LTDMan's '87 Ford LTD Crown Victoria LX (The Blue Beast) *DUW*

[88Vic]

How exactly do you take the frame off the body? Do you just undo the body mounts? What do you use to lift the body off the frame?

[79lincolnlover]

How exactly do you take the frame off the body? Do you just undo the body mounts? What do you use to lift the body off the frame?

I'm curious about this also!

[Continental69]

Nice work man, Nice to see someone actualy doing it right

[85crownHPP]

more nice work!!!!

When you get your body shop running, I would be glad to pay you thousands of dollars to do the 85, if i can ever afford it.

[LTDMan83]

Thanks Mangs, I'm glad you like teh work.

Thanks Dave. I'm not sure why they banned you, their are definitely people here more deserving of being banned than you are. I hope they make the right decision and let you come back. If not, create a new username, and PM me your box websites address, I will come and join up.

more nice work!!!!

When you get your body shop running, I would be glad to pay you thousands of dollars to do the 85, if i can ever afford it.

Thanks pete, I would love to resto your '85. I even work for 1/2 price of what I normally charge, for any Box Panther owners who bring their ride here, and leave it with me for awhile.

How exactly do you take the frame off the body? Do you just undo the body mounts? What do you use to lift the body off the frame?

I'm curious about this also!

It's pretty straight forward. First, you remove the entire Front Clip, then you disconnect Everything that is connected between the Body and Chassis (Rods, Cables, Linkages, Wiring, etc.) Then you just unbolt all the Body Mounts, and lift the Body off the Frame. How you lift the body off the frame is up to you, but the best way to do it without any damage to the body, is to get about 8-10 strong mangs to surround the body on all sides, and just lift it from the bottom, Up and Off. If said mangs are not available, you can also use a Full-Size lift and some strong boards and straps. There's a few different ways to do it, but just using people to lift it off the chassis is the best way to do it without causing any damage, imo.

[Tiggie]

Yay for three new doors and POR 15!

[LTDMan83]

Non-Stickified Threads - FTW!

Yay! Indeed.

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Thanks for de-stickifiying my thread. I didn't like it being Sticky'd, as it really did seem kind of unfair to me, that I was the only one with a Sticky in the RR forum.

[Cable Guys FGMQ]

From looking at this post real nice work on your Box so far keep it up the good work to it & I hope it all comes out good for u the 1 thing u got going for ya is it`s EFI & it a box + the right yr of the car in all from seeing this it looks like I`ll 1 day get my Box done over when the time comes.........

[85crownHPP]

I dont know why someone unstuck it, because its the only major ongoing project in the readers rides' section, but if you dont want it stuck...

Keep up the good work

[LTDMan83]

Thanks guys.

I like the thread not being sticky'd for now. I also like the idea of a stickyless RR forum, that way everyones thread gets a chance to be at the top of the page. I will be working on the project, at a fast enough pace that the thread will always be on page 1 or 2 anyway.

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As for the current progress...

I've been putting in alot of work lately trying to stop all the water leak points into the interior, and I'm happy to say that I've stopped the leaks around 95% completely. Still a little more werk to do, but I'm damn close.

I've also pulled the good core support off the parts car, and am now working on Resto'ing it, before I install it on the car.

Pics of the core support Resto, and install are coming soon.


I really can't believe how much fun I'm having working on this project, I'm gonna be sad when it's all done and over, lol.

[packman]

When this thread is completed, it would serve as a good restoration guide or at least a heads up for all members of GMN who want to do the same to their Panthers.


Packman

[p71towny]

The funny thing is most people would be like "who the hell restores old 80s crown vics?"lol

[LTDMan83]

The funny thing is most people would be like "who the hell restores old 80s crown vics?"lol

I've already gotten that one several times in person, lol.

[LTDMan83]

Core Support Resto and Install are Complete!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so lets get on with em.





The core support from my beige '87 parts car.




The only problem area, again around the battery tray.




and.....It is magically fixed. Actually took around 20-25hrs of work to complete, most of that time was spent in prep. I kept the factory E-Coat wherever it was still good, for added protection.




Did the other side as well, even though it didn't need it.




And, also the undersides of each side as well, as it will be hard to access these areas once the CS is installed on the car, and I don't wanna have to remove the CS again unless it is absolutely necessary.




Nice Body Bushings, w/ the metal washers restored. The Rubber is still good in these, and should be for awhile to come. On a side note, after consulting with some trusted sources, I've decided not to go with Polyurethane Body Bushings on this car. Even if I have to end up getting some Rubber Bushings special made.




Core Support Mounting Hardware. Ended up not even needing the smaller Fat Washers, for this CS, on this car.




The Core Support finally mounted on the car. I set both the fenders on the CS as I was aligning it, so that I could get the CS alignment correct, and get the Fender gaps as tight as they could get in relation to the Front Door, as there is quite abit of play in the CS naturally. I spent around 3 hours measuring different angles, moving it little by little, and then standing back and staring at it, so that I could get it perfect. Worked out well, although a little more time consuming than I would have liked.




This would be the first actual Mod to the car. Core Support Braces, from an '85 Cadillac Eldorado, that I use to own. I took them off before I junked the car, they just happen to fit the Box Panther Core Support as well. I will be doing a few other bracing mods to the Body and Chassis, all of which will actually make a difference, and will look factory.




Radiator and Condenser installed and hooked back up. Now I can finally Fire the Engine back up, and hear my one of my favorite sounds again, a FI 302 barking flames out of open Manifolds.










Next Up, I will be mocking-up the Front Fenders on the Core Support, so that I can get started on the final alignment of the Body, and getting it to be Perfectly Straight. I won't accept less than perfection when it comes to that part of the project.

I also have both Fenders, a Battery Tray, and a giant bag of old hardware, to restore next. Yes, I could buy all new hardware but, I am enough that I want all the hardware on my car to be Genuine Ford circa 1980's pieces, aside from the hardware required in the places which could end up being a safety issue, of course. The Fenders don't need much Resto work at all, as they came from a near rust-free car, the battery tray is of course rusted, and will need a little work. The inner Fender Liners, as most of you know, are made of a plastic composite material, so the only resto they will need is a good cleaning, and maybe a light undercoating. Even though I'm eliminating rust, I still find myself prepping and coating any areas which could even possibly rust in the future. It may take awhile between some of my updates from this point on, because I'm gonna be taking my time with it, to make sure everything comes out to my satisfaction.

I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the Body completely installed, and aligned properly, so that I can start Modifying the body. Then the Real Fun will begin, as this is what I really love to do on vehicles. I already have a few nice body mods floating around in my head, that I wanna do to this car. Don't worry, It won't be anything distasteful or bolt-on, like a hood scoop or wing.


Stay Tuned.

[marquisman]

shes commin together rather nicely!