up right and you've got the brass bushing in place. Here's a nice video on how to adjust the TV cable:

[sxcpotatoes]

13. I am going to add relays to my headlights as well. These new car headlights blind me silly, making my headlights useless until my eyes recover. I just leave my brights on all the time nowadays.

All new headlights are effing Criminal! Especially the automatic brights that blind you until they dim a little because they sense your headlights. I kind of want to rig up a photosensor on my A-pillar that triggers a bank of blinding LEDS on the the front of my car, it would only come on when something shined at my car at head/eye level above the DOT legal limit for on road vehicle light output.

But, since that's too complex and I don't want to blind a cop, there's a better solution. You should get some shooting glasses, or yellow shades. You can get a pair of prescription or non-prescription cheap glasses with 10% tint. They cut down on the oncoming headlights at night so much that I can see the lane markings and if there's any debris in my lane on the road. https://www.instagram.com/p/eH86hhtVjF/ They even help reduce eye strain working with computer screens for long periods. I can't recommend yellow tinted glasses at night enough for safety, you don't have to look down and away and wait for your eyes to recover to see anymore!

[Eric62]

As for your headlights, no offense or anything but I wasn't there to aim them for you so I can't exactly trust your job.. But I will say the factory headlights & aim job are garbage. At one point my spouse and I both had Town Cars, her's an '89, mine an '88. They had the same aim job so it must've been factory: Driver's side headlight was aimed ultra low and pointed off the middle of the car whereas the passenger side was aimed a few degrees higher and roughly straight ahead. Looked like two dark piss streaks in the dead of night. I was lucky enough to find "Made in USA" Sylvania Ultravision replacements (Ones I had to buy for my K1500 are now China, sad face.) dropped them in, aimed them and wow, what a difference. I could tell even with the previous aim job I gave the factory headlights. I've went on several multi day road trips and usually never pop my brights on, they're just that good to me.

You can say anything you want about about my headlights or aim and I guarantee I will never be offended, lol.

The tranny seems to be fine... My main reason for a shift kit is longevity, but maybe I will do the fluid change and check out the TV cable myself first. The shift kit can wait and I am planning on a thick reusable gasket.

Thanks for the advice and the video... work will start next week.

[Eric62]

A agree!!... Sometimes my interior is so lit up that I feel like I'm being abducted by aliens, and all mirrors are useless. Even when they are aimed correctly, roads are not all flat and trucks are the worst, and blue headlights are worse yet. I believe the blue are illegal, but I've never heard of anyone being pulled over for them.

Yes, I need to start wearing the glasses. I bought some cheap ones a few years ago driving at night in the rain, but they were to weird. I'm sure if I start wearing them a little at a time I'd get used to them.

[gadget73]

I suspect a lot of the glaring lights are people changing things and not re-aiming the lights. Dead stock newer vehicles aren't nearly as terrible as the lifted Bro trucks. The blue is just obnoxious BS though.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yeah, there are a lot of bro-dozers around here..