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Topic: Hooray for road salt! (Read 1721 times) previous topic - next topic

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #15
I was intrigued at the idea for interior parts as mentioned earlier, but it looks like he has the ebay skin ontop of the cracked dash. Check out the vents. Bummer
1988 T-Bird LX- Awaiting HO build, Monster "Eat My Shift" AOD rated 550Hp. BBK ceramic shorties, Jegs mustang (catless) H-Pipe. mustang catback modified axle back for tbird, 94 17" Cobra wheels, 98 'Stang GT 8.8 Traction-lock

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #16
I don't think the dash cap takes away from it. Show me a crack free dash and ill show you a car that was never driven or used. Its almost impossible to get the speaker covers off of a dash without damaging it.

Only a matter of time and every one of these cars left will have a dash cap.
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

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #17
My 86 has a crack-free dash
Current: 1986 Thunderbird, 105k 3.8/C5, 2 tone  Midnight Wine/Medium Taupe, wing windows, wire wheel covers.


Former: 1985 Cougar GS 115k Oxford White/Regatta Blue, 5.0, full console, 14" 8 hole aluminum T-Bird rims, Edelbrock valve covers.

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #18
I have three crack free dashes, two 88s and an 86.

You need to have cash sitting, the patience of job, and the ability to buy a whole car if necessary.
T-Birds can't fly.  Ask how I know...

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #19
Sounds like I'm bragging. That wasn't the intent. The intent was to communicate that they are out there if you hunt for them and are willing to plunk down cash at the time.
T-Birds can't fly.  Ask how I know...

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #20
For the seats alone $500 is a steal. It cost me more than that to have the leather panels replaced on my front seats......
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #21
I don't know if it has to do with our lack of humidity or our temperatures, but i have never seen a crack free dash here. Mine has almost turned to dust. In some places, if i brush up against it lightly with my finger it will crack. Every other car I've had has been pretty similar.

99.5% of people won't notice it has a dash cap, if any do. And that car having one proves that the last owner tried to take car of the car. I couldn't even imagine buying an entire car for a crack free dash, but i like to se the bottom of the barrel.
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

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #22
Yeah I was waiting for the barrage of people busting out pictures of good dashes :rollin:
But yeah out there in the desert areas I'm sure it's far worse.

For what it's worth don't the two-generations ago Dodge pickups split their dashes real quick? I swear I've seen a bunch of pictures of the '02-up ones all messed up.
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #23
Im not exactly in a desert, but we have low humidity due to our elevation, and on average hit 100's about 6 times a year and get below 0 about 10. If anything its worse because of how hot and cold we get constantly. I remember getting 1" of snow on my brothers june 13th birthday and two weeks later we were sitting over 100's for two weeks straight.

Maybe if i got a funny cat pictured windshield blocker screen my dash would be okay? My first couple of cars, i would lube up the dash with petroleum jelly or dip a shop towel in used motor oil and it would really clean up the dash well and you could actually see it soak it up and become more flexible as you went. Most plastics need oiled.
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

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #24
I always wonder what's worse, the heat or actual direct sunlight exposure and if simply covering it actually works. I've gotten dash-rugs for all of my good ones, and I use a shiny reflective sun shield in the summer too. I have a couple old tshirts I keep in the red car for the leather portions of the seats. Crazy much? Yeah.

My co-worker who moved here from Las Vegas several years ago, still has his first daily driver, '90 Accord 2 door. Beautiful blue interior and the winter salt is just starting to take its toll on it. He's always had a rug on the dash and maintains it spent most of its life out there without a problem.

Plastic is made from petroleum so there are probably components that out-gas and vaporize away leaving degraded remnants.
An "ex-co-worker" who quit last year, has been a chemical engineer for 30+ years and worked for Texas Instruments, Boeing to name a few. His claim is that poor plasticizers are the biggest reason dashes crack. Which are the components that actually make these materials flexible and bendable. Logically makes sense I guess :hick:
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #25
i think our cold weather keeps the plastic from over expanding on the foam and cracking..... my 85 vert has a good dash, but that was also a Chicago car, and only in florida for a couple of years
[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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Hooray for road salt!

Reply #26
My Thunderbird has a dash cap. It was bought new in Santa Monica, CA and spent the first 14 years of it's life in California. The dash was perfect when I bought it. After one winter in Chicago it cracked after it sat the winter in a garage. Go figure.
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Hooray for road salt!

Reply #27
:( I haz a sad.
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane