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Messages - dragon574444

1
Engine Tech / Mini starter
Would it be possible to short or otherwise bypass the solenoid on the mini-starter and keep the one on the fender?
3
Electrical Tech / 83 84 digital cluster members
Quote from: jcassity;431078
yeah, and the link I posted earlier to Lumpycheeseman's diy write up shows all the internals as well and showing it powered up.


dan,
if you can part with it it would be nice to have, id like to have a pair of them.
If you can ,, look around the house for a power supply like those that come with your chordless phone or whatever,, look for one that has around 5vdc output. 
not sure why yours is buzzing, dragon did all the hard work discovering how those light up and such so if you do send me one,, ill have to dig up his older threads about them and get it working again.

another thing I am  after for my personal stock is lighted cougar emblems.

I didn't do too much work, unfortunately I never got around to rebuilding the inverter that died. If you hear the inverter buzzing when you apply voltage across it, that means it will illuminate the panel if the panel is still good. From there it's just a matter of buying a new panel and cutting it to size and putting it all back together to make it look pretty. I'm not sure what the input voltage is supposed to be, but I can tell you that 12 volts wasn't too much for it. Didn't know they only needed 5 volts until after the fact. The inverter takes the DC voltage and turns it into a very high frequency AC voltage. I didn't have my oscilloscope to check the actual frequency or voltage. I'll be doing some more research eventually, it'll be pretty simple to make a circuit to replace the inverter. The only problem will be the form factor, the ones Ford used were about half the size of a AA Battery, and were a completely sealed unit within the emblem itself.

*Edit


http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?27250-Electroluminescet-Emblems&highlight=

Here's a link to the thread where I was playing around with them, pictures are gone though. I guess I did have an oscilloscope on hand while I was testing. Also, how the hell has it been 4 years since I made that thread?
4
Electrical Tech / 83 84 digital cluster members
Quote from: White85GS;430677
tuen signal horn, and center mount horn, lol.


Yeah, I think Ford was trying to use up all their spare parts. One of those "Hey, check this out" sorta things.

Quote from: jcassity;430670

dragon~ your confusing me,  you have the sendor that *all* us full digital guys use.  Your saying you purchased a new sendor.

I was just mentioning that replacement sending units exist, I wasn't sure if they were hard to find or not. My old sending unit rusted apart and I was able to buy a new one at Advance Auto Parts along with the correct in-tank fuel pump.
5
Electrical Tech / 83 84 digital cluster members
I got one in my 84 Elan. I'm looking for a spare parts unit, let me know if anyone here's selling one. The speedometer module stopped working for some reason, but I was able to replace it with an 80-82 module that "Watchdevil" had. It doesn't line up exactly right, but it works. I'm really not sure how I broke the old one, I removed it to install some gauges and the speedometer was stuck on 0 MPH when I reinstalled it. I powered it up on a bench and tried spinning the input shaft by hand, no response.

Not much I can tell you about it that the cheeseman hasn't already shown. I'd like to do a little fiddling with it, when you turn the car on, there is a 3 digit display, but the speedometer stops at 85. Might be a simple jumper to enable the last digit, like the later units.

Like Cheeseman said, they do make the proper sending units for this combo. I bought a brand new sending unit and my gas gauge works correctly. I've read that the LTD/Fairmont guys don't have access to new sending units.

6
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / Was your first car a Fox Bird or Cat?


My first car was my '84 Elan, 5.0. Paid 300 bucks for it back in 2009, it had sat in a field for around 7 years before I bought it. My dad was able to get it to fire up without any issues, we got it home and I daily drove it for about 3 years. I remember him saying how surprised he was when he opened the hood and saw a 302 staring back at him. He was expecting a V6, and who wouldn't? I fixed what needed to be fixed, replaced the AOD with a T5. Learned everything I know about cars wrenching on it. Love it to death. It's back home, just sitting for now. I'm gonna drive it here next time I take leave after I do a little work on it. I want to redo the exhaust and replace the reverse gear in the transmission.
8
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / I might be getting my first Thunderbird and I need some tips! Is this one worth it?
Quote from: Potatrix;429969
Yea this is actually a local stop for me.

Around here it rains a lot, so rust will probably be a prominent issue with cars around here.


[COLOR="#FF0000"]I found another T-Bird a little farther away[/COLOR] but still 'close'.. I'm not sure what to think of it: http://skagit.craigslist.org/cto/4270869846.html

Asking Price: $1500



Idk what the powerplant is, and it doesn't have the steering wheel I like, but it looks pretty clean based on the photos, and definitely a LOT cheaper

Do these things really go for so cheap despite looking so clean?

I'm not sure I'd be interested in anything that's not a V8, just because that sound is important to me, and I'm not sure what this one has under the hood, I'm betting it's probably a V6.

I was actually first turned to these cars because of a friend of mine who has a '87 TurboCoupe, I thought it was silly at the time but I'm starting to realize more and more how special it actually is. I just remembered he's selling it but it's not really in the best condition. Maybe I'll get some photos of it just for fun to put up on a different thread.

That car is drool worthy. I love it, if I were closer I might actually steal it... It looks like an incredibly low optioned car, you almost never see crank windows on these cars. Crank windows, manual seats, manual parking brake release, no lighting packages, base gauge cluster, base interior...yet it has power side mirrors. Given all that, I would assume it's a V6 model. Nothing good about that engine, though someone here might disagree. It's pretty easy to swap in a V8, but I understand if you don't have the means to do that. This would be a great car to start with though, especially at that price. Can you say ultimate sleeper?

By the way, which steering wheel do you like? That particular one is 83 exclusive, but I think it also was in the 80-82 models. 84-86 have the A frame wheels, and 87-88 have the (IMO) ugliest design.
9
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / I might be getting my first Thunderbird and I need some tips! Is this one worth it?
Quote from: Potatrix;429921
Am I looking at a Delorean-style American classic (Unique, collectible, breaks a lot) or something rugged and completely viable as a daily commute?
 

The latter, for sure. Plenty of us here daily drive, or have daily driven these cars for years with no problems. As for wanting a stick, these cars will accept a T5 transmission from any 79-93 Mustang with no problems. I switched from a column shift auto to the T5 in a weekend, and drove it to work on Monday. These are great cars to work on, and easy to learn on. I knew absolutely nothing about cars until my dad came home from work one day and said, "I think I found your first car. It's a Thunderbird, wanna go see it?" I've done 100% of the work on my car using my own 2 hands, and on a minimum wage paycheck. It's a great feeling knowing your car literally inside and out, it gives you an appreciation for what you have.
10
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / I might be getting my first Thunderbird and I need some tips! Is this one worth it?
Check out this link for common rust areas: http://www.foxthundercats.net/foxhunter.htm
Other than that, just look for the normal things, make sure it sounds good, starts fine cold, check the fluids, etc. The car looks clean from the picture, I don't think you'll have any problems. The heater core being replaced is a good deal, assuming it was replaced with an OEM unit. It's one of the most dreaded repairs on these cars from a labor stand point. Kinda odd that the head gasket was replaced, it's definitely not a common failure on the 5.0 cars. In fact, I've never heard anyone with a 5.0 say they blew a head gasket. Not a part someone willingly replaces as preventative maintenance. Just something to keep in mind.

Love at first drive? For me it certainly was, I loved my car the second I sat in it. But it was also my first car, so I'm a bit biased. This car...won't be very fast compared to your dad's GT, nor compared to your GTA. It's a heavier car with a less powerful engine. Stock we're probably talking 140-150 horsepower. It's an 85, so I'm pretty sure it's a CFI motor like my 84. Basically it's throttle body injection, similar to the system GM used. 2 big injectors on a throttle body instead of 8 individual injectors. Personally, I've daily driven my CFI car for 2 years as my only means of transportation, and it's been great. The only time it left me stranded was when the voltage regulator died. In the middle of Providence, Rhode Island. Anyway, you can definitely upgrade to get more power out of the engine, it should be a roller block. Fast as your wallet will let you really. Based on your taste in cars I'm sure you're willing to wrench on it. So with all that said, the car won't be fast, but it'll ride very nice. Very comfortable seats, almost guarantee they'll be powered. Windows, mirrors, and locks are also almost always powered. Make sure they work, but they're very easy and cheap to replace. The steering effort is very light, shifts should be nice and smooth with the 4 speed AOD transmission, no road noise to speak of. Great car to go on a road trip. It'll certainly break the wheels loose, especially if you swap in a T5 like I have. Even with the 140 HP, she'll still roast 'em through 1st, 2nd, and chirp into 3rd.

Does this car seem like a steal? No, you're actually on the high end of the spectrum for these cars. If it's as nice as it looks, I'd say it's worth 3500, given the low miles. 3K would be better. These just cars aren't worth much at all, they never got the following the Mustangs did.The Turbo Coupes are worth a bit more than the V8 models, given their rarity. Fewer were made, they were more expensive from the facory, and a lot of them ended up as parts cars due to their standard equipment.

The paint scheme appears to be factory. Not sure how rare it is though, someone more knowledgeable than me would know.

Check out this site for more detailed information on these cars. It's directed towards the Cougar, but 95% of the information still applies. Cougar is to Thunderbird as Camaro is to Firebird.

http://www.coolcats.net/fox/1985colors.html


Looking forward to seeing more pics, let us know how it turns out.
13
LEADS on T-Bird/Cougar Stuff For Sale / 1983 Turbo Coupe on Death Row
DOHC eh? In all seriousness, definitely a shame. Vent windows, ground effects, fog lights. Looks like it used to have some headlight covers. If it's a 5 speed, I could  use the shifter boot trim piece. I have a later one in my car and the grain doesn't match.
14
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / remote start on a CFI 5.0
Quote from: Ductape91;426828
ive had a few v6 ford cfi and never had to give it gas to get it started, didnt know this about the v8 ones.
for me this is not good to hear, ive been eyeballing a tbird with cfi 5.0 for sale. where i currently live if you cant turn key and drive right off with it(i.e. like an older car) the building wont allow you to store it here :(
man, cant wait to move.
The 5.0 CFI cars are definitely turn key cars, I daily drove mine for 3 years in New England winters. You just have to either rely on the fast idle cam if you want to let it warm up without you in it, or keep your foot on the gas while it warms up with you in it. It'll only take 2-3 minutes of warmup time before you're ready to roll. That's just my experience though, my car wasn't in the best shape. A better maintained car might not have cold start issues.