View Full Version : 84-85 turbo coupe thunderbird
I am posting this question here to get as much feedback as I can, my brother knows a guy who is selling a 84-85 turbo coupe.
My question is I want to know all about these cars and couldn't find any info on them and what better place than FEP, I have heard alot about the later models but not any earlier ones, when did they start making these and are they over all good cars?
I am posting this question here to get as much feedback as I can, my brother knows a guy who is selling a 84-85 turbo coupe.
My question is I want to know all about these cars and couldn't find any info on them and what better place than FEP, I have heard alot about the later models but not any earlier ones, when did they start making these and are they over all good cars?
Chuck W
10-09-2005, 09:37 PM
Well what do you want to know?
I prefer the 83-86 TC's (83-84's specifically) over the later ones.
The easy way to tell the vintage is by the dash. If the dash face is flat and it has just a speedo/tach and a "turbo" and "overboost" light, it's an 83-84. If it has a dash with full gauges and a "pod" around the driver side of the dash, it's an 85-86.
Mechanically they are pretty much the same aside from minor tuning tweaks. The hp/tq numbers are 145/180 or 155/180 depending on tune...but until mid 85....they are pretty much the same. I could rattle off every single minute detail that's different, but you need to be a litle more specific about what you want to know.
Overall they are really no different than any other Fox car, they have all the same quirks. They are a little harder to find some suspension parts for (such as springs, rear control arms, rear shocks) as they are different enough from a Mustang that not all the parts carry over. They are a bit "better" than the 87-88's in the fact that they are more "simple" and lighter (and much better looking IMO). They don't have as much power...but really, upping the power is not hard and they both have the same basic starting points engine-wise...just a couple parts are different as are the tunes.
Now there is a TC club... (North American TurboCoupe Organization - NATO), and their website is www.turbotbird.com.
If you have more specific questions about them I'd be happy to answer them....but I really don't have the time or desire to do a complete brain-dump on all things 83-86 TC ;)
Chuck W
10-09-2005, 09:37 PM
Well what do you want to know?
I prefer the 83-86 TC's (83-84's specifically) over the later ones.
The easy way to tell the vintage is by the dash. If the dash face is flat and it has just a speedo/tach and a "turbo" and "overboost" light, it's an 83-84. If it has a dash with full gauges and a "pod" around the driver side of the dash, it's an 85-86.
Mechanically they are pretty much the same aside from minor tuning tweaks. The hp/tq numbers are 145/180 or 155/180 depending on tune...but until mid 85....they are pretty much the same. I could rattle off every single minute detail that's different, but you need to be a litle more specific about what you want to know.
Overall they are really no different than any other Fox car, they have all the same quirks. They are a little harder to find some suspension parts for (such as springs, rear control arms, rear shocks) as they are different enough from a Mustang that not all the parts carry over. They are a bit "better" than the 87-88's in the fact that they are more "simple" and lighter (and much better looking IMO). They don't have as much power...but really, upping the power is not hard and they both have the same basic starting points engine-wise...just a couple parts are different as are the tunes.
Now there is a TC club... (North American TurboCoupe Organization - NATO), and their website is www.turbotbird.com.
If you have more specific questions about them I'd be happy to answer them....but I really don't have the time or desire to do a complete brain-dump on all things 83-86 TC ;)
nickj85
10-09-2005, 10:21 PM
Well I've had 2 of the 85's and an 87. What specifically do you want to know?
nickj85
10-09-2005, 10:21 PM
Well I've had 2 of the 85's and an 87. What specifically do you want to know?
Thank you guys, just wanted a little owner feed back about how reliable these cars are, and common things too look for when I go to check the car out.
I really am interested in the car for a daily driver and possible hot rod later on.
Thank you guys, just wanted a little owner feed back about how reliable these cars are, and common things too look for when I go to check the car out.
I really am interested in the car for a daily driver and possible hot rod later on.
Chuck W
10-09-2005, 11:11 PM
As long as it's mechanically sound, it should make a good DD. I had a POS '85 I slugged around in for a while and my '84 XR-7 (the turbo Cougar version) was a DD for a while as well. My '83 Tbird is not a DD, but the reliability should not be an issue.
It has no other issues that any other EEC-4 -equipped car will have. Maintain it though and if you keep the mods to a minimum you should have no issues with it as a driver.
Chuck W
10-09-2005, 11:11 PM
As long as it's mechanically sound, it should make a good DD. I had a POS '85 I slugged around in for a while and my '84 XR-7 (the turbo Cougar version) was a DD for a while as well. My '83 Tbird is not a DD, but the reliability should not be an issue.
It has no other issues that any other EEC-4 -equipped car will have. Maintain it though and if you keep the mods to a minimum you should have no issues with it as a driver.
GT350R
10-10-2005, 02:13 AM
What do I know about 83-84's?
I know I have one of 3 experimental 140 MPH speedo's made for them. Might be the only one left to exist.
(I dont think I have rubbed that in for atleast 4 years Chuck , so I was due ;) )
GT350R
10-10-2005, 02:13 AM
What do I know about 83-84's?
I know I have one of 3 experimental 140 MPH speedo's made for them. Might be the only one left to exist.
(I dont think I have rubbed that in for atleast 4 years Chuck , so I was due ;) )
Chuck W
10-10-2005, 07:54 AM
What do I know about 83-84's?
I know I have one of 3 experimental 140 MPH speedo's made for them. Might be the only one left to exist.
(I dont think I have rubbed that in for atleast 4 years Chuck , so I was due ;) )
Bastard :P
Chuck W
10-10-2005, 07:54 AM
What do I know about 83-84's?
I know I have one of 3 experimental 140 MPH speedo's made for them. Might be the only one left to exist.
(I dont think I have rubbed that in for atleast 4 years Chuck , so I was due ;) )
Bastard :P
nickj85
10-10-2005, 09:32 PM
my 85 has 185,000 miles on it and runs just fine. It doesn't use any oil between changes.
nickj85
10-10-2005, 09:32 PM
my 85 has 185,000 miles on it and runs just fine. It doesn't use any oil between changes.
Eric86GT
11-08-2005, 02:10 AM
They are quirky, more so than the normally aspirated versions.
I'm driving my 83 and it gets me where I'm going, but I have some crazy idle issues and issues under boost. I got it at an abandoned vehicle auction for $120 so I'm not complaining. www.turboford.org has a lot of info available.
Chuck W
11-08-2005, 07:06 AM
They are quirky, more so than the normally aspirated versions.
I'm driving my 83 and it gets me where I'm going, but I have some crazy idle issues and issues under boost. I got it at an abandoned vehicle auction for $120 so I'm not complaining. www.turboford.org has a lot of info available.
Not really so much. They have one added major component (the VAM) which can be a cause of consternation at times, but I find the IACs to be more of an issue, and that's just a common issue with any of them.
Eric86GT, make sure your VAM is clean and not sticking, clean the IAC, do a good tune up and replace the fuel filter, I bet it behaves better after that. If not, drive it to me and I'll take it off your hands :p
Eric86GT
11-11-2005, 01:34 AM
I was getting a VAM volts low code, so I replaced the VAM with a rebuilt. Volts looked good at the VAM while I was moving the door by hand. Problem remains. Guess I'll start looking at wiring.
The fuel filter is probably not a bad idea, but I drove it around with a FP gauge on it and was getting about 50psi at WOT/Max Boost. I thought that was a decent number.
New Autolite plugs, gapped .035, Motorcraft wires (I replaced the original '1983' marked wires last year and thought for SURE that was the problem) PCV Valve (not Motorcraft, but didn't make a difference in performance). New TFI, verified 10 BTDC spout out. Getting an O2 sensor code as well, but I don't think the O2 sensor plays a part at WOT and it's still breaking up part or WOT acceleration in 3rd or higher. It seems to pull pretty good in 1-2.
It's possible something spark related is causing the engine to fall over and produce the O2 code, maybe the VAM code too?
Thoughts?
Chuck W
11-11-2005, 07:10 AM
I was getting a VAM volts low code, so I replaced the VAM with a rebuilt. Volts looked good at the VAM while I was moving the door by hand. Problem remains. Guess I'll start looking at wiring.
The fuel filter is probably not a bad idea, but I drove it around with a FP gauge on it and was getting about 50psi at WOT/Max Boost. I thought that was a decent number.
New Autolite plugs, gapped .035, Motorcraft wires (I replaced the original '1983' marked wires last year and thought for SURE that was the problem) PCV Valve (not Motorcraft, but didn't make a difference in performance). New TFI, verified 10 BTDC spout out. Getting an O2 sensor code as well, but I don't think the O2 sensor plays a part at WOT and it's still breaking up part or WOT acceleration in 3rd or higher. It seems to pull pretty good in 1-2.
It's possible something spark related is causing the engine to fall over and produce the O2 code, maybe the VAM code too?
Thoughts?
If you don't know how old the fuel filter is, replace it.
On the PCV, did you test it before you installed it? (ie blew in the small end to see if it closed?) If not and it doesn't, then get a couple Motorcraft ones and test them before you even pay for them. 110% of the crap ones you get from the parts houses for these cars do not work and always leak under boost. You could be sucking oil vapors into the comb chamber....they don't like that esp under boost.
Also, how much boost are you running? (just trying to get a reference at what WOT is in your instance).
Also, just for kicks, unplug the KS and see if that cleans it up any. Sometime they pick up erroneous "noise" and interpret as detonation. Do a couple runs, and listen very carefully as you do and see if you hear anything and see if it cleans up. If it does, and you want to keep it hooked up, use a bit of teflon tape on the threads to dampen the noise. I had to pull it from my TBird as it would not boost over 10# w/o breaking up period. It was just random noise that was causing the problem.
nickj85
11-11-2005, 09:49 PM
You could try closing the gap on your plugs. I run mine at .030. Do change that fuel filter. Just because you are getting 50 psi doesn't mean that your motor isn't leaning out at high rpm, which can be attributed to a dirty fuel filter. One thing you have to learn is that these cars are very picky about everything.
You may also want to change the coil. I had a problem similar to yours, I changed everything I could think of that hadn't already been done. I put a new coil on and the problem was solved.
Chuck W
11-12-2005, 09:43 PM
You could try closing the gap on your plugs. I run mine at .030.
I thought about mentioning that...but since stock boost on an 83 TC is only 10-11#....
Pulling them into .032" might not be a bad idea, but I'm not fond of pulling them tighter than they need to be.
nickj85
11-14-2005, 01:43 PM
I run 18 psi on mine and it seems to run better with the gap closed down.
I have also groung down the strap to give it a better spark kernel but I can't actually say whether or not it did any good.
Chuck W
11-14-2005, 03:34 PM
I run 18 psi on mine and it seems to run better with the gap closed down.
Of course it does.....the stock TFI spark is kinda weak when you really start to lean on it.
I was using a DIS set-up on my Ranger conversion (1 coil-pack, turbo head) and the spark energy was much hotter...I was able to run .045" gaps at 16# boost and 89 octane w/ 10* base timing (timing fixed with the DIS and I didn't have a boost controller, so it was fixed at whatever the bleed orifice let it be).
Eric86GT
11-15-2005, 01:09 AM
Thanks for all the advice. I'll put a fuel filter in it. It has a new replacement coil in it too. The new PCV valve, I would say failed the blow test. I ordered a EV-127 from the dealer that should have been there today, but I didn't get time out of work to go get it.
It's starting to get cold, I've been working long hours, and I have the hood half primed in the garage. I'm going on vacation Thxgiving week too. I'm not sure when I'll have time to work on it again, but I'll keep you posted.
:D
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