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kishy's 1983 Town Car

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    #16
    Some commentary, as I didn't think to make last night:

    I found the one complete, and one broken missing front turn signal lenses (note both front turn signals have homemade lenses glued on) in the trunk. Lucky break. The one is in very good condition and the other is the inner optics part without the outer lens...could be useful to someone with a very specific type of broken lens. I'll add it to my collection of crap. If it turns out I have good spares already (and I may), these will be available to pre-existing GMN members. I am well aware of how hard they are to come by in even unusable condition.

    The tail light lenses are in very good condition, the plastic chrome is in poor condition, the lenses are separating but that's easy to fix.

    The reflector panel is not in show car condition but is very good. After further reflection, I think I already have two of those in my garage, so I'm fairly sure I have one to spare. I'd certainly prefer it to be my worst condition one that goes, but whatever. I am not particularly motivated by money, moreso by getting parts into the hands of those who need them, without losing money to do so. The entire car cost me $270 Canadian, I am getting a decent number of parts out of it, and it's looking like I'll successfully sell the roller for $300 all day long, so at the end of the day it's likely to make me money, if anything.

    I am planning to pull the rear glass. I don't think it is a particularly valuable piece, but it is the larger window than my 84 has, which might better facilitate a vinyl roof delete. I believe there is an even bigger one yet (in terms of defroster grid/visible area) for super base model late year cars, but this one is effectively free. Off the top of my head I think this car even has usable dew wipes, so I may take those too. That stuff has no value to someone who wants to derby it. The side aluminum pieces as well.

    Something I've noticed before, 84 seems to have been the first year that the climate control was called Automatic, and gained the auto fan speed control, but Lincolns 80-83 did have the thermal blower lockout, as well as the vacuum ATC thing, but with a standard manual fan switch. This car had the blend door servo plugged with a golf tee, and the ATC vacuum valve is plugged with dust, so it's fair to say it leaked/otherwise didn't work. I'm keeping the parts as I want to one day figure out why those things stop working and come up with a refurb plan people can use to restore their functionality. Can't be that hard.

    The keyless entry module is massive. I believe it's several times larger than that in my 84, IIRC. The module works correctly and has its code printed on it directly. There is no sticker on the trunk hinge. I believe it's a dealer install as the mounting tabs on the module are broken and the hinge sticker thing. If I am right in remembering that the newer module is much smaller, there is likely no value in pulling this behemoth...but I figured I'd mention that it does work. Lock/unlock 1/unlock all/pop trunk/program a second code.

    The glovebox cover is good (as we know, they shrink and deform). However, the glovebox was home to a mouse nest and is extremely nasty. If anyone is hurting for a glovebox in this colour, it would be a good outer cover, but the inside is hopeless. I'm not sure they can be successfully separated without ruining them. Glovebox has a replacement latch installed, identical to that on gen1 Neons (if nobody has connected those dots before...). It is therefore not keyed at all, nevermind to the car.

    Original Lincoln keys are in hand, so if someone wants a matching set of locks and keys (minus glovebox), that's an option.

    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


      #17
      if its dealer install, any chance that the harness from the door to the keyless will come out without stupid amounts of effort?
      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


        #18
        The keyless module looks from your picture to be the same size as mine. Do you have another picture of the top/connector side?

        Also, those wheel covers look like they're from a 70s Continental. Were they an option still in the early 80s?
        1987 Lincoln Town Car - Signature, "Prudence"

        Comment


          #19
          Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
          if its dealer install, any chance that the harness from the door to the keyless will come out without stupid amounts of effort?
          It is well integrated into the dash/body harness, so no, the whole thing can't just be plucked out unfortunately. Maybe it is factory installation. Certainly not spending the money on a Marti report for this one.

          Originally posted by Lutrova View Post
          The keyless module looks from your picture to be the same size as mine. Do you have another picture of the top/connector side?

          Also, those wheel covers look like they're from a 70s Continental. Were they an option still in the early 80s?
          I do not have an additional photo of the module handy, but will pull the module and do it then.

          I am unsure of the origins of these wheel covers, but I think I've seen them on a Panther platform Lincoln before.



          ---


          Clock's ticking!

          Pulled the fuel tank. It and its straps are newer Spectra Premium parts which have been nicely undercoated since installation, and are like-new. Tank and filler neck have been coated in spider egg sacs and also mud structures built by wasps to house their larvae. The sending unit in this tank is, of course, a somewhat rare part among our mass produced vehicles...this is a factory carb car, so this tank only has the hole on the front side, and the 2" sender has both the float and the pickup tube on it. As I have another car of the same setup, I'm pleased to have this part at my disposal now.

          Pulled the rear bumper (it's good enough to hang onto), trunklid (undecided, but it may be in better shape than mine re: the bottom edge lip), tail pipes (newer and usable), tailpipe hangers (factory dual exhaust car)
          Car has cargo coils in the back, but not really thinking of taking these. None of my cars need rear springs now.

          Rear shocks are old and crusty, fronts are almost-new looking KYB Excel-G. Was tempted by the KYBs until I realized it was just 2 and not 4. Might just let the fronts go with the car.

          Pulled various little things. No comprehensive list at the moment. The end is near for this one, though.















          Frame is too far gone for derby. They want factory fresh minty cars, this is far from it.

          Tried to get the muffler hangers, didn't have a good time trying. Bolts don't want to turn and tool clearance is bad.

          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


            #20
            might be worth saving the power antenna if its not toast. The masts on the early ones were different.
            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


              #21
              Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
              might be worth saving the power antenna if its not toast. The masts on the early ones were different.
              Motor makes sounds of working, but mast does not go down even when assisted by hand while holding the switch down. This will complicate removal, as the antenna assembly can't come out while extended. I could yank the mast out and see where that gets me, of course.

              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


                #22
                One thing I know I looked for in the past was the under frame braces spanning from under the oil pan over to each outer edge of the frame behind the front wheels. Lincoln and CV and Grand Marq the same? Don't remember. But something easy (if bolts give) to grab and swap onto your own vehicles if not already equipped.
                ~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


                  #23
                  if its the old drum type motor, it may be that the drive disc that grabs the plastic bit has gotten rusty. Had that issue on the 84 Conti when I replaced the mast. It would go up and down to some extent but not like it ought to.
                  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


                    #24
                    I did pull the antenna assembly. May or may not prove useful, it's added to the parts horde for now.

                    The braces at the front of the frame I believe are the same between Lincoln and others. My '83 Grand Marquis actually does not have them, but all my others do. Since I imagine an air impact will make quick work of those, I will take them. I have suspected (but am not a frameologist) that they actually add rigidity in a place where it is not super helpful and maybe transfers force to places where you want less of it...but for a car just driven normally I doubt it matters one way or the other.

                    Detail view of a couple removed parts:

                    Radiator, a newer (but not truly new) big chunky guy with a tag suggesting it was made in Canada = it's a Spectra.




                    Fuel tank, a newer (but also not new) Spectra, also made in Canada, and in very usable condition.





                    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


                      #25
                      very nice
                      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


                        #26
                        That gas tank is pristine. Looks to have been painted black even, very nice. I don't think Spectra makes many things in Canada any more, and as a result their quality has gone downhill.
                        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Yeah, I was pulling the fuel tank anyway...but the fact the Grand Marquis ended up needing one (technically it could be cleaned out, but this is a better option in my opinion) sealed the deal.

                          I am not sure that Spectra quality changed meaningfully with the change to Chinese manufacturing; I have Spectra products from both Canada and China and can't really see any major deficiencies in the Chinese items.
                          As a related thought, I don't buy that China inherently makes inferior products. I do recognize that stuff made there often is inferior but I don't attribute that to China, I attribute it to specifications drawn up by the same bean counters who decided to send production there to begin with. I am certain that if you spec a product to be built in China to a good, high quality standard, you will probably receive exactly that. However, I am displeased that the production isn't staying here because I'd rather see Canada have at least some sort of domestic manufacturing taking place. I have Spectra parts in several of my vehicles and while for some items they are the only sensible/viable brand choice, I'd like to be loyal to them on the basis of building things here...which unfortunately isn't the case for their whole catalog anymore.

                          Today, pulled the final (final-final) items.
                          Cruise module, intermittent wiper module, horns, frame brace parts, muffler hangers, AC condenser, Duraspark module (since I do have a car that uses it), voltage regulator (no good reason for that since I 3G swap everything), vacuum canister (is good enough to sandblast and paint, no holes), and some other little bits.

                          The muffler hanger tool clearance issue was fixed using a piece of 6x6 wooden post...jack car as high as it'll go, position wooden post under the floor pan in front of the hanger, then drop the car as fast as the jack can drop it onto the post. Worked super well. Impact made quick work of those bolts which wrenches were totally useless on.

                          Then used an '80s-vintage Case skidsteer to get easier access to the horn bolts and reposition the car. Not fit for demo derby, but decided to have a little one anyway.

                          NO GOOD PARTS WHICH WERE PRACTICAL OR SENSIBLE TO SAVE/STORE/SHIP WERE HARMED IN THIS PROCESS. I promise you this thing was ready for the crusher, and that is the next stop for it as time allows.
                          e.g. all visible brightwork has faults which make it not worth taking; the header panel overall was good but that's not an item that can really be shipped and is way too big to keep for a rainy day. The front bumper fillers are extremely frustrating to remove and based on other fasteners on this car, I wasn't going to touch em. I have a spare set already.









                          Last edited by kishy; 05-30-2020, 09:06 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


                            #28
                            Well that donor car lived up to it's name.
                            You going to save any window glass or regulators?

                            Comment


                              #29
                              RE the China mfg thing. Part of it is probably specs, but more of it likely relates to agreed on price. The part costs X to make. Tighter specs adds to that price. If you want quality control so the specs are actually met, it adds more to that price. If the contracting company doesn't want to pony up for the QA in order to squeeze more profit, you get a mix of good and garbage with no screening.
                              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


                                #30
                                Originally posted by Mainemantom View Post
                                Well that donor car lived up to it's name.
                                You going to save any window glass or regulators?
                                I have nowhere to put the glass, though I recognize some value in maybe taking certain pieces.
                                Regulators do not really seem to ever need replacement or service in these cars...and also aren't really removable. Motors, on the other hand, I did take the front special ones as they have previously been serviced (holes drilled).

                                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

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