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Bad news.

Reply #75
Well I put the salvage title on it and my dad took pictures when he popped the good off and we found a guy to do the repairs as long as I find the parts. Its looking to be a couple grand .
All that's left is to find the parts.



Bad news.

Reply #76
It should be able to be done cheaper than that.Check all the local salvage yards,and even cars as a whole.Sometimes you can buy a whole car for parts cheaper than the parts alone,then sell off the rest of the car and parts to get some money back.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

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Reply #77
Thanks I just wish all the holidays weren't her they keep getting in the way you know? I just hope everything can be done for under 3 grand because I bought the car originally for 2 grand then put an 1100 tranny and oil change and all the other misc items . I don't want a new car but if its over 3500 I'm gunna have to get another car.



Bad news.

Reply #78
For a grand I could make it look the way it was.
It's not that bad.
Old Grey Cat to this.88 Cat, 5.0 HO, CW mounts, mass air, CI custom cam, afr165's, Tmoss worked cobra intake, BBK shorty's,off road h pipe, magnaflow ex. T-5,spec stage 2 clutch, 8.8 373 TC trac loc, che ajustables with bullits on the rear. 11" brakes up front. +

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Reply #79
Quote from: Kitz Kat;249506
For a grand I could make it look the way it was..
It's not that bad.


I was also thinking the same thing.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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Bad news.

Reply #80
Quote from: daminc;249507
I was also thinking the same thing.


How?! I need my car done cheap...but they wanna charge a lot. I need help lol



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Reply #81
I'm sure with everyone willing to help, that you should be able to get all the parts you need for well under 200. If you or anyone you know has the ability to replace the panels, then all you would really need is to have someone pull out the frame or replace the upper support. It would only take a couple of days to replace everything and re-align the panels.
Looking inside the engine bay would take the guess work out of the situation though.
Like I said, If you were about 300 miles closer, I would give you a hand at rebuilding it.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
Join us on Facebook

Bad news.

Reply #82
The guy I'm taking it to to get it out back togethe wants about 2 grand to put it together without him buying parts.



Bad news.

Reply #83
you are over a barrel.

just make sure whoever repairs it remembers to unplug the eec while they do any random welding.  I'll be up in akron late jan into feb if you need parts.  I can see about locating a header panel from my last resource in beckly wv.  They came up with a perfect oem match for 125 bux new.  Im not sure who made it but it is now on the white coug.

Ill bet when the upper rad support tac welds are drilled out, the front sides will flex right out where its suppose to be. Next I would use a come along on the frame to pull the further distance needed.  I had to pull my first coug frame by the front bumper mount.  I parked along the street and ran the cable around the tree next to the car.  I then cranked until the wheel was snug to the curb and then i was able to get some pulling power.  I pulled the frame about 1/2'' past where i thought it was needed.  WHen i released, it flex'd back a little but was perfect.  two years later a tree fell on that coug and that i couldnt fix.

Dont worry about the fenders rubbing the doors.  Look along the mounting bolts under the hood and you will see where the fenders have shifted back.  They are made to do that so you can adjust them during assembly and alignment.  Risking opening the door only bends the fender / door so hold off on that as long as possible.

Bad news.

Reply #84
Quote
The guy I'm taking it to to get it out back togethe wants about 2 grand to put it together without him buying parts.

eff that. like said before, you should have the body racked on a frame machine to make sure its withn spec. if the radiator support needs to replaced, a body giy would probably be able to bang that out in short time. other than that, assembaling the nose isnt all that hard. i wouldnt pay someone to do it if i could help it. then, if the pannels and what not need to be painted prep it yourself and have it squirted. i have a feeling you will easilly find help out in your neck of the woods.
:america: 1988 Thunderbird Sport, Former 4.6 DOHC T56 conversion project.

Rest of the country, Welcome to Massachusettes. Enjoy your stay.

 
Halfbreed... Mango Orange Y2K Mustang GT
FRPP complete 2000 Cobra engine swap, T56 n' junk...
~John~

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Reply #85
looking back at the pics once again, it appears you only need one major body part and that would be the header.

here is what i would do......

-remove pass fender(repair & shape)
-remove driver fender (repair & shape)
-remove bumper (inspect and repair with fiber glass kit)
-repair bumper cover with that fancy smansy platic welder kit/fiber glass
-remove header panel remains and stow lights away
-drain/remove radiator (presure test with air compressor)
-remove air condition system behind radiator(test for leaks with air compressor)
-remove battery
-pull headlamp wiring out of the way

Once all of the above is done, you will have a wide open area to see what exactly is going on.  Also you can now see what a repair guy has to do to simply see what the heck is going on and that time is worth money. 

If and only if you had all the tools and parts for the job, this is a weekend job. I have been through this situation twice with my white coug, its not my first shooting match making things line up.  I dont know everything but what i do know is im looking at a fairly simple project given the header panel is available.  You already have the rest.

Ill donate old lights and a good enough grille

Also, i am guessing that you were pulling out and a car was coming from your pass side towards you?  correct?

Bad news.

Reply #86
Quote from: Samantha;249453
Well I put the salvage title on it and my dad took pictures when he popped the good off and we found a guy to do the repairs as long as I find the parts. Its looking to be a couple grand .
All that's left is to find the parts.


That mark never goes away....  mine has to wear that mark for the rest of forever:mad:

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Reply #87
Yeah, having such a clean original vehichle turned into what alot of people wrongly perceive as worthless sucks.
Salvage titles on a vehicle as old as ours don't scare me.  As long as you carefully inspect the car before you buy it, a person should be able to catch any nasty surprises.
88 TC 5speed, 168000+ miles, stock 2.3T long block, ported RFE6 exhaust, Evergreen T3 running 15#'s.
Up next: FMIC, fresh air intake, ported intakes, ported big valve head.

Bad news.

Reply #88
Quote from: Samantha;249509
How?! I need my car done cheap...but they wanna charge a lot. I need help lol


I have reflected on this statement several times and I have yet to figure out what exactly you are saying here....
However that kind of mindset is exactly how our country got into the buisness of outsourcing.

do you even understand what this type of talent is worth?

Its called T&E (Time and Expense)
His time, his talent, his tools all going to work just for you in a 40hour week at 50$ an hour shop rate assuming that is the shop rate.  If thats the case, he made you a  good deal.  Will he have a helper?  Maybe he will and maybe he wont but still, that hourly rate puts two men on one car with all the labor burden on the shop not to mention the liability and risking his reputation as a shop owner.

Woman up and understand this is just the price you pay for services.  If you want it done cheap, use ducktape, bondo and super glue and spraypaint.

Id suggest you and your dad take the front end parts off and let him focus on frame shaping and pulling right off the bat.  His time spend on mundain tasks like bolt on items is a huge waste of your hard earned money.  the quicker he is able to get to the meat of the matter , the quicker he can get your car fixed. 

sorry, just had to say that because there are many people who forget how much it really costs to do a job and do it right and still maintain a good buisness relationship by word of mouth.

just remeber one thing,,, just because you dont like a dollar figure does not make it incorrect.  It may be out of your budget but nevertheless, it does not mean the individual is not due his or her valued service.

Do I think I would pay 2grand for the service? Nope because i can do all that myself.  If you cant, then pay someone else who can.

Bad news.

Reply #89
You could always tear into the car yourself. I didn't know a thing about cars when I was 16, but my dad said if I could fix the car I could have it. First thing I did was a new brake disk and caliper. I also did a full tune up and changed out a bunch of stuff I didn't have to, not knowing I didn't have to.

The paint would be the only thing I would actually have a shop do personally. You know what the car should look like, and you'll take your time and do it right. Not alot of people seem to take pride in there work anymore. Well around here I guess.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com