Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

kishy's 1988 Town Car

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

    #16
    Boomers are still paying people money to put them on their Cadillacs. Just saw a late model the other day with a vinyl top and pinstripes. I knew the owner had to have gray hair.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      #17
      Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post

      '73 was the first year for ugly front bumper itus. After that, every end got ugly bumper I think. And I agree, although some cars had decent integration, like barge Lincolns and Cadillacs.



      L
      Its not just the bumpers, its the entire cars. They are all too big with weird mushy lines. Like they styled the thing in butter then sat it on the counter to melt just a bit. 1968 is probably about the end of the properly good looking classic car era. Things stopped being somewhat boxy with clean lines and just got garish and tacky.
      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
        '72 is my cut-off year. I think some of the later offerings aren't so bad.
        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

        Comment


          #19
          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
          LoL oh no, waterfall all the way. You can keep your.. egg crate.

          '73 was the first year for ugly front bumper itus. After that, every end got ugly bumper I think. And I agree, although some cars had decent integration, like barge Lincolns and Cadillacs.



          LoL yeah, good paint is nice. I just don't like the coach top as it wasn't a Ford deal- crappy ASC strikes again there. If only they offered the Valino top in full, but I don't mind the half top. I think it looks cool when you tint the rear windows super dark to match like what I've got going. I'd like the coach top better if they didn't get rid of the French(?) 1/4 windows and if the rear interior lights weren't so chincy looking, as the wire wheels really look great with that top. Before Ashley's started to get kind of raggedy, it always got compliments. Come to think of it, I think old men were just ecstatic to see a young woman driving a car like that haha.

          Party tricks. LoL. Don't forget the power vent windows! People love 'em. I do like the auto dim feature, it mostly works.

          Hmm... What would you want for your '84?
          See, I like the elimination of the C-pillar windows (opera windows, I think). I like the ASC-installed Haartz tops, but caring for them is a giant pain...keep in mind my 91 has one so I am thoroughly experienced with them.

          I dislike the power vent windows. Vent windows are only useful if they flip outwards, rolling down doesn't achieve anything. As a party trick, sure, but as a vent window...not so much.

          As for the 84, if it becomes redundant because of the '88, I'd probably be happy at 1500 Canadian knowing it was going to someone who wasn't going to immediately smash it. Keep in mind it's a beater and its beaterishness is readily apparent if you study it even somewhat carefully. Recall that I cut corners where I feel comfortable doing so, because I don't do anything with an eye on future resale value. The intent with all of them is a certain degree of permanence.

          But just so it's been said, if someone approaches me tomorrow wanting to buy it (note that "it becomes redundant because of the '88" has not yet become true), the answer is first that it isn't for sale, and if they press me about it, the price is $10,000. If someone wants to cough up stupid money for a shitbox (a plush shitbox, but a shitbox nonetheless) that's their prerogative.
          Last edited by kishy; 08-11-2021, 10:34 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


            #20
            Well since it's an ASC job, the C-pillar window is still there. If you're lucky- they took it out but the factory place for it still exists behind that ugly top.

            True, but party tricks! We drive Lincolns, so we live in the world of A/C, only peasants ride around with the windows down...

            I'd be a buyer at $1,500 Canadian. Would make a great present for Ash, she misses her '89, but she really just likes Town Cars. Although legally she can't drive right now but what evs.
            1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
            1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

            Comment


              #21
              Could probably pull out a good amount of the bashed in quarter by tack welding some pins and using a slide hammer to pull it back to shape. Would look a little better then all bashed in.
              1997 Grand Marquis LS HPP
              2000 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series

              - Richard

              Comment


                #22
                Originally posted by kishy View Post
                I threw him an offer of $800, thinking of it as a parts car that could then be resold as a derby car (or even try building a derby car myself). He didn't like $800 but said he'd get back to me. We ended up at $1100, more than I liked for it, but ultimately there's a lot of car here, and I don't think I need to try hard to convince you folks that I can easily get $1100 of value out of it. My friend who owns the machine shop looked at this with me thoroughly and encouraged me to try to fix it. I believe I will be able to source the body section and door needed to fix this car, maybe not to perfection, but enough to be a daily driver. The frame is still where it belongs and the axle isn't bent. The body in the affected area is very complex, but it should be fixable. And if at the end of the day repair isn't feasible, the original plan of raiding it for parts and then smashing it is still an option.

                If this car gets fixed and becomes a daily, I will probably sell my 91 MGM and 84 TC (provided I don't move and have access to enough land to make redundancy not matter). This 88 combines the elements of both of those cars that I like, the reasons that I keep them both, and will do a better job of being both of those cars while only being a single car.
                It sounds like you're trying to figure out the next steps for your fleet as a whole, spurred on by the addition of this '88 Town Car. You're not entirely sure what you can live with and live without, so all options are being considered. I think I speak for everyone here when I say please don't kill this car. The fact you've gotten some quotes from a trusted professional is a positive sign, but I also know from having started body work journeys with Kira and Eva, there are little things that come up. Restoration work of any kind is deceptively complicated; it's not going to be as simple as just hanging a quarter panel and attaching a fresh rear door. Things have to be square and level, creases and body lines need to line up, surfaces prepped correctly before paint, etc. Obviously not needing everything to be absolutely 100% laser straight perfect and such will help both in time and money. But just getting things structurally sound and not dilapidated looking is surprisingly expensive. I'll have $2000+ into Kira's body work by the end of this month, and that's without fixing any floors, and the guy doing it has done a bunch of cars like her before.

                I get that there's part of you that needs an outlet for destruction. Creation, improvement, building, and constructive stuff like that always takes longer. I imagine you feel the pace is glacial at times. It's constant planning, scheduling, changing, fixing, troubleshooting. Perception of progress with a given build varies dramatically, and sometimes it feels like an abusive, one sided relationship. It all makes sense in retrospect now, after reading through the '83 Town Car thread. I was shocked initially- that car was in better shape than a bronze problem child '88 Town Car I plan on taking delivery of before winter. I know that's not saying much, especially if you've seen my pictures on DeviantArt. But at the bare minimum Lana's fenders, rockers, doors, and trunk lid will require thousands more in patch/fab work to get perfect vs your old '83. You had decided long before posting here that it was far too big of a project for you, then and now. I just hope this '88 isn't too steep of a mountain to climb with the collision repairs. There is absolutely nothing wrong at all with tucking this thing away in long term storage as you run numbers and figure out the timeline for repairs, maintenance, etc. I sat on Eva for over 5 years before everything was in place to start her restoration. Always plan on buying more storage than you think you'd need in the worst case scenario. Larger than average undertakings have a funny way of challenging us like that!
                '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"

                Comment


                  #23
                  Kishy the good news Biden is thinking of opening the North/South border to travel for fully vacineated people.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Very cool! I love the 88-89 Town Cars. Ford nailed the durability and quality of them.

                    I was just in Ontario and Quebec a couple of weeks ago. Hope to be crossing again soon.
                    -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


                      #25
                      Obviously, nothing has happened with this car yet. And that's fine.

                      The intent is indeed to pull out the dent and see where we land, in terms of how much needs to be cut. There's the amount we know for sure, and there's the amount we won't know until we've pulled it out. That's some time down the road yet.


                      Originally posted by Hearsesrock427 View Post
                      It sounds like you're trying to figure out the next steps for your fleet as a whole, spurred on by the addition of this '88 Town Car. You're not entirely sure what you can live with and live without, so all options are being considered. I think I speak for everyone here when I say please don't kill this car. The fact you've gotten some quotes from a trusted professional is a positive sign, but I also know from having started body work journeys with Kira and Eva, there are little things that come up. Restoration work of any kind is deceptively complicated; it's not going to be as simple as just hanging a quarter panel and attaching a fresh rear door. Things have to be square and level, creases and body lines need to line up, surfaces prepped correctly before paint, etc. Obviously not needing everything to be absolutely 100% laser straight perfect and such will help both in time and money. But just getting things structurally sound and not dilapidated looking is surprisingly expensive. I'll have $2000+ into Kira's body work by the end of this month, and that's without fixing any floors, and the guy doing it has done a bunch of cars like her before.

                      I get that there's part of you that needs an outlet for destruction. Creation, improvement, building, and constructive stuff like that always takes longer. I imagine you feel the pace is glacial at times. It's constant planning, scheduling, changing, fixing, troubleshooting. Perception of progress with a given build varies dramatically, and sometimes it feels like an abusive, one sided relationship. It all makes sense in retrospect now, after reading through the '83 Town Car thread. I was shocked initially- that car was in better shape than a bronze problem child '88 Town Car I plan on taking delivery of before winter. I know that's not saying much, especially if you've seen my pictures on DeviantArt. But at the bare minimum Lana's fenders, rockers, doors, and trunk lid will require thousands more in patch/fab work to get perfect vs your old '83. You had decided long before posting here that it was far too big of a project for you, then and now. I just hope this '88 isn't too steep of a mountain to climb with the collision repairs. There is absolutely nothing wrong at all with tucking this thing away in long term storage as you run numbers and figure out the timeline for repairs, maintenance, etc. I sat on Eva for over 5 years before everything was in place to start her restoration. Always plan on buying more storage than you think you'd need in the worst case scenario. Larger than average undertakings have a funny way of challenging us like that!
                      You may be reading more from this than there is...or I might be grappling with the thought process still. I guess we'll see.

                      The fleet is too large, and I've needed to chop it down for a while. I really like these cars, if that isn't apparent, and I've been feeling out what ones I might want to keep on a more-or-less permanent basis. As I mentioned, this Lincoln can fill the role of two of the others...so if that pans out as intended, 3 cars get reduced down to one, and then they all fit in my driveway again instead of getting friends to store things for me.

                      I have not received quotes from anyone, nor am I going to. This car is totalled and no body shop will do the work because no body shop will source the panels. Locally, cars don't get fixed at this age. Doesn't matter how much money you wave at them.

                      The asterisk, the fine print, on that: take it to a restoration shop and drop $20k. That will get it repaired. Accordingly, it will be a DIY job, and the result will be imperfect. Everyone involved needs to just deal with that and accept the choice is either part it and smash it, or it's going to be a well-appointed beater. I feel fine with the latter and will only consider the former if it isn't viable to save the car at some point.

                      I am not an inherently destructive person, nor am I foaming at the mouth at the thought of smashing another car. The 83 was too far gone to be brought back in Ontario (even if not in effort, administratively it was a no-go). Frame repairs (it had foot-long rust holes in the frame rails) are basically not allowed anymore. Every single metal panel of the car was beyond refurbishment except the hood...and that's not exactly an in-demand item. If you're trying to bring a car back from further gone than that one was, you'd be well advised to stop and re-evaluate. This car, the 88, is more viable to save than the 83 was, a hundred times over. Maybe a thousand.

                      Although I might get a section of a donor car much sooner (depending on availability), realistically this one is sitting for a number of years before any movement happens on the body work.

                      Originally posted by Rodentkiller View Post
                      Kishy the good news Biden is thinking of opening the North/South border to travel for fully vacineated people.
                      The US was never really the side I was, nor continue to be worried about. You guys would let me in if I could come up with a compelling case for it.

                      The problem is that Canada will not allow me back in without a negative test, and tests for the purpose of crossing the border will be paid out-of-pocket to the tune of $150 and up.

                      I am conflicted about this, because:
                      -As a citizen it seems to me that I should have an inherent and permanent right to always return to my homeland regardless of my ability to pay, provided I can physically transport myself to a border entry point.
                      -I do believe that, if the government requires me to receive a health-related procedure (the test) because of a greater good they are pursuing, they should pay for it.
                      -But, as much as I believe the above, I also do not believe that I am entitled to have my international travel for leisure (which does not have a stimulating effect on my own home economy) subsidized by the tax base.
                      -If the public health priority is to know that I am entering the country with or without COVID, a test is more useful than knowing that I am vaccinated (which I am).

                      That being said, I feel pretty confident that public backlash will cause the testing requirement to be dropped, and vaccination to be sufficient (even though I think from a functional perspective, unvaccinated should be allowed to cross provided they test negative).

                      Difficult topic.

                      Originally posted by TecNickal View Post
                      Very cool! I love the 88-89 Town Cars. Ford nailed the durability and quality of them.

                      I was just in Ontario and Quebec a couple of weeks ago. Hope to be crossing again soon.
                      Depending on your priorities, there are a number of years that might be better/the best per your standards...or mine, or whoever, if we consider different aspects like interior appointments, exterior styling cues, gimmicky features...

                      I am not fond of the small bumpers on the Town Cars, I think they look stupid. But that's me. I feel like if we take all of that into consideration, 88-89 is the best of the boxes, but you've got to put the old bumpers on it before it looks good. IMHO

                      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


                        #26
                        The older bumpers > the newer bumpers. For sure, I agree.

                        I had to pay for two PCRs recently. $125 US EACH. Real fun. I hope that nonsense stops for you as a Canadian citizen, and for me as an American trying to enter Canada. It certainly will keep a lot of people from visiting that can't float it.

                        Wonder what those in Vancouever, GTA and Montreal areas think about the border reopening but requiring PCR tests for each person? That adds up quickly for a family of four crossing into Buffalo for some shopping.
                        -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


                          #27
                          I think the fact you're not used to paying unreasonable sums of money for poor medical treatment pretty solidly nails you as not American We're pretty used to paying a lot of money for bullshit. We're also used to paying for insurance, a co-pay, then getting 3 different bills in the mail later that doesn't quite make it clear what is or is not still owed depending on what the insurance felt like paying. Sometimes followed with multiple phone calls to decipher this, argue with the insurance about something they declined that shouldn't have been, etc.
                          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


                            #28
                            Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                            I think the fact you're not used to paying unreasonable sums of money for poor medical treatment pretty solidly nails you as not American We're pretty used to paying a lot of money for bullshit. We're also used to paying for insurance, a co-pay, then getting 3 different bills in the mail later that doesn't quite make it clear what is or is not still owed depending on what the insurance felt like paying. Sometimes followed with multiple phone calls to decipher this, argue with the insurance about something they declined that shouldn't have been, etc.


                            Yep. All of this. I once argued with someone who said, "You can't put a price on saving lives." I said, "They sure do! Just look at the next invoice you get from a hospital, that'll tell you what your quality of life was valued at."
                            1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                            1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Update, with some current photos.

                              As noted in the junkyard thread, I had been invited by an acquaintance in Michigan to come take a bunch of parts he had kept from Town Cars he'd previously owned, free of charge. One thing he had remarked was that he was pretty sure this car has the same interior colour as one of them, and he may have had a driver door card for me (RE: broken armrest on this one).

                              Well, finally got out to look at the 88 to verify, and sure enough, it is the same. So, the parts list already acquired looks like:
                              • Driver door card: armrest failure. New perfect one has been acquired.
                              • Driver rear door card: probably unusable due to collision damage. New perfect one has been acquired.
                              • Glovebox: typical "vinyl shrinkage" problem at the top edge. New perfect one has been acquired.
                              • Tail lights: one destroyed by collision, the other has a cracked lens. New good ones have been acquired.
                              • Rear bumper: failure due to aluminum corrosion. If a big bumper swap comes to fruition, I have a good set of bumpers and fillers to facilitate that.
                              • Driver front turn signal: lens is damaged from unknown cause. I'm pretty sure I have an 88-correct one in my garage already.


                              Obviously, this is all really unimportant given the high-priority issues with this car, but these are super cool developments from my perspective because it's an uncommon interior colour and the parts I got are really nice.


















                              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


                                #30
                                I visited this car today, to deliver its new driver rear door and bodyside brightwork. These are being stored inside it until a quarter panel turns up.

                                The door and brightwork pieces cost 85 USD and were removed from an 89 at Ryan's Pick-a-Part in Detroit. Junkyard thread reference http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...l=1#post868100

                                Not dealt with today, but also bought, was the rear bumper (the one on this car is almost totally turned into dust now from corrosion). 50ish USD, from the same car at the same yard.

                                I've also got the 89-unique headlight bezels for this, which I believe I was not charged for, and came from that same car.

                                Health check and tasks of the evening:
                                • Oil is a little low, just under the safe range.
                                • Coolant was down to about the right height for an intake gasket leak. Added some.
                                • Tires: both front were totally flat. Driver front (full size spare) held air for the evening. Passenger front lost all its air in an hour or so. Driver rear took a little air but was otherwise inflated; this tire was ruined by contact with the quarter panel anyway. Passenger rear seems healthyish.
                                • Battery was totally dead. Car started, somewhat reluctantly, with a lithium booster pack. Idle quality is OK but not great.
                                • Drove it up and down the laneway behind friend's property (that one tire is ruined anyway, no real damage to be done). Car seems well behaved but the shift lever is extremely hard to move. It feels worse than just the parking brake release valve, but it's possible that's all it is if the rubber all turned to goo.
                                • 2G Alternator pigtail was DIY-repaired with crimp terminals. Not on fire yet, but I'm sure it will be some day.
                                • Burns oil out the exhaust as well as burns oil off hot surfaces at the rear of the engine. Probably has valve seal issues and probably has the usual gasket issues.
                                • Discovered the fuel return line seems to have a minor, but definitely present leak in the over-axle area, where the main collision damage is. Not really surprising. Not sure what exactly is causing the leak; it may be that the quick-connect is cracked, because I can't think of what else it would be. Did not inspect closely. Fuel lines aren't a hard thing to fix so I'm not stressing about it.
                                • After loading the parts stash into it, returned it to its previous space, but now with a wooden household door under the front tires to reduce the amount of sinking into the ground it can do.
                                • Brought battery home to put it on a charger and hopefully prevent it becoming useless, but maybe I've waited too long.












                                An interesting observation I made while looking at the 84 from above when it was on the ferry boat recently: the reason I think the skinny bumpers look so stupid is because the car gets wider in the middle of the passenger cabin. The body is narrowest at the header panel and rear quarter extensions. The bumpers on the 80-84 cars are actually the same width as the passenger area of the car, they just look wider because the body tapers in at both ends.
                                Last edited by kishy; 08-08-2022, 01:33 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

                                Working...
                                X