Hi all, about 2 weeks ago i found an old grand marquis on craigslist, and i decided to go take a look. i was set on a taurus or a crown vic, but couldn''t let myself pass up the opp. The guy wanted 1,000$ for it, but it had a blown water pump. power everything, with 70,000 miles on her. he let me drive it around the block, and i discovered that there was a lot more to it than the water pump. I ended up getting it for $400[img]smileys/smiley16.gif[/img]. since then, it''s been a lot of work on the car in the hot arizona sun, replacing the water pump, cleaning out the engine, replacing every nut and bolt that i could get my hands on, and yesterday, replacing all the smaller hoses (3/8ths and smaller). Within the next week (hopefully monsoon season will start, and let me be about to work out of the sun) i should be headed to a junk yard, and pick up a new coolant expansion tank among other things[img]smileys/smiley17.gif[/img]. and hopefully soon, i will be doing some cosmetic work to the outside of the vehicle. the paint is in great shape, however the clearcoat has dissapeared over time. I have the burgandy, and i was thinking of re-painting the side door trim a gloss black, and to the panals under it in a dark blue (colorado avalanche colors)


And the damndest thing happened yesterday, the plastic tube thatruns from the oil fill cap to the engine is held by weird foam tubes. Why it''s not a rubber hose3 with metal retaining clips, i don''t know, but it is now haha)they actually MELTED yesterday. yes, melted. and the irony is that it broke down on the way to Checkers Auto where i was going to get the hoses to replace everything.


I am planning on doing interior lighting mods, perhaps just a few subtle leds in the dash, and light up the air conditioner vents would look nice. but today, i will move the front license plate to the drivers side (but i guess i need a front plate first) to give it a cooler image, and maybe if i get get the paint to shine a little bit.

 

[img]uploads/Ritzbury/DSCF1270_copy.jpg[/img]








[img]uploads/Ritzbury/E4Z_DSCF1270_copy.jpg[/img]Edited by: Ritzbury

 

are ya sure its a 88 lol. that looks identical to my 91 merc but mines white.
i''''ve got some pics on the next page of it. Nice catch. looks nice.

Edited by: merc91

 

Sweet ride. good job on getting a great price. I have to bring you the next time I purchase a new car. Have you ever thought of buying cars, fixxing them and reselling them for a profit? it might be a good side job for you.