Hello to all

[Matt_83_GT]

Hello all,

Just picked up an '83 GT about a month ago and am in the process of getting it buttoned up to get out there on the road and get cruising. I was looking for a good place to connect with other 4-eyed fans and this looked like a great place to start. The site came up on a search for an OEM radio and I just knew I had to check it out and meet other likeminded folks. Looking forward to learning from all of you and working with you to help get my GT to where I want it to be. It doesn't have too far to go to get it out there. It's leaking some coolant, but I just picked up a new water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, and lower radiator hose. Hoping to get in there and get all of it installed this week.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and hope to chat with many of you soon!

Matt

[ITdude87]

What's up Matt. Pull up a chair and post some pics!

This place is a treasure trove of information. The best resource for these cars there is IMO.

[Matt_83_GT]

Thanks! I'm hoping to find some stuff on here that I've been unable to find anywhere else. Plus I just love the 4-eyes. I had a red '81 Ghia back in 1985. Loved that car even though it was a 4-cyclinder dog. Looked great and was still fun to drive with a stick. Wanted another one since I got rid of that and now I've upgraded. This is my new acquisition...

[richpet]

Welcome! My first Fox build was an '83 hatch, but not a T-Top.
Lots of honest smart folks here.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

[Matt_83_GT]

Welcome! My first Fox build was an '83 hatch, but not a T-Top.
Lots of honest smart folks here.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Thanks for the welcome. Saw in your sig that you're a Granada owner. I had 2 of them back in the early 90's. I liked the 2-door better than the 4-door, but both of them were beasts.

[richpet]

Lol! The wife found this one. It's fun just being very different!
Not a bad car for under $700.
Of course with a built motor, T5, 8.8 ...

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[Hans]

Matt, Welcome here.
I am stunned,
What a beautiful car .


Verstuurd vanaf mijn CPH2219 met Tapatalk

[york0060]

Welcome Matt, I'm a fan of white and black cars!!! Yours looks really sharp!

[ZEN50]

Good looking 83, welcome!

[Matt_83_GT]

Thanks for the welcomes and the kind words about the GT. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to get the tedious little things buttoned up so I can enjoy it after work and on the weekends. Really looking forward to sharing ideas and getting assistance/guidance when needed. I was never a do-it-yourselfer when it came to cars so this is new territory for me. I haven't done too much on it, yet, other than replace the turn signal switch, fix the hatchback latch, replace the armrest clips, and change up the high beam bulbs. Did a water pump on a '68 Cougar back in the day so I'm hoping this one isn't much different.

@richpet - that's a sweet Granada! Looks tons better than either of mine did!

[85GTGuy]

Welcome. Good looking car.

eBay is a potential source for your radio.

[Matt_83_GT]

Thanks! I was actually out there yesterday looking for a door lock switch assembly. When I got the car, the previous owner said that the driver's door needed a new lock switch. I thought he meant the actual switch, but when I took the bezel off, I found that the switch connector was gone and the wires were taped off. So I have the new switch and bezel with nothing to plug it into. Can't find those on CJ or LMR so I headed to eBay.

[richpet]

@richpet - that's a sweet Granada! Looks tons better than either of mine did!

Well, my '83 was also black and white and yours is WORLDS nicer!

Enjoy the tinkering!

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

[Matt_83_GT]

My 2 foxes from back in '85. Sold the one fox in '86 and lost the other fox last year to metastatic breast cancer. That's kind of what began my quest for a new fox. Wanted to kind of go back in time to when things were great and the love of my life would be sitting in the passenger seat as we cruised around. Just trying to recapture that feeling...

[ITdude87]

F....That took a turn and hit in a way I was not expecting.

Matt - Sorry to hear.

Here's a fun fact....Scents trigger connections in your hippocampus (memories, pleasure, pain...) and is very strong. Anyone who's ever sat in a foxbody knows they have a very distinct smell - which, knowingly or unknowingly, immediately trigger memories and feelings. It can even alleviate anxiety and depression. Scent, memory, and emotion are all very closely related.

Playing with my car immediately brings me back like a time machine (although not as far back as yourself), and I think every 'car person' would agree that it's a big contributing factor to the overall enjoyment - whether or not they know exactly what's going on in the primitive portion of their brain.

Cheers

[gr79]

Aroma therapy.
First remember the real true Ford new car smell way back in the 50's.
Every now and then that aroma is faintly present in the car.
Usually after painting something.
Some new Fords have it. Last time detected it in a showroom Lincoln.
Have been known to stop in just to smell one.
Imports lack it.

[Matt_83_GT]

I agree with both of you. Scent is truly important! It's actually one of the things I really miss about my wife - her scent. Every once in a while, I'll catch a whiff of it and I'll know she's near. As for the scent of the car, even with the carpet, headliner, visors, and all seating being new in the car, it still has that Mustang smell I remember from back in '85. And there's something about a carbureted car that smells so much better than an EFI!

My Dad was a Ford guy (which is where I get it) and my "uncle" sold Fords so I know what you mean about the Ford new car smell. My wife had 2 MKZ's over the past 5 years and I agree - the Lincoln's still seem to have that smell.

[gr79]

ah yes gasoline. Aromatic hydrocarbons.
Ma used to get on us kids for not closing the house door to the attached garage when cars were in there.
Grade school kids unscrewing the school bus gas cap when it was parked nearby during recess.

While friends were inspecting the new windshield July 4, they commented of smelling gas fumes.
Was a hot evening. After a whiff test. reminded them old carb cars do that.

Cant really say GM or Chrysler cars had that exact smell.
That one time, the other Lincolns in the showroom did not have it.
Maybe it is soybean extract.