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  1. #1

    Default 1984 LTD LX Resurrection

    This car goes all the way back to my childhood. When I was 11, my dad bought a 1986 Mustang GT. I didn't have much exposure to cars at that time so, of course, I thought that was the coolest, fastest car in the world. I remember being in my Uncle Jeff's driveway working on my bicycle when his buddy Rem pulled up in this LTD LX. It had Enkei mesh wheels on it and was converted to a carbureted 5.0 and 5-speed from an '85 Mustang GT. This was around 1991 so the car wasn't that old at the time. They told me it had the same running gear as Dad's Mustang!

    My uncle bought the car and used it as a daily for years. Lots of good memories, beach trips and road rallies. He drove it like a mad-man, it was always fun. My cousins have a bunch of great stories from when they got to drive it as teenagers. Most of which I won't repeat, in case my uncle reads this. My cousin, Lucas, got busted doing burnouts in the school parking lot. When they called my uncle into the principals office the teacher was trying to say that Lucas did a 360 and roasted the tires all the way across the parking lot. Uncle Jeff interrupted the guy and said, "Don't BS me. That car won't do that. I know, I've tried." When the '85 roller motor wore out, Uncle Jeff put in an '84 flat tappet motor from an SSP Mustang.

    Uncle Jeff gave it to me in 2010 with the stipulation that I give him back the engine and tranny when I get around to swapping it out. I shot these pics the day he dropped it off at my house.





    It sat in my side yard for six years before I got around to doing anything with it. Last year my wife took off and I needed a car to get the kids to daycare so I drug the LTD out and got it running. This thing was run into the ground and needed EVERYTHING. The major push now is to get it mechanically sound but eventually I'd like to fully restore it to it's former glory.

  2. #2

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    That'll be a bit of work there. It's family though, what else could you do?

    i look forward to seeing the progress on it.

  3. #3

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    I started by fixing a lot of the little things that had been neglected; switches, lights, door hinges and strikers. It also got new spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor and an oil change. Then a new heater core and tires and it was drivable. It was only getting about 6 MPG at first. With a new vacuum advance and some carb tuning it's up to 15 MPG (mixed city/highway). Still not great, lots more work to do to improve that. I installed a Tripminder to aid in the tuning process.



    Unfortunately, trying to get it to work with a carburetor has turned into a big project. http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...=1#post1845974

    I was toying with the idea of putting the EGR system back on to improve the mileage and that turned into another huge project. http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-an-EGR-system I'm building an ECU from scratch that will plug into the factory EEC-IV harness to give it 3D ignition advance and EGR control that can be adjusted with a hand-held programmer while driving. Even if the EGR doesn't show any gains, the 3D advance should be a huge improvement.
    Last edited by mrriggs; 09-10-2017 at 04:21 PM.

  4. #4

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    In the mean time it has required many repairs as things break. A lower ball joint on the front just about came out of the socket which prompted a front end rebuild. It got all new [Moog] rubber bushings, ball joints, and [Monroe Sensa-Trac] struts. It already has a Mustang anti-sway bar in the front. I did go with poly bushings on the links. The worn out power rack was replaced with a new manual rack. That ended up being a chore but well worth it. http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...n-the-hard-way

    I had left the power steering pump as an idler while collecting the parts to convert it to a standard rotation pump. A couple weeks ago the power steering pump locked up which forced me to do the conversion now. The radiator and front cover were leaking so I tore the whole thing apart and replaced the worn out timing chain while I was at it. Luckily I had almost everything I needed on hand. There was a little trouble getting the Crown Vic water pump pulley to work but it's all back together now and better than ever. http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...=1#post1857819 It also got a new fan clutch and the standard-rotation fan off of the '89 Lincoln I got the crank pulley from.

    The thermactor system was completely shot; wobbly pump, broken valves, missing hoses, and plugged passages in the heads. I took this opportunity to remove it all. The toughest part was cleaning the carbon out of the holes in the back of the head to screw in the plugs. There wasn't room to get a tap in there so I made a thread chaser by grinding flats on two sides of a 5/8-11 bolt.



    To plug the holes, I used shorter 5/8" bolts with copper "drain plug" washers on them.

  5. #5
    FEP Power Member magnum517's Avatar
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    Cool build. Look forward to seeing this progress. Car is very cool and is sure to make even more memories for your kids!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    --86 GT vert.306,Powerdyne blown 7 psi, E303, ported E7s,MAF conv, BBK shorties n OR H, 3" Mac Pro Dumps, WC T5, 5 lug'd, 17" Bullitts, 3" cowlhood, SN95 Gt front brakes, 4.11s.
    --Bill

  6. #6

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    Cool stuff!

    Why are you fixing the engine you're not supposed to be keeping?
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  7. #7

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    Holy crap brother! That's a LOT of work. Good job on keeping after it

    So it runs now, that's great! Doing donuts yet?

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    Cool stuff!

    Why are you fixing the engine you're not supposed to be keeping?
    Hah! Yeah, it's just survival at this point. Can't afford a new motor and tranny right now so I'm doing what I can to keep it on the road. This thing sat for too long in the side yard with me saying, "I'm going to fix it up someday." It would have rotted into the ground if I waited until I could do the whole thing at once. Slowly but surely I'm finally making progress on it. As long as I can keep it on the road and fix it a bit at a time, this car will be saved.

    Quote Originally Posted by Davedacarpainter View Post
    Holy crap brother! That's a LOT of work. Good job on keeping after it

    So it runs now, that's great! Doing donuts yet?
    No donuts. I won't even attempt a burnout. This thing has always had hellacious wheel hop [which is why the burnout in the school parking lot story is so funny]. I had plans to rebuild the rear suspension last summer but any extra money I would have had was all going to the divorce lawyer. I got the house and custody of the kids so it was money well spent.

  9. #9

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    This evening, I installed a 2 psi electric fuel pump back by the tank to help push fuel up to the mechanical pump. The hope is that it will cure the erratic fuel flow sensor signal so the Tripminder will read more accurately. That may be wishful thinking, but it's worth a try.

    Ahhh, there's nothing quite like an armpit full of gasoline when laying under a car hooking up fuel lines... Remind me again, why do we like working on old cars?

    I installed it on the frame rail where the high pressure pump was originally. The wires for the pump were still there but weren't getting power. The pump relay wiring in the trunk was hacked up. I repaired that and installed a generic 30 amp relay. It had power to the contacts but wasn't getting power to the coil. Pulled the passenger kick panel and fished the power relay out of the jam. It was getting power to the contacts and coil but had no ground. Tracked that out to the engine bay and found a broken ground wire. Fixed that, power relay is kicking on when I turn the key, but still no power to the pump relay coil. Pull out the handy dandy EVTM. Oh yeah, inertia switch. Found it in the trunk... unplugged. Plugged it back in and BAM-O the new pump fires up when I turn the key. It sure is loud. What? I SAID IT SURE IS LOUD!

    The fuel pump was just what they had behind the counter at the parts store. If it does improve the Tripminder reading then I will be hunting down a quieter pump.

  10. #10

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    Awesome car and definitely following! I also have an 84 but find it odd that mine is one of the only ones I have seen with the front emblem on the hood and not the grill


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1984 LTD LX, 160k mile Explorer 5.0, Comp XE264HR-14 cam, Alex’s Parts springs on stock GT40 3 bar heads, Unported Explorer intake, 1 5/8 shorty headers, off-road H-Pipe, Spintech 9000 mufflers, Holley Terminator X Max, J-Mod 4R70W, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Tubular front and rear control arms, front coilovers, Turbocoupe rear coil springs

  11. #11

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    Awesome car and definitely following! I also have an 84 but find it odd that mine is one of the only ones I have seen with the front emblem on the hood and not the grill


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1984 LTD LX, 160k mile Explorer 5.0, Comp XE264HR-14 cam, Alex’s Parts springs on stock GT40 3 bar heads, Unported Explorer intake, 1 5/8 shorty headers, off-road H-Pipe, Spintech 9000 mufflers, Holley Terminator X Max, J-Mod 4R70W, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Tubular front and rear control arms, front coilovers, Turbocoupe rear coil springs

  12. #12
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by headless-chickens/gaskrankinstation-lyrics
    I love the cars, y'know
    Without me they wouldn't go very far
    I like the smell
    I like my work
    But my wife, she makes me feel like such a jerk.....
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4topF9qZSjs


    Lovely car, great memories. Hang in there with it all. I love your work.

  13. #13
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    My 85 got ave 19 mpg in 1987.
    Was very fun to drive. Good top end. Comfortable.
    Never fixed the spark knock and stalling.
    Found out a rustling noise was likely loose w/s trim. Sounded like loose duct tape in the wind.
    Did not like changing the ps rear spark plug.
    Wish i could have had it longer as a 3rd car to do some cool stuff to it.
    Was not a burnout king by far, but had good weight transfer off the line to beat a 5.0 Mustang or T-Bird (or 2).
    Hope i find the in car tape i made of the sound of it when leaving the house on the way to work.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by wdanison43103 View Post
    Awesome car and definitely following! I also have an 84 but find it odd that mine is one of the only ones I have seen with the front emblem on the hood and not the grill


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    The 1983-84 LTD had the emblem on the hood trim. 1985-86 had it in the grille. His is most likely a replacement grille and hood trim from a 85-86 base LTD due to the chromed finish. The LX had body colored grille and trim.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  15. #15

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    Yeah, the grill was replaced. Funny story...

    My uncle was coming down a big hill with a sharp left hand turn at the bottom, hit a patch of black-ice and shot straight off into a field. He knew that if he slowed down he would get stuck so he kept his foot to the wood [mowing down small trees], got it collected and back up on the road. It was dark when this happened. He went back when it was light out and saw that the tire tracks were just feet away from a long drop off. This is one of those stories I've heard a hundred times... he tells it better.

    Needless to say, this poor LTD took a beating. The hood, bumper, and right fender are bent. The grill and right headlight were replaced. He fizz-canned the headlight black but left the grill chrome because he thought it looked better. I plan to keep the chrome grill because it's part of the car's history. I'm not a believer that "restoring" a car necessarily means putting everything back to factory specs. What makes cars special is the history, and stories, and memories.
    Last edited by mrriggs; 09-14-2017 at 12:57 PM.

  16. #16

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    I would have to agree with that. Sometimes it's better to the quirks that tell the history and memories made with the car


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1984 LTD LX, 160k mile Explorer 5.0, Comp XE264HR-14 cam, Alex’s Parts springs on stock GT40 3 bar heads, Unported Explorer intake, 1 5/8 shorty headers, off-road H-Pipe, Spintech 9000 mufflers, Holley Terminator X Max, J-Mod 4R70W, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Tubular front and rear control arms, front coilovers, Turbocoupe rear coil springs

  17. #17

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    Here's a pic of it all back together.



    No more leaks and the cooling system works perfectly. It feels like a whole new engine with the new timing chain. It idles smoother and has a lot more grunt off the line.

    The new fuel pump seems to have cured the Tripminder issues. I had to hook up the N.O. solenoid that blocks the vapor return line when the engine is running. Attempts to subtract the bleed flow electronically proved futile. I drove it around quite a bit last weekend and it appears to be reading correctly now.





    Won't know how accurate it is until I run several tanks of gas through it and compare the readings to the pump.

    The Tripminder is a neat gadget. An otherwise mundane commute is turned into a fun game. How high can I get those numbers today?

    Its interesting to see [in real-time] how poorly side-hung floats control float bowl levels when cornering. Turn left and the MPG skyrockets due to the fuel sloshing to the end of the float and closing the needle. When you straighten out the MPG reading drops as the float bowls refill. Around a right hand turn the MPG reading plummets as the float bowls are overfilled, then it reads high MPG until the excess is consumed and the floats drop enough to open the needles again.

  18. #18

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    Looks like the manual brake conversion is going to come sooner than later. Blew a front brake line today, pedal went to the floor. Got it safely stopped on a side street. My sister was close by so she gave me a ride to my house to pick up some tools and a brake line. Swapping out the brake line was quick and easy but I fought with it forever trying to bleed it. Vacuum bleed, pressure bleed, NOTHING. It appears the master cylinder blew out when the line broke. There is fluids squirting up in the secondary bowl throughout the entire pedal stroke. That would explain why I lost the rear brakes as well. By the time I was done messing with it, traffic had died down so I was able to putt home using the parking brake.

    As luck would have it, the kids' grandpa called up out of the blue and asked if he could take all the kids for the whole weekend. That'll give me a chance to dive into this.

  19. #19
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Nice....in a roundabout sort of way, of course....

    Good to have the olds around at just the right time, eh?

    You know, the Trip Minder was never offered with the 4180c, because the drivers side front to back fuel transfer slot and the non "center hanger" float bowls clearly upset the system. Its clearly very sensitive.

    Have you considered a later model float bowl swap?

    Ford kept the faith to side hangers as it was only at around 350 hp net in single carb systems and 1+ g cornering that they started to have fuel issues. The first of the big FE's, the 410 hp 65 427, used the improved Side hanger looking , but center hanger functioning Le Mans carb float. It was a heat soak issue, so the Z/28's and Bosses came out with the Center hanger.

    All the Group A or FISA Group 1 cars used the later non emissions 6 pack float bowl like every 4150/4160/4165/4175 and 4500 used after 1972.

    Ford clearly were all about making the 4180C pass emissions with an electric bowl vent, but the old 57 Holley float bowl was never a great thing in high tilt motoring situations. Like off road and competion.

    The Chrylser 6 pack and Cross Ram Z28 were the first cars to get the later competions float bowl, although Ford actually did all the development work for it with the 4500 Dominator 429 Semi Hemi, Boss 302, and then the 366 Tri-Power Cleveland NASCAR engines.





    Vented ones were made for many applications, not just the 340 and 440 six packs like this,



    but 4-bbl 4156/4160's as well.

    like the 735 CFM Vac Sec 1969 Boss 429 carb, or 428 Cobra Jet engines




    "https://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/560451-1000-0.jpg?rev=2"

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by xctasy View Post
    You know, the Trip Minder was never offered with the 4180c, because the drivers side front to back fuel transfer slot and the non "center hanger" float bowls clearly upset the system. Its clearly very sensitive.

    Have you considered a later model float bowl swap?
    No, this car will never see an autocross or road course. The fact that the Tripminder shows the poor float control is nothing more than an amusing curiosity. I can see where it would be kind of disconcerting to someone who wasn't familiar with the inner workings of a carburetor.

  21. #21

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    Picked up a master cylinder on the way home from work.



    It's a 21mm bore, aluminum, manual brake master cylinder. Originally for a 1984 Escort. I chose this one because I prefer a long soft pedal travel. On other cars (and motorcycles) I have always started with the stock size then gone back later and replaced it with a smaller one to get the right feel. Figured I'd save a step this time and start with a smaller one.

    When I got home I pulled the drivers seat and started disassembling the underside of the dash to drop the steering column and pull the pedal assembly. Got a little side tracked removing the aftermarket cruise control. It never worked right and seemed to always be in the way of whatever I was working on. Good riddance.


  22. #22

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    I drove down to Woodburn Dragstrip today and met Rory (mcfairmont). He had the master cylinder bracket I need for this conversion.



    Hung out for a bit and watched some racing. Got to see his sweet Fairmont go down the track a couple times. It was fun. Wish I could have stayed longer but there was still lots of work to do on my car.

    I managed to get home and get the pedal assembly out before it got dark.





    Mocked up all the new goodies and it looks like the push rod that came in the Escort master cylinder is the right length.



    The brake lever is centered under the lower pivot hole (red arrow). The two pivot holes are 1-1/2" apart, so all I need to do now is move the pivot down on the brake lever 1-1/2". Stay tuned...

  23. #23
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    McFamous, Mr McFairmont!



    With all that space you can fit an FE engine right there.

    Or a 3bbl

    Any time anyone hangs out with Rory428 from http://fepower.net, good things happen....

  24. #24

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    I assumed the pivot tube was going to be welded into the brake lever so I was planning to just cut the weld, remove the tube, drill a new hole, stick the tube in and weld it. As it turns out, the tube is folded over on itself to swedge it in the hole. Cutting the lump off would cut the tube in two. I dug around the scrap bin and found a wrist pin with the same inside diameter. It's 0.200" shorter than the original tube but that can be remedied with a spacer on one side.



    I didn't want to drill the brake lever to the outside diameter of the wrist pin because it would have left it too thin on the sides. So I turned down one end of the wrist pin to 0.750".



    Don't try this with a "hobby" lathe. Wrist pins are STRONG metal. The trick is to take a deep enough cut on the first pass to get completely under the case layer. It makes a hellacious noise and will destroy the carbide insert but let it power though to the end. Replace the insert then finish it to size.

    You can't really tell in the following pic (due to parallax error) but the remaining shoulder is the same length at the long side of the original tube.



    I scribed a line 1-1/2" from the center of the tube then cut the end of the lever off.



    Then center punch, pilot drill, and drill to 11/16".



    I don't have a 3/4" reamer, and didn't feel like setting up the mill for a single hole, so I put a boring head in the chuck of the lathe and clamped the brake lever in the tool post.

    Used a center in the tail stock (turret) to line it up.



    Then bored it to 0.750".



    Slid the tube into the lever and slapped a couple beads on it with the stick welder.



    All that's left now is to clean and lube the shaft and bushings then put the pedal assembly back together. I need to clean and lube the clutch pivot as well. It's been groaning a bit on cold mornings.

  25. #25

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    Wow! Not only an impressive set of power tools, but the cool ability to use them productively. Fantastic job brother

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