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Buyer's Remorse (AKA "Hideous") - Giraffe's 1990 Grand Marquis LS

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    I was asking $3000. Overkill, I know. Maybe I was trying not to sell it from the beginning.
    —John

    1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
    1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
    1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
    1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

    Comment


      First bit of maintenance other than oil changes I've done on the Merc in nearly a year. In preparation for the move next month, I installed all new ball joints, front brakes, and wheel bearings.

      I was able to get my hands on some wholesaler closeout Moog upper and lower ball joints, but one was missing a dust boot. I ordered a single upper of the cheapest variety they had so I use its dust boot. Alas, the dust boot from the cheapo was too small to use on the Moog upper, so I was forced to install the cheapo. I ordered a new Moog to keep in reserve.

      It was dark when I finished due to running into some snags.

      1. the upper ball joints that I thought were bolted on were riveted. They had zerk fittings, so I'm assuming the upper control arms were replaced at some point. In any case, I ground off the tops of the rivets with a cutoff wheel. The air hammer took care of the rest.

      2. The rotors came with races pre-installed. I ended up removing them, but one gave me a real tough time. There was barely anything sticking out to get some purchase with a punch. It took a while, but I was finally able to get that race removed.

      I used a Dorman kit that had all new spindle nuts, washers, and cotter pins. Oddly enough, BOTH nuts weren't square when they were made. They both wobbled on the spindle as a threaded them on, so I ended up reusing the nuts that were on there. I got everything together and took her for a spin as well as a bed in procedure. First time I've done that on one of my cars. It wasn't too difficult on the empty highway heading out of town.

      Interestingly, that noise from the passenger side coil spring rubbing on the spring cup in the frame is gone. The brakes are very smooth after the bed in procedure. There was a lot of pulsation before, I'm more than happy with the results.



      The cheapo upper came with grade 8.8 metric bolts and washers, so I went to Ace and got some grade 10.9 flanged nuts and bolts instead.


      I love my life.
      —John

      1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
      1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
      1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
      1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

      Comment


        Nice. Things being right make it more enjoyable to drive.

        Too late now, but I found on both of mine that if you grind the top rivet heads off, those uppers are still a bit of a pain. (No air hammer here, I couldn't get them to budge.) Grind the lower heads off and those uppers can be picked up by hand no problem. Although a small grinder and small diameter wheel work better to get into that tight spot.
        Vic

        ~ 1989 MGM LS Colony Park - Large Marge
        ~ 1998 MGM LS - new DD
        ~ 1991 MGM LS "The Scab"
        ~ 1991 MGM GS "The Ice Car"

        Comment


          Originally posted by VicCrownVic View Post
          Nice. Things being right make it more enjoyable to drive.

          Too late now, but I found on both of mine that if you grind the top rivet heads off, those uppers are still a bit of a pain. (No air hammer here, I couldn't get them to budge.) Grind the lower heads off and those uppers can be picked up by hand no problem. Although a small grinder and small diameter wheel work better to get into that tight spot.
          Makes sense. I ground the tops off because I couldn't really see how to get in there with the grinder to take care of the bottoms. It worked out, though.

          It was way better than the last time I dealt with riveted ball joints with just a drill, a hammer and chisel, and a punch.
          —John

          1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
          1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
          1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
          1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

          Comment


            The road trip to the new house in Arkansas is looming and the radio in the Mercury was again dead. After going through about four aftermarket radios on this car, I decided to bite the bullet and spring for a refurbished one. This one was advertised as being for a 1995-1997 Mystique. It works perfectly and I couldn’t be happier. Now I’ll have some tunes for the five hour drive!

            Click image for larger version

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            —John

            1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
            1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
            1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
            1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

            Comment


              Nice. Looks proper
              ~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


                Sounds great, too. The junkyard radios were always a bit iffy.
                —John

                1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
                1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
                1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
                1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

                Comment


                  That’s looks like a winner.

                  The sound quality of the stock radio is my 90 is deplorable. I’m not an audiophile.

                  The Contour/Mystique also had a CD option. I picked one up at a swap meet. I may try that in my 90 since yours looks right at home. Not that people use CD’s any more.
                  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


                    I’m using this with a tape adapter to connect my phone. I’m not an audiophile either, but I like having my tunes. I mostly do classic rock, so the ‘80s era sound system suits it perfectly.
                    —John

                    1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
                    1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
                    1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
                    1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

                    Comment


                      The stock stuff kinda has that Bose feel to it- they sound fine up until you compare them with something that sounds better, which is dam near anything else. I wasn't happy with the mid to upper midrange or treble presentation with my stock "premium" stuff. Biggest positive change was moving to the aftermarket headunit. Biggest con is the shitty appearance of it, although it isn't a disco party like the other ones I saw for sale at the time I bought it.
                      1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                      1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                      Comment


                        So I've been focusing exclusively on restoring the '66 since we arrived in Arkansas. I don't have to funds to allow multiple irons in the fire, so the Mercury has been getting only routine maintenance here lately.

                        But I'm starting to get the itch again. I'm starting to think that I should temper my expectations for the car if I want to be able to give it any love. That said, I'm thinking of forgoing the big brake swap for the near future. I have all the parts to do it, but new 16" or 17" wheels and tires are just out of my reach at the moment.

                        After I replaced the ball joints and brakes (and the springs, shocks, and steering hardware before that) I really only have the upper and lower control arm bushings that need to be addressed in the front suspension. The upper bushings are shot to the point that the car can't be aligned properly. I was thinking about replacing the bushings and possibly springing a little bit for some better looking 15" wheels.

                        Here comes another question about backspace. I was specifically looking at (primarily) the Wheel Vintiques series 54 Magnum 500 wheels. They only come in a 4.5" backspace in the 15x8" version. Would I need a spacer to run those effectively?

                        My second choice would be the Wheel Vintiques series 03 wheels. I prefer the look of the Magnum 500s, but these would be kind of poetic since they're a replica of Mercury Comet wheels. They come in 3" backspace and 4" backspace versions.

                        There's a local place I need to call to ask about the cost of a gear install. I'm looking to go ahead and install the 2.5" exhaust I have, but I'd like to get gears installed first in case I lose a lot of bottom end.
                        —John

                        1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
                        1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
                        1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
                        1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

                        Comment


                          The Magnum 500 style is a good look. But watch the center bore. I think you need a center bore of 70.5mm or larger. I’ve seen these wheels on boxes, so I’m sure they are out there. That backspace should be fine no spacers.
                          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


                            Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                            The Magnum 500 style is a good look. But watch the center bore. I think you need a center bore of 70.5mm or larger. I’ve seen these wheels on boxes, so I’m sure they are out there. That backspace should be fine no spacers.
                            That's the one thing I hadn't yet considered. That may be a deal breaker. I'll have to measure the wheel bore on my spare tomorrow.
                            —John

                            1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
                            1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
                            1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
                            1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

                            Comment


                              I am held up on why you would buy new 15" wheels and not 16" if buying wheels is your goal?
                              ~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


                                '98-'02 steel wheels are super cheap and 16 inch diameter. Will clear the big brake parts with ease. Could also pull the spindles from the same car seeing as how those are also needed....
                                '89 Grand Marquis "Ebyt", '85 Grand Marquis "Eva", '94 Caprice "Kira"
                                '84 Town Car "Stacy", '79 New Yorker “Anita", '93 Town Car "Kelly"
                                '80 Mark VI "Allie", '94 Grand Marquis coming June, '79 LTD-S "Oksana"

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