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Topic: My "new" 86 Bird (Read 1798 times) previous topic - next topic

My "new" 86 Bird

I just got my daughter's 86 3.8 at my house...finally.

It's a standard with the following options.

Power mirrors, pw, poly wheels, tilt, cruise, rear defrost, Light Taupe Metallic paint.  I have the dash apart to replace the two 2033 bulbs in the standard digital speedo.  I had to order the suckers.  There's a tear in the rear seat that's fixable.  That's the only thing wrong in the interior besides the headliner but it's not too bad.  The exterior needs paint and the chrome tape trim around the body and bumbers.

It's been in the family since 2003 when we bought it from the original owner.  I was going to take the drive train and put it in my 82 Cougar wagon but the cars' too good for that.  No rust.  No structural repairs to do.  One tiny parking lot ding.

I've had an 85 Cougar and the arm rests on the door panels are .  This one too needs those fastened back on better.

Don't kill me but I junked that one.  Again a rust free body.  I think it went to the crusher because it was gone in a couple of weeks.  Sorry.  I drove that one for 20 years.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #1
tbirdsps, Don't forget to load on some (pics) & Congrats on your new T-bird. :poke:

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #2
Quote from: mercury-man;253692
tbirdsps, Don't forget to load on some (pics) & Congrats on your new T-bird. :poke:

+1
1987 Turbo Coupe - Son's car
1987 Super Coupe - Son's project car
1934 Ford - My project car

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #3
+2, and the Cougar wagon?
1987 TC

PICs

Reply #4
As promised.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com


My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #6
Here's my dilema.  My 82 Cougar wagon needs a valve job to pass the emissions test here.  The 86 is in better condition overall.  But I really love the wagon.

I can't decide which one to invest money in.  The tbird has a tear in the rear seat bottom that's very fixable without replacing the upholstery.  It's mechanically good at this time with new brakes and master cylinder and very very little body work to do.  Both cars are equivalantly equipped. 

Decisions, decisions.  I have too many projects and a pocket book for one.  I am leaning towards fixing the 86.  Right now I have the dash cluster apart to replace the 2033 bulbs in the standard cluster so I can see how fast I'm going.  It needs a heater core which I'll put off.  I replaced the one in the 82 about a year and a half ago and the job is a bugger as many of you know.  Other than that the car needs a paint job.  The clear coat is peeling in spots.  I also will need to purchase the new chrome tape for the rubber trim.  It's a driver.  Oh and that lousy Ford radio doesn't work.  It's like the amplifier is bad.  All my ford radios have gone south except for the one in the 82...It keeps going and going.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #7
do the valve job on the cougar first. then as money comes in fix the t-bird .
that way you have something with heat to drive , while you got the
t-bird down
remember it easier to fix them, than to find them after they been crushed.

V6 = juvenile delinquency!

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #8
 it's my  old 86's twin!!! lol except i had steel wheels
'83 Cougar *the never ending project* warmed over 306 v8,c4,8.8 posi with 5 lug conversion
'91 mustang strictly street-in progress
'00 f150 7700-Mean Green: jet stage 1 chip,ported upper intake with 1" spacer,'04 Super Duty intake with injectors,summit racing short tube headers with true 2.5" duals with smithy's glasspacks!

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #9
If you are needing a ford radio send me a pm, I bought a radio for our 76 from a guy and I ended up with about 6 extra Ford radios from various years and various styles.

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #10
hi everyone i also got a taupe colour t bird and i need to do some touch ups on the paint but cant seem to find cans of taupe colour at canadian tire    does anyone knows where i could buy some  or order some    also what is the colour code  thanx everyone


 

My "new" 86 Bird

Reply #12
Quote from: rancheronut;254066
do the valve job on the cougar first. then as money comes in fix the t-bird .
that way you have something with heat to drive , while you got the
t-bird down


The valve job is done.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  There was one valve that was "toast" and the machine shop (very respected) reground the seats and inspected everything, guides all good, no cracks anywhere for $140 including all the gaskets to reassemble the engine.  The head also required no surfacing.  Completely level as it was.  Cast iron is a good thing.:D

As for the Bird.  There's an annoying rattle in the exhaust system that's almosts sounds like a loose heat riser but I don't think these cars have heat risers.:mad:  A click in the left front brake...tick, tick, tick. :mad:  The engine goes all the way to the red then cools down immediately. :mad:  Very strange and never pukes any coolant.  It does this every day, once a day.  Kinda like the thermostat sticks then clicks open suddenly.  And I need no stinking heat.  It never gets very cold here.:rollin: Oh yea today I noticed no high beam headlights.  Select high and all the headlights go off.  I won't be doing that in the dark anymore.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com