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So, as is the case with most new build thread posters, I've been lurking on the forums for a while. I never planned on making a build thread but my car has been getting a lot more attention than I expected so I figured I'd share the (horribly documented) build with you guys and see how you like it.
First off, I'd like to give major props to all of the guys who document ever single step of their builds...It takes a special kind of mind to do that. I could NEVER remember to take pictures during this build.
Well, here's how I built this car from my dorm room at college.
I was browsing craigslist in October of 2012 when I stumbled across a 1983 Thunderbird Turbocoupe. I had never actually seen one of them on the road and I thought it was the coolest looking car ever. I did some googling and it turns out no one has ever slammed one of these cars or really done much of anything to them
. So, I did a quick paintchop and I was sold on the car. The car had 140k miles, it had been sitting for 8 years, and from what I was told, it was pretty clean and had been well-maintained before it was left to sit.
I flew from WSU (where I go to college) over to Seattle, got a ride to Bellingham and saw the car for the first time. The buyer was not honest about a lot of things but I had already flown over to buy the car and I still had a vision for what I would do to the car so I bought it for $1800. The car was a piece of shit and I definitely got ripped off big time. I do not have any pictures from right after I got it but here is what it looked like a month or so after I bought it. I just "washed" the car lol
The previous owner tried lowering the car by taking a torch to the springs...
Here are some more pictures of the piece of shit.
So, over the next 2 months after I bought the car, almost everything that could possible go wrong...went wrong. The car developed an oil leak, every ignition system component failed, thermostat failed, coolant hose burst, a wheel bearing literally exploded in the hub, the other front wheel bearing failed within a few minutes of the first one, the fuel filter was clogged, the rear brakes wore down to almost nothing, the front pads started sqeaking, the 02 sensor went bad, the coolant temp sensor went bad, the timing belt skipped a tooth, the EGR valve froze, the accessory belt started cracking, the fuel pressure regulator failed, the radiator fan broke, the intake hoses started cracking, the idle air control valve broke causing me to have a 2200 rpm idle, a bearing failed in the alternator, the voltage regulator broke causing the new alternator to put out 18 volts which fried the battery and wore out the alternator AGAIN. A bunch of other stuff broke that I can't remember but the point is...I literally bought the worst car I could have possibly bought.
Since I was living in a dorm and there was no way the college would let me spend hours in the parking lot working on my car, I had to find another way to fix everything. I looked on Craigslist and found a dude 2 hours away who was willing to let me use his tools and garage as well as help me out whenever I needed for $40/hour. So, I got the car in barely running condition and after a few trips to the guy's garage and a new TFI module (mustang guys will understand), distributor, ignition coil, ignition wires, dist. rotor, dist. cap, coolant temp sensor, o2 sensor, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, fuel pump, IAC block off plate, front brake pads, rear brake overhaul (drums, cylinders, shoes, springs), timing belt, accessory belt, intake plumbing, blow off valve, boost controller, boost gauge, oil catch can, coolant hoses, dual electric radiator fans, thermostat, coolant, air filter, 3 batteries, 3 alternators, and 2 voltage regulators....finally I had a reliable daily driver.
Now comes the modding
Being a college student on a budget, I couldn't afford a custom bag or coilover setup. However, I did some research and sound out that mustang suspension parts for 83-2004 mustangs would work for my car too with the added benefit that stock (mustang) ride height components would substantially drop my car. So I ordered 2004 Mustang GT 2.5 inch lowering springs, KYB shocks, and Energy suspension bushings. I made another trip to the Craigslist dude's shop and installed everything. The setup worked exactly as I had hoped
2 shocks hadn't arrived in the mail yet. It was a bitch dragging all this stuff from the lobby to my dorm...
The car has a nice ride and from what I've seen, is the lowest 83-88 Thunderbird IN THE WORLD
I completed all of the following work during the course of the last month and they all really bring this car together: a custom center exit exhaust, 15" Ivory painted Auto Drags with gold center caps, a gold ford hood emblem, gold thunderbird logos on the tail lights, tinted headlight covers, repainted rubber bumpers, yellow tinted turn signals, detailed paint (compound, polish, wax, sealant), sound system (alpine HU, Polk audio speakers in front and doors, pioneer speakers in the rear, 2 10" MTX subs, a 1000 watt MTX amp, dynamat in doors, trunk, and dash), and restored the interior. Here's the car's current state
Here's a shot of the rear before the wheels were painted
My plans for the near future include air suspension, super wide+low offset 18" wheels with stretched tires, pulled fenders, sparco seats, and big power (big turbo, standalone ECU, injectors). Well, let me know what you guys think...idk if this build would be considered "doing it right" but I sure hope I haven't done anything horribly wrong/tacky haha[/SIZE]
First off, I'd like to give major props to all of the guys who document ever single step of their builds...It takes a special kind of mind to do that. I could NEVER remember to take pictures during this build.
Well, here's how I built this car from my dorm room at college.
I was browsing craigslist in October of 2012 when I stumbled across a 1983 Thunderbird Turbocoupe. I had never actually seen one of them on the road and I thought it was the coolest looking car ever. I did some googling and it turns out no one has ever slammed one of these cars or really done much of anything to them
. So, I did a quick paintchop and I was sold on the car. The car had 140k miles, it had been sitting for 8 years, and from what I was told, it was pretty clean and had been well-maintained before it was left to sit. I flew from WSU (where I go to college) over to Seattle, got a ride to Bellingham and saw the car for the first time. The buyer was not honest about a lot of things but I had already flown over to buy the car and I still had a vision for what I would do to the car so I bought it for $1800. The car was a piece of shit and I definitely got ripped off big time. I do not have any pictures from right after I got it but here is what it looked like a month or so after I bought it. I just "washed" the car lol
The previous owner tried lowering the car by taking a torch to the springs...
Here are some more pictures of the piece of shit.
So, over the next 2 months after I bought the car, almost everything that could possible go wrong...went wrong. The car developed an oil leak, every ignition system component failed, thermostat failed, coolant hose burst, a wheel bearing literally exploded in the hub, the other front wheel bearing failed within a few minutes of the first one, the fuel filter was clogged, the rear brakes wore down to almost nothing, the front pads started sqeaking, the 02 sensor went bad, the coolant temp sensor went bad, the timing belt skipped a tooth, the EGR valve froze, the accessory belt started cracking, the fuel pressure regulator failed, the radiator fan broke, the intake hoses started cracking, the idle air control valve broke causing me to have a 2200 rpm idle, a bearing failed in the alternator, the voltage regulator broke causing the new alternator to put out 18 volts which fried the battery and wore out the alternator AGAIN. A bunch of other stuff broke that I can't remember but the point is...I literally bought the worst car I could have possibly bought.
Since I was living in a dorm and there was no way the college would let me spend hours in the parking lot working on my car, I had to find another way to fix everything. I looked on Craigslist and found a dude 2 hours away who was willing to let me use his tools and garage as well as help me out whenever I needed for $40/hour. So, I got the car in barely running condition and after a few trips to the guy's garage and a new TFI module (mustang guys will understand), distributor, ignition coil, ignition wires, dist. rotor, dist. cap, coolant temp sensor, o2 sensor, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, fuel pump, IAC block off plate, front brake pads, rear brake overhaul (drums, cylinders, shoes, springs), timing belt, accessory belt, intake plumbing, blow off valve, boost controller, boost gauge, oil catch can, coolant hoses, dual electric radiator fans, thermostat, coolant, air filter, 3 batteries, 3 alternators, and 2 voltage regulators....finally I had a reliable daily driver.
Now comes the modding
Being a college student on a budget, I couldn't afford a custom bag or coilover setup. However, I did some research and sound out that mustang suspension parts for 83-2004 mustangs would work for my car too with the added benefit that stock (mustang) ride height components would substantially drop my car. So I ordered 2004 Mustang GT 2.5 inch lowering springs, KYB shocks, and Energy suspension bushings. I made another trip to the Craigslist dude's shop and installed everything. The setup worked exactly as I had hoped
2 shocks hadn't arrived in the mail yet. It was a bitch dragging all this stuff from the lobby to my dorm...
The car has a nice ride and from what I've seen, is the lowest 83-88 Thunderbird IN THE WORLD
I completed all of the following work during the course of the last month and they all really bring this car together: a custom center exit exhaust, 15" Ivory painted Auto Drags with gold center caps, a gold ford hood emblem, gold thunderbird logos on the tail lights, tinted headlight covers, repainted rubber bumpers, yellow tinted turn signals, detailed paint (compound, polish, wax, sealant), sound system (alpine HU, Polk audio speakers in front and doors, pioneer speakers in the rear, 2 10" MTX subs, a 1000 watt MTX amp, dynamat in doors, trunk, and dash), and restored the interior. Here's the car's current state
Here's a shot of the rear before the wheels were painted
My plans for the near future include air suspension, super wide+low offset 18" wheels with stretched tires, pulled fenders, sparco seats, and big power (big turbo, standalone ECU, injectors). Well, let me know what you guys think...idk if this build would be considered "doing it right" but I sure hope I haven't done anything horribly wrong/tacky haha[/SIZE]
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