New to the forum - 85 Country Squire

Beautiful wagon, Zal....

I'm considering the purchase of one of these wagons - Mercury version. Since you have so much experience with it, can you detail some of the 'trouble' areas?

Thanks!

Marshall

 

Thanks Marshall... I love it too.

I've only had it for a month or so... so pretty sure that I'm not an authority on any trouble spots. I'll tell you though, she drives like a dream. She's solid, everything works (recharged the AC the other day).

I thought the load leveler may not be working but by plugging in a couple of wiring harnesses, away she went and the rear end is firmer now.

The engine seems to be easy to work on. I've done routine stuff at this point e.g. filters, plugs.

On my wish list is to a) refurbish the moulding and woodgrain, b) rebuild the front end and suspension if after getting it up on a hoist I'm told that it would be a good investment and c) redo the turbine rims

So, nothing mechanical at this point. As you have read in this thread, they seem to go forever!

I'm looking forward to seeing what you've purchased. I'm sure we'll discover common issues that we can work on resolving.

Good luck!

 

to the forum. Enjoy the company here and share your experiences.
Porn? What's that? Must be some kind of foreign car. :confused:

 

The one thing that you do have to watch is the frame rails under the front doors. I have always had mud flaps/splash guards there, and never had a problem, but without them, the frame rails take all the muck off the road and get scoured bare, and rust. Even that is not a difficult fix, though.

For the front end, you can get the complete rebuild kit from Performance Suspension Technologies in New Jersey for about $400, and it has everything, including the torque arm bushings. The control arm bushings and ball joints need pressing in, but other than that, they are not hard to install. The steering boxes normally last 30 years or about 180,000 miles before the sector shaft seals leak. The rebuild box is about $280, and if you are handy and have a puller, not difficult to change yourself.

For shocks, always use the Ford gas shocks. They are made by Monroe, but Ford has about 10 different calibrations, compared to the aftermarket 2. You will find wheel hop is unacceptable with the after market, including KYB. Been there, done that, worn out the t-shirt.

I can't wait to get one of these wagons myself. Trouble is, around here, most have been run hard, put away wet, and left to rot.

 

Great information that I'm sure will come in handy sooner rather than later.

The car was owned by an old fellow and it was his pride and joy. He didn't drive it in the winter and addressed any issues correctly as needed.

He passed last fall so the car was put up for sale. A friend of mine bought it and had plans for it this summer. I offered to buy it from him any time he decided he might want to part with it. Lucky for me, my friend found another project that was of more interest and gave me first dibs. It didn't take long to make the decision to buy it.

The interior is near mint, even the original carpets. As mentioned before, everything works. The exterior is really good, minus some bubbling under the woodgrain on the driver's side fender. Other than that, no rust. The moulding has the usual issues.

Mechanically, no complaints. The widow was quite concerned about the car and wanted to make sure that it would go to a good home. I assured her that I would restore the car and as a matter of fact, I drive it like an old man!

The MGB and FJR are getting ignored this summer. This forum is a wealth of information! I'm also checking out grandmarq.net and crownvic.net for more tidbits.