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  1. #1

    Default Fox Wagon Acquired - 1986 LTD

    So, the hunt for the wagon has ended, as I drug one home yesterday.

    Found this thing on Marketplace a couple months ago, but wasn't in a place to do anything about it at the time.


    After some talks with the owner and working out some logistics on my end, my buddy and I made the 6 hour trip to southern MO to check it out.

    It has been sitting under a group of trees since '05-'06, when it was parked for what looks to be a HG issue.

    The interior could best be described as "moist", due to a bad door latch striker leaving a minor door gap, and a window slightly cracked.




    .

    Checklist was-
    - Check strut towers/frame
    - Check underneath
    - Check cowl

    Popped the hood. Towers and frame were clean. Got a jack underneath it. Greeted by perfectly straight pinch welds and a surprisingly rust-free floorpan. Pulled up the front carpets. No evidence of standing water, so the cowl is good. There may be some rust inside in the rear floors, but nothing was evident from below and it seemed solid.

    I struck a deal with the owner and we pulled it out of its resting spot and got it ready to travel.


    The first stop before a quick bite to eat was a carwash



    Still needs more scrubbing, but there is no body damage, no body rust, and only a couple small spots on the hood where the paint has given up.

    Right now it is tucked away in a relative's pole-barn until I get it moved to the house. Hopefully that will help dry the interior out a bit. It's not getting touched until after I finish up a couple of house projects that MUST get done before tearing into this.



    The plan right now for it, aside from getting the interior sorted, is pretty basic for the time being.

    It will get the '11 3.7/6R80 combo I have in the garage. Will stay 4-lug for the short-term, but will get at the very least 11" Fox brakes. Tow hitch. General refresh to get it road-worthy.

    More details and pictures when the car is at the house and I'm tearing into it. For now, it's just planning and organizing when I'm not tending to my other needed projects.
    Last edited by Chuck W; 08-06-2023 at 11:17 AM.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  2. #2

    Default

    Congrats on the new wagon!
    79 Zephyr, 4.6L 4v/4r70w swap, with team z front and rear suspension, 8.8 and upgraded brakes and coil overs. Running Holley Terminator X Max.

  3. #3
    FEP Power Member
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    Default

    Heck yeah, congrats!
    '86 GT - weekend driver
    '86 Capri 5.0
    '86 Turbo Coupe
    '17 Mustang GT
    '23 BRONCO

  4. #4
    FEP Senior Member
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    Default

    Shockingly solid. I approve of this project. Are you leaving the 5.0 in the LTS now then?
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  5. #5

    Default

    For now.

    The only reason for that is to mainly keep from having 2 cars in pieces to swap drivetrain into this. Still not saying the LTS won't get something besides a 5.0 in future. I have a short-term plan for the 5.0 in the LTS, which I'll detail in its thread.

    If this car ran, the LTS would be swapped first.


    This thing is missing the door key, so I can't currently open the back from the outside. I think the key cylinder assemblies are the same as those for the doors, and I think I have a spare set of lock cylinders and key from the LTD LX doors I swapped onto the LTS.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Default

    Congrads on a solid find headed to a good home and owner.
    Id be happy with a 2.3 or a 4v 302 column shift auto.
    Did not know could still get vent windows.
    Handy middle seat pockets.
    1987, towed my Mustang cross town on a dolly like that when i had the like new 55k 85 LTD LX.
    Boy the Mustang sure filled the view out the LX rear window!
    What a feeling to own one of each. V8 auto and 2.3T manual. Mustang needed engine rebuilt.
    Biggest regret is never got to have both in driveway ready to drive.
    A Mustang and a Ranger is fine, but the LTD will always be missed a lot.
    Family had wagons 65-75. Lots of visibility and utility with them.
    A liftgate, eh? Load up like current suv configs.
    Last edited by gr79; 07-25-2023 at 01:50 PM.

  7. #7

    Default

    Congrats! My next fox will probably be a fox wagon.
    Matt
    1984 Thunderbird -- 1989 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Edelbrock 600 4bbl, 85 Mustang dizzy, Jegs o/r h pipe, Dynomax mufflers, Mustang AOD & shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Mustang front & rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 TC struts & shocks, and Mustang 11" front brakes.

    1988 Mustang GT hatch -- Explorer intake, GT40 heads with Trick Flow spring kit, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, 70mm MAF, 70mm throttle body, o/r H pipe, Dynomax mufflers, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 Deluxe handle, clutch quadrant & firewall adjuster, and 3.27s
    (86 Mercury Cougar 5.0, 89 Lincoln Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 80 Mercury Zephyr 4 door) sold

  8. #8

    Default

    Congrats! Good luck with your new(est) project.
    1985 Mustang GT (Mothballed...Desired restomod parts acquired...Top of my project list for my 2024 retirement!)

  9. #9
    FEP Power Member mcb82gt's Avatar
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    Default

    Looking forward to seeing it evolving. Nice score Chuck!
    Mike

    Now stang-less.

    88 Cougar 5.0

  10. #10

    Default

    Nice wagon!!

    Fox wagon will be my next project, currently looking for one.
    Jeremiah

    1986 Mustang GT 5spd, 3.27's
    PimpXS ECU/Android Single DIN Touchscreen
    SN95 Cobra Brakes/SN95 Front LCA's/Axles/S197 Wheels
    1998 Explorer Engine/Stock HO Cam 281rwhp/326rwtq

  11. #11
    FEP Senior Member OX1's Avatar
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    Jackson, NJ 08527
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck W View Post
    So, the hunt for the wagon has ended, as I drug one home yesterday.

    Found this thing on Marketplace a couple months ago, but wasn't in a place to do anything about it at the time.


    After some talks with the owner and working out some logistics on my end, my buddy and I made the 6 hour trip to southern MO to check it out.

    It has been sitting under a group of trees since '05-'06, when it was parked for what looks to be a HG issue.

    The interior could best be described as "moist", due to a bad door latch striker leaving a minor door gap, and a window slightly cracked.




    .

    Checklist was-
    - Check strut towers/frame
    - Check underneath
    - Check cowl

    Popped the hood. Towers and frame were clean. Got a jack underneath it. Greeted by perfectly straight pinch welds and a surprisingly rust-free floorpan. Pulled up the front carpets. No evidence of standing water, so the cowl is good. There may be some rust inside in the rear floors, but nothing was evident from below and it seemed solid.

    I struck a deal with the owner and we pulled it out of its resting spot and got it ready to travel.


    The first stop before a quick bite to eat was a carwash



    Still needs more scrubbing, but there is no body damage, no body rust, and only a couple small spots on the hood where the paint has given up.

    Right now it is tucked away in a relative's pole-barn until I get it moved to the house. Hopefully that will help dry the interior out a bit. It's not getting touched until after I finish up a couple of house projects that MUST get done before tearing into this.



    The plan right now for it, aside from getting the interior sorted, is pretty basic for the time being.

    It will get the '11 3.7/6R80 combo I have in the garage. Will stay 4-lug for the short-term, but will get at the very least 11" Fox brakes. Tow hitch. General refresh to get it road-worthy.

    More details and pictures when the car is at the house and I'm tearing into it. For now, it's just planning and organizing when I'm not tending to my other needed projects.

    NICE!! Looks like that paint might even come back to life with some work.
    86 Capri, 5.0, 5Spd, A9L QH/BE, 47 lb Inj PMAS 3" MAF, Single T44 Turbo, Front Mount IC, TW170,
    Stock Cam, Explr Intake/TB, 1.7 Rockers, CF dual friction clutch, 3" DP, 2.5" full Exh, 3.27, 11.932 @ 115.78
    84 LTD, 331-10:1, TW170/Exprl Intake, 47 lbs inj/80 mm LMAF, Full Duals, Quarterhorse, Vortech 7PSI, Lentech AOD, 5 lug Mk VII brakes/rear, Eibach Sway bars, Cobra HB (dads ride, but I fix it )

  12. #12

    Default

    Finally drug the LTD home today.



    Of course it had to be raining when my wife and I were getting it tucked back into the work spot.




    First order of business is to take a flamethrower, or at least a vacuum, to the interior and it the couple decades of crud cleaned up a bit. Need to get the tailgate open, as I don't have a key for it, also.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  13. #13
    FEP Power Member 4-barrel Mike's Avatar
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    Default

    Liftgate is the same as the doors?? If so, pull a front door lock and have a locksmith make a key.

    Of course, YMMV

    Mike

  14. #14

    Default

    Yeah, I imagine so, but this is the first I've had eyes on the car since I bought it in July.

    None of the keys they had worked on the tailgate, and we didn't spend a whole lot of time looking around for it. It might be inside the car someplace, even.

    I might have an extra door/trunk lockset from the LTD LX parts car, with a key, so I might make use of that if need be.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  15. #15

    Default

    Had some time today, so I broke out the shop vac and grabbed a trash bag.





    Didn't see any signs of whoever this originally belonged to.


    After some work, I got the tailgate open. The latch was rusted solid and I needed to cut off one of the fingers of the latch to get it over the striker bolt.







    This is where I actually found a little bit of rust. Nothing too terrible, and should be easily treated. Going to need a replacement latch, though.
    Last edited by Chuck W; 11-21-2023 at 08:53 PM.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  16. #16
    FEP Power Member mcb82gt's Avatar
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    Ahhhhh smellavsion. Bet that was tasty!
    Mike

    Now stang-less.

    88 Cougar 5.0

  17. #17

    Default

    It was a lot better, since it had a few months in a dry space to air out a bit.

    Still kinda gross. Just not moist and gross.

    Poked around on it a bit more today. Pulled the wipers and removed the cowl grill to vacuum that out. There is rust in there, but it's only surface stuff. No holes.

    I poked around under it a bit, and the floors are pretty much perfect. Just a little rust at the front of each footwell on the outside. Again, no holes.

    Wasn't in the mood for too much today, so I only removed the rad fan and surround to start pulling the engine/trans out of it.

    Hoping I get at least one more warmish day to break out the powerwasher to hit a couple parts of it that need it. The real cleaning of the body will have to wait until spring, most likely.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  18. #18

    Default

    A quick search on ebay netted a new tailgate latch.



    Need to sort out the key/lock cylinder situation, but at least I'll be able to secure the tailgate. Need 5 new door striker bolts, as all of them are missing the plastic bushings. I know I can replace the bushings, but overall new bolts units might be good.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  19. #19
    FEP Power Member mcb82gt's Avatar
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    As long as the backing nut doesnt fall off lol. Im gonna put new bushings only on my sons grand marquis.
    Mike

    Now stang-less.

    88 Cougar 5.0

  20. #20

    Default

    Started on the process of getting the old drivetrain out today.



    Had a couple of hours to get things disconnected/removed. I pretty much have everything ready to pull the engine/trans out.
    The last couple of items are the speedo cable, the shifter linkage, and chopping the cat out of the way, so it doesn't interfere with getting the trans crossmember out.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  21. #21

    Default

    Awesome
    79 Zephyr, 4.6L 4v/4r70w swap, with team z front and rear suspension, 8.8 and upgraded brakes and coil overs. Running Holley Terminator X Max.

  22. #22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by massacre View Post
    Awesome
    I'm ready to hit this engine bay with a power-washer. It's gross.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  23. #23

    Default

    So, my only real goal was to get the drivetrain pulled and the bay washed. It's supposed to be rainy the next couple of days, so today was my day to get that knocked out.



    Other than the damnable column shift linkage, it came out pretty easily.

    Gross


    Fired up the powerwasher and after spraying it all down with SimpleGreen gave it a quick wash out.




    It all looks pretty good under that crud.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  24. #24

    Default

    Looks much better now
    79 Zephyr, 4.6L 4v/4r70w swap, with team z front and rear suspension, 8.8 and upgraded brakes and coil overs. Running Holley Terminator X Max.

  25. #25

    Default

    Perfect spot for a 3.8

    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

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