Looking at a Turbo GT Vert next week...

[ddawson]

Didn't see an answer to the old tire question so.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=138

As for wheels it was much cheaper for me to replace the Wheels and Tires.
Wheels were $118 and tires were $94 each.

The TRX are sitting on the side of the house with good but old rubber.

[Bryan Knebworth]

Hey folks -

For those that were wondering when I would finally take possession of that 84 Turbo GT vert, it's mine now. The car just arrived a little while ago. As some might remember, I was thinking of having the car shipped due to the rather aged and worn Michelin TRX tires on the car. When I told the seller about this, he offered to drive the car up from Tehachapi, which simplified things greatly. All I had to pay him was the cost of the expenses to get up here and a train ticket back. It was just short of what the cheapest shipping quote, so it worked out for the best. I can't thank the seller enough for taking the time do this for me - he's one of the nicest people I've ever met.

I don't have any pics - it's pretty dirty and it's gonna take me until the weekend to have time to clean the car up properly. It's already been smogged with no issues. I have to call Progressive and have the car added to my insurance and then I need to get to the DMV early next week to get the car registered in my name. At least I can get a look at the buck tag and break down all the info from it. The seller even made sure that the original top boot (in great shape) was in the trunk - not to mention 2 complete sets of keys for the car.

One bonus that's been passed onto me as the 4th owner of this particular car - the seller gave me a packet of paperwork that's been with the car since day one. The owners manual, original warranty papers from Ford, the original limited warranty paper from Michelin for the tires, a Ford Operating Guide (separate from the owners manual) & a 5.00 rebate coupon from Carlite in case the windshield is replaced prior to 12/31/85 (long since expired, obviously). One of the best original pieces of paper is the actual build sheet for the car - it has all the build information that is mirrored on the Buck Tag, but in more detail. It's dated 08/13/84 - I'm imagining that was the date it was built.

Additionally, he gave me a Chilton manual for the car and a book on Mustangs that was published by Motorbooks - both were passed on from the previous seller.

At least now that I have it, some of the things that I've been trying to sort out (without the car present) are now things that I can work out first hand. I have a short list of items to order online to fix a couple of minor things (new vert control switch, visors, coin tray, etc.), but I just couldn't commit to buying them until I actually had the car in my hands. Now the fun begins.....along with the slow month by month depletion of any surplus income that I might have coming to me during the next year.

I do want to thank those of you that were so patient while I was asking so many questions about things that I might have sorted out for myself after getting the car. Everybody has been so supportive and helpful even though I've only been around a short time. If anything, it speaks volumes about the community here at FEP. I know that I'll be around for a long time to come, now that I finally have another Fox under my wing.

I am now officially a FEP.com member - not just "in name only"!

Later mates,
Bryan

Congrats! That's huge. I remember when I first bought my 5.0--all the planning and cleaning, and basically just staring at the car in amazement.
Like everybody says though, take plenty of pics (even if its dirty)

[Gemini1999]

Alright folks -

I took a few pics, but the light's not good, some of the angles aren't great. At least 3 pics give you a good idea of what it currently looks like. I didn't have time to take any interior pics due to an an appointment to help a friend move a piece of furniture. I gotta tell ya, it wasn't easy...it's been so long since I've used my camera, the batteries were dead. I found usable batteries, but then couldn't find the cable to the camera to transfer the pics, but I just found that....

This day has just flown by - it was literally spur of the moment that the seller decided to drive up today, so I really haven't had a chance to take it all in. My roomie came home and had to go to the mailbox, she noticed the car, but thought it was odd that I didn't tell her about it. Of course, she asked for a "tour", so I had to show her everything. She's not a big Mustang fan - she thinks that the car looks great for what it is. The first thing that she said about the spoiler is: "That's gotta go....there's only 4 bolts holding it on....I'd get rid of that as soon as you can..."

Anyways, here are the pics:

[dburdyshaw]

Dude, that's gonna be sweet.

[Gemini1999]

Dude, that's gonna be sweet.

Danny -

I hope so... At this point, a general clean up and detailing will help immensely. The first priority is new brakes - when I was talking to a friend of mine about the car, he said: "Why take it to a shop, when I can do it for you?" I appreciated the offer, but he's in the process of restoring a 1974 Challenger, which is keeping him pretty busy. I know that he'd do it, but I think that his wife would pitch a fit to stop working on his own car to do work on another. I might take him up on his offer, but that would depend on his available time.

After the brakes come the wheels and tires, or maybe just the tires...I haven't really been able to decide on that one. I really like the TRX wheels and these just need a good polishing, but I'm warming up to the "wagon" wheels and have line on a set that needs refinishing to slap a set of standard tires on.

After that, general servicing and bit-by-bit restoration of the interior/exterior. The worst parts of the paint are any part of the trim that's painted black (the hood panel, window trim, etc.), but I figure a bit of Back to Black will punch that up for now. I'm currently planning on using my end of year bonus for 2011 to refresh the paint on the car to get it all looking like it should. When I clean things up and remove the oxidation on the paint, I'll know more as to what needs to be done and by what degree to make it look good.

I think that all of the interior restoration will be complete by then, but that depends on the availability of items, cash flow, time, etc. At least while all this is going on, the car is in excellent running condition with no obvious needs. Although, the A/C is going to need a recharge before the summer gets here if I intend to enjoy it through the hotter months. I've always got my Miata as transportation while all this is going on, which makes it so much more workable.

I'm really looking forward to this and I think that it's going to be a lot of fun.

Bryan

[dburdyshaw]

Just thinking out loud ---- and it's likely already crossed your mind ---- is that it sounds like your friend would be a great resource to answer any questions that might get passed you. He might also be someone to do bits of work with the shops give you unreasonable quotes.

Either way, it looks like you are going to have some sweet top-down driving in your future!

[Gemini1999]

Just thinking out loud ---- and it's likely already crossed your mind ---- is that it sounds like your friend would be a great resource to answer any questions that might get passed you. He might also be someone to do bits of work with the shops give you unreasonable quotes.

Either way, it looks like you are going to have some sweet top-down driving in your future!

Yeah, Terry's a real good guy and we share a love for classic cars and their restoration/preservation. He's really handy with cars and has a large garage just packed with tools for just about any job. He's about to recover the seats in his Challenger - he said that if I would help him with that, he'd be happy to do the same when I replace the upholstery in the GT. The back seat covers are fine, but the buckets have some cracking in the vinyl that's only going to get worse. The best I can do is clean them up for now.

I helped him work on a 1966 Bronco and while I lack some of the mechanical expertise, I know what's what and where it goes. He's got the space, tools, etc. and I'm more than willing to "do a bit of this" to "get a bit of that" as a tradeoff. We work well together and I've never taken advantage of that relationship. I spent most of this past Saturday afternoon helping him struggle with reinstalling the dash & dash pad (an integrated assembly) in his car. We also laid out and ran the new wiring for the most part. He's going to do the connecting of those wires a bit at a time. We didn't accomplish a lot, but it did take a lot of time and he'd never gotten that dash in place without an extra pair of hands and what little muscle that I have to offer.

As I said, it'll be fun.

Bryan

[roush235]

Congrats on the car, it will be even sweeter after you get the planned work done.

[arj]

I like it, except for that awful spoiler. When you remove it, you might want to break it into pieces, to put it out of its misery.

The 14x5.5 aluminum wheels sound like a good idea. If you go that route, consider raised white letter tires. The 75 series sidewalls look too tall without the letters to break things up.

[Gemini1999]

I like it, except for that awful spoiler. When you remove it, you might want to break it into pieces, to put it out of its misery.

That was a good one...I got a nice chuckle from that! I really can't imagine anyone really wanting it...

The 14x5.5 aluminum wheels sound like a good idea. If you go that route, consider raised white letter tires. The 75 series sidewalls look too tall without the letters to break things up.

I would agree with you there. I did do a search on tires for the aluminum wheels and I did see a set of raised white letter tires in that size. Although some might consider the look to be a bit dated, I agree that it would break up the look of a tall sidewall. We're of the same mind on this.

On a side note, I was looking at the VIN, the Buck Tag and the build sheet that the seller provided. There was one odd thing about the info on the car - it shows the engine code as "W", which I thought was a mistake when the seller first emailed the VIN to me. When I looked up the engine code, it states that the code indicates the engine included in the car is the 175 HP Turbo engine used on the SVO, not the 145 HP (engine code "T") that is supposed to be provided for the Turbo GT.

Any other Turbo GT owners have something similar? Just wondering if the codes in the reference material might be swapped around or something..

[flinfantryrebel]

I like it, except for that awful spoiler. When you remove it, you might want to break it into pieces, to put it out of its misery.

The 14x5.5 aluminum wheels sound like a good idea. If you go that route, consider raised white letter tires. The 75 series sidewalls look too tall without the letters to break things up.

I just got a set of 215/70-14 bf goodrich radial TA white letters on my 83 GT wheels, they look AWESOME.

[FoxChassis]

On a side note, I was looking at the VIN, the Buck Tag and the build sheet that the seller provided. There was one odd thing about the info on the car - it shows the engine code as "W", which I thought was a mistake when the seller first emailed the VIN to me. When I looked up the engine code, it states that the code indicates the engine included in the car is the 175 HP Turbo engine used on the SVO, not the 145 HP (engine code "T") that is supposed to be provided for the Turbo GT.

Any other Turbo GT owners have something similar? Just wondering if the codes in the reference material might be swapped around or something..

The reference material you are using to look up the codes is wrong.

'79 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = W
'80 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet = A, Buck Tag = T
'81 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T
'82 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T
'83 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = W (GT/RS)
'84 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO) or W (GT/RS)
'85 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO)
'86 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO)

If you tell me what reference material you're using, I may have the same thing and I can tell you what it is incorrect so that you may change it if you wish.

[Gemini1999]

The reference material you are using to look up the codes is wrong.

'79 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = W
'80 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet = A, Buck Tag = T
'81 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T
'82 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T
'83 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = W (GT/RS)
'84 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO) or W (GT/RS)
'85 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO)
'86 2.3T VIN/Build Sheet and Buck Tag = T (SVO)

If you tell me what reference material you're using, I may have the same thing and I can tell you what it is incorrect so that you may change it if you wish.

I was using more than one source....the one I was most recently using was the Fox Mustang Recognition Guide. I even checked it twice to make sure that I wasn't misreading the information. The other source is an online source, but I can't find the link at the moment. I just figured that if 2 sources were telling me the same thing, that it must be correct. I'll have to check my links at home to find the online source.

What you've posted seems to make more sense, but it looks like the "W" and "T" designations have been swapped back and forth over the years.

Bryan

[Gemini1999]

Hey folks -

I've been a bit busy today. I took the Turbo GT to the local spray & wash (I hand washed it though) and did a bit of general cleaning up inside and out. I did partially wax it on the driver's side. It's been a long time since I've had to hand wax a car, so I ran out of steam. I was just going to do one body panel just to see how it would look. Being 50 and a bit out of shape made me realize that this kind of work was much easier when I was younger...I'm pooped!

I didn't do all the things I planned to do. I gave the interior a basic vacuuming and wipe down. The white door panels and seats need a very thorough cleaning, but not today. The carpet is in good shape, but it could use a cleaning as well. One thing about this car spending it's life in the SoCal desert is that areas like the dash vents are a mess with dust and dirt. I'll have to give those a good detailing next week when I get more time.

There are a couple of items that I'll have to work on. The white top came pretty clean, but I think that it could be bit cleaner. I'm not sure what to use on a fabric convertible top - I'm used to the vinyl tops that I've had on my Miatas. Also, all of the satin black trim looks a bit hazy....should I be using something like "Back to Black" to clean those up, or is there another method to get those to look good again?

Here are a few new pics with the car looking a bit better. I hope you like them.

Bryan

[86 50CPRI]

wow! that did clean up nice..best of luck with it!

[tan84mustanggt]

From what I understand the best product to clean a convertible top is Ragg Topp. I just got some for my car, but I put the car away for the winter before I could use it. 2 of my friends swear by it and they have brand new looking white tops on their cars so......

Your car's looking good! I can't wait to see it without the wing

[Gemini1999]

I'm sure that some of you realize that pictures can be deceiving.... The pics make the car look very nearly perfect, but there are tons of flaws that are visible in person. I admit that when I saw the pics, even I was surprised how it looks. That being said, what would be the fun if the car was practically perfect and just needed a wash and a wax, right?

I've heard about Ragg Topp - it's very popular with Miata owners as well. I'll have to look and see if I can find it locally. It shouldn't be a problem. I also didn't get around to polishing the wheels - the center caps look great the way they are, but the wheels themselves need some serious work. I'll probably sort that out when I have my friend help me with the brakes.

Any tips on how to care for the black trim items on the car? I know that they can be repainted if need be, but until then...

Thanks for the nice comments!

Bryan

[escogt]

Congrats Bryan. That's a really sweet vert!! Many years of enjoyment with her.

[wvragtop]

I love mine and I'm sure you will love that one that's the first one I've seen that color .looks good

[Gemini1999]

I love mine and I'm sure you will love that one that's the first one I've seen that color .looks good

Thanks for the nice comment. I've gotten very attached to the GT in the nearly 3 years since I bought it. At first, I really wasn't too sure about the 2.3L/Turbo/Manual T5 combo because I really wanted an A/T equipped cruiser. It's the color combo that has me well hooked, so I don't think I'll part with it any time soon. The car may lack the 5.0 rumble that everyone loves, but the engine runs smooth and strong with no leaks or smoke.

I've been newly inspired to get back to fixing the cosmetic flaws, so I'll have to post updated photos as I go along.