Slow Box...85 HP back on the road!

[waggin]

Not a build thread yet, but I am so excited to have my box top on the road! This thing has been sitting for most of its life, and possibly only has 62k on it. The years of sitting weren't kind, and the interior is completely wasted. Many of the years were in the desert, and it sat about five outside in a wet climate. The only time I ever drove it was almost six years ago to get the State Patrol inspection. Thankfully, it's still incredibly clean underneath.

A few weeks ago, I successfully rebuilt the carb, and this week, I managed to un-stick the windows. As soon as I took care of that, I set it up with Hagerty and went for a cruise. Didn't want to drive it without at least an operable driver's window, as I wasn't sure how much of the brake and turn signals work. (Yup, I know how to use hand signals!) Found out later that most of them work, but I don't have headlights. Time to replace bulbs/lamps and possibly chase some bad grounds. It's been quite a few years since I really worked on a project vehicle, so there was a huge sense of accomplishment in doing these little things, and it's pretty motivating to do some more. Before I make any changes, I'm going to fill the gas tank, and then take it over to the truck scale to get a starting weight, something I'm very curious about.

Not sure exactly what the plan/schedule is for this one. I'm tempted to just fix the lighting gremlins and drive this thing as it is for now and swap a 302 into my Zephyr wagon first. The I6/200 CI with the 3-speed manual seems to run incredibly well, and the 45 or so minutes of driving around on a sunny, late afternoon brought a huge smile to my face!

[JTurbo]

Congrats, looks pretty clean in the pics....

[BadZ]

Who wouldn't smile driving a boxtop! Congrats!

[Zap's 85 GT]

I'd drive it.

[Fearnot]

Congrats on getting her up and going again.

[waggin]

Thanks everyone, I've never been so excited about so little horsepower in my life!

The body is really nice with only a couple of minor dents, but the interior is beyond toast. Pictures make the paint look a lot nicer than it is, as there is a lot of oxidation, wear, and chipping. There's not much left of the interior trim and fabrics from sitting so long in the desert. Sitting in the wet climate after that just made what was left a bit moldy. I am strongly leaning toward just driving it for a while and swapping something more interesting into the Zephyr wagon first. It would be a shame to take this thing off the road right away after getting it running. There's still a little bit of minor tuning to do after rebuilding the carb, but it ran really nicely...amazingly nicely.

[Walking-Tall]

Congratulations. It's a good looking car. The 200's are a good engine, that run really well when dialed in. The one in my '66 Fairlane sedan worked well.

[ukravit]

White boxtops look great. You have some awesome options , vent windows on the doors, pass side mirror, 6 cylinder with a manual trans, smooth bumpers.
I would shine it up , fix up the interior and drive it every day.

[waggin]

White boxtops look great. You have some awesome options , vent windows on the doors, pass side mirror, 6 cylinder with a manual trans, smooth bumpers.
I would shine it up , fix up the interior and drive it every day.

This configuration (plus the clear turn/parking lenses in front) was pretty much the holy grail in my wish-list. As a bonus, it even came with the factory radio-delete plate. The car had a crappy cassette deck in it, but the plate was in a box in the trunk.

[xctasy]

Thanks everyone, I've never been so excited about so little horsepower in my life!

The body is really nice with only a couple of minor dents, but the interior is beyond toast. Pictures make the paint look a lot nicer than it is, as there is a lot of oxidation, wear, and chipping. There's not much left of the interior trim and fabrics from sitting so long in the desert. Sitting in the wet climate after that just made what was left a bit moldy. I am strongly leaning toward just driving it for a while and swapping something more interesting into the Zephyr wagon first. It would be a shame to take this thing off the road right away after getting it running. There's still a little bit of minor tuning to do after rebuilding the carb, but it ran really nicely...amazingly nicely.

Same with my 91 hp 1981 3.3 C3 auto...





Its a smooth, an easy going engine with moon shot high gearing and a ton of 600 rpm idle to 3000 rpm "grunt".

I think the T code engine has exactly the same 19.5 second 1/4 mile acceleration figures and torque curve as the BMW 115 hp 1985 Turbo Diesel 2.4 in the Lincoln LSC, and the European 86 hp four cylinder Peugoet engined 2.5 Diesel Ford Granada and all the General Motors 3.3 liter V car 106 hp sedans of that 1978 to 1980 era. S-L-O-W


What they never had was any power past 85 mph or an real economy like a 5.0 SROD or T5 Mustang could. A lota people bagged the 23 mpg the V8's gave when cruised around a 55 mph, but the 3.3 was certainly no better.

I mean you said no to what, a farly expensive $1000 dollars for the optional 5.0 liter 2-bbl 139 hp engine and standard stick shift and 17 second 1/4 mile that year, why was it that you got the same fuel use when you said Nyet to 54 hp? Even the 4.2 with 115 hp would run away and hide with 18 second flat quarters, and another potentially 1.5 mpg at 55 mph.

My wife said it best... "how come your 3.3 Fox in liner doesn't get of its ass like our old 131 HP 4.1iter Falcon GL did?



Its got the same sound, same basic engine, same kind of big, light on its feet Falcon / American style car...why don't you put a 4.1 engine like the Falcon had in it?"

I told her what I tell everyone... Ford USA downgraded that 200/ 3/3 liter engine as an economy low rent engine option to the 1962 Fairlane, and the 200 never changed a jot or iota from then until when they killed it in the 87 hp 1983 Fairmont.

You want 4 or 5 liter performance or economy, put in a 4 or 5 liter V8.

I sawpped in the 1962 High Compression 170 cylinder head from an old Falcon, picked up 2 mpg, and got 95 mph out of the old girl.

Then did the triple 2-bbl Holley carb swap, and it breathed the exlir of life into the old girl.

its only the emission control,exhaust, carb, igntion and and head castings they updated.


Its not the 85 emission devices I had to research for four years....,



they don't hurt the performance at all,


its the 8.4:1 cmpression ratio,
the crazy advance curve,

the lack of equal, imediate fuel delivery to the cylinders that make it loose 20 hp on any 2.8 Cologne V6.

When Ford Australia put the cross flow head on the 3.3 with all the bends taken out, engines with the 9:1 compression ratio instantly gave another 20 horspower, with 114 verses about 94 hp net. Compression up grades give another 10 hp, the right kind of exhaust another 5 hp, but its the rigth angled bends to the combustion chambers from the close cropped log that really kill the horspower. Adding another 50 cubicinches only adds another 5 hp, when it should give another 13.



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But the head is the whole reason. Ford did nothing to it for 21 years, then killed it off....


I used my I6 for road inspection Quality Assurance, auditiing, and , in the end, 3.3 engine development.







I wrote it off one night when my knee hit the pull out headlamp switch.



Apparently, according to those who put 150 hp of carburation, BRWSaver, 24 hrs of Lemonz




or 235 hp of 20 psi fire breathing turbo (Lincs200)

or the 255 hp AIT Cross flow turbo 250



or 450 rwhp hp of 250 in line six (Does10s) ...





you can blow the log head engine up if beaten on.

But I never did, even with 12:1 compression 170 head,
custom iron split port triple Holley 500 cfm carb adaptors



and packed full of Mercedes 280 E intake and exhaust valves with a stock engine block, cast pistons and rods and retarded 256 degree cam with a 30 dollar head gasket.

[waggin]

Nice carnage there! While this car keeps its 200ci/3.3l, it will be bone stock, especially since it runs so well. I'm sticking with the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid.)

[xctasy]

Nice carnage there! While this car keeps its 200ci/3.3l, it will be bone stock, especially since it runs so well. I'm sticking with the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid.)

Ah, that's fine.

You know, I thought I'd seen your car somewhere...




But I looked at the engine in your profile




the engine doesn't have the same rocker cover...

[Mike1157]

Ah, that's fine.

You know, I thought I'd seen your car somewhere...




But I looked at the engine in your profile




the engine doesn't have the same rocker cover...

Strange,......mine used to have that very rocker cover......Minus all of the weird electronics

[waggin]

I'm going for the sleeper vibe, xctasy, so the high-tech goodies are hidden under the conventional air filter and valve cover. Too bad I lost the instruction manual on how to use them.

Cleaned up my grounds on the front parking/turn lamps, but still no joy on the right side for either parking light or signal. Left side signals but no parking light. Noticed while working on this, I got headlights a couple of times, then they didn't come on. Decided to replace the headlight switch, which is on order now from Rock Auto.

[5.0 bird]

I was having problems with the front turns/markers and my tail lights/brake lights being dim or not working at all on my Zephyr. I traced all of the lighting problems down to the bulb sockets. The early sockets are a poor design that shorts easily because the bulb contacts aren't directly connected to the wires going into the socket. I fixed mine by replacing them with the redesigned bulb sockets from a 1981 Fairmont that have the wires directly connected to the bulb contacts.

[waggin]

I was having problems with the front turns/markers and my tail lights/brake lights being dim or not working at all on my Zephyr. I traced all of the lighting problems down to the bulb sockets. The early sockets are a poor design that shorts easily because the bulb contacts aren't directly connected to the wires going into the socket. I fixed mine by replacing them with the redesigned bulb sockets from a 1981 Fairmont that have the wires directly connected to the bulb contacts.

Thanks, if the headlight switch doesn't also solve the parking/turn signal issue, that will be my next item to check. All other signals are working fine with nothing seeming dim. Sometimes the headlamps would come on, and sometimes they wouldn't, so I definitely need to take care of that first.