'Sherrie' my 86 Oxford White CV Coupe

[DerekTheGreat]

My rear end in my '89 has 245k on it, Ashley's '92 has 200k on it. My experience is that these rear ends do not "self destruct as most Chevy rears do." Mighty prejudicial thing to say. I think what ails many a vehicle is lack of maintenance, and if you let a rear end empty itself of oil, it'll blow up. The fuel door fell off and you abandoned a vehicle? Sounds about as bad as the time my mom sold her '71 Torino because it needed brakes.

How many motors is your '03 on? Has it been apart for the cam phazer issue that doesn't actually fix the problem? Everything seems to work well until it isn't.

I've seen just as many rusty Fords & Dodges to Chevies. Bottom line is they were built by people like you and me, so they're good enough for me to run short of stupid engineering like a dual cam engine in a truck. You won't be running your '03 when it's 30 years old but that'll be when I really want to hear about how reliable and easy to maintain it is. I find that single manufacturer zealously to rather amusing, especially when people rip on each other for it. Your GM doesn't know it's a GM any more than your Ford knows it's a Ford. People built the thing. And engineers that have built/designed Fords later went to GM and vice versa. It doesn't have to be a cult thing.

[gadget73]

With the salt crap on the roads anymore, everything seems to just go away. I see newer trucks than mine with way more rot, all makes too. Thats kind of my problem, I don't like the newer ones, and the old ones are either rotted to hell or way too much money to justify.


I'm guessing the fuel door thing is that it got so rusty the door simply had nothing to attach to anymore.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yep. That and there is a continuous push for "green" products so chemists continue to work on developing other pretreatments which no longer have formulas with things that actually work in them. Thin film zirconium pretreatment is no where near as good as traditional zinc phosphate but consumerism and profit margins drive buzzwords like "innovation" so they can have fresh patents and the increased profit margins that go with them. So they focus on scribe line corrosion performance and ignore how shitty the edge performance is yet if anyone in the decisive hotroom was paying attention, they'd realize edge is practically where all the corrosion happens. That and they're going away from seam sealer and rock guards too. Chrysler is notorious for skimping on seam sealer.

Why I continue to have our salt bath cars treated with Krown every year.

[clutch47]

My 03 S/D was purchased used with 46K on it and a blown engine. Original owner was an old tech guy and once he put 20-50 in it it's days were numbered.
I got it for a song.
Picked up a new engine from Grooms in Nashville through a buddies garage and did the transplant. They do his Grand National engines for him. He's got 5 of the damned things. Deceptively fast.
Got the updated heads, a different set of cams and the taller plastic friggin intake. Makes a ton more torque than the original.
I put JBA headers on it on the install to fix the manifold stud issue. 5-star y-pipe and a different CAT...one 3 inch pipe out the side in front of the tire.. No muffler/exhaust after that.
Not that loud at all. It runs well. Currently 127K and rolling.
I use the Berkebile PFC over top of Interstate products rust killer. My CV will be getting this same rust preventative treatment shortly.
I get your point about cult loyalty for a thing...and the same engineer migration.
I'm just a FORD guy. Pick at me all you want. It's me man.
Carries over from my Uncle and family working for FoMoCo since...hell... back when John Wayne wasn't gray, and you could buy a truck with crank windows, an AM radio and manual hubs.
My uncle John was involved in the first Mustang project and helped design the paint.
Went to BASF to work after that. FORD is what we speak I guess.
My buddy in high school had a Chevy truck. Driving down the road one day...wheel and axle sticking out 10 inches.
Friend had a 283 Vega. Same thing.
My 87 Squarebody. Rear ate itself. Plenty of oil in it and lash was right. I'm not new to mechanical things nor proper maintenance of them.
Just not a Chevy guy.
I love Harleys too, and New popcountry sucks.

[gadget73]

I find it funny that people assume I'm a Ford guy. My first two cars were air-cooled VW. Then I had a Dodge Dakota that I hated, then the Chevy S10 that I've had for 18 years. I've had the Towncar for 15, the Mark VII for 10, and the Continental for about a year and a half. I like Lincolns, they have nice seats. The Continental doesn't even have a Ford driveline in it, its all Beemer except for the diff.

[clutch47]

I'm gonna get back onto the story of Sherrie.
She's a little hairy under there.


At first I thought I was missing a trim piece. Not the case.
So I'm going to take this piece out (again!) and shave her.
Give it a spray down with either some rattle-can bedliner or maybe rattle-can plasti-dip.
I think That'll stop the underbrush growth, and add to the insulation.

I'm currently waiting for an appointment with the best A/C guy around or so he is referred as..
STILL nada on the HVAC. I balked at doing it all myself.
Time, health issues and work getting in my way.
Sooo... I'll contribute to the automotive repair industry. I'm sure it won't be cheap.

I dug out my old tach from another project. It's a little big but hey. A shift light in a CV.?
Why not.
I'll set it for 4K and laugh my nuts off every time it lights.

Anybody wanna sell me an A-Pillar trim piece.??


My garage time was interrupted on the weekend by an old friend and his 65 Econoline E-100.


357W and a C4. Big-'ol lumpy cam too. Shakes the whole thing. I friggin' love it.
..................AAAAHHH.... All my damn pictures are sideways here but straight on my phone. SHIT. I'll try harder.......

[VicCrownVic]

Ohhh, tripminder and the same premium sound head unit my mom's '87 Country Squire had. The stock system in her wagon sounded great compared to the wimpy football amp premium sound in The Scab or the stock base system in my '88 Country Squire at the time. I liked borrowing her car for the much better sound, and the nicer options (tripminder, ATC, ditch lights).

[DerekTheGreat]

My 03 S/D was purchased used with 46K on it and a blown engine. Original owner was an old tech guy and once he put 20-50 in it it's days were numbered.
I got it for a song... ...It runs well. Currently 127K and rolling.
I use the Berkebile PFC over top of Interstate products rust killer. My CV will be getting this same rust preventative treatment shortly.
I get your point about cult loyalty for a thing...and the same engineer migration.
I'm just a FORD guy. Pick at me all you want. It's me man.
Carries over from my Uncle and family working for FoMoCo since...hell... back when John Wayne wasn't gray, and you could buy a truck with crank windows, an AM radio and manual hubs.
My uncle John was involved in the first Mustang project and helped design the paint.
Went to BASF to work after that. FORD is what we speak I guess.
My buddy in high school had a Chevy truck. Driving down the road one day...wheel and axle sticking out 10 inches.
Friend had a 283 Vega. Same thing.
My 87 Squarebody. Rear ate itself. Plenty of oil in it and lash was right. I'm not new to mechanical things nor proper maintenance of them.
Just not a Chevy guy.
I love Harleys too, and New popcountry sucks.

Yah there's a reason those Ferd trucks are far cheaper than the GM's & Dodges. You might be alright for awhile if you keep up on oil changes, I personally wouldn't take the gamble.

You can be a Ford guy, that's fine. You just don't have to shit all over other domestic manufacturers. Manufacturers are going to push some shit out from time to time. I for example push out up to two turds a day, it happens. Now, I wouldn't go buying a new GM, I think those are shit. Maybe one of their LS powered trucks, maybe. But I can't get it with a stick and all these trucks are too damn big. I like sticks, knobs & levers on my trucks. Bench seats too. Can't get any of that any more. Ford is offering a 7.3 in their medium duty trucks again, good ole 2 valve per cylinder, single camshaft design. I'd try one of them but again, automatic only so I probably never will. I'll drive this old shit until I can't get parts and they all suffer from the hipster tax like vintage audio gear has.

I don't like new country either, there isn't much new music I endorse. It all seems to suffer from the boom-boom, handclap, finger snap & sprinkler sound effect-itus. Music from the assembly line.

A two door Ford with a tripminder! Man, much want for this thing. Is the first digit of the vin a #1? I could be tempted to trade my Town Car for something like that. I like the look of that premium radio too, much better than the one that followed, at least aesthetically.

I find it funny that people assume I'm a Ford guy. My first two cars were air-cooled VW. Then I had a Dodge Dakota that I hated, then the Chevy S10 that I've had for 18 years. I've had the Towncar for 15, the Mark VII for 10, and the Continental for about a year and a half. I like Lincolns, they have nice seats. The Continental doesn't even have a Ford driveline in it, its all Beemer except for the diff.

LoL you always bitch about the seats in your Town Car, so there's definitely more to it than that. I refuse to drive anything non red white & blue. I kinda hate VW, especially the cracker boxes with wheels. I just imagine and actually see too many hipsters (many are now aging, and well all know what Dr. Evil says about those..) wearing beanies & Vans & skinny jeans to even consider one for myself.

[gadget73]

Towncar's seats are not as good as the ones in the Continental. Either way my point is that I don't own three Ford products because I'm a "Ford guy", I just happen to like those particular cars.

Once VW put water in the engines I lost interest.

[clutch47]

Dug into my inertia reels that don't reel today..
The button switch at the bottom of the B pillar don't push. I'm betting if I make them work, my reels will reel.
I don't want to break the thing pushing it out, and when this car was ziebarted/undercoated, they did one hell of a job.
I can't see how the button is held in there.
Anybody got some advice..??
It's time for O2 sensors too.. gas mileage is dipping.

[gadget73]

I know I've had those things out before and its not that difficult but specifics aren't coming to me. Maybe its a plastic latch tab you have to squeeze?

[clutch47]

Thanks ..I'll try it. Everything is so covered in undercoating in there I couldn't make hide nor hair out of it. I hate to friggin break the things.. They must be like hens teeth.
I can't even find a picture of one online..

[gadget73]

I want to say Mustang parts can be adapted. 87gtvic probably knows, I'm certain he's rebuilt his. its probably even got pictures of the process somewhere in the 11 years worth of this thread if you've got some time

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?26257-My-1987-Two-Door-Crown-Victoria-AKA-THE-BROWN-BLOB

[87gtVIC]

Nope....haven't had to touch them. Sorry for the let down! Other good info may still be found there though. Worth sitting down for a day and reading through all the ups and downs.

[gadget73]

hm, the other possible source of info might be Lincolnmania. I'm pretty certain we had to fix the retractors on Tom's 87 Vic when he owned it. Possibly in here someplace

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?13234-gmgt-s-vic-chronicle&highlight=project79