Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

General => User Rides => Topic started by: tbirdsps on January 26, 2009, 09:37:10 AM

Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: tbirdsps on January 26, 2009, 09:37:10 AM
I just got my daughter's 86 3.8 at my house...finally.

It's a standard with the following options.

Power mirrors, pw, poly wheels, tilt, cruise, rear defrost, Light Taupe Metallic paint.  I have the dash apart to replace the two 2033 bulbs in the standard digital speedo.  I had to order the suckers.  There's a tear in the rear seat that's fixable.  That's the only thing wrong in the interior besides the headliner but it's not too bad.  The exterior needs paint and the chrome tape trim around the body and bumbers.

It's been in the family since 2003 when we bought it from the original owner.  I was going to take the drive train and put it in my 82 Cougar wagon but the cars' too good for that.  No rust.  No structural repairs to do.  One tiny parking lot ding.

I've had an 85 Cougar and the arm rests on the door panels are .  This one too needs those fastened back on better.

Don't kill me but I junked that one.  Again a rust free body.  I think it went to the crusher because it was gone in a couple of weeks.  Sorry.  I drove that one for 20 years.
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: mercury-man on January 26, 2009, 10:47:02 AM
tbirdsps, Don't forget to load on some (pics) & Congrats on your new T-bird. :poke:
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: FLSTCI71 on January 27, 2009, 08:46:37 PM
Quote from: mercury-man;253692
tbirdsps, Don't forget to load on some (pics) & Congrats on your new T-bird. :poke:

+1
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: HAVI on January 27, 2009, 09:29:28 PM
+2, and the Cougar wagon?
Title: PICs
Post by: tbirdsps on January 28, 2009, 09:07:49 AM
As promised.
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: EricCoolCats on January 28, 2009, 09:12:29 AM
Looks to be Taupe with the Taupe interior. That's an awesome color, inside and out...very cool.
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: tbirdsps on January 28, 2009, 09:46:14 AM
Here's my dilema.  My 82 Cougar wagon needs a valve job to pass the emissions test here.  The 86 is in better condition overall.  But I really love the wagon.

I can't decide which one to invest money in.  The tbird has a tear in the rear seat bottom that's very fixable without replacing the upholstery.  It's mechanically good at this time with new brakes and master cylinder and very very little body work to do.  Both cars are equivalantly equipped. 

Decisions, decisions.  I have too many projects and a pocket book for one.  I am leaning towards fixing the 86.  Right now I have the dash cluster apart to replace the 2033 bulbs in the standard cluster so I can see how fast I'm going.  It needs a heater core which I'll put off.  I replaced the one in the 82 about a year and a half ago and the job is a bugger as many of you know.  Other than that the car needs a paint job.  The clear coat is peeling in spots.  I also will need to purchase the new chrome tape for the rubber trim.  It's a driver.  Oh and that lousy Ford radio doesn't work.  It's like the amplifier is bad.  All my ford radios have gone south except for the one in the 82...It keeps going and going.
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: rancheronut on January 28, 2009, 10:28:47 AM
do the valve job on the cougar first. then as money comes in fix the t-bird .
that way you have something with heat to drive , while you got the
t-bird down
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: 86Tbuzzard on January 28, 2009, 01:34:12 PM
 it's my  old 86's twin!!! lol except i had steel wheels
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: Dansbirds on January 29, 2009, 06:27:27 AM
If you are needing a ford radio send me a pm, I bought a radio for our 76 from a guy and I ended up with about 6 extra Ford radios from various years and various styles.
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: 1986Élan on February 16, 2009, 12:23:34 PM
hi everyone i also got a taupe colour t bird and i need to do some touch ups on the paint but cant seem to find cans of taupe colour at canadian tire    does anyone knows where i could buy some  or order some    also what is the colour code  thanx everyone
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: EricCoolCats on February 16, 2009, 12:34:52 PM
http://www.coolcats.net/fox/1986colors.html

Light Taupe Metallic = code 5E
Title: My "new" 86 Bird
Post by: tbirdsps on February 23, 2009, 12:22:41 PM
Quote from: rancheronut;254066
do the valve job on the cougar first. then as money comes in fix the t-bird .
that way you have something with heat to drive , while you got the
t-bird down


The valve job is done.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  There was one valve that was "toast" and the machine shop (very respected) reground the seats and inspected everything, guides all good, no cracks anywhere for $140 including all the gaskets to reassemble the engine.  The head also required no surfacing.  Completely level as it was.  Cast iron is a good thing.:D

As for the Bird.  There's an annoying rattle in the exhaust system that's almosts sounds like a loose heat riser but I don't think these cars have heat risers.:mad:  A click in the left front brake...tick, tick, tick. :mad:  The engine goes all the way to the red then cools down immediately. :mad:  Very strange and never pukes any coolant.  It does this every day, once a day.  Kinda like the thermostat sticks then clicks open suddenly.  And I need no stinking heat.  It never gets very cold here.:rollin: Oh yea today I noticed no high beam headlights.  Select high and all the headlights go off.  I won't be doing that in the dark anymore.