Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

kishy's 1984 Town Car

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Man, I love the interior in that car. I love the color, the seats look very regal and even the fake wood trim gives it a little extra. Everything seems more plush in the early TC's.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      Now I know you peeps call them "plugs". Seemed like such a dumb word, but not anymore
      +1 on the interior, I can feel the softness
      1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
      1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

      Comment


        Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
        Man, I love the interior in that car. I love the color, the seats look very regal and even the fake wood trim gives it a little extra. Everything seems more plush in the early TC's.
        It's definitely a colour that had to grow on me, but I like it quite a bit now. I like the thicker pile carpeting and the 84- door layout as you pointed out as well. Woodgrain on the aluminum insert and just plain silver on the switch/ashtray.

        Originally posted by Arquemann View Post
        Now I know you peeps call them "plugs". Seemed like such a dumb word, but not anymore
        +1 on the interior, I can feel the softness
        I didn't initially care much for the term but could never come up with something better. "Inserts" or "strain relief pucks" or "plastic nubs"...
        It is quite soft. As beaters go, they don't get much plusher.


        Trying to buy tires for this thing is proving challenging. Whitewalls are basically impossible to come by on this side of the border. I have a few options nearby on the US side though, at Belle Tire. The "cheapie" option would be Milestar MS775 at 88 bucks a tire; after installation and currently available rebates, $401 USD out the door. Not particularly bad at all, but not sure how I feel about the brand. The "known brand" option would be Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP II at 97 bucks a tire; $439 out the door. The 401 for mystery brand doesn't seem as good when the known brand is only modestly more.

        I wish I could buy the Toyo Extensa A/S again. These have been replaced by the Extensa A/S II which is not sold in a WSW variant.
        The Toyos currently on this car were bought new to put on my 91 in 2013. They've been totally trouble-free and I'm only looking at replacing them because they're approaching the wear bars, they're otherwise in great condition, no real cracking, still ride smooth, even traction is quite good with the exception of hydroplaning in heavy rain.

        The intelligent thing to do, if aesthetically less pleasant, would be to put on my old set of winter tires (no longer great for winter but fine for anything else) and burn them down to bald to free up some room in my garage...
        Last edited by kishy; 06-29-2022, 03:50 PM.

        Current driver: Ranger
        Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
        | 88 TC | 91 GM
        Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
        Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
        | Junkyards

        Comment


          I put the Milestar MS775 on the Ranger I was working on a while back. They were quiet and good in the dry. Not sure about anything else because it sold.
          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 don’t know if Nexen is available in your area, but the nPriz AH5 in the 225/70R15 size is available with a whitewall. I run them on my ‘97. I appreciate that they’re the “fleet/police” size tire compared to the normal 215/70R15.

            So far I’ve found them to be quiet, good riding tires with decent wet weather traction ability.


            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


              I put the Nexen on both Lincolns. They are 225-70-15 WSW tires. They will do fine as those cars at most will only driven 500-1,000 a year. My only complaint as of now is they give a soft ride. They are average rated tires,quiet but nothing special. Yes WSW tires are getting hard to find. Prices have gone up in the past few months.

              Comment


                Burning down tires to bald via burn outs sounds like a fun time. I've never done a burnout with my Town Car, but I have lit the tires up to do a quick 180 several times.

                Looks like I should have done whitewalls when I had the chance. Now though, I wouldn't want to run cheapies just to achieve that look. Ride quality and quietness are factors that weigh in greatly for me when buying new meats. In that car, I want to be as isolated from the road and world as possible.
                1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                Comment


                  I couldn't find whitewalls that I'd actually have paid money for when I bought the Conti so its got blackwalls. Those wire wheels would look better with white stripes though.
                  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


                    My friend has Cooper Trendsetters on his car and is very happy. They seem to ride very well and are pretty good in the rain. He doesn't put a lot of mileage on his car so they will probably dry rot before they wear out!
                    What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
                    What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

                    Comment


                      After further consideration, I'm probably going to skip on buying tires this summer. Although very much nearing the end of their lives, the existing tires are still fine for the conditions I drive this car in. The plan will be to run these down to about nothing, then swap to the old winter tires and run those down to about nothing. Sorry to disappoint, but this won't do burnouts, but being winter tires I figure I can probably shred the tread off them pretty quickly by just driving the way I normally do...that is to say, testing the performance of my sway bars on all turns.

                      I'll continue to monitor tire deals and if something that mustn't be passed up comes along, I'll buy a set. This car really should keep WSW tires.



                      I went under this car tonight to investigate a few concerns. The various noises of poorly-hanging exhaust have been getting more and more obnoxious, so I took a look at that stuff, and made some changes.

                      The tailpipe hangers were broken on both sides. Those received pretty temporary hackjob repairs involving galvanized plumbing strap, with a better solution to be figured out when I decide to care about it more. I also undid the ID-to-OD band clamps in front of the mufflers, cleaned those areas up, then packed them full of RTV and put them back on. These joints were not tight enough to prevent movement completely, so there were some noises associated with them. No more.

                      I put the new LEDs in the reverse lights; I harvested the one I swapped into the cornering lamp, and the other one that had been earmarked for the other cornering lamp. I'll buy some more of those, then fix the socket problem up front. Reverse light performance is now excellent.



                      I noticed the backing plate on the right drum brake was a little wet. The last time I was inside these drums was 2016 when I put the car on the road; it needed wheel cylinders. Nothing since then.
                      Axle seal is toast on that side and the axle shaft has a very small, but not zero amount of wiggle in the bad direction. The shoes are also looking a little thin, so it's time to spend a little time on this I think. Not parking the car over it yet, but it's a priority now.

                      I recently (http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...l=1#post865842) found a junkyard car with a new passenger axle shaft. Seems they just pulled it out of the yard this past week. Obviously, my problem already existed at that time, but I didn't know. That's how it goes I guess.

                      As I recall, our shafts are the same length on both sides, the driver side tends to wear slower, and I can pick any pre-90 box shaft. Should be able to grab a driver side one from another car that is still at Parts Galore instead.

                      Last edited by kishy; 07-03-2022, 12:47 AM.

                      Current driver: Ranger
                      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                      | 88 TC | 91 GM
                      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                      | Junkyards

                      Comment


                        Change the bearing when you replace the shaft. If there is wiggle, fair bet the shaft is eating itself and all that goes into the bearing.
                        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


                          If the car is parked sideways on a slope the differential will drain and eat itself pretty quick.
                          03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
                          02 SL500 Silver Arrow
                          08 TC Signature Limited, HID's Mods>235/55-17 Z rated BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S Plus, Addco 1" rear Sway, Posi Carrier, Compustar Remote Start, floor liners, trunk organizer, Two part Sun Visors, B&M Trans drain Plug, Winter=05 Mustang GT rims, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R-2 235/55-17
                          12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor liners

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                            Change the bearing when you replace the shaft. If there is wiggle, fair bet the shaft is eating itself and all that goes into the bearing.
                            Oh yes, that's the intent. For how thorough I can be I sometimes leave out the thought process:

                            -If the seal is leaking, it's typically because the bearing is toast.
                            -Changing just the seal will result in a leak again soon.
                            -Changing just the bearing will be unsuccessful unless the axle shaft has no wear.
                            -Determining the axle shaft wear level requires pulling it apart and draining the diff, so I should have an axle shaft on-hand before starting the project on the current driver car.

                            I did the repair bearings on the wagon, and wouldn't say I've been thrilled with them. But if the opportunity arose again to buy them for ludicrously cheap, I might go that way again.

                            Originally posted by jaywish View Post
                            If the car is parked sideways on a slope the differential will drain and eat itself pretty quick.
                            Noted, thank you. I did change the diff oil in this when I got the car, so I have a data point for what the level was and when it was. I think I'm safe for a while yet, especially given that the car isn't truly daily driven, I bring my work vehicle home with me. It is parked flat and level pretty much exclusively.

                            Nonetheless, targeting a fix for this in the coming weeks, not longer than that.

                            Current driver: Ranger
                            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                            | 88 TC | 91 GM
                            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                            | Junkyards

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by kishy View Post
                              After further consideration, I'm probably going to skip on buying tires this summer. Although very much nearing the end of their lives, the existing tires are still fine for the conditions I drive this car in. The plan will be to run these down to about nothing, then swap to the old winter tires and run those down to about nothing. Sorry to disappoint, but this won't do burnouts, but being winter tires I figure I can probably shred the tread off them pretty quickly by just driving the way I normally do...that is to say, testing the performance of my sway bars on all turns.
                              You got plenty of meat on those tires, depending on how many miles you put on it might be two years before you need to replace them. I run my rears down to the point I think a cop will take notice, if it looks like theres a thread on it, it stays. When that happens, I buy two new tires for the front, move the fronts to the back and wear them down to and beyond the wear bars. I just swap them on the same axle to balance wear.

                              Comment


                                You run those in the winter?
                                03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
                                02 SL500 Silver Arrow
                                08 TC Signature Limited, HID's Mods>235/55-17 Z rated BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S Plus, Addco 1" rear Sway, Posi Carrier, Compustar Remote Start, floor liners, trunk organizer, Two part Sun Visors, B&M Trans drain Plug, Winter=05 Mustang GT rims, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R-2 235/55-17
                                12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor liners

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X