My '83 GLX T-Top Coupe Junk Yard Find

[84StangSVT]

Yes those are worth grabbing! Are they 15" or 16"? I am looking for a set for my 85 Saleen.

I'm not sure, let me check next time I go to the yard.

Those are 15's for sure. Either way, they are worth grabbing for the right price.

[droopie85gt]

Nice rubbermaid (or similar) wire closet shelves in the garage! I have a bunch of those too! They are WAAAY cheaper than the silver Rubbermaid garage shelves a few aisles over at the Home Depot.

And good Lord TMI. TMI. keep you doo doo stories to yourself!

[erratic50]

Rotf lmao !

[Davedacarpainter]

So, no crap from me today. At least nothing worthy of a story.......so......

I took the radiator support I got for NOTHING today and disassembled it and trimmed out what i needed at lunch. So, beforeand after

I just need to straighten out the lower a little bit tomorrow and drop it off with the sandblasters.

I also believe I'll hang on to those frame rail sections I took off today. After being able to see parts of the frame in the engine bay I couldn't see before, I MIGHT need them. I'm not sure because I was having to run to the bathroom last time I looked at the engine bay.

[2nd chance cobra]

Dave, for what it's worth I sectioned the radiator support on my car. It seamed easier than replacing the whole thing. I spliced it in front below the bumper support and behind through the center of the bumper support so it's inside the frame rails and unnoticeable. I think there is a pic In my build thread. Or, since you're the professional, do whatever you like. Sometimes I like a different perspective.

[Davedacarpainter]

Dave, for what it's worth I sectioned the radiator support on my car. It seamed easier than replacing the whole thing. I spliced it in front below the bumper support and behind through the center of the bumper support so it's inside the frame rails and unnoticeable. I think there is a pic In my build thread. Or, since you're the professional, do whatever you like. Sometimes I like a different perspective.

Thanks Shane. Replacing the support is relatively easy.

Im going to get the body on the frame machine first and straighten and square it first, then i'll weld the support in. While I have it at work for the frame machine I'll go ahead and put in the support. I really like that pinch welder we have. It'll give it a mostly factory look.

[2nd chance cobra]

Oh yeah access to professional tools. Replaces my garage and laser any day

[Bryan Knebworth]

Thanks Shane. Replacing the support is relatively easy.

Im going to get the body on the frame machine first and straighten and square it first, then i'll weld the support in. While I have it at work for the frame machine I'll go ahead and put in the support. I really like that pinch welder we have. It'll give it a mostly factory look.

Hey Dave, do most professional body shops have frame machines? I ask this, because I've called a couple of shops in the Boston-area and asked if they do frame work on cars, and believe-it-or-not, they said that they don't have the facilities at their shop to do that! I was really surprised, I thought any body shop that was licensed and in business for a number of years would have a frame machine.

I know of a hatchback in the area, that * might * need frame work. The RH rear quarter was caved-in at some point, possibly somebody running a red light, several years ago. From what I can tell; the hatch, rear spoiler, and bumper were replaced with what look like reproduction parts. Whomever did the work, pulled the quarter out a bunch, and put over a half-gal of filler in there, and painted the car. Besides that quarter, the body is unusually nice, but from certain angles, it looks like the RH corner of the car got tweaked about 3-4 inches. I'm sure making it square would cost at least 2G's, I just wanted to find about from somebody who works in the industry.

[Bryan Knebworth]

double post

[Davedacarpainter]

Most do, some of the small independent shops don’t have the money for a frame machine in their early years, so they farm the work out. Thirty years ago it seemed there were a number of shops that didn’t have them though.

I used to know some really fantastic frame only guys that could save sht that you were sure was trash. They were not bodymen, frames only. It seems nowadays those specialist aren’t really called for.

[Davedacarpainter]

So the plans were to go to the salvage yard last night and bring home that pretty little M90 supercharger. I swear I want it at my house like a teenage girl wants a bag of Takis!

The yard owner had to cancel because his wife had to go in for surgery.......I asked him if he could unlock the gate after he dropped her off at the hospital, I got no reply though.....I guess his phone battery must have died.

Well, since she HAD to go and have surgery, my plans changed for this weekend.

Im going to go ahead and put a new water pump in my truck today, watch college football like God would want me too. Drink beer, make a lot of noise about the worthless NFL and get ready to go do stuff to Scuby tomorrow.

I borrowed a portable sawsall from one of my buddies at work yesterday so I could remove the exhaust including that massive catalytic converter. I need to get a new blade today. I'm really going to try to finish off pulling the essex tomorrow. If not actually pulled, it'll be hanging on by a couple threads of the motor mounts. It's crazy how easy the transmission capscrews are to get to compared to that dang t-bird.

It may be tomorrow before I post new pictures.

[Bryan Knebworth]

Thanks for the reply earlier.

Here's my '83 T-top Coupe...
with the ultra-rare White interior

[Davedacarpainter]

Thanks for the reply earlier.

Here's my '83 T-top Coupe...
with the ultra-rare White interior

Jeez! That's a beautiful car! Post more pictures for me. Your mustang is just gorgeous!

[Bryan Knebworth]

Ha! Thanks. Here's another one...



Complete with the original sales invoice, owner card, and window sticker. Besides T-Tops, the other opts are; AM/FM cassette, Pass. side Mirror, Rear Defrost, and Tint. 78K orig mi. Incredibly, the car was only about 7-8 miles from me, yet I had never seen it before. On a strange note, according to the receipts, the car went in for repairs way back in 1990 at a service station I used to work! I don't remember seeing it though.

Inside, the car couldn't be any more different from my GT; the seating, the amount of light in the cabin, etc. I've told people before, but it feels like you're inside the cockpit of a WWII fighter jet! haha

Including yours, I now know of 10, from the original 700-unit run, produced by Ford, in '83.

[Davedacarpainter]

Very nice, plus all of that documentation! What a great find.

[Davedacarpainter]

So I went to the storage unit today with a portable reciprocating saw and cut the exhaust out, off to the metal bin at work.
Here are my cute little exhaust manifolds, may be destined to be garage wall art....
What is this valve for? It attached to the driver's side manifold.
Can y'all tell me if there's any reason not to pull the engine and transmission as one unit? You can see I have acres of room to get to the bolts holding the trans to the engine, but if it isn't a problem I'll do them as one unit. It's an auto, so I wasn't sure. Thought I should ask instead of just screwing something up.
By the time I was done with this stuff I was (and still am) worn out, you might say........I'm exhausted

[2nd chance cobra]

Do it to it, if you can swing it out. Stuff isdefinately easier to work on on a bench or floor unencumbered by a pesky car

[wraithracing]

The valve on the driver exhaust is most likely closed upon cold start up to help the engine warm up quicker.

I pull almost every engine/tranny as a combo. I am getting too old to crawl around underneath and contort myself all to heck to separate them in the vehicle and/or install them that way. I generally don't have any issues. Besides I had having to remove the converter nuts from underneath the vehicle, especially in the dirt or on gravel. Good Luck!

[Davedacarpainter]

The valve on the driver exhaust is most likely closed upon cold start up to help the engine warm up quicker.

I pull almost every engine/tranny as a combo. I am getting too old to crawl around underneath and contort myself all to heck to separate them in the vehicle and/or install them that way. I generally don't have any issues. Besides I had having to remove the converter nuts from underneath the vehicle, especially in the dirt or on gravel. Good Luck!

Kind of what I’m thinking Trey, I’ve been doing the majority of this by myself, I can’t imagine having to unbolt one bolt, get up and crank it a little further over, unbolt another bolt, crank it a little farther, etc...:

This is my first auto tranny to pluck out with an engine. I’m not sure of anything more difficult than with a manual, thought I’d ask in case there was some odd thing.

So tomorrow night I’ll bring down my jack, pull the driveshaft, sawsall the top center part of the radiator support off and start the removal process. I have a little shuffling to do to get all the pieces into play. I’m just going to set the engine in the back of my truck and strap it down for it’s trip back to the salvage yard.

[xctasy]

Load control valve actuated valve




All the 4.2's, carb 5.0 4-bbls and then the 3.8's without CFi got this system to light off the passenger side primary catalyst to pass emissions. When warmed hp, the valve opens fully.

[Davedacarpainter]

Load control valve actuated valve




All the 4.2's, carb 5.0 4-bbls and then the 3.8's without CFi got this system to light off the passenger side primary catalyst to pass emissions. When warmed hp, the valve opens fully.

Thank you, at least I know now!

[erratic50]

If the bolts will come out, dropping the member with motor and trans still on board is quite satisfying. Depending upon your plans a wider or lighter K may be desirable.

[badnightrain]

bryan knebworth I think I almost bought that coupe a few years ago. it was the original female owner?

[Davedacarpainter]

I really didn’t feel like working on Scuby tonight, but I had this tool......

So I removed most of the radiator support. This should make pulling the engine even easier

I also yanked the eb wiring harness

Then I put the rear on jackstands and pulled the driveshaft, getting roomy underneath there now

I dropped the trans pan and am letting it drip over night. Oddly the fluid looked brand new!

[Bryan Knebworth]

bryan knebworth I think I almost bought that coupe a few years ago. it was the original female owner?

Yeah that's the one The original owner purchased it for his fiancée, who used it as a Daily for a number of years. After several years in storage, it went down to Pennsylvania to be used by their daughter for grad school. When I found it, it was hidden under three blankets in their garage. I lucked out, and owe it to FEP (I found the ad on here)

Carry on fellas, carry on...