Skip to main content

Messages

This section allows you to view all Messages made by this member. Note that you can only see Messages made in areas you currently have access to.

Messages - BradMph

31
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / Chrome Radiator Upper Brackets - Large Size
I found these chrome brackets on ebay for a pretty good price if anyone interested.
X

The listing is for $19.95 shipped
1979-93 Ford Mustang UPPER RADIATOR BRACKETS FITS 4 CYL CYLINDER
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-93-Ford-Mustang-UPPER-RADIATOR-BRACKETS-FITS-4-CYL-CYLINDER-/151468131600?hash=item2344344510&vxp=mtr

I have been in contact with the seller and informed them that they fit the '85 TBird perfectly, so he may update the ad to include TBird, Cougars, and V8's.
His ad presently only showed that they fit 79-93 Mustang 4 cylinder, but he now knows they fit a wider set of Ford vehicles.

I am not sure how long they will be available, so if your interested it might be a good idea to grab them now.
32
Show Photos / Got my 302 started, finally.
Well, the project 1985 Ford Thunderbird w/302 has a running engine now. Though it is running, I still have a while to go on the car. The engine also needs to be tuned and tweaked much more, but I wanted to update the status on the build. Be sure to use HD settings, Enjoy.  :cool:

 [video=youtube_share;TUpWVoiFdmc]http://youtu.be/TUpWVoiFdmc[/video]


Restoration Build for 1985 Thunderbird.
Completed
 Remove Engine & All Smog, Install 1988 302 V8
 All New Seals & Hoses
 Ford Racing Roller HO E303 1.6 Cam 1,3,7,2,6,5,4,8
 Ford Racing Hydraulic lifters, Rockers & Push Rods
 Comp Cams Magnum Double Roller Timing Gear Set
 Edelbrock 1406 600cfm 4bbl carb
 Edelbrock 2121K Performer Intake & kit
 Edelbrock Top Flow Air Cleaner
 MSD Digital 6A Multispark Ignition
 MSD 8282 Blaster ll Coil
 Chrome Valve Covers/T-handles
 Chrome Shorty Style Hugger Headers
 Duel Stainless Pypes lers & Chrome Tips
 Aluminiumized Duel Exhaust "X" Pipe
 Duralast Modified Duraspark Wide Cap Distributor w/Machined Gear
 Ford Distributor Rubber Cover Protector
 March Performance Serpentine Underdrive Engine Pulley Kit w/Oversized Alt Pulley.
 FelPro Full Gasket Kit w/One piece Blue Oil Pan Metal Inlaid Rubber Gasket
 B&M AOD Shift Improver / Street Set Installation
 Wix Trany Filter
 Wix Fuel Filter
 Ported heads - exhaust and gasket matched head to header
 Trick Flow Double Valve Spring Complete Set
 Remove and Relap Exhaust & Intake Valves, New guide seals
 Repaint engine bay to black
 Holley Fuel Pressure regulator
 Goody's Fuel Regulator Pressure Gauge
 Turbo Coupe Naca Hood Scoops
 New Aluminum Heater Core
 Remove Fuel Tank, Flush, Paint, Replace Sock Filter, Check Pump
 Replaced Dash Speedo Display & Repaired the transmission gear indication.
 Starter & Solenoid

Interior Completed
 Wink 5 panel rear view mirror
 Replace, Dye to Black
 New stereo in dash
 New Cougar 3rd Tail Light
 Dash Cover
 New Windshield
 Replace headliner
 Rebuilt both window regulator motors & door lock motors, lubed mechanism.
 Redo upholstery under back window
 Install 3 gauge pillar
 Install 8 New Gauges & Sensors
*Sun Tachometer w/rev light Gauge
*Voltmeter Gauge
*Engine Temperature Gauge
*Oil pressure Gauge
*Trany Pressure Gauge
*Trany Temp Gauge
*Vacuum Gauge
*Goody's Fuel Regulator Pressure Gauge 
 

ToDo
 Replace Column Shifter to Console Shifter - have parts
 Carb Throttle Linkage
 Kick down rod for AOD - non cable
 New Paint - Car
 Lowering Kit
 Tint Windows
 New Hi-Back Buckets w/belts
 AC Recharge
 Hood shocks
 Brakes
34
Lounge / Got rear ended Monday night.....
Your Carfax should bring a good return when time to sell. :deal:  I had someone rear-end me while sitting on side of the road. Pushed through a barb wire fence and he backed up and drove off. Never checked to see if he killed me or not.
Same car, 74 GT Celica... I was outside the driver's door off the freeway shoulder, bent down changing a burnt fuse to my headlights when going early to work and a lady came off the exit and ripped the driver's door off my car while I was holding on to it. Edge of my door left a dent almost dead center on her hood, so I figure she missed me by a millimeter and a half, maybe.
35
Drivetrain Tech / This Shifter should fit an '85 TBIRD AOD?
I found this little goody on the shifters upgrade to the console, 

Shifter_Change_Upgrade.pdf
This is the cover of the pdf file, it goes on about the cougar/thunderbird
X

I just thought they were more generic in compatibility as long as the shifter had the same detents as what your replacing. For example, mine is PRN(D)D1...wouldn't the floor shift be compatible if it replaces the same shift sequence?
and if the lever is reversed.
X

It's sort of a PIA on determining what correctly will fit when looking into the 1985 TBird mods and upgrades. It is constantly not mentioned in anything specific you look into and made to feel more like the illegitimate family sibling of the Mustang that the family don't want to talk about. If the TBird is exactly like the mustang per year(almost), why is the Mustang always the car mentioned that it only fits in.? Very confusing that TBird/Cougar can't get the mention in the list of Ford cars that a part can fit in.

It all reminds me of the issues with Mitsubishi in early years when they created the narrow block and then upgraded to the wideblock.  Wideblock block being 1 inch wider at the trany to block pins. And why they created this was only since they went to front wheel drive vehicles and determined one was not going to fit in the cars, lol. Manufacturing Fopaws.
36
Drivetrain Tech / This Shifter should fit an '85 TBIRD AOD?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Mustang-GT-LX-5-0-Automatic-Shifter-cable-87-93-OEM/221783784344?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D9cc13e3157f2408c99bd600447316a45%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D331548696996

X


Our column shifter is so rigidy and displays sometimes in between the letters on the display. We have a full console and it deserves a console shifter.
I want to get the entire thing so I don't get nickeled and dimed after buying one. This one looks complete on ebay.

The display plate is correct as well.
37
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / Bill Elliott Thunderbird in Philadelphia car museum
Quote from: lakenheath24;448801
You can have that cookie cutter BS they call NASCAR nowadays. I liked it when you could tell the make of a car from half a mile away.  Alan Kulwicki and Davy Allison were my favorites.


My favorite drivers also were those same 2.
These are a couple pages on my web that I keep for them.

http://www.racelinecentral.com/daveyallison.html
http://www.racelinecentral.com/alankulwicki.html

Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and Kevin Harvick also my favs. Though my watching NASCAR Racing days came to an end when Dale died though. I lost all interest in the TV broadcasting of races. Dale was NASCAR and without him the racing never gave me the interest it use to have.
38
Misc Tech / What in the heck is this thing?
Thanks guys, So I guess I need to keep this installed?,  :dunno: ...even though I no longer have an air pump on the car?  It seems to be broken off from it's mount, but repairable and I think it was connected to a check valve then to the vacuum tree on the firewall. Probably check a vacuum mapping to be sure it is correctly hosed up.

Now, I also found a square type of canister and made of plastic if I am not mistaken. I had to remove it because it looked really bad, almost like rats were eating it or there was a hornet nest in it or something. That is just to show how bad it was deteriorated. It no longer was able to be a sealed container because of all the damage it had on it. The box was attached on passenger side front lower engine bay and almost touching the radiator. Reminded me a vapor collector for the fuel tank, which throws pressure vapors building in the fuel tank  down the engine while running.
If this is what that was, then I will need to locate a new one for it so it can continue to depressurize the fuel tank. My truck uses one with a check valve in the engine bay that releases the vapors from the tank when it reaches the set amount on the check valve. I figure it lessons the big vapor release of fuel vapor into the atmosphere when removing the gas cap at a gas station. I am still looking around for the use of this square one.

My right side fender also has a fiberglass insulation inside it. The plastic inner fender needs a few repairs to get it sealed.
40
Misc Tech / What in the heck is this thing?
I was fishing around in the passenger side fender of my 1985 Thunderbird and I found this thing...

X

What in the world is this for :dunno:
I thought someone put it in the fender and forgot about or something. Definitely an odd thing to have in a fender I think.
41
Electrical Tech / '85 Tbird fuel pump or pumps, relays location
I found some info on this stuff...
My switches seem to be in the trunk,
Apparently fuel pump relay is located above the inner rear right side fender in the trunk.(have seen this in the trunk)

There is an inertia switch (relay) located exact opposite of that switch on the driver's side in the trunk, I think this is what it is.

Looks like according to this info I posted, the eec fuel power relay is passenger side kick panel area.

From what I have found so far on the fuel pumps, my 1985 has only the high pressure pump in the tank, though the '84 does have 2 pumps. I located the fuel filter and tracked back to tank and there is no 2nd pump on this '85 TBird.

Now my only problem so far now is...can I jumper the eec fuel power relay to initialize the fuel pump relay to pump fuel? I have read that the tan wire needs to be grounded on the eec power relay so the computer thinks fuel is being sent. Though I have no tan wire on this eec module, but there is a tan/lt. grn wire on relay. I have checked the wire specs on both eec power relay and fuel pump relay and broke down both sets of 4 wires on each. Any electrical Einstein's out there know which might be jumped to bypass (fool) the computer into thinking it is powering the pump would be helpful. :bowdown:

EEC Power Relay
1) Blk-yelo = voltage output
2) Blk-lt. grn = Grnd
3) Red-lt. grn = Power from ign. switch
4) Blk-org = Always hat fused power

Fuel Pump Relay
1) Tan-lt.grn = Fuel pump Relay
2) Red = Power from EEC Relay
3) Pink-blk = Fuel Pump Output
4) Yelo = Ign. fused power (fuel pump fuse)


  X
42
Electrical Tech / '85 Tbird fuel pump or pumps, relays location
Probably answered this a million times, but here we go again.

1985 TBird V8 302, replaced the carb based injection system with an eddy carb, etc etc. I purchased a bypass 3 connection fuel regulator to monitor the higher fuel pressure from the stock electric pump(s) to a carb. It is designed just for this application. Now I have read that it is possible that this car might have 2 pumps, (high pressure out of tank pump and the lower pressure in tank pump), but I also read that this particular TBird year came with only one pump in the tank. I see conflicting evidence with this and hope this can be answered with facts.

*If this car has 2 pumps, where can I locate the high pressure frame rail pump, if it has a 2nd pump at all.
Apparently the 2 pump factory installation ended in 1984 and in 1985 went to a single high pressure pump in tank.

*Next, where can I locate the computers EEC computer fuel relay connection that powers the pump relay and does anyone know what the wire color combination is that would need to be bypassed from it's stock 12v (key on)connection to a new (key on only) connection?

UPDATE: located fuel pump relay in trunk left drivers side

I plan on also installing a power cutoff switch as well between the relay and the 12v power source to turn the system off in case I have to diagnose (key on) issues in the future or secure it from being driven, for example...theft.
43
Drivetrain Tech / Need help figuring linkages on an AOD -TV rod and edelbrock.
Seems the AOD TV rod version is sort of a rare linkage from what I continue to find. Everywhere I look they always are talking about the cable version and rarely do I see anything on the linkage rod.

I check into the linkage and Lokar  has a racket going with their kits. In addition to prices that are hard to swallow.
They do have these items for an aftermarket eddy carb install...
X

The TV and throttle cable is sold as a kit, but strangely they don't include the selector shaft arm and put an unreal price of $45 on it as well. What is this made of real 24kt gold? lol  seems ridiculously high and it should be included in the hi-tech kickdown kit shown. Also the throttle cable bracket is not included in the kit too and the price isn't to bad, but why design a kit if it does not include everything needed for the AOD.

I just decided to go the budget route with the throttle valve corrector and just maintain my TV rod with an adjuster modification welded on the one carb end of the TV rod and probably have to bend or add on the rod some to make the pass by the header.
Just the flat stamped carb bracket corrector was almost $25.

Anyway, we'll see how this corrector corrects the throw issue with the TV and carb when it arrives.
Does anyone know if the cruz control gets affected with an eddy swop? The Edelbrock specifies the carb is compatible with the stock cruz control, so I guess we'll find out what surprises come up when it gets hooked up.
44
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / 1988 Thunderbird Sport Unrestored survivor with 79k miles. $4995 or best offer
The reason I was asking is because the way it lays over the alternator and pulley accessories. It looked like it had a part# sticker on it also. Mine looks like a shorter version of what sposey has and mine needed to be secured so it does not rub the tensioner and have a chance of being sliced. I'll see if the Mustang info clears this problem up at the auto parts store.

Thx