No need to vent now.. even though I lost the parts-car auction, I still won it. Why? Because the winning bidder doesn't want to go through the same hassle I'll have to go through to get it here.. namely, transporting it up from Fort Lauderdale. (180 miles for me) They mutually agreed to allow me to purchase it instead, at my highest bid. ($130)
Picked up fuel and air filters for it.. some fix-a-flat (most of the trip back will be out in the middle of nowhere, on Alligator Alley) and some injector cleaner. We'll both be talking to tag offices and insurance companies to see what they advise as far as driving this back. We're hoping I can just get a temporary tag, but they'll want proof of insurance for that. I'm going to ask the insurance company and the tag office if there's anything to do differently since this car will most likely only be driven one more time. Can't really afford to get a regular tag for it right now, for just one drive. (think it's like over $150 here for a new tag.. but a temporary is $5 or so)
Looks like I'll probably head down there Tuesday and drive it back with my own Bird following.. with a trunkload of tools and emergency stuff. (even bringing a small air compressor and my inverter) No AAA or Allstate Motor Club here.. but that's what friends, an emergency prepaid cell phone, and a butt-load of luck are for. :wtf: :hick:
I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here, (for a change) but I'll probably make available to the rest of you whatever I can't use from this.
(EDIT) Parts 'Bird:
(http://img98.exs.cx/img98/5315/partsbird.jpg)
My 'Bird:
(http://img20.exs.cx/img20/8359/BirdFront04VSM.jpg)
This ought to be.. interesting.
Sweet deal! :headbang:
I see a potential dilemma forming, though.
What if this car ends up being in good enough condition to merit keeping on the road? Then I'd have two T-birds that I'd be unwilling to part with, but can't really afford to fix up both at present. Well, I suppose my own Bird is in good enough shape that I could let my fiance use it as her car.. but I'm quite attached to it by now.
Then you would end up looking for another parts car for your parts car :rollin:
If you have a sure way of getting it home I would say grab it and live on Mr. noodles till payday
There is no payday.. I've been unemployed since I started caring for my mother through her cancer-related surgery. I make a little money selling credits from online games, but I don't make enough volume to make a regular income from it.
My current option for work is to take up a friend on his offer to get me a job at one of the worst prisons in Florida.
wow, I'm sorry didnt know. I had an uncle die of cancer when I was younger and a good friend earlier this year passed away..... couldnt even imagine what you are going through.
Oh, it's almost over.. she's mostly recovered from it. The whole household is in somewhat of a transitional period here.
People in Florida still have houses? Duuuuude, no WAY!!! :giggle:
Well, anyways glad things are on the upswing. My mom had cancer as well, and she's doing great these days! :)
I was just up on a friend's roof last week while he was fixing it.. in a neighborhood where Charley's eye passed over, about 5 miles from my own house.. and there were more tarp-blue roofs than normal roofs around there.
My own mother's cancer isn't too much of a problem right now.. but she had it in the spinal column.. which means in January, she had to have a vertebrae removed and replaced with a synthetic material. She wasn't able to lift anything over 7 lbs. for half a year. Even now she can't lift anything heavy. (over 20 lbs.) She can go back to work on a limited basis, though.
To be totally off-topic and lighten the mood, I love the color on your T-bird almost as much as The Hawk's car. And that's a LOT. It's right up there with the color of the 30th annys. me for buying a red car!
I didn't really like the light blue at first.. but it grew on me.
However, if this other car turns out to be worth fixing up and driving, (as opposed to being a parts car like was originally intended) I'll probably have it painted some non-standard and non-blue color. (I'm thinking dark green)
EDIT: OK, I found a color name to go with what green I was thinking of. I have this can of DupliColor Truck Van and SUV paint, and it's T282 "Deep Jewel Green". (metallic) Some Ford color in a shade close to that is what I was thinking. (and, obviously, this wouldn't be for a year or so)
Sounds like I MIGHT be able to get a $5 temporary tag for the car (as opposed to a hideously expensive full tag for just one trip) if I do the title transfer down in Lauderdale and then explain my situation to them. It's largely up to the discretion of the people in the tag office. From what my insurance company tells me, my current car's insurance card should be sufficient.. I have 30 days to get back to them IF I decide to put it on the road again after tomorrow.
I'll probably head down there tomorrow late morning and see what's what. Not looking forward to it, since it's nearly a 3 hour drive each way.. but it'll be worth it to get the car here.
Oh yeah.. is there any easy way to get an '88 T-bird window back on track, or at least functioning again? The seller told me the window is off-track and fell down into the door today. I knew about the window being off before, so this isn't a shock to me.. but it might be nice to be able to put a window up again after I clear the toll booths.. I'll be on the interstate, and the speed limit is 70 here. Not exactly looking forward to 180 miles' worth of 70 mph wind noise.
I knew I'd have problems sleeping leading up to today.. heh.
Sunday night/Monday morning: 5 hours
Monday night/Tuesday morning: 4 hours
I can't wait to get this over with so I can sleep again.
Fell off, or the plastic clips that hold the glass to the track broke? On my 88, the glass has 2 squarish plastic clips glued to the glass, with horizontal studs to bolt it to the track. If the glass is stuck, and you really reef on the winder (or if the plastic is just disintegrating), it's possible to snap the clips.
Get a long strip (or 2) of duct tape, wrap it lengthwise around a thin piece of wood like a ruler, and slide it down into the top of the door until it sticks to the window, and use the "strap" to pull the window up. A few pieces up and over the frame will keep it up. You can play with whatever's happened inside the door later.
Thanks. I'm off in a little bit to test it out.
Man, I am BEAT. Been up since 12:30 AM, and it's almost 10 PM now.
Didn't get the car here.. ze 5.0, she be spitting oil into the intake. I MIGHT be able to get away with going down there this weekend with a fresh set of plugs and seeing how far I can get, but I am more likely going to look into options for asking friends to help tow it here.
The paint's shot, (it's that dark blue that I always see screwed up on Fords) the (leather) interior is also shot, the dash is pretty badly cracked, and there's a dent in the driver's door/quarter panel region. Other than that, it has less rust than my current Bird.. he's had new tires, U-joints, a radiator, and a couple other things put on it. We also got the window functioning temporarily.. the window came out of those glued-on clips. We set it back in them for now, and rolled it up 99.9% of the way. Didn't want the top seal to hold it in too tightly, to make it easier to roll down again when it's time to move it, if we should have to.
After having looked at this car all day, I think it screams PROJECT CAR.. and I think it would probably be better for me to just work on building that one up into what I want it to be, and fixing up my current Bird to be a solid mundane daily driver. I realize the 5.0 probably has to come out of the second car.. might as well make the most of it.
Notes on the car:
- Both power seats work, even the power recline. Need to be reupholstered, though.
- Needs new carpet, or a very good cleaning of the old. Didn't check under mats.
- Power mirrors are functioning properly.
- More interior lights than mine.. whee. More bulbs to replace.
- Both window motors work, just need to fix that glue problem.
- Full digital dash, seems to be in working order.. but REALLY dim unless you turn the lights on. Is this from the auto-dimmer stuff? I don't have it on my first Bird.
- Exhaust is in better condition than mine.
- PS pump was dry when I got there, but took and held fluid and seemed to function properly.
- AC supposedly works, but needs recharge. Immaterial for the moment if I do a swap, though.
- Already has an aftermarket stereo.. an Alpine cassette player. Probably history at some point.
Sorry if I'm rambling.. so tired I can barely think. Yes, worse than usual. :p Just hoping to get a lot of this down before I go to bed.
Was I most likely correct in guessing that oil being blown through the PCV (I am guessing it is.. that tube out of the side of the oil filler.. sorry, never even seen a 5.0 engine up close, as odd as that sounds) into the intake was probably due to bad rings on at least one cylinder?
Slept 12 hours recovering from yesterday.. and I have a pretty good sunburn going now.. but I don't really mind too much. Please ignore what I said about the rings, at least until I can get an answer in Engine Tech about this whole PCV setup.