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  1. #26

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    Put a new weatherstrip around the trunk to keep the water out.



    Took a vacuum to the inside to clean things up a bit and now won't have time to touch the car until the end of next week. *sigh*

    Got the tailpipe sorted out and have one on the way. Will need to figure out a tip.
    I'd like to find a section from an SN-95/New Edge tail pipe to chop off and use (like I did on my old Z7), but I'll probably just have to buy a new aftermarket tip. I just don't have access to all the take-off stuff I did 20 years ago.

    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  2. #27

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    Weatherstrip?! I ask for eye candy and you give me WEATHERSTRIP?!!
    Brad

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

  3. #28

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    Hahahaha
    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.

  4. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    Weatherstrip?! I ask for eye candy and you give me WEATHERSTRIP?!!
    Haha!
    Trying to avoid any inadvertent damage to them before they're needed.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  5. #30

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    Congrats Chuck, there can't be many Marquis LTSs left! Can't wait to see what you do with it.
    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

  6. #31

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    No time to mess with it this past week, just been looking at parts orders showing up.

    I did take a second to pop off one of the rear wheels, so I could fully see the drum.

    I don't think these 5-lug drums are going to work... (9" vs 10").


    Guess I need to sort out the proper drum for the 10" stuff. I want to put rear discs on it, but not right now.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  7. #32

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    Can you post a picture of the what the drums look like? Mine have been giving me fits and I want to see what they should look like.


    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

  8. #33

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    Ranger/Aerostar 4.0L drums are 5-lug 10x2.5, which is 3/4" wide than 5.0L LTD (10x1.75). Might work out.
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    FEP Registries: Black Magic & Crimson Cat / Cobra / Dominator / G.T.350 / LTD LX/Police & Marquis LTS / M81 / Pace Car / Predator / Saleen / Turbo GT & Turbo RS / Twister II

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  9. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by wdanison43103 View Post
    Can you post a picture of the what the drums look like? Mine have been giving me fits and I want to see what they should look like.
    The 9" drums look just like the pic, except 4-lug instead of 5.

    The 9" drums have the fins, and the 10" ones are smooth.

    I thought there was a "standard" 10" 5-lug version for the conversion on the Fox Mustangs. (I know only a few had 10" drums).

    I suppose there's always re-drilling the drums to 5-lug. That's not a huge undertaking.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  10. #35

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    So, my busy week(s) are over, so I'll start having more time to put towards this.

    I did get out this evening to double-check the fittings needed to mate up the SN-95 hoses to the hardlines. While I was checking that I made a discovery.

    I hadn't paid close enough attention, but the car doesn't have the 11" 99+ brakes on the front. It has 13" Cobra brakes on it.(!!)
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  11. #36

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    So, the plan this evening was to finish up the general tune-up stuff and close up the cooling system to test it before I filled it up with coolant.

    -New plugs, wires, dist cap, rotor
    -Heater hoses
    -Battery cables that weren't all crusty
    -Installed "Powered by Ford" valve covers with new steel-core rubberized gaskets.



    There isn't much gas in the tank, but once it all primed back up, it fired up and idled (loudly). So, it seems to run "OK". It took no pedal feathering to keep it running. It eventually just stopped, but that was probably due to low gas in the tank. Speaking of gas tank. I need to check out the "repair" the previous owner did to the tank and hunt down a filler neck, as the original was all crusty. Rumor is that a Mustang filler neck from the same year will fit, so I may go that route if I can't find an LTD one.

    It did start spitting water/coolant out of that hose that's sticking up in the pic. It passes through the EGR valve assy on the back of the intake, but I cannot figure out where it's supposed to go from there. Of course it was another one of the hoses a previous owner cut for some unknown reason. I may just plug the outlet port on the intake. I can't seem to find any details in any of the materials I have here.

    I guess if I even want to use the cruise control, I'm going to need to fix this.


    I need to get the exhaust on this thing, so I can tolerate it running long enough to bring things up to temp, etc. I need to drop the Y-pipe so I can weld a flange where it was chopped off and then build from there. Just going to run a single 2-1/2" for now. Pretty sure I have all of the stuff for it, just need to get to it.

    I've decided that I'm going to just drill the drums to 5-lug for now. It's not worth more fuss. I have new rear shoes on the way, as well as a new flex hose for the rear, so once I have that stuff in place, I can bleed the system and see if the brakes actually work...

    I need to buy tires, and will probably run 245/45-17's on the Bullitts.

    It was good to hear it run an idle without issue, so that is nice boost.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  12. #37

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    Wrestled with getting the y-pipe out of the car today, so I can weld the flange on it. Gotta get that done before I can put the rest in there. Had some fun dealing with old exhaust manifold connections. Got it all out though with no broken studs.

    While I was under there, I found where a previous owner got a little over-zealous with the saw-zall. They punctured the trans pan and just closed with RTV.
    .

    Guess I'll add that to my list.

    I was also able to put eyes on the PN on the front springs.


    The 5558200 number comes up as their "Sport" kit, and it looks like they're claimed to be a 650# rate (Which is what the FMS C-Kits are). I can't find anything on the 145989 number to cross-check, though.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  13. #38

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    Back at it today for a few hours.

    First task was to weld up the flange on the Y-pipe. That didn't go too badly. Doing v-band connections, because u-bolts suck.



    This thing has that stupid flapper valve in the exhaust, so I cut the flapper out of it and welded up the pivot holes. Ideal? No, but it will suffice until we do something more/different with the exhaust system.


    After that I set about to close up the brake system. Was waiting for a 3/8 INF-7/16 INF adapter for the PS front connection, which showed up the other day, so I opened up the holes in the mounting brackets to accept the hose ends and got that all together.

    Moving onto the rear, I knew the hose had seen better days, so I went to replace it.

    Once I got under the car, I saw that the body-side connection had already been broken, so I pulled the hose out and now will have to replace the hardline from the engine bat back to it to finish that job.
    I have enough Ni-Cop brake line tubing, so that should be an easy task.

    Did an oil change and busted out the power washer for a bit of cleaning. There is a layer of dirt on the bottom of the car and a layer of scuzz on the top. Got most of the dirt off of the bottom, but it looks like a Simple Green bath is in order for the top-side. There is just a bunch of stuff in the paint...

    I had bought a new serpentine belt for it, but I think I'm going to delete the smog pump, as there are currently no cats in the exhaust. Even when I put some back in, the newer cats don't need that air injection.
    Now to hunt down the proper length for the shorter bypass belt.

    Also snagged that T-fitting I needed for the EGR sandwich cooler hose connection.
    Last edited by Chuck W; 10-09-2021 at 11:04 PM.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  14. #39

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    What was the valve in the exhaust for? That wasn't factory was it?
    Brad

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

  15. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    What was the valve in the exhaust for? That wasn't factory was it?
    I don't remember what it was for, but I've run into it before. Didn't feel like swapping out manifolds and doing an H pipe yet though.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  16. #41
    FEP User 83 4SPD GT's Avatar
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    I love the project, very cool Merc! Every night I check to see what you have accomplished. Keep it coming!
    1983 Mustang GT 5.0L, TRX Pkg, T-Tops, 4 Spd, Polar White, Medium Red Interior, Built 11/22/82, 15,400 original miles, with the original 38 yr old Michelins still on it. Added LMR 17" mesh wheels w/Nitto NT555’s.

  17. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by 83 4SPD GT View Post
    I love the project, very cool Merc! Every night I check to see what you have accomplished. Keep it coming!
    Thanks!

    There definitely is plenty to do on it. Even just to get it roadworthy again.

    Might be next weekend for another update, as we'll be out of town for a couple days this week, and no time to turn wrenches.

    The wife can't wait to drive it, so she's for sure not keeping me from working on it!
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  18. #43
    FEP Senior Member
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    721

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    That flapper is just a heat riser valve to help get the engine up to temperature faster.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  19. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by KevinVarnes View Post
    That flapper is just a heat riser valve to help get the engine up to temperature faster.
    That's right. It's been almost 25 years since I messed with a stock 5.0 in a Fox, so I've forgotten a bit.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  20. #45

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    Got another workday in today. The wife and kids were gone, so I had about 5 hours to spend on this. Bonus points for the weather being dry and cool.

    I actually had an hour or so yesterday, so I took the time to redrill one of the drums to 5-lug. Easy, breezy.



    Today, one of the main goals was to get the brake system tubing tidied up.
    Instead of replacing the entire rear hardline, I opted to just replace the last couple of feet.


    This tool is awesome for on-the-car work.


    I had a bunch of Ni-Cop line on the shelf, so I used that for my repair section. It's SOOO much easier to work with than the steel stuff.


    All back in place. I snagged the coupler from the firewall in the engine bay to finish this section. I figure it'll be one less thing to climb under the car to do.


    Next up was getting the Y-pipe back in place all ready to start piecing together the rest of the exhaust.


    I also closed up the coolant system with that T to the EGR sandwich plate. While I was under the hood I swapped in a shorter belt to bypass the smog pump, as I'll be pulling that out.



    Next I got back under the car to mess with swapping the 5-lug axles. I was really leery of getting the fill plug out, but a little heat and a little application of the impact gun, and it came loose.
    Opened things up and swapped axles. Someone has been in here previously, as they sealed it with clear RTV---


    The studs are long, but I'm just going to cut them down. Need to replace the shoes and paint the drums to button this all up.

    Today was also new tire day, so I stuck the wheels on the car, to get them off the ground and out of the way.



    I think I may run a small spacer in the back, as it looks like I have a bit of room to bring the wheels out a touch.

    Well, that's all for today!
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  21. #46
    FEP Power Member 87gtVIC's Avatar
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    Whitestone, NY
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    1,065

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    Nice work. How does one go about drilling out the drum for 5 lugs? Is there some kinda template available to ensure everything is aligned properly?

    Depending on what your end goal plans are for the car the longer studs are a requirement for some classes of racing I believe.

    I like your choice of wheel. I miss the bullitts I used to have on my crown victoria.

  22. #47

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    The hub ID is the same between the wheels, so I just used the 9" 5-lug drums I had as a template. I located the bores on some 2-1/2" exhaust tubing and used a transfer punch to locate the 4 new holes on the 10" drum. Then I just drilled then out with a step drill. I took a grinder to the one hole to elongate it the small bit it needed, and that was it. The center bore is what keeps everything in line when installed. These axles were made with the same 63.1 hub diameter as the 4-lug.

    I've done similar before on my old '84 XR-7 when I was swapping to 5-lug, but wasn't ready for rear discs yet. On that car, the 94-98 Mustang axles were the same length as those in my '84 Cougar, so swapping them was easy. However, the hub OD on the SN-95 axles was 70.5 vs the 63.1 on the old 4-lug ones. So in addition to transferring the bolt holes, I also had to open up the center bore of the drum on the lathe. After that, they slid on.

    I'm also thinking spacers so I can account for the hub diameter difference with the wheels. I've run cars lug-centric before without problems, but seeing as I'd like to add a small bit of width to the back, I might as well make them hub-centric.

    This car is NOT going to be a track car of any sort. These axles just came with the car, so I'm going to use them.
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  23. #48

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    Those are the perfect wheel choice for that car with the grey trim.

    What is that brake tool? I'll take anything to make brake line work easier. I hate it. I get leaks probably half the time.
    Brad

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

  24. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    What is that brake tool? I'll take anything to make brake line work easier. I hate it. I get leaks probably half the time.
    LINKY
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  25. #50
    FEP Power Member 87gtVIC's Avatar
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    Nice job. Thanks for the explanation. Going off the center bore makes sense. Looking great.

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