My 1987 Two Door Crown Victoria AKA THE BROWN BLOB

[87gtVIC]

Took her on her maiden voyage after the body bushing swap. SO NICE! You know after a while you get used to a car and just believe that it is just the way car is? Well that is how I felt with making turns with this car...I'd always have to wait a split second until the body would follow the chassis......... Well that was all wrong all of those years. The car is a blast to drive (and corner!). Cut the wheel and everything follow suit simultaneously. NICE!

Was ending my trip and I began hearing chirping sounds from the rear of the car and LOUD ones at that. Turns out the speedway rear springs were slightly interfering with the washers for the new body bushings rotated the springs and we are all good.

What is also nice is that loud clunk/chirp from the passengers side front tire area is gone with the new bushings as well! I guess things will clunk and chirp when there is a half inch of play in the bushings.

Oh during my cruise I was coasting in overdrive at 60 MPH. I mashed the pedal and dropped the gear selector into drive. CHIRP goes the tires!!! WOW.





And Thain, I loosened the bolt holding the gear selector rods underneath the brake booster. It sprung right into place and everything fees normal again. Thanks.

[gadget73]

Cool. That was pretty much how I felt on the drive home from swapping my bushings. It felt like a whole new car. The one specific thing I noticed most was the fenders stopped dancing. The front corners used to jump and flop around at highway speeds very noticeably.

[1990LTD]

I should get that done at some point on my car, likely after or during major body work.


What did it cost you to do all of the bushings?

[87gtVIC]

207.92 for bushings before shipping.
50+ shipping for the spacer/washers that go around the larger shaft of the body mount and seat perfectly into the stock locations
50 for new 80mm long bolts
300 for dad labor.

So about 650ish.

[86VickyLX]

No more annoying lean!

[gadget73]

da lean is gangsta

[87gtVIC]

My car had a lean????

[87gtVIC]

Installed some new goodies today...as always a story in pictures.

Neato 1979 LTD Landau Sill Plates as I pulled them:





Washed....and an emblem fell off:





Figured I would replace with something freakin sweet. SO enter 1962 Ford Galaxie Sill Plate Emblems (brand new repops):



Installed onto the sill plates:



Freaking black on black looks killer:





Before:



After:





Fuck yeah!








Next up is the aluminum seat side trims that I pulled from the same Landau.

[miamibob]

As always - SWEET!!

[packman]

The devil is in the details. Very nice!



Packman

[87gtVIC]

Thanks guys. Details is one thing this car is not missing. Plenty of little thoughtful details throughout the car.

[87gtVIC]

Poly tranny mount bushing was installed today. One bolt on the tail shaft was hella tight. Had to break out the BIG BOY breaker bar. Had to ream out the center tranny cross member bolts because the new Mustang poly mount was narrower but everything is up and nice.....I just wish I had ordered a red one.

New bushing packaging with old mount:



And new mount installed:

[87gtVIC]

MMMMMMmmmmmm LOVE the poly trans bushing! Feel the transmission much more through the car. Awesome feeling, feeling your transmission at work. Wonder how a solid mount would feel?


Car is going to feel SICK once the rest of of suspension bushings and engine mounts are replaced.

[1990LTD]

Gonna need a transmission mount in the near future, I should look into that one.

[87gtVIC]

I recommend it...I did have to readjust my fan shroud again. lol My motor mounts are sooooo shot. I see a lot of cracks in them.

In other news I began modding the seat trims I pulled from a 1979 LTD Landau.

Progress pic showing a circular center joystick hole sandwiched between two up down switch holes...one completed...one in progress.



Ahh lets just skip to the end:











I freaking love it.....also washed the car:










I'll get to the passengers side eventually.