I've had the front spoiler waiting over a year to go on the car and earlier this Spring found the rear spoiler. Thanks to Clayton for the idea and telling me it was a Camaro rear spoiler.
I have been feeling guilty about not following Aerocoupe's advice on the front control arms. I had already ordered the front arms by the time he had posted and so far I really like them. When the urethane unhinges I will rebuild the originals as Aerocoupe advised.
The front suspension has been rebuilt with new springs, struts (KYB G2), and the control arms. Also added the MM Caster/Camber plates that have been sitting on the shelf waiting. Rear shocks were replaced too with KYB G2.
Improvements in driving are definitely noticeable although the ride is stiffer than the worn out OEM shocks/struts. Handles like it is on rails (to my feeble driving prowess) even though it sits high. New England roads are horrible so not being lowered is wanted for me not to bottom the car out.
I used to tow a lot when doing the NETRA Enduro series with cars / wagons. '00 Subaru Outback, for a 4 cylinder auto it tried really hard and actually towed well my open 8x5 utility trailer. Felt like I was trying to murder it on the highway though. '06 Pontiac Grand Prix - Towed well considering how light duty the tow hitch was mounted. Transmission temperatures were threw the roof! '06 Dodge Magnum RT AWD - It was awesome....I wish I had added bags to the rear coils to help with weight. '06 Maggy
If you are only around town towing that setup will be fine. If you are going any long distance I would at a minimum add an additional transmission cooler.
Looking forward to your rebuild on this when you get settled.
That 3.7 swap should be cool. My brother has a 2012 3.7 Mustang and as much as I bug him for buying a 6 cylinder Mustang I will admit (only because he won't see this) that it works well.
This will be a fun project for you. Will you be keeping the LTD sedan or will it become a parts donor? This wagon is begging for a modern interior. Heated and Cooled seats out of a newer Mustang......... Forget added weight and just enjoy.........Can you yell I am getting old? LOL A 3.5 EB would make an exceptional tow machine out of it. Well, as much as a unibody can be a tow machine from that era. And YES, frame connectors STAT!!!
I drove an '80 4dr Fairmont with a progressive 2 barrel 2.3l. Still stands as the worst car I have driven today. The frame flex was so bad you could feel it flex between the front and rear axles twisting.
There's some videos online of a guy in NJ with a wagon Fairmont with an independent rear, 351W, and T5 plus 5 lug conversion. Thing is pretty slick,
I like the looks of cars lowered, i just don't want to drive them in New England. My car isn't lowered either and I still hit the front air scoop / dam on dips.
May I suggest black floor mats? There's so much black parts in the interior of our cars I was thinking about swapping mine over from red too. My red ones always look messy even after I vacuum them.
Not sure if the original struts and shocks are still available.
I do have a set of Monroe rear shocks on the shelf (new in box) if you want to cover shipping and whatever you decide to donate? '88 TC
I currently have KYB GR-2 in my car. They feel stiff although not too bad for my taste. I would guess the ride on these would not be to your liking though.
Are the rear brakes disc or drum? '85 originally came with a 7.5" rear end with drums. In '87 they went to a 8.8 rear with either 3.55 gears (manual transmission) or 3.75 gears (automatic). Originally the '85 came with a T3 Turbo (not sure whether .48 AR or .63 AR).
A larger than stock exhaust will allow the turbo to spool quicker. I believe stock exhaust was around 2.25".
I am not sure about the "happy spot" in RPM for that year since there were several changes after '87 that could change that. Chuck and others will probably be the best go to for that information.
Is the car still stock or any changes been made to it?
Other than the Wideband, I have not done any of the planned updates with the FMIC and etc. Last year I did something to my back that cause sciatica and have been recovering enough to continue riding, but not up to bending over a car hood.
Changed the oil last week and took my son for ice cream for a first ride out after a winter. Driver side front tire started rubbing around turns with bumps. I didn't gain that much weight......
Dropped it off at the local garage to inspect. Driver side spring appears to be sacked. Bushings are okay and ball joint. Since it needs to come apart, the bushings and ball joints are getting replaced.
I am not ready to make the move to coil over shocks or lowering the car otherwise I would go directly to MM. New England roads and Connecticut are just .
RockAuto has a sale on the front coil spring MOOG 8606 Replacing the front struts with KYB GR-2 #235008 These parts are supposed to be arriving on Friday. Also installing the MM Caster Camber Plates that have been waiting on the shelf.
