Here is mine 83 I6, which by the way im looking for some parts for it. Need a rust free tailgate, floor board and the spare tire well. Anyone with a parts car please contact me.
Current Cars:
83 GT Turbo All org w/ org paint 127k miles
84 GT350 5.0 Period correct changes 5spd T Top 44k org miles
83 LTD Wagon I6 65k miles
2010 Mercury Milan AWD
2019 Flex SEL
Past Cars: 79 Pace Car 5.0 Auto, 80 I6 Coupe, 79 I6 Coupe, 81 4cyl Coupe, 92GT, 83 Capri RS Turbo, 82GT TTop, 83 GT 5.0, 84 GT350 5.0 Auto, 86 ASC Capri coupe #1, 78 5.0 Granada Coupe, 03 MACH 1 2013 Flex Limited
My 82 granada, just starting work on it
This is what I'm driving this year for Optima Ultimate Streetcar
1980 box top Fairmont
1980 mercury zephyr wagon
past toys of interest
70 ranchero 429cj 4spd.
71 torino 427w 6spd popular hotrodding feature
69 cyclone spoiler II
65 mustang k code coupe 4spd.
71 torino 500, 429cj 4spd.
66 cyclone gt conv. 390gt auto
68 cyclone gt hardtop one of 334 built
Sweet wagon! Mines the same color.
Hi all, I'm Dave from Bradenton FL. This is my first post here.
I had been looking for a wagon to carry our kayak to the nearby Gulf of Mexico beaches and local rivers. Last fall I picked up this 1981 Mercury Zephyr. 200 Six, automatic with 55,000 miles on it.
First pile of money went into mechanicals, as usual. Car now runs sweet, though it still drips some oil, despite replacing the rear main seal with a newer type.
I'm 50s-60s kustom type from way back. I'll be doing this one as a sixties-style beach cruiser. So far, the only body mods were to get rid of the ugly rubber bumper guards. Yes, I have the complete grille and chrome surround, was out for the last pic. Will be getting a custom grille and a set of round quad lights eventually.
Last edited by DavidJazz; 06-13-2016 at 04:58 PM.
Welcome! I'm anxious to see what you come up with!
Brad
'79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
'17 Ford Focus ST
'14 Ford Fusion SE Manual
I don't know how familiar Fox-body guys are with 50s/60s style kustoms, so here's a quick style guide.
The 50s/60s look starts by eliminating excess trim and medallions. Lowering the car for a level or maybe raked look. Depending on the exact era, adding back some side chrome from another make, swapping in a different grille. Maybe even create a new one.
When I first got the car I was struck by how much the construction of the car was exactly the same as 1960s Falcons, Fairlanes, Comets, Meteors, etc.
So I had the idea to swap out 70s-era stuff for 60s: outside mirrors, rectangular headlights, rubber bumpers and so forth. I have a 40-year stash of chrome parts and other stuff to use or trade for what I need.
I do Photoshop customizing for my friends - color changes, chopped tops, shaved trim etc. So I did a few renderings of where I might be headed. Kustoms tend to grow organically: start with the grille and work your way back, striving for a unique but harmonious look.
Here are a few ideas I came up with.
Cool stuff, although i can't say as i would do the fender skirts...
Take a look at what Stormin' Norman is up to
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...t-Grille-Ideas
Brad
'79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
'17 Ford Focus ST
'14 Ford Fusion SE Manual
Thanks for the pointer - Similar thinking!
And I have pretty much decided against the skirts, too!
bumpy
Here it is again at a track day on Daytona's 24 Hour Rolex course in 2016. I went back and did it again this year, but no fancy photos...
Yes - still the same old 557 and '04 Cobra IRS. Has over 10K miles on it and still going strong. Putting new brakes on and attending to some little heat problems - it will go back to Daytona in August if all goes well... Hit 133mph in NASCAR turn 2 according to the GPS. Video here: https://youtu.be/MMSxSrVKAaw
Last edited by Tom Wells; 05-29-2017 at 01:27 PM.
This is my all original from a "little old lady from...San Clemente" '80 wagon. It's a basic 3.3 w/automatic drivetrain but I would consider it a high option car as it has power windows & locks, tilt wheel, and a power bench seat. I have and will change very little on this car. If you consider thumbs up a good indicator of smile-per-gallon than this ride gets high smile-age!
I had to park it last year because some of the miles of California emissions hoses that had started to show its age, almost became a blow torch under the air cleaner which cascaded into a head pull. Assembling parts for bumper to bumper refresh.
I got this 85 Marquis wagon recently. i was hoping to find one better optioned but this one is really straight with only 70k on it.
Last edited by tikitiki65; 06-11-2017 at 02:07 PM. Reason: spelling
I mssed out on one like that here in the mid-atlantic area. Nice find! Keep 'em alive! Yeah!
So here's something interesting I learned with this purchase. I'm in CA so you need a smog cert to transfer title on most vehicles. So when I went to see it I asked about the smog and the seller said it didn't pass and was told it needed a new cat. I used this to get him down on the price. So I called the dmv to make sure there weren't going to be any other surprises and was told that since this vehicle was with in 90 days of it's reg date, I could non-op it and would not need a smog cert to transfer title. And that's what I did so it's non-op'd til I decide what to do. I've got a good drive train out of an '89 mark 7 lsc I could put in it or perhaps a turbo 2.3 might be interesting or S/C 3.8 ...
Nice! Get it off those weeds before it rusts out!
Just in case you missed this - here's what it looks like from inside at Daytona: https://youtu.be/MMSxSrVKAaw
That is one of the coolest videos I've seen. 133 in a wagon at Daytona. Hell yeah!!!
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