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Topics - Loaded87IROC

2
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / A4LD - FREE
I'm cleaning the garage and figured I'd post this here before anywhere else. 

This was pulled from my son's Turbo Coupe for a 5 speed swap.  The car had 87k miles when we did the swap.  The transmission works, but leaks a decent amount.  Probably best for a rebuild or as a core but can definitely be used as is. 

Located in Fairborn, OH.  Pick up only.
3
LEADS on T-Bird/Cougar Stuff For Sale / 86 XR7 parts
I would guess that most of you are on the 1983-1988 Ford Thunderbird aerobirds and Mercury Cougar aerocats facebook group but I figured I'd pass it on anyway for those that aren't.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/401372653322372/permalink/1661826687276956/

I just got home from picking up some parts from this car.  Pretty rusty, but plenty of good stuff left on it.  The owners aren't Cougar/Thunderbird people, just real car enthusiasts (Pinto) who hate to see good parts go to the crusher.  Very reasonable, friendly, and great to deal with.
5
Body/Appearance/Interior / Quarter window trim removal
Hey guys, I'm repainting my window trim on my 86 Cougar and struggling with removing the trim.  Last time I painted it I just masked off the surrounding area and sprayed it on the car but I'd like to do a better job this time if possible.

Does anybody have any tips on disengaging the clips that hold the trim around the quarter window?  I got the driver's side off with lots of careful prying and I'm not sure I didn't slightly bend it anyway.  The passenger's side is not wanting to budge.  Thanks for any suggestions!

6
Lounge / Thunderbird birthday card
My son turned 18 on Monday and we got him a few useful things (pots, pans) since he is moving out next year.

We have a foreign exchange student from Finland living with us this year and she decided to make him a birthday card.  It came out awesome!  We were all like :-O when we saw it.

Here is a pic of the card and of his car, I think she captured it pretty well.



In case photobucket link doesn't work...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/2017-10-02_20.11.20_zpsgoa1rfqi.jpg
7
Vendor/Seller Feedback / Another one of those Lodemia is awesome threads
I bought an 88 TC from him last month and I just went back out there for a transmission and some odds and ends.

Everything was just as described and he went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we wanted.  He even had a set of wheels I've been searching for for years.  Great guy.  Friendly, honest, and very fair on pricing.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.
8
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / 2017 Junkyard finds
I haven't been to many junkyards in the last few years mainly because of the lack of cars that I care about.  In the four years I lived in Nebraska there was only a handful of cars that came through the pick a part junkyard.  Not like in Las Vegas where there was usually 10+ fox cars to pick from.  Hopefully Ohio is better than Nebraska.

Anyway, I found this today.  88 Cougar.









10
Suspension/Steering / Complete suspension rebuild - Advice needed
I'm planing on redoing the entire suspension on the Cougar this winter and would like some advice on how to proceed.  We previously had a one car garage and my wife's Volt got to be inside so it could charge but we just built a new house with a three car garage so the Cougar has a dedicated spot and I can take my time with this project.

Here is a quick rundown of the car so far.  It is an 86 Cougar that was originally a 5.0/AOD car and now has a 2.3T/T5.  The following parts on it are from an 87 TC parts car; spindles, steering rack, brakes, struts, shocks, rear axle, springs, and sway bars. 

I had it aligned after I swapped all he suspension stuff but have never really been happy with the outcome.  The car has some positive camber and wears out the outer edge of the tires faster than normal.  It also feels floaty and the steering feels off.  I don't drive the car often so I've tolerated it but it's time to fix it.

I'd like crisp handling but it doesn't have to be road race worthy.  I only drive it once or twice a month so I can deal with a bit less comfort than normal if necessary.

I plan to replace shocks, struts, ball joints, control arm and sway bar bushings, and tie rod ends.  I would like to lower it an inch or two also.  I also plan to get some new 4 lug 17x9 wheels.  What else should I look into replacing?  I'm leaning toward factory style replacement but will upgrade if the price/benefits are right.

Any advice is appreciated.
11
Lounge / Moving update!
I'm bored sitting around (well, watching the Olympics too) in temporary lodging so I figured I'd make a thread.

I dropped the Cougar and Suburban off in Ohio about a month ago.  I had never really towed much but the Suburban did a great job and even averaged 14.5 mpg.






We just got back from dropping off all of our household goods in storage in Ohio and my son and I will he moving out there permanently on Friday while my wife goes off for training until December.  Our house won't be ready until the end of August so we will just have to live in a hotel until then.


Everything worked out with our house building plan.  Ultimately, we could just get more house for the money and get what we wanted by building vs buying, renting, or living on base again.  Here are some pics of the building process.


















Sorry to bore with so many pictures, I'm just super excited about having enough garage space to do the stuff I want to now.  My wife drives a Volt and has had control of our current one car garage so she can charge it daily.  Now she will have her own garage stall (we had a 240 volt outlet installed in it too) and the other two stalls are mine!
12
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / 5.0 and 2.3T engine harnesses, random stuff
We are moving soon and I'm thinning out the parts stash. 

5.0 engine harness from my 86 Cougar.  I took this harness out when I swapped in the 2.3T.  I stole three pins from the eec harness when I did the Big Vam/LA2 swap but I labeled the wires with what pin they go to repairing it should be simple.  $15 plus shipping.


2.3T engine harness from my 87 TC.  I kept the harness after I stripped it and used most of its goodies for the Cougar.  The harness is intact although it looks as though the injector harness has been repaired previously.  $15 plus shipping.


Random stuff.  Make offers.

13
Lounge / Time to move again! Goodbye Nebraska, hello Ohio!
Our four years in Nebraska are just about up.  Our next base is going to be Wright Patterson in Dayton.  We have never been to Ohio so we are pretty excited.  Hopefully there are some active members nearby!

We are looking at building a house near the base in Fairborn.  Going to talk to the builder on Saturday.

I'm thinking about buying a trailer to tow the Cougar there and to hopefully pick up some more strays once we are settled.
15
Other Vehicles / New daily driver - 2003 Chevy Suburban Z71
I sold my SSEi daily driver about a month and a half ago and finally picked up a new daily.  I wanted something with 4WD for winters, comfortable for road trips, and that has towing capability so I can tow the Cougar to our next station and maybe pick up the occasional project/parts car.

I think this Suburban will fill all those requirements well.  It is in great shape inside and out.  It has power everything, heated leather seats, rear HVAC and entertainment, etc.  It has a pretty good sounding Bose stereo with a 6 disc changer.  The only drawback is it has 220k miles, but it runs excellent.  It has been averaging around 15 mpg, which is better than I expected.  It is also easier to drive than I thought it would be for such a large vehicle.

I only have one picture so far but I'll add a few more in the coming days.