Saved from the Demo Derby: 1990 Country Squire

[Tiggie]

Was having some trouble getting the rear window to operate from the dash switch. That ended up being the bottom latch not fully latched. Easy fix.
Had the interior panel off to do some diagnosis on the above and noticed the power lock wasn't working. The NOS actuator I installed several years ago has failed. Still moved freely by hand, but nothing going on with electrical contact inside. Luckily I had another to toss in.
Last but not least, the tailgate weatherstrip on this car is in really poor condition. The rear window leaked whenever I washed it. Adjusted the window stops to stop the leaks.
I surely wish I had pulled the trigger on that weatherstrip on eBay several years ago.

Otherwise, the car is doing well. No further issues with the speedometer yet. Been on several day trips with it. Runs so quiet. This engine isn't perfectly clean inside but as I work the noises out of the rest of the car, the engine is silent. Really starting to like this ride a lot. The 68 hasn't been started in two months but this thing goes out once a week!

[Lutrova]

I once ran across one of those bumper jacks in a junkyard car but passed on it as I didn't really understand what it was. I've been kicking myself ever since then for not grabbing it.

Those jump seats look great. Seems like the sideways orientation is a little nicer for whoever's riding back there than rear facing.

[Tiggie]

Nice! Glad to see it complete.
That reminds me I have a squeak in the back which might be in the spare area. I need to yank the spare out and see if the squeak goes away. This also would give me opportunity to replace the broken spare lift strap that I have hanging in the garage.

My 88 has a squeak back there when it's cold. I thought it was the jack or tire, but no luck. I almost forgot the strap. Had it packed in a box.

Looks great Ben. Super jealous.

Thanks David. We gotta get you a wagon stable mate for the coupe.

[87gtVIC]

Looks great Ben. Super jealous.

[VicCrownVic]

Nice! Glad to see it complete.
That reminds me I have a squeak in the back which might be in the spare area. I need to yank the spare out and see if the squeak goes away. This also would give me opportunity to replace the broken spare lift strap that I have hanging in the garage.

[Tiggie]

Rear seat install is complete. Kids love them. Took the better part of two afternoons. Not counting the prep to clean up everything and waiting on some hardware (Jack nuts) for installation. The color is a little different but you really don't notice since the load is also a different shade that works well the jump seat color.

From Zero

To Hero

I absolutely love these things. They really complete the wagon experience. This is year 18 of driving wagons and I have never been able to have a jump seat experience. The kids throw their arms out the window for all the truckers to tug on the air horns. It's great.

If there is a downside, it would be I can't stash my spare under the floor any more. I kept it there for easier access to check pressure. Upon inspection, the valve stem had a cut. So I took the liberty of cleaning and painting the spare rim while I had the tire dismounted.


As mentioned elsewhere, this car has an 15x6.5 police wheel for the spare. I've concluded a previous owner picked it up somewhere. I think it has an 1987 date code and also accepts the 10.5" cap, not the 11" that an 1990 would have.


Also found this unused jack in the junkyard this past weekend to replace the crusty rusty original. So that went in too.


Finally, if you never wrestled a full size spare into a wagon, count your blessings. It sucks.

[sly]

C'mon now, buying cars for ~$500 and then investing ~$4,500 into them over the course of a year is my thing. Get your own.

[DerekTheGreat]

C'mon now, buying cars for ~$500 and then investing ~$4,500 into them over the course of a year is my thing. Get your own.

[sly]

Solid car from the pics there, but it's very worn out paint and interior. If the heater core is fine and a new fuel pump would sort it, it would be a good beater with a little spare tire well repair. Put some patina coat on it to stop the panel rust and call it good. For under 2K to have a running car that can haul would be a good deal for some. IF it runs and drives with just a fuel pump. I kinda doubt it though.

[DerekTheGreat]

Ah yes, a decepticon. Like an 8 who suddenly becomes a 4 after the alcohol fog fades. Buyer's remorse would certainly settle in quick.. Car snakes, now there's a good idea for keeping rodents away. Guess you just need to sterilize them beforehand.

[Tiggie]

Nice! Glad you were able to find a set that didn't involve ridiculous shipping cost or an insane amount of driving, LOL.

For those that don't know, Vic went out on a limb and graciously extracted the seats from the wagon that was in the Detroit yards several months ago (Kishy documented the car in his Junkyard thread). But we ran into some logistics problems of trying to get to them from MI to VA. My family obligations prevented making it a multi day road trip, and making up and back in one day is a challenge.

Blue with red interior? I've never seen that combo before. That car looks fairly solid...

Here's the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BPMs...ibextid=wwXIfr

Twas grey on red. This car makes my red beater wagon look like almost like a cream puff in some ways. There were certainly some good qualities but it's closer to the crusher than the road at this point. The vinyl is hiding some rust sins, I promise. It had some weird wrinkles in the quarters. The surface rust. The header panel was busted. Besides the body, the interior is rough, with mold, moisture, and rodents. I'm lucky there was a fresh snake skin in the rear jump seat area who apparently ate all the mice and kept them from getting to the jump seats. It essentially hadn't ran in over ten years (I don't count starter fluid since that probably broke the rings of a partially stuck cylinder or two). It's pretty high mileage anyway judging by the wear.

[DerekTheGreat]

Blue with red interior? I've never seen that combo before. That car looks fairly solid...

[VicCrownVic]

Nice! Glad you were able to find a set that didn't involve ridiculous shipping cost or an insane amount of driving, LOL.

[87gtVIC]

Nice score on the seats!

[Tiggie]

Drove a few hours and snagged these jump seats today. The guy was not parting out the car but was willing to sell the seats.
He does have a derby guy buyer at $1000 but is hoping for more money or a possibly a seller focused on restoration. I considered buying the whole car but it's pretty rough to bring back to nice, and the other parts I would want are not much good to justify the price for a parts car. It's got rodent issues and rust in multiple places. Quarter drop offs, rocker panels, front and rear wheel arches (woodgrain vinyl hides a lot). I hate to see good cars in the derby but I didn't feel bad leaving this one behind.