oh my, i believe they have multiplied again. this will be a DD, no project here. i git this cause i know these cars like the back of my hand, and can routinely get 30mpg with a few mods and proper driving. $800.
ill have $1200 in it, tags and all, by the time i drive it work next week.
just wanted to share!
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x7/jmthunderbirdturbo/thunderbird%20pics/IMG_20140531_080002959_HDR.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x7/jmthunderbirdturbo/thunderbird%20pics/IMG95201405319507591122995HDR.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x7/jmthunderbirdturbo/thunderbird%20pics/IMG_20140531_084516665.jpg
-J0N
I really need to look into these...
I like the Turbo Coupes, but I really dig the later one's tail lights.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST 
Those are some expensive tags.
That's about what it would cost around here to put it on the road. Registration fee, title fee, first month's insurance or insurance transfer fee, new (if needed) number plate fee, sales tax on valuation (not actual purchase price.) It all adds up really quickly and costs quite a bit.
with all these threads about turbo coupes lately.....are these becoming the american equivalent of of MX6 turbo's on the GRM board? Not meaning they are really similar cars but in the sense that when they pop up for sale anyone and everyone is encouraged to buy it?
intercooler and turn the boost up
Jelly! It's even got an 87/88 hood already.
Nice. Turbo birds are the definition of cool in my book.
Just wire the wastgate shut and have fun.
nah fellas, actually this old girl is slated for plain jane DD use. the bronco is down (again), and its getting less fun to drive with the failing front suspension. so im gonna clean this up, get it mechanically sound, and just drive it. the miata will be for sale soon, and i cant wait to get rid of that POS. i love driving these birds, this is my 6th one. i have two total now, the other is an 88 every option blue/blue MT. its getting a resto, someday.
thanks for the t-bird love!
(my 88 with the sun roof mounted gun ship option)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x7/jmthunderbirdturbo/TrueBlue/PIC_0074.jpg
-J0N
I have had a few 4eye birds myself and the manual version is addictive. The auto sucks the life out of it.
In reply to Ranger50:
yes it does. especially the later cars with the A4LD. what an awful time bomb of a trans those were.
-J0N
After reading this yesterday, I passed a very nice looking four-eyed bird sitting on the side of the road. Sadly, it wasn't a TC. Still sexy.
In reply to jmthunderbirdturbo:
If you build a franken-a4ld and put a real converter in it, it could be much better driving experience. But bone stock stuff sucks. BTDT.
How do you get it to achieve 30mpg?
i would gladly ditch the turbo dodge for another turbo ford. thats a clean 4 eye
Mr_Clutch42 wrote: How do you get it to achieve 30mpg?
It's just a slippery vehicle at 65 and no boost.
Mr_Clutch42 wrote: How do you get it to achieve 30mpg?
You don't. GRM people have a bad habit of not being able to calculate true mpg
HiTempguy wrote:Mr_Clutch42 wrote: How do you get it to achieve 30mpg?You don't. GRM people have a bad habit of not being able to calculate true mpg
umm, really? first off, i'll acknowledge that you did post a smiley, indicating this was a tongue in cheek statement. however, you clearly don't know me or my cars, so please feel free to shove your generalized ignorance up your pompous ass. second, and the answer to the mans question of about how you achieve 30 MPG, is a three part answer.
first, the TC, and all aero Thunderbirds from 83-88, are indeed slippery cars, with (i think) a .67 drag coefficient. they are right off of the factory floor perfectly capable of 27 MPG highway, 25 in town if driven with a light foot. they also have a very high OD in the manual transmissions, something like a .67 or .68, mated with a 3.55 rear gear. cruising speeds of 70-75 are at about 2100 RPM, which is very low for 2.3 liters.
second, its a 9.45:1 compression engine. so if you leave the turbo alone, and keep the engine in a state of vacuum, (aftermarket boost/vac gauges help with this) the mileage is very good from the factory.
third, i add an adjustable FPR, and modify the VAM (mechanical version of a MAF) and TPS setting (adjustable in these cars), and i can get as high as 33MPG highway, and 27-29 in town. i usually install a wideband 02 meter, and try to get as lean as i can manage without melting the plugs or overheating the manifold/turbo during cruise/idle run time. this nice thing about this setup, is as soon as i tip in boost for power, the AFR returns to a nice 11.0:1 and i don't have to pay the price of MPG with lost HP. all the factory HP is still there. i have done this with three of these cars in the past, this will be my fourth. BTW, these are real world, long distance calculations being backed up by the factory Ford tripminder which displays MPG by the tank and by the trip.
thanks for your bias and useless input though, M_C42.
-J0N
Ranger50 wrote: In reply to jmthunderbirdturbo: If you build a franken-a4ld and put a real converter in it, it could be much better driving experience. But bone stock stuff sucks. BTDT.
yes, thats true, too. a few of my friends who drive these can't drive manuals due to health issues. they usually have the A4LD built with 4R55E parts from explorer 4.0 transmissions. add the converter you mentioned, and a decent planetary pack, and it will run fine.
but that rebuild is an EASY $1200, if you don't have connections in a trans shop.
-J0N
I haz questions:
I had thought that these ran at 8:1, how do they keep it from pinging all over the place at 9.45:1?
Didn't these come with the big 60 trim T3's? Did they come with at intercooler factory? Big turbo, high compression, no IC would be yikes in my book. Though it makes sense that you could run off boost all the time with that big honkin' turbo.
As for gearboxes, I've always wondered if the later computer-shift AOD could be tricked or reprogrammed to sequential shift with some kind of lever with contacts.
Ranger50 wrote:Mr_Clutch42 wrote: How do you get it to achieve 30mpg?It's just a slippery vehicle at 65 and no boost.
This is the truth. There's a reason why the 87/88 TBird body killed off nearly every type of stock body racing. Google Big Bill at Talladega and the resulting GM FWD bodies in NASCAR or Bob Glidden going undefeated, etc. It's a very good design. That and a good OD gear in the trans with a reasonable 3.55:1 rear axle ratio with a 2.3L only on 35 Lb injectors can be pretty thrifty.
I have found myself lusting after aerobirds lately. Clean ones are pretty rare these days but they don't look as old as they are.
Am I the only who would think this would be a pretty good looking undercover cop car to put a little siren on top of ala Kojak?
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