Prudence, my 87 Town Car

[gadget73]

the auto dim doesn't work that great even when it does work. Any slight mis-positioning on the rear view mirror totally screws it up too. If it sits not parallel to the top of the glass it either goes hyper sensitive and will flash on and off or never dims. My Continental and the Mark VII both have it.

Its a dumber design on the Towncar though. Same system, but there is no "off" positon. It just turns the sensitivity down until its disabled, but if the sensor is unplugged or dead the high beams don't work unless you jumper the connector. The Fox cars actually shut off with a click at the bottom of the adjustment range.

[Mainemantom]

My old 63 Lincoln Continental had real wood on the door panels and the glove box door. It looked nice but needed conditioning every year to maintain it's luster. It was the third car I have owned and had it for 10 years.

[gadget73]

My 84 would have had real wood veneer, but it was so failure prone that in 1986 there was a recall on all of them to replace the real wood with fake plastic wood that didn't de-laminate. It was a plastic panel with a paper-thin layer of wood veneer glued to it and finished with whatever. The glue would fail and let the veneer peel off. Pictures make me think the real wood looked better when new but 36 years later I'm glad someone had the recall done and left me with genuine wood grain finish plastic.

[Lutrova]

I hadn't realized the B pillars had carpet in the early years. Seems with Town Cars that the earlier you go the better the appointments, but the later you go the better the mechanics. Or at least that's been the general trend of my modifications. Make the car drive like something newer while looking like something older.

When I finish everything else on this car, I've thought of CNC routing some real wood panels for the door cards. Maybe the dash too, but it's such a hodgepodge that I doubt any material improvements will do much good.

Gadget: Are you saying the sensor for the auto high beams or the rear view mirror dimming will fail and cut out the high beams? Or do they use the same sensor? I haven't been using the auto high beam function ever since I put in LED headlights, figuring most people would be blind by the time the car sensor decided to dim the lights. But the rear view mirror has never been working as long as I've owned the car. Are they serviceable, or is replacement the only option? And what mirrors can be swapped in without losing the stock mount where the high beam sensor lines?

[DerekTheGreat]

Sadly, the auto dimming function is kaput. I wouldn't mind fixing it or swapping in a functional mirror, but until you mentioned it I had forgotten it was even a feature. And yes, the car seems about as loaded as they came. Would I have preferred a moonroof or turbine wheels? Sure. But I'm content with what I have. Honestly, this car has been a great project. It was rust free, cheap, and easy to maintain. It's been a great car to learn on. And there's an endless list of bolt on mods you can do to these things. I can only imagine how I might be feeling now had I bought a Cordoba instead of a Box TC.

The stereo is some no-name Amazon unit that's been discontinued. In fact, I can't even find the receipt for it in my purchase history. But it's probably running the same internals as every other sub-$30 head unit currently for sale. I chose it because it had a volume knob and the matte black face plate was as close a match to the stock finish as I could find. Turns out the volume knob feels cheap and flimsy and like every other aftermarket stereo, the other buttons are way too small and unintuitive. For $15 though, I got my money's worth: Bluetooth, aux, SD card, and two USB ports.

I'll have to check out the IAC. Seems a little strange, though, as I cleaned the throttle blade and the valve/air part of the IAC two summers ago. Didn't take the motor apart, so that could certainly be gummed up...

I have at least one of those mirrors I pulled ages ago in case the one in the ex's '89 TC died. Car left the fleet before that ever happened. As I recall, it worked nicely once adjusted properly. Don't know about the mirror I pulled, but I still have it...

Let see, choice between Ford JBL radio, autodimming rear view mirror & digi dash vs turbines. I'd have taken your kit vs the turbines, as you can easilly swap them on. As I recall, there was a turbine shortage in 1987, so your car was probably optioned with them, just the factory was out. I want to say turbines were standard equipment on Signature Series models but could be deleted for credit.

Wow, that head unit looks like a higher dollar piece.

That's what I originally did with my IAC, although I didn't notice a change. So then I bought a "new" Motorcraft unit and put that in. It was worse than the one it replaced. Almost started thinking I had a different issue. Then I went and got another IAC from a different car (aftermarket stuff doesn't say "Motorcraft" on the base...) took that one apart, super cleaned it and lubed it. When I put that on, it was all better.

[Lutrova]

I don't expect to get to the rearview mirror before the new year, post moving to the DC area. But if you had no need for your spare by then, perhaps we could reach some agreement.

Looking over the options list from the '87 brochure, the wire wheel covers are listed as standard on the Signatures while the Cartiers got turbines and base had the poverty caps. The wire covers must not have been that much more though because I hardly ever have come across the full wheel covers. Whether Signatures had standard turbines in other years, I can't say, but if there was a shortage they must've known by the time they printed the brochure.

But you were right about this car being loaded. I hadn't analyzed the full list before, but it seems the only options it lacked were a moonroof, tow package, and CD player. Of course that's how it came 35 years ago. Now it's all just more stuff to break. The sound system is far from stock, air shocks are gone, power antenna's broken, auto high beams were never a great system, cruise control is funky, and the auto dimming mirror doesn't. The ATC and digi dash are also on the fritz. Plus there's all the usual wear and tear inside and out. But those are all fairly rudimentary systems and most of them can be repaired. Imagine what shape a current Lincoln or Cadillac will be in when they're 35 years old.

[87gtVIC]

But those are all fairly rudimentary systems and most of them can be repaired. Imagine what shape a current Lincoln or Cadillac will be in when they're 35 years old.

No shot they are even around. Too many electronics and people will dump them when issues arise.

[gadget73]

Gadget: Are you saying the sensor for the auto high beams or the rear view mirror dimming will fail and cut out the high beams? Or do they use the same sensor? I haven't been using the auto high beam function ever since I put in LED headlights, figuring most people would be blind by the time the car sensor decided to dim the lights. But the rear view mirror has never been working as long as I've owned the car. Are they serviceable, or is replacement the only option? And what mirrors can be swapped in without losing the stock mount where the high beam sensor lines?

the auto dim eyeball on the mirror failing or not being plugged in will prevent the high beams from working. The relay won't hold, it will just flash when you pull the switch and go back to low beam.

Getting them apart is the problem, the plastic tends to break. Not actually sure what dies in there either, but if you take a bit of wire and jumper the two outside-most pins in the 4 pin plug, it will give you standard high beams with no auto dim.

The auto dim mirror has nothing to do with the auto dim, but the mechanical ones work kind of badly. I'e e-belted them so they function but I found it to be really distracting to the point where I would turn it on to make it dim, then shut it off to leave it that way. The later electrochromatic dimming ones do a much better job, and late 80s - early 90s ones have the same mount and connectors, or if you're feeling ambitious you can take the mirrors apart and swap that mounting stem over. I swapped one out of a 90 Towncar in my 84 Conti, huge improvement.

[Mainemantom]

In my search for the auto high beam eye parts, Some General motors vehicles of the same era used the same parts. In addition to the Ford part number, use the numbers on the eye unit. +1 on the connection at the bottom getting brittle and not making proper contact.

[Lutrova]

Good info on the auto high beam sensor, although mine is currently working. It's the mirror mirror that's out. I'm not wedded to any particular solution, except that whatever I do retains the mounting point for the high beam eyeball.

Repairing the mirror I have would obviously fit the bill, but it sounds like even in working order it's not the greatest device. It looks like '90-'93 Town Cars have the same type of mount. Finding one on eBay seems to be a tall order though.

Ideally the newer mirrors with the compass, temp, and/or garage openers could be made to fit the mount. I don't know whether anyone's attempted that here. All the examples I've found in the archives have been for Fords and Mercurys.

[gadget73]

86vickylx has done modern style mirrors but they don't have the mount for the eyeball. You can take it and your original apart and swap the stem in. Its just held in with a nut, not a big deal, just sort of annoying to take a bunch of stuff apart to swap it out.

the modern ones need power, dimming, and an outside sensor for the temperature

[Lutrova]

I think that's the way I'll go then. Taking the mirror apart shouldn't be too bad. I'd have to take apart the current mirror anyway if I wanted to repair it, and retaining the high beam sensor is important to me, even if I no longer use the system.

The biggest headache will probably be running any new wiring, especially one all the way up to the grille for a temperature sensor, assuming it has a temp display. Homelink and a compass are probably more important. But before then I've got to figure out how to pull these mirrors off the windshield. I've tried before, but must not have had the angle right.

[gadget73]

The old mechanical one comes apart easy, couple of screws. The new ones you have to get a thin whatsit between the pieces and pop them apart. Those are somewhat irritating.

removing the mirror, pull the auto dim sensor, under there is an allen key. Loosen that, it slides towards the top of the glass. Anything else will either rip the button off the glass or just not come off.

[DerekTheGreat]

I don't expect to get to the rearview mirror before the new year, post moving to the DC area. But if you had no need for your spare by then, perhaps we could reach some agreement.

Looking over the options list from the '87 brochure, the wire wheel covers are listed as standard on the Signatures while the Cartiers got turbines and base had the poverty caps. The wire covers must not have been that much more though because I hardly ever have come across the full wheel covers. Whether Signatures had standard turbines in other years, I can't say, but if there was a shortage they must've known by the time they printed the brochure.

But you were right about this car being loaded. I hadn't analyzed the full list before, but it seems the only options it lacked were a moonroof, tow package, and CD player. Of course that's how it came 35 years ago. Now it's all just more stuff to break. The sound system is far from stock, air shocks are gone, power antenna's broken, auto high beams were never a great system, cruise control is funky, and the auto dimming mirror doesn't. The ATC and digi dash are also on the fritz. Plus there's all the usual wear and tear inside and out. But those are all fairly rudimentary systems and most of them can be repaired. Imagine what shape a current Lincoln or Cadillac will be in when they're 35 years old.

Sure, it's just being stored in my humidity-controlled basement along with other gizmos I'll probably never need. My Town Car does not have that cool option, so I'll never need it. Highly doubt I'll ever have another Lincoln either, short of a Mark VII... I've also got a few of those eyes for the auto highbeams. Trick is like gadget said, get a later one as they tend to work better. I use the feature on my Townie, but reflective signs tend to piss it off quite a bit at times. Works perfectly with other cars though.

I think the brochures come out before the actual model year. Every single one I've eye-balled has some sort of obscure blurb somewhere which says something along the lines of, "Availability subject to change." For '88, I'm pretty certain the turbines were standard. Guess that changed every year. Buut, way back when MiamiBob was a trusted commodity he said he ordered his '87 MGM with turbines. But he got a letter or something from Ford stating they were out of them and so his car was equipped with wire wheel covers and was given a credit.

Yeah, I'd be glad it doesn't have the moonroof. Family friend had an '87 like yours, had every option aside from the CD player. First time kid me ever saw a moon roof or digital dash up close, thought it was really cool. I'm with David, the late model Cadillacs and Lincolns will not be on the road in 30+ years.

[gadget73]

there were a few random features that never made it to production. if you look through the 1986 Lincoln EVTM it has a section for memory seats and big print across it saying DELETED or something to that effect. If you've ever wondered why the driver's side door panel and switch panel is ever so slightly different from 80-85 vs 86-89, thats why. Those empty spaces that look like something ought to go there? Those were the memory seat recall buttons that never existed.