1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

[tyler_hubbard2003]

Okay I was wondering since my grand Marquis has been sitting a while what should I look into replacing? The master cylinder need to be replaced, the coolant flushed asap! It's brown and full of rust! And there are 2 rust bubbles on the body that I will be sanding. Lastly the battery tray and passenger side fender is rusty. I just need to know what needs to be a priority. The oil and trans fluid are excellent, the drive axle looks like it's leaking but my dads brand new truck looks nearly identical. It runs super smooth and no smoke. Has new alternator and newer radiator. Please let me know! Thanks

Btw sorry this is such a babbling post. I'm on my iPhone, it's too cold in my room to be on my comp :p

[sly]

My priority list:
1. what makes it stop.
2. what makes it go.
3. Structural integrity (rusty frame? fix it before beating too much pavement)
4. leaks.
5. comfort (HVAC)
6. looks.

If you have trouble stopping the car... get the brakes sorted first. It's never fun trying to stop a car that doesn't want to stop.

[Tiggie]

A tune up won't hurt. Animals like to chew on wires and hoses. I replace all hoses after a car has set for a long while. Plug wires, plugs, sometimes belt(S) too. Get ready for it to leak like crazy too. Can't forget fuel and air filters along with an oil and filter change. Flush the coolant like you wish. I have the best luck with drain and hot water fills until it runs clear, then filling with 100% antifreeze (about half the system is still full after a "drain," so you end up with a close 50/50 mix).

AOD should be okay for a while. Check the grease in the rear. If it's full on the filler plug, you're fine.

My problem with these cars and sitting has been the front brake calipers sticking. Check out your brake system. Get inside and stomp the pedal several times. get under the car and look for funny looking hoses or leaky lines. Rust is an issue if they are original. All of my boxes with original brake lines have had them bust (especially the one that goes over the tranny crossmember).

And if it's rusty structurally, that needs to be fixed ASAP. Nothing like your frame breaking in two while running 65mph.

[Smokestacklightnin]

I would also stress giving the entire brake system a thorough inspection.

[79lincolnlover]

As the others have said, having a good braking system should be on the top of your check-list!

[visionmercury]

yeah brakes first man coolant and fluids next

[tyler_hubbard2003]

Okay well I will definitely do the master cylinder asap! But I'll post picture of the underbody of my car and if you guys don't mind giving me pointers but is it better to do the brake lines yourself or let someone else do it? Could you give steps in doing brake lines. I am definitely going to replace all shotty hoses. The radiator and under engine hose especially. However until I get my first pay check should it last me a month or so after the coolant flush and all? Thanks so far guys! I really appreciate it! I just want the experts help for my dream car

[Mad MAx]

relevant to my interests

im working on a similar project. restoring an abandonded (for 4 years) 88 gm. the brakes were the one thing that worked crazy good when it was parked. I say crazy good cause they locked up in a corner and spun the car around. lets just say they were quite sensitive.

so it was almost out of fuel when it was parked, im going to put fresh oil, filter, and fuel in it. (draining existing fuel via forum suggestion). i was going to do new plugs and wires but im going to hope that can wait.

the first real PITA thing im going to need to do once its running is fix the heater core. anyone wanna link me to a thread for that?

[sly]

http://www.p71interceptor.com/heatercore/replace/pictures/

there's a good one with pics and all. doesn't point out every bolt, just goes over the main idea.

[Mad MAx]

Okay well I will definitely do the master cylinder asap! But I'll post picture of the underbody of my car and if you guys don't mind giving me pointers but is it better to do the brake lines yourself or let someone else do it? Could you give steps in doing brake lines. I am definitely going to replace all shotty hoses. The radiator and under engine hose especially. However until I get my first pay check should it last me a month or so after the coolant flush and all? Thanks so far guys! I really appreciate it! I just want the experts help for my dream car

brake lines shouldnt be a problem, you can get replacement lenghths, or a length of tube and bend/flange it yourself (not that hard) i had to do a fuel line on a carb in a parking lot after i noticed my line was cracked in half and leaking fuel on the top of the intake.