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Messages - Tom S.

2
Suspension/Steering / New guy back with more questions . . .
Hi Guys;
I'm slowly working my way through deferred maintenance on my new "old" Bird mentioned in the thread below; belts, hoses, AC, wheel cylinders, etc. So far, so good. No issues to report. New tires are on the horizon and I'm starting to look around at wheel options. It has the original 14" steel wheel with hub caps. Original tires too for that matter, but I'm not going to trust them. I don't plan to do any mods any time soon, so I want something that will just bolt on and go. I'm looking at these,

https://lmr.com/item/WK-39067452/mustang-trx-wheel-kit-r390-style-16x7-7993-machined

I assume that the bolt pattern will match with no issues, but can anyone tell me if I can go from 14" to 16" without spacing problems, tires rubbing, etc. The current 14's on the car look really small, with lots of space inside the wheel wells. From what I have been able to read on the internet, which we all know MUST be true, later year models came with 15" wheels, so is 16" a stretch? There seem to be lots of options in 17" but it looks like fitment might be a problem. Thanks for your input and any other suggestions are certainly appreciated.

Kindest Regards,
Tom
4
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / New member with new old Bird
Where would be the best place to find a shop manual for the '83 that covers the EEC-III? I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that if you are going to drive older vehicles you need to become your own expert on them. I recently paid a mechanic (and old acquaintance) to tune up my '85 F150. I'm now going over all of his work and trying to figure out why it runs worse than it did before he worked on it.
Tom
5
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / New member with new old Bird
I'll try to get some pictures posted asap. I haven't had a chance to do anything with the car yet. Drove it home and parked it in the garage. That's about it. I hope to get around to the maintenance issues that you all mentioned over the next couple of weeks. I'm also still trying to decide between some nice looking aftermarket wheels and refurbished factory aluminum wheels. It came with steel wheels and hub caps. I've also been spending some time here learning more about these old 'Birds. Thanks to everyone for their input.
Kindest Regards,
Tom
6
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / New member with new old Bird
Thanks for the input folks! I had planned on belts/hoses/tires but hadn't really thought about the brake system parts. Glad someone mentioned that. The brake upgrade is a good idea too. I have discovered that wheel selection is pretty limited with the four bolt pattern. I have a feeling I'm going to be hanging around here for a while. I'll try to post up some pics asap.
Best regards,
Tom
7
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / New member with new old Bird
Hi All;
I just stumbled upon this forum while looking for info on a 1983 T Bird that I purchased about a week ago. I had been shopping for a nice older car to replace my wife's 2006 Dodge Stratus (which I have considered junk since she purchased it in 2006). Was specifically looking for a nice, simple, older vehicle that I can understand when I came across the '83 T Bird. The car had been in storage for the past 30 years or so, with 18,000 actual documented miles. It looks like it could have rolled off the assembly line yesterday. It even smells new. Black with red pin stripes and a gray interior. 5.0L V8 engine. I plan to replace belts, hoses, and tires and probably give it a tuneup before putting it into service, although it seems to run great as is. And of course the refrigerant has all evaporated so it will need some AC work. So, a couple of questions for those more knowledgeable about these cars than me. What else should I consider checking or servicing after it has sat in storage all these years? And, I'm considering adding some cool looking wheels and tires (guess I'm still a kid at heart) but want something understated and classy looking that is in keeping with the era in which it was built. What are you all running on yours or what would you suggest? Thanks in advance for your input and for having a forum where I can come to educate myself on the Fox T-Birds.
Kindest Regards,
Tom