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Topic: picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon. (Read 2373 times) previous topic - next topic

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Got it for so cheap I couldn't walk away from it. 88xr7, white,180k miles, a few issues.

Gas tank fell out I am pretty sure, it's all sed up on one side with a big dent and is currently held up with a phone cord, both sides. Tank straps were either cut or rusted through. Fuel pump is wired directly to battery on a switch, guessing fuel pump wiring got damaged when the tank fell out. Has a cherry bomb clamped on about 6" past the cat, held up with a metal hangar, no tail pipes at all. Has a 8.8" different cover in the trunk along with quad shocks, but a 7.5" rear installed with no quad brackets, cracked windshield and the master cylinder is shot. If you pump the breaks it easily locks the tires, but bleeds to the flood in about a second and sticks to the floor if you hold it down too long. Rear shocks are also shot.

Interior looks really good and is complete. Floor shifter with a broken button on the handle, leather interior and xr7/tc style seats with lumbar and everything else, power windows, drivers seat mirrors ect. buttstuffog cluster, speedo is off by about 10% but has correct sized tires, guessing a different rear end ratio. Made the 40 mile drive home with no real issues. Exterior is okay, minus a missing cat head in the grill and a spray painted stripe down the hood. Bottom parts of car are rino lined or some sort of under coating, but I don't see any real bad rust. The trunk lid has some pretty good surface rust on the lip.

Overall, shouldn't be too hard to get on the road, just been ghetto rigged a lot on some really easy fixes.
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

 

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #1
Those '88 XR7's were very sharp cars.
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.

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #2
:ttiwwp:
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #3






Better pics once brakes are fixed and I feel it sage to back it out of the driveway.
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

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #4
Nice!
1986 Mercury Cougar - 2.3T/T5 swap, TC brakes and suspension and rearend, 3" exhaust, 255 lph fuel pump, Stinger BOV, Gillis MBC @ 18 psi
2003 Chevy Suburban Z71 - Daily driver
2015 Chevy Volt - Wife's daily driver

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #5
Oooh Electronic Climate Control
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #6
There was about 50ft of electrical and phone wire wrapped around the fuel tank holding it up. Looks like a botched fuel pump job. There is no gasket to the fuel pump hat, the lock ring was sitting upside down between the fuel lines, not even pretend lined up. No screws in the filler neck, and both fuel tank strap bolts were stripped. A good six sided socket got the badly stripped bolt out easily, and i have all but backed out the other side, it will come out easy enough. I think once the bolts got stripped, they cut the straps and wired it up into place and the wires broke and the fuel tank fell out, only think I can really figure as both straps were cut near the back of the tank.

Got two new straps and a fuel pump wire for $2 at the junkyard (old one was cut and had not even 1/4" of wire for the splice to the new switch they installed directly to battery), but I was not expecting for there to be no fuel lock clips or gasket to the pump.

Gonna try auto zone tomorrow to see if they will sell me one separately, or if I am gonna have to order it or whatever. They want $19 for the gas tank lock ring and gasket, but I only need the gasket. Might end up with the cheapest fuel filter as they want $3.99 for each fuel line clip. Pretty surprised nothing fell off or came undone and the car ran the whole way home.
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

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #7
So what you're saying is........people are stupid? ;)
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

picked up an 88xr7, pics coming soon.

Reply #8
Very much so.

Spliced in a new fuel pump power wire, installed tank straps, and last but not least, new fuel lock ring and gasket for the fuel pump. It was a bigger pain cutting out all the wore that was holding the tank up then actually fixing it. I couldn't get a gasket anywhere without the fuel ring, so I bit the bullet and threw $20 at it.

I also ripped the green wire they had Spliced and hooked straight to the battery out. Now I dunno what to do with the switch or the hole it's in, but it's not a real issue. I'll probably pick up a set of plastic plugs and jam one in there if I ever have to take it out.

On the plus side, car starts with the key and now the low fuel light is on. For once I did a fuel pump with an empty tank, and that really is the way to go.
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