My 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Definitely sounds like firmer than normal TV pressure. Not a bad thing IMO, at least considering the alternative.

[slack]

The silver stuff has to be better than nothing, and it might not get too hot way up there on top to gum it up. Even if it does gum up, it probably will put up less of a fight than having the screw fused via corrosion to the intake.
Thankfully, no inspections of any kind here in MI. Although you should see some of the crap on the roads here in the Detroit area. The only reason we re-established that connection was to stop the noise from the open tube off of the cat.

Part of me was even debating putting the plate back on. lol I guess we'll see down the line how the "tin man" holds up.

I can't even imagine the things that must pop up on the road with no inspection.



The other day, I was checking the trunk out for leaks (learned after my CV). Unfortunately, it looks like this one is leaking as well. Not bad (yet). But it's coming through the same seam area. So, after the CV is all disassembled and gone, I'm going to have to go through and rust proof the inside of this trunk like I did to the CV.

Paint is peeling pretty good because of the rust:


Water leaking in:


Thankfully the rest of the trunk area is still solid. There's just the rust forming on the tail lights. One thing that was interesting to find is that the driver's side tail light bulb closest to the reverse light is currently being held in by chewed gum. At first I thought the bulb connector was melted.. nope, smushed gum. It's holding so I guess it's fine for now.

While checking in there, I found some stuff stashed up behind the spare tire:

• Brake release handle - It looks like it snapped off..
• A broken door light cover - both sides are broken. My CV ones are still okay so I'll move them over. (Stupid brittle plastic...)
• Ignition coil - No idea if it works. Definitely not new though.
• Ignition coil wire - Again, no idea if it's shot or not.
• Some bulbs and connectors - Bulbs are probably shot, connectors are good to have.
• Original rubber floor mats - I thought these would be cool to use. I put them in the front seat. They're too slippery for my taste. CV ones are going to go in and these back to the trunk.
• Shift indicator and collar - This was awesome to see. The collar isn't cracked! Looks new.
• A single reverse tail light lens - This also looks to be in great shape. Nice to have an extra.

Better pic of the shift indicator:


Reverse light lens:


Car passed safety inspection today!


Edit: Almost forgot. Now that I've been able to drive the car a bit more, I noticed that the shifts all seem a bit later than expected and are firm when they happen. This sounds like the TV cable might be set a little on the tighter side, right?

[VicCrownVic]

The silver stuff has to be better than nothing, and it might not get too hot way up there on top to gum it up. Even if it does gum up, it probably will put up less of a fight than having the screw fused via corrosion to the intake.
Thankfully, no inspections of any kind here in MI. Although you should see some of the crap on the roads here in the Detroit area. The only reason we re-established that connection was to stop the noise from the open tube off of the cat.

[slack]

No on the Crown Vic clear speedo lens bits assisting you on your cracked Grand Marquis parts here.

The antitheft thing is neat in an old school sense of things. Ive never heard of it but seem similar systems from ford on ebay before.

If it worries you I would just remove the entire system carefully.

It looks like it just shorts out pins. I am certain it can be bypassed. If more than two wires leading to its connector mounted up their on the speedometer bezel then it is just a manner of finding out what wires need what when in a pinch.

Again nice score on the vehicle. Definitely worth the dough.

Thanks. Bummer about the speedo lens. I'm going to leave the anti-theft stuff in there for now. It's sort of odd which makes it cool. If it ever gives me any trouble though I'll take it out. I don't want to risk getting stranded somewhere. I did a quick Google search and someone else had a similar system and it fed to a relay and some more wiring under the dash. Hopefully it's simple enough to figure out.

Nice score!

Thanks!

The MAP line is a bit annoying being two very different sizes at each end. I have (had, mostly gone now) a stash of silicone vac lines and was able to slide the smaller line into the larger one to make the transition.

High heat copper anti-seize not just the tin man silver color stuff? (Tin man, because that's what you look like if you get it on you.) Not sure if it gets hot enough at that top 5.0 plate, but enough heat gums up the standard tin man stuff.

I drove my '89 MGM from when I was 18 until less than a month before my 28th birthday. The speedo never bothered me, but perhaps being right handed helped. The '89 cluster lighting was way better than the stock clusters in both '91 MGMs I've owned.

On that exhaust leak, it looks like the air injection tube at the cat (very common) although I'm looking on my phone and didn't zoom in. Dad had some high heat hose that we clamped on there to complete the connection. That lasted a couple years before the hose section broke. For some reason the next section of hose didn't last as long. It was cut from the same hose so maybe age and sitting in a non temperature controlled garage did it in. Nothing beats fixing something right but if a quick temporary fix is needed, you just have to get creative sometimes.

Nice frame and that rocker panel looks good too. Much better shape than my sub-$1k boxes. Do a little searching to see what undercoating is available in your area if this will be a year round DD.

Ah crap. I used the silver stuff. I have the copper stuff as well. I just grabbed the first one on the shelf. I guess I might be torching those screws again in the future.

The cluster lighting is surprisingly bright. I wasn't expecting how bright it was compared to the CV's.

The injection tube on the cat is indeed toast. It's not leaking though. I originally thought it was but that black wrap is doing it's job. The leak is coming from the top of the cat itself. There must be a hole under the hose-clamped on heat shield or something. What's annoying is that NY changed the law on cats, so the cheap ones aren't for sale here anymore. The car doesn't have to pass emissions but it's suppose to have the stock emissions systems visibly there (functional isn't required). Getting dinged on the inspection for having a missing cat would be a gamble on who is inspecting the car. I guess I could throw one of those non-NY ones on there... who would know the difference?

Yeah, frame is what sold it for me. There's a little bit of surface spots here and there but overall it's in great shape. The car's not going to be a year round car. I plan on doing like I do with the CV and not drive it in the Winter.

I don't have a gauge lens, but I do have a "MERCURY" emblem. It measures 6 3/4" long and has 4 pins. Excellent condition. WagonMan

Cool. I'll PM you soon about it.

Still it looks great! My paint is in good shape but there are rust spots poking through. And the po bent the doors when he locked his keys inside and used a screwdriver to dig the locks out... also it looks like yours is spec’d close to mine, same seats but mine has an analog clock which I haven’t seen too often on a gs trim.

I have a gauge bezel that you could take the lens from if you want it but it’s from a 79 and has gold trim instead of silver.

Also I’m left eye dominant as well and it doesn’t bother me. Maybe you’re just used to a centrally placed speedo, just sayin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, mine has some rust spots poking through the paint as well. Doesn't look like there are any holes though. I prefer the look of the analog clock over the digital and might swap over to one down the line.

Thank you very much for the offer on the lens but I'll have to pass. The gold would clash too much with the silver.

As for the speedo location. I guess I'll just get used to it the more I drive the car.

Your replacement MAP line looks similar to the one on my '87. Not sure if its how Nick got it years back or if he had to do the same thing, but it works, and that's what's important.

The instrument cluster panel is unique to GMQ, so you just need a replacement '79-'87 one. If someone doesn't reach out to you soon, I'll keep any eye out at the junkyard since Boxes still turn up.

Years back when I first drove the '87, it was a little weird having the speedometer off to the side instead of being centered, but you really do get used to it. Switching between the '87 and '97, the difference in instrumentation doesn't really bother me in the slightest. The only thing I don't like about the pre-'90 LTD/Marquis interiors is the lack of any temperature gauge stock. Way too much faith to put into a dummy light switch, which certainly could prove to be too little, too late. I've kept an aftermarket one fitted on principle.


Also, I assume your '87 is a later build car (post 02/87). You have the nicer air vents that don't seem to go floppy as bad as the early style. I found a later build '87 in the junkyard once that had the vinyl moisture barriers in the doors, better dash vents, and other small things that seemed to be ramping up towards the 88MY overall restyle. Seems the early build '87s got the pseudo-tar paper weather barriers and earlier style air vents, amongst other things. The improvements certainly makes IMO for the best of the best for the last year of the "boxy" box.

Thanks. I didn't realize the panel was GMQ specific.. actually I didn't even notice that the lens was part of the dash trim until I just did a quick Google search. I wonder if it cracked when they installed the aftermarket anti-theft device. That's just screwed into the dash trim with two phillips head screws.

Interesting info about the vents. I have the floppy ones in the CV (which are from an 87). I still have the original 89 dash trim from my CV, I wonder if those are the same as the ones in GQM. I remember those being better than the floppy older style ones.

I have some new old school lace up steering wheel covers. I have light tan. I guess you could put it over the old leather wrap or take off the leather wrap. What is important is the diameter of the wheel. Let me know if your interested.

Thanks. I think I'm just going to go ahead and take the leather wrap off like I did with the CV. I don't mind the thinner steering wheel.

Really nice score. Car looks extremely solid for $500, and it ran to boot! Two Tone status is awesome as well.

Thanks!

[DerekTheGreat]

Really nice score. Car looks extremely solid for $500, and it ran to boot! Two Tone status is awesome as well.

[Mainemantom]

I have some new old school lace up steering wheel covers. I have light tan. I guess you could put it over the old leather wrap or take off the leather wrap. What is important is the diameter of the wheel. Let me know if your interested.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Your replacement MAP line looks similar to the one on my '87. Not sure if its how Nick got it years back or if he had to do the same thing, but it works, and that's what's important.

The instrument cluster panel is unique to GMQ, so you just need a replacement '79-'87 one. If someone doesn't reach out to you soon, I'll keep any eye out at the junkyard since Boxes still turn up.

Years back when I first drove the '87, it was a little weird having the speedometer off to the side instead of being centered, but you really do get used to it. Switching between the '87 and '97, the difference in instrumentation doesn't really bother me in the slightest. The only thing I don't like about the pre-'90 LTD/Marquis interiors is the lack of any temperature gauge stock. Way too much faith to put into a dummy light switch, which certainly could prove to be too little, too late. I've kept an aftermarket one fitted on principle.


Also, I assume your '87 is a later build car (post 02/87). You have the nicer air vents that don't seem to go floppy as bad as the early style. I found a later build '87 in the junkyard once that had the vinyl moisture barriers in the doors, better dash vents, and other small things that seemed to be ramping up towards the 88MY overall restyle. Seems the early build '87s got the pseudo-tar paper weather barriers and earlier style air vents, amongst other things. The improvements certainly makes IMO for the best of the best for the last year of the "boxy" box.

[87GrandMarq]

My 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis

Still it looks great! My paint is in good shape but there are rust spots poking through. And the po bent the doors when he locked his keys inside and used a screwdriver to dig the locks out... also it looks like yours is spec’d close to mine, same seats but mine has an analog clock which I haven’t seen too often on a gs trim.

I have a gauge bezel that you could take the lens from if you want it but it’s from a 79 and has gold trim instead of silver.

Also I’m left eye dominant as well and it doesn’t bother me. Maybe you’re just used to a centrally placed speedo, just sayin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WagonMan]

I don't have a gauge lens, but I do have a "MERCURY" emblem. It measures 6 3/4" long and has 4 pins. Excellent condition. WagonMan

[VicCrownVic]

The MAP line is a bit annoying being two very different sizes at each end. I have (had, mostly gone now) a stash of silicone vac lines and was able to slide the smaller line into the larger one to make the transition.

High heat copper anti-seize not just the tin man silver color stuff? (Tin man, because that's what you look like if you get it on you.) Not sure if it gets hot enough at that top 5.0 plate, but enough heat gums up the standard tin man stuff.

I drove my '89 MGM from when I was 18 until less than a month before my 28th birthday. The speedo never bothered me, but perhaps being right handed helped. The '89 cluster lighting was way better than the stock clusters in both '91 MGMs I've owned.

On that exhaust leak, it looks like the air injection tube at the cat (very common) although I'm looking on my phone and didn't zoom in. Dad had some high heat hose that we clamped on there to complete the connection. That lasted a couple years before the hose section broke. For some reason the next section of hose didn't last as long. It was cut from the same hose so maybe age and sitting in a non temperature controlled garage did it in. Nothing beats fixing something right but if a quick temporary fix is needed, you just have to get creative sometimes.

Nice frame and that rocker panel looks good too. Much better shape than my sub-$1k boxes. Do a little searching to see what undercoating is available in your area if this will be a year round DD.

[GM_Guy]

Nice score!

[87gtVIC]

No on the Crown Vic clear speedo lens bits assisting you on your cracked Grand Marquis parts here.

The antitheft thing is neat in an old school sense of things. Ive never heard of it but seem similar systems from ford on ebay before.

If it worries you I would just remove the entire system carefully.

It looks like it just shorts out pins. I am certain it can be bypassed. If more than two wires leading to its connector mounted up their on the speedometer bezel then it is just a manner of finding out what wires need what when in a pinch.

Again nice score on the vehicle. Definitely worth the dough.

[slack]

General pics of the car.

Here are some pics of the car itself:

Front. Headlights need to be swapped with new ones. There's a small dent in the bumper and of course my CV also has a similar dent in it so swapping doesn't matter there.




Back. Bumper is rough. CV one isn't great but I'll probably be swapping it over. I'm also missing the "Mercury" trim on the trunk lid. Left taillight was repaired at some point with what looks like super glue.


A completely un-interesting stock LOPO 5.0 we've all seen 5 billion times.


Interior. I thought I actually had more of these. The inside is in great shape except for a single crack on the speedometer "glass". I have two 85mph CV speedos. Can I swap the clear plastic from one of those to this one? The leather wrap of the steering wheel is going to go though. It's pretty sticky like my CV's was when I took it off.


Driver's side exhaust is completely replaced with new cat as well as new y-pipe and muffler. Passenger's side cat is a different story...



Pic of the nice and solid frame.


Here's the source of my loud exhaust leak. I think I'm just going to try and plug the hole first before actually replacing it. It needs to pass inspection within 10 days so I'm pressed for time for now. It's interesting that they did the rest of the exhaust but left this portion...


This was a surprise to see. It has an external transmission cooler! At some point someone put some real effort and attention into this car. It's absolutely crazy that it was passed along for so cheap.


Here's a bit of an oddity. When I had my '97 Towncar that was equipped with Lojack from a previous owner, I had to press the rear defrost switch before I could turn the key to start the car. This car has something similar yet much more crude. To the left of the column is this "cartridge" that plugs into a slot that needs to be in place for the car to start. I hope all it does is just make the connections between the wires and there's no extra logic baked in there because that would be a pain if this thing goes missing or stops working. There's a spare, but after that... that's it.


The "cartridge" itself. Anyone ever heard of these before? It's install is a bit hackish. There's literally wires running from under the dash up to the cartridge slot's mount point.


I don't have pics (yet) but the rear door's corner glass sort of tells a bit of the car's history. There's stickers in 1998 for Police Veteran's Association. There's another old one I think just for Veterans. Then on the other side, there's some pictures of Jesus with captions in Spanish saying "Please protect me". Then there's a parking permit for a SUNY college upstate from 2010. The driver's side door panel has some cigarette burns as well. I wonder how many owners this car has had in its life?

Side note, it's interesting getting used to looking at the speedometer on this dash. My last Grand Marquis was a 91 so it had the usual 0-85 straight across style. I'm left handed so maybe my left eye is my dominant eye because reading the speedometer section on the right takes some getting used to. I feel like I'm never 100% sure exactly what speed I'm going when I glance at it, just a round about. Anyone else experience this on their first time using this style dash?

Well... that's all for now!

[slack]

Fixed the idle issue

I fixed the idle issue today. I pulled the car into the driveway and was doing a "once over everything" type of deal.

Quick rundown of what I checked:

• Plug wires - They look brand new. I popped them off and they had zero corrosion on the connectors.
• Distributor Cap / Rotor - The connectors look a bit worn on these. I took some sandpaper and sanded them down, but they're now on the list to be replaced.
• EGR Valve - I took it off and it wasn't clogged. I cleaned it up a bit and made sure it held vacuum. All good there.
• IAC - I took this off as well. Also clean as whistle inside.
• Air Filter - Brand new fram was installed. The filter portion still looks brand new.
• Vacuum lines - Saw some problems here. There was one (pic below) where the brittle plastic line was snapped. I patched that so it's now connected. Also I noticed the line to the MAP sensor was bad.
• I didn't get a chance to check the spark plugs yet. If the plugs are new, hopefully they are too.
• Did an oil change as the oil was black as tar.

Left line on this tree was snapped (on passenger's side).


The condition of the vacuum line to the MAP sensor:


That line was pretty "gummy". I noticed that when the car started, it collapsed which caused the car to stumble. Then as the car stumbled, the line opened back up and the cycle repeated itself.

The vacuum line to the MAP sensor has two different sizes on each end, so I had to improvise with some new line and some old line I had floating around the garage. (As you can see, I keep a very clean and organized working environment. haha)


Plenum had to come off to get to the line under it. 6 1/2'' bolts hold it to the intake manifold. 2 are behind the "5.0" plate. That is held on by 4 T20 torx screws. I had to use map gas on those otherwise they would have stripped right out and caused the whole process to be a major PITA. Going back in, I coated the torx screws with never seize so when I'm back in there, I don't curse my former self.

I left the throttle stuff connected and propped the thing up with a random box of screws I had. There was just enough room to get under there.


New line in. I decided to not put a hose clamp on it because it took SO much force to push the size I had on there I (hopefully) don't see it coming off any time soon.


I probably should have replaced the other lines while I had things apart, but the others didn't seem so bad and it was already 10:30pm.

Also, added to the "TO-DO" list is the brass TV cable grommet. The one that's on there is the original. It's amazingly still holding up but has definitely seen better days. I'm thinking I might just take the one from the CV when I strip it instead of buying a new one. We'll see though.

Next post I'll show some more pics of the car itself.

[slack]

Nice find, congratulations.
My $500 box was towed home and the $700 box didn't make it without incident (had to borrow a 2G from Derek when mine gave up luckily near his house.)
Looking forward to the fun you'll have with this one (even the "fun" fun, lol.)

It was definitely a gamble driving it that far. The car had basically been sitting for over a year at the point I bought it. My friend followed in his pickup and we had tow straps if we absolutely needed it. I'm not sure how we would have gotten it over the Whitestone Bridge in tow straps though. Thankfully it was late enough for the traffic to have cleared out and the whole way was basically highway miles.

When are you going to swap the nose and tail lights???? Just kidding. Congrats on the new ride! WagonMan

Thanks. Haha! Mr Bean has the early box to round box conversion covered already. This one is staying as is.

Is the thick stripe on the side an option or a yearly thing?
If it runs and drives, anything is a great deal for 500 bucks.

Agreed. For $500, even if it was in crap shape, the extra parts and frame would have been worth it.

Nice MGM! Must have been an interesting ride home with the inclement weather and all that. Sounds like You’re probably already familiar with Panthers; but from my limited experience, I would look over all the vacuum lines that you can get to, and make sure they’re not broken. Especially the MAP sensor line. Mine had a worn fitting and the line would come loose and cause the rough idling and black smoke.

Thanks! We actually just missed the storm! We left my house around 7pm, right as the sun started coming back out so we were good both ways. That would have been a nightmare to drive back in with bad wipers. The shocks are shot so I was already bobbing up and down with all the bumps and such. Also, the idle issue was the MAP sensor line!

Ooh, that’s a two-tone car.

Hopefully the repairs aren’t too intensive, but for the price, I think all that can really happen is positive improvement regardless. Nice score!

Thanks! So far, it looks like everything will be cheap unless I plan to fix the exhaust "right" instead of just plugging it up for the time being.

Hooray for a replacement!

Woo!!

Oh yeah. Two tones of tan. Very nice!

Thanks!

It’s my cars twin! Just nicer lol

Holy crap! They really are twins!! That's awesome! I'm not sure I'd say "nicer". Mine looks okay from 10ft away but definitely has it's dings and stuff.