Sorry to be so long to get back. My work and hobbies have serverly impacted my cyber slacking. Thanks for the welcome. After the BABE Rally, the whitewalls are a definete, I would love to find a set of Mercury wire hubcaps withthe burgandy emblems. Then new paint and ideally, new "wood paneling."
to the wagon train, mental. I just looked at your gallery of pix...I like that big 'ol rig. Nice wagon! Just for kicks....take a little Pledge and try it on a spot of that woodgrain and see if it will pop up the grain and shine.
Looks just like a Country Squire wagon I used to have right down to the color and hidden headlights. I hate the fact that I ever got rid of it! Man that was a nice car. So is yours! Have fun with it and never let it go!
Guess it's time I post an update for Mental. My Toyota Crown wagon had to be sold last spring and I've been in love with this Colony Park since Mental bought it (he and I frequently participate in odd car quests together) so he contacted me to let me know that although his wife loves it they are getting things prepped for a move and it didn't make much sense to hang on to the wagon right now. So although technically he's sold it to me I really just feel I'm it's caretaker and restorer until such time as they are settled and his wife wants it back. Next Thursday (the 8th) I'll be flying out to OKC and driving it back to NJ. 6 years of running in the BABE rally has made me relatively unafraid of taking old cars cross country I'll be going the direct route across rt 70 so if you see me out there give a wave, and if you see me on the side of the road...well, pray for me The purists in the house may wish to stop reading here. Ok, the rest of you wackos. Once she gets here and I find room in the project load she will be getting repainted in a dark metallic brown. The vinyl is trashed so I have some custom plans for that, more to come as I work out the details. And it just so happens I have an air ride setup sitting here that's just been waiting for the right car to go on so a little bagging may be in order. Interior wise I just want to fix whats wrong and not mess with it, its just too nice. More to come, I'll try to post some adventures from the road
holy!!!....that took a long time to come back JT...and I cant wait to see what you get up to with her !
I own a half share in a 78 Grand marquis sedan (Bertha) with the 400 cid, as well as Nora (AKA Trusty rusty) the 78 Thunderbird. I love this generation of old Ford products. Honestly, I would try living with the old girl on the stock springs and a nice set of new Ford gas shocks. They ride perfectly, and they handle the road, and loads, better than you would ever suspect. I know Bertha handles corners better than any 2 1/2 ton beast should ever think of, and she's on snow tires right now!
The air suspension is all for show, nothing to do with ride quality But I have bigger fish to fry with her first so it will be a bit before I get to it. Need to find some place to fix the headliner as a first order of business, from the photos it just seems the stitching at the bows deteriorated, the fabric all seems good so Im hoping an upholstry shop can put her right. And Im looking for a new driver door panel or trying to fix the one that's there, the panel itself looks good but the arm rest/handle area split and detatched from the panel.
hmm...post a pic of the door panel....if memory serves me...its the same as all the 4dr Marquis/LTD....might not be that hard to find
Hi Rev, and thanks I was working on the assumption it would be the same as a marquis otherwise it will be a real hunt. Even so anything from the 70s is thin on the ground in this area so if someone has a lead on them Id be interested. Here is a shot of the door panel, as you can see, overall its in really good shape but the arm rest/handle area is broken. I may be able to repair this and re-dye the armrest, I havent seen it in person yet to asses the damage. Another "keep your eyes open kind of thing, I'd love to find a set of these wheels from a Marquis (I think Lincoln used them as well)
That armrest is the same piece as the Marquis/Grand Marquis sedans used. It is also very similar to the one used in the Thunderbird. I'll have to measure to compare lengths. If it is the same, the Thunderbird is still very common out there. Those wheels are beautiful. They are the same as the Lincoln wheels, but with a different centre cap. Hard to come by, too. The only thing with getting a 15 inch wheel is the problem of really good tires. Nobody is making a really good 15 inch tire, especially a whitewall. I really miss the old BFGoodrich Conp T/A HR-4. It was fantastic, and it did come in a whitewall that looked really sharp on these big cars.
yup...thats the same armrest thats in every LTD/Marq/Country Squier/Colony Park/from about....hmm....74?to 79...pretty much all the 4DOOR ..full sized Ford n Mercs...and Lincolns too about the only thing that changed was the 'panel' for the power switches ! too bad the Tbirds didnt come 4 dr...they were the same...only longer
Thanks for the great info. There's only one junkyard around here that would possibly still have cars from this era so I'll have to schedule a trip out there and keep looking at internet resources in the interim.
