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1997 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

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    Seeing as they're going to be spraying color over the entire fender, if you don't have them blend the grille and bumper you'll see it. Your car is red, which is an organic pigment and even with clearcoat it's faded a bit and they won't be able to match it 100%. So unless they blend it will look good from some angles but will be off on others. Former paint guy, it's a curse.. I wish I would've had them paint my grille when I had my car painted last year. Place sucks though, they did a terrible job, at least the detrimmed it but Christ, they could've put the grille & bumper back on straight.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
      Seeing as they're going to be spraying color over the entire fender, if you don't have them blend the grille and bumper you'll see it. Your car is red, which is an organic pigment and even with clearcoat it's faded a bit and they won't be able to match it 100%. So unless they blend it will look good from some angles but will be off on others. Former paint guy, it's a curse.. I wish I would've had them paint my grille when I had my car painted last year. Place sucks though, they did a terrible job, at least the detrimmed it but Christ, they could've put the grille & bumper back on straight.
      I know on the rear where they blended the door and quarter panel, they did a really great job. The bumper wasn't blended, though, so in some very particular lighting situations, you can tell the bumper is a bit lighter than the rest, but the trunk and upper part of the panels came out fine.

      Here's a good shot of the rear. The car was a little dirty, but you can see the slight difference:


      It doesn't really bother me and they did a good job working with 18 year old paint at the time and matching it up pretty well.

      Only time will tell how all of this will play out. I'm going to try and get a few more quotes from other facilities with good reputations, but I feel the pricing will be similar given what will need to be done.


      My Cars:
      -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
      -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
      -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
      -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

      Comment


        Yeah, that's the difference I'm talking about. If you're ok with it that's what matters. It's your car I like dem dog dish hubcaps.
        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

        Comment


          I'm finally knocking out that stupid to-do list I've had hanging around.

          I attacked the brakes today, and may have finally cured the shudder I've had for a long time (but we will see; the brakes have been a temperamental component of this car). I found one of the slide pins on the passenger's side was sticking and had some corrosion under the boot, so I replaced those. The rotors were all turned and I threw on some BrakeBest Semi-Metallic pads up front and Organic pads in the rear. The front pads I pulled weren't that worn (still had the chamfers), but I decided I would do everything since I had pulled everything apart. The rear pads were considerably worn, but weren't metal to metal at least.

          Removing everything went pretty quickly, save for the driver's side caliper bracket because somebody (I think it was the Ford dealer who touched the brakes last) torqued those bolts to some ungodly amount. I couldn't break them free by myself, and it took me putting my whole weight against the breaker bar and my friend standing on it to get it to come free, but only after we broke two 18MM sockets (a Pittsburgh and Craftsman) and we switched to a impact socket. Anyway, that was the only true Murphy's Law moment we had during this project.

          The road test went well. Stops from speed were steady, straight, and smooth. Hopefully it stays that way. The two times it got front brake work, the pulsating came back after a few stops. It didn't do that tonight, but the verdict is still out and only time will tell if it'll come back.

          I'm also going to have to get around to fixing the parking brake shoes. The right side disintegrated into nothing and was rattling around in the rotor had and making it squeal going down the road. The left side looked generally untouched and didn't seem to do anything when I set the parking brake. That's a project for another time, and I'm just glad that the main brakes are in good order again.


          My Cars:
          -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
          -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
          -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
          -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

          Comment


            The brakes on these really shouldn't be tempermental unless something is wrong. No lube on the slide pins or rusty ones can make the pads drag, and that will do bad stuff to the rotors. Its actually a pretty good design, not much in there smacks of "WTF were you thinking". The parking brake access might be the only thing approaching that, though I suppose that can't be helped. If you've never had the axles out, you're due for an inspection anyway so not the end of the world.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment


              Tossed a new Hitachi MAF in it today. Been running 93 octane for a while because of pinging and such. Everything else has been good (plugs, wires, intake, etc.), and I figured it's worth a shot based on some information I've been reading. I'll know if things are really working right when I toss some 87 or 89 in the tank.

              Also, current project:




              This has been something I've been wanting to do for a while. It's going to be a bit slow, since the old alloys have rather old tires on them that are near the wear bars and I don't really trust driving on them regularly, so it's one wheel at a time. The full size spare is filling in for whichever wheel is off the car. Since these wheels have been painted so many times, I'm also having to strip the paint off of them, otherwise I wouldn't be able to make lay down an effective primer base.

              Typically it takes two coats of paint stripper to get through everything (even the factory black coating). After ensuring all the stripping residue is removed, I put down two coats of self etching primer, two coats of filler primer, sand if necessary, three coats of acrylic lacquer base color (usually ensures full coverage), and three coats of acrylic lacquer base color.

              For a rattle can job I think it's turning out pretty good. Hopefully I can make the other three look just as good. Hopefully with the spare I can just touch up the areas where the paint has been chipped without respraying the whole wheel. I never repainted that one and left it red.


              My Cars:
              -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
              -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
              -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
              -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

              Comment


                6 coats of base! I am guess you topped it with 3 coats of clear.

                I like it.
                ~David~

                My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                Originally posted by ootdega
                My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                Originally posted by gadget73
                my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                Comment


                  So this happened:






                  Finally pulled the trigger on getting the headlights projector retrofitted. There's someone I know from the Taurus forums who runs a small side business doing retrofits and had been wanting me to get it done on my car. I should have pulled the trigger long ago, since the light pattern is just super and illuminates the road so much better than the factory halogen reflectors. I've been doing some aiming work to get them evened out, but otherwise the light is down on the ground and not in other driver's eyes. I would have not done HID bulbs unless they were going to be in a projector. I can't stand being blinded by HIDs in halogen reflector housings.

                  The HID bulbs are just a very solid white. They're only bluish right when they turn on and haven't warmed up. It's very funny listening to the lights turning on, since you can hear the external relay click on and then hum of the ballasts when they're cold. Hitting the highs you hear the relay click along side with the solenoids opening the shutters in the projectors.

                  The other cool part about all this is that the projectors have a solenoid operated shutter tied with the high beams. With just the low beams on, the shutter is down providing that clean cutoff associated with most projectors. Hit the high beams, the standard halogen high beams come on, and the shutters open in the projectors, essentially giving me quad high beams. Having the high beams on gives me more light than I know what to do with.


                  My Cars:
                  -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                  -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                  -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                  -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                  Comment


                    Looks right at home in there.
                    ~David~

                    My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                    My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                    Originally posted by ootdega
                    My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                    Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                    But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                    Originally posted by gadget73
                    my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                    Comment


                      Very cool Zach - looks great!
                      -Nick M.
                      Columbia, SC

                      66 Squire, 89 Colony Park, 90 TC, 03 TC, 06 TC, 07 TC (2x)
                      03 BMW 540iT, 07 Toyota Tundra SR5 Dbl Cab/5.7 2WD

                      Comment


                        Work day today for the '97. The brake shudder came back, so I decided lets go all in to eliminate the front brakes from the equation (if it comes back, I suspect the passenger hub, despite spinning smooth with no noise).





                        Parts fixed/replaced:
                        New calipers on both sides
                        New slide pins on both sides
                        New brake hoses on both sides
                        New anti-rattle clips on both sides
                        Rotors Turned
                        Brake pads replaced with Ceramic pads (warranty swapped my basic, dusty Semi-Metallics)
                        Brakes bled; Fluid flushed at every corner

                        The fluid that came out of the car was likely to be the factory fill. It came out a greenish black color and left sediment in the bottom of the tin can I was using to catch the fluid. All calipers were bled until it ran clear. I'll likely have to redo the flush in the future to get any additional contamination out. The boiling point of the oil fluid was stupid low, I could make the pedal fade to the floor holding the brakes while creeping in very slow traffic.

                        The test drive went fine, brakes bit well, and the pedal felt great. Since I got the car, it has always been very stiff, and never felt linear like cars with brake systems in good order. The car always stopped, but the pedal feel was awkward. Now it appropriately firm and responsive, just like a brake pedal should.


                        My Cars:
                        -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                        -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                        -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                        -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                        Comment


                          Figured I'd give an update on the '97.

                          Currently it's still beating around coming up on 185K. Still wearing a white fender as other issues have put off from me having the funds usable to get that repainted. I'm not using my savings on that since I consider it a secondary issue, since it doesn't require immediate action, as ugly as it might be. If nothing else gives out for a while, maybe I can get that done before fall, but knowing my predictions, that prediction wouldn't hit the broadside of a barn.

                          It seems to be giving some of the 20 year old car issues. A/C went out a few weeks ago. OE compressor had clutch issues; wouldn't disengage and couldn't cycle. It sounded bad given that condition. Had the compressor replaced and system charged, just to lose it's charge that first weekend in June. Sent it back to the shop, where the system was dye tested. No leaks on the lines, but the use of a refrigerant sniffer found R134a coming from the vents and it was noted the evap core has a leak. I'll have to send it back soon.

                          Other minor issues is the cheap subwoofer I have in the JBL enclosure took a dump today. It's rattling now on the bass notes. I'll source a replacement soon, but it's also a secondary issue, despite how much I like my tunes. At least subwoofers that work in our factory enclosures are plentiful and not excessively costly. Also, the passenger window regulator is binding, so that needs to be replaced. Lastly, the alignment needs to be checked out as well since I have a slight pull to the right.

                          Primary attack is to get the A/C working again, since I only foresee it getting hotter as July and August come about. I'll also need a functional defrost function later in the year, too, so it only makes sense to get that thing working again.


                          As much as I wish I could have everything done in a day, I don't see that happening. At least everything else has been holding up well and hopefully nothing else surprises me with a major repair expense. A/C is just one of those things I'm not setup to be able to do at home, so that's why I have a shop doing the work, and all that work is backed with a warranty in case something decides to go.


                          My Cars:
                          -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                          -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                          -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                          -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                          Comment


                            Finally got the '97 home from the shop again, and that'll be the first and last time I use this particular shop. I think I'll stick to going to my preferred places that I've used before. I've been without A/C for most of last month and borrowing my mother's car to get around every time I've had my car in just to get nowhere until today.

                            Long story short, it was thought the old compressor didn't blow its internals into the line so just the compressor was replaced. Spoiler: The old compressor blew its internals into the lines and clogged the works. Only took a total of three extra go-arounds to figure that out when it's 30 PSI on the low side and 350 PSI on the high side. My complaint every time was the system is short cycling but holding pressure. It was bouncing off the high pressure switch most of the time if the system was on.

                            I also have to go back to the shop tomorrow to get my fucking battery hold down. I heard rattling on my way home from the passenger front. Pop the hood in the driveway and battery is just chilling there. Shop still has it and they forgot to install it back. Also got to get the A/C hi/lo port caps they forgot to install back.

                            I went to this shop because I heard they had a pretty good reputation in the area. I don't like it when jobs are half-assed, though. Beyond my battery hold down missing, I also found the fan shroud wasn't installed back properly. I had to re-align it and actually tighten a bolt that was left halfway out. Then I had to wipe off all the PAG oil from the header panel filler piece and spray the accumulated oil from the bottom of the belly pan. Then I washed the car because of all of the grimy hand prints on the hood and fender.

                            /rant

                            At least the car is cleaned, vacuumed, and the A/C blows ice cold again, and reliably at that. It has a new compressor, accumulator, orifice tube, lines, and condenser. The evaporative core was flushed clean. Hopefully the replacement equipment will do another 20 years or 185K before failing.

                            I'm also sealing up the passenger headlight. It looks like some of the sealant didn't adhere well when the lights were retrofitted and was allowing moisture to be drawn inside. Another thing I need to figure out is why the backseat floorboard on the driver's side was soaking wet when I got home. Probably explains the musty smell.


                            My Cars:
                            -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                            -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                            -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                            -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                            Comment


                              Sounds like you got the sloppy mechanic on duty. Glad it's working now.
                              1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                              1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                              GMN Box Panther History
                              Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                              Box Panther Production Numbers

                              Comment


                                Glad things are going again. This is why I hate taking my stuff to shops, seems every shop assigns sleepy Jose to my car. I really wish more shops would endorse the "steering wheel condom" as I cannot stand the grime these guys leave behind.
                                1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                                1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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