another new guy

[drivesa5]

Just saying hi...

For four eyes I have an 85 LTD LX and an 82 Fairmont 4 door, and I also have an 89 Mustang LX convertible. And might as well throw in my girlfriend has an 89 Mustang GT project car (which is also my project so why not include it) that we are converting into 4 eyes - to look like an 82 GT.

And while I'm at it, here's what's going on with all of them:

the 85 LTD I'm converting from CFI to EFI with old parts off my mustang, almost all the parts are there I just have to figure out wiring and I haven't had much time for quite a while, but am hoping to have it running again this summer.

The 82 fairmont is an inline 6 with a c5. THe c5 snapped the reverse band so right now I'm rebuilding the trans - also got a powdercoating gun for xmas so I powdercoated it for practice while it was out, and am hoping to get most of it back together this weekend. Oh yeah and I'd like to put a v8 in the mont someday when some of these other projects are out of the way...

the 89 convertible has a bunch of bolt ons - I have a 351w I may put in it someday, not sure I am going to do much to the stang right now...

and the big one .. the 89 to 82 GT conversion. I've never heard of anyone converting backwards, they always go from 79-86 to the 87-93 style, so hopefully this will be different. The car is totally apart, but we've got just about everything: 79 pace front end, 82 gt 1/4 windows and sail panels, an 89 5.0 longblock (is now apart), a new rear end, computer, wiring, the list goes on.

Anyway, thanks for reading and you can take a look at them all if you feel like it at

www.cardomain.com/id/drivesa5

foxes forever! ;)

[Marz]

Welcome to the board.

Your LTD LX looks nice. Good luck on your SEFI conversion. I am going to do the same thing to my LTD LX ... though... I have other things to take care of at this time. I do have most of the parts needed for the swap.

Good luck.

[LTDScott]

I've seen your LTD on Cardomain before. I really like the look of the bumpers without the "pushbars," but the big holes behind them bother me. Not to mention the fact that my bumpers are pretty weathered and the chrome under the pushbars is in much better shape than the rest of it!

[drivesa5]

Marz - good luck on the project. The wiring is a little confusing to me... but I'm just kinda figuring as I go. I got the fuel pump to prime, that's about it so far - I've had to move a couple times and the project isn't progressing, but hopefully soon! Let me know when you do it and maybe I can help you out if I'm all done...

LTDScott, thanks for the compliment, I think you left me the same comment on cardomain too. Actually on my LTD the holes are covered with black plastic plugs, so they're not just open. Previous owner did that actually.

my fairmont came with them and I liked how the LTD was so I took them off, but i did something a little different witht he mont. I'm not sure what they are, but they're chrome cones with threaded rods in the back - I just bolted them over the holes for a streamlined kinda look :) I think it looks cool anyway ...

http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/25968/ltd%20bumper.jpg

http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/25968/mont%20bumper.jpg

[LTDScott]

Yeah it would be easy enough to cover the hole with a carriage bolt or something (a la GM), but like I said the chrome finish on my bumpers is pretty weathered and having the exposed nice chrome where the pushbars are would be kinda silly.

[drivesa5]

Yeah, it would look funny. So I guess you're stuck with them for now. Do you like painted bumpers? Could do that I suppose...

[LTDScott]

BTW I love your avatar pic.

[drivesa5]

Thanks a lot, I made them all from photos of my cars in illustrator.

Here's a bigger version. They're simplified as you can see, but I may add some more detail if I feel like it ...

http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/25968/ill.jpg

Here's the ltd based on an ad I found online somewhere - but I added saleen black meshes like I have on mine :)

http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/25968/ltd%20ill.jpg

[mswwot]

Yeah it would be easy enough to cover the hole with a carriage bolt or something (a la GM), but like I said the chrome finish on my bumpers is pretty weathered and having the exposed nice chrome where the pushbars are would be kinda silly.

you could always score an extra set of bumpers and try welding up the holes and getting the bumpers rechromed..........the custom guys do it all the time when smoothing their bumpers......they weld the bumper bolts to the backside of the bumper and smooth them over.

[LTDScott]

heh that's awesome. You also turned the car into an '85.

http://www.ltdlx.org/albums/archive/84card1.jpg

[drivesa5]

Oh yeah I forgot about that. Yep, that's the ad!

[zak]

Scott - do you have any side shots of that 85 LX ? AM thinking to get my car repainted this summer, I think the chrome I have on the replacement doors isn't right (looking above).

We should (in a separate thread) try to total up all the LTD LX owners that are online and/or have websites, between here, Corral and ford-fox we probably have 25 or so owners.

= zak

[LTDScott]

zak, which '85 LTD LX are you referring to?

[zak]

Scott, the picture of the grey one at the bottom, do you have a side view? Mine is grey also, however a side shot of any color except black would be useful indeed, to show whats supposed to be chrome, blacked out, etc..

The donar car for my current doors was a Marquis and they seem to have way too much chrome.

No rush - zak

[LTDScott]

zak, the car in the "Performance Meets Practicality" promo card from Ford that I posted above is an '84 model (Ford logo on the hood instead of grille). It's also silver, not grey (two different colors).'85 models had completely different body-side trim. And both years of the LX had body-side trim that is different than the standard LTDs.

I can't recall off-hand what the '84 trim looks like, but the '85 trim is dark charcoal metal with dark charcoal "rubber" in the middle with a red stripe and NO CHROME. I can take photos of this if necessary.

[drivesa5]

Since I'm also "Scott" and I have a side pic, here it is - of an 85 though.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/drivesa5/IMG_0714.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/drivesa5/trim.jpg

[zak]

LTDscott, I have the correct belot moldings, transfered them from the old doors. What I'm trying to figure out is the chrome surounds along the rain gutter (which should be correct, though I think I've seen them blacked out), and, on the doors themselves (Marquis) they havea thin chrome strip arouind the ednge of the glass area, as well as along the edge just below the window (later is also cirrect for LTD LX, I think).

Finally, my LTD LX came stock with chrome molding around the windsheild. I had often wondered if this was correct, becuase when my Dad bought it new it appeared to have had some reapting done to the hood and passenger side fneder.

Thanks everyone for the help

zak

[LTDScott]

zak, use drivesa5's pic above as a guide. The rain gutter and the piece it joins along the bottom of the window is chrome. Everything else is flat black (actually dark charcoal). The chrome strips around the window frame from the Marcheese are not correct for an LX.

And the front and rear windshield trim should also be charcoal. But from the factory they were just chrome pieces that were painted, so over time the paint has probably come off and left it chrome. I have had to repaint mine at least once.

[Marz]

zak, use drivesa5's pic above as a guide. The rain gutter and the piece it joins along the bottom of the window is chrome. Everything else is flat black (actually dark charcoal). The chrome strips around the window frame from the Marcheese are not correct for an LX.

And the front and rear windshield trim should also be charcoal. But from the factory they were just chrome pieces that were painted, so over time the paint has probably come off and left it chrome. I have had to repaint mine at least once.

LTDScott....

I was going to have all the trim repainted on my LTX LX. I know the window trim is dark charcoal gray... but ar the headlight buckets suposeto be the same color? Though, I like the grill areas (buckets included) being flat black.

Thanks

[LTDScott]

All of the trim is supposed to be a dark charcoal color. In reality it looks sorta like faded flat black, so I painted the headlight buckets and window trim flat black when I owned it. Jefferson did the same thing with my current car when he owned it.

[Marz]

Cool man... I saw the trim on the inside door window frame where you didn't paint. Looks like I'll have them match the paint to that.

It should be done before FFF.

[LTDScott]

Reminds me, I still need to sign up for FFF.

[Marz]

Reminds me, I still need to sign up for FFF.

8O

You haven't done it yet? Dude... print out the application and do it asap!

[LTDScott]

I waited for them to mail one to me (like they do every year). Just got it on Saturday.

[not-a-stang]

This is cool...

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/2221000-2221999/2221543_2.jpg

Good luck with the conversion. I also want to make some of those renderings of my car. Photoshop, right?

[drivesa5]

Thanks! I think the conversion will be pretty sweet, can't wait to get started on it - it's all just a pile of parts so far.

Actually that's a drawing I did and scanned - a quick rough, out of proportion one, but just a doodle :) ...or which renderings do you mean? LIke the 3 I posted, or the drawing? The 3 of my cars is Illustrator.

Also, what's FFF?

One more thing while I'm at it ... the window trim on my LTD is all chipping away and crappy looking too.

[Marz]

Also, what's FFF?


Fabulous Fords Forever... the largest Ford get together on the west coast. Usually around 1200 to 1500 fords, Mercurys, Lincolns and other Ford products.

http://www.fordcarclubs.org/

[drivesa5]

Sounds cool marz, I have a friend that lives out there with an 89 GT, I told him to go :)

[drivesa5]

Just finished rebuilding my c5 from the Mont and it's ready to go back in!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c65/drivesa5/monttranscomplete.jpg