Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Body/Appearance/Interior => Topic started by: RTStabler51 on December 02, 2005, 04:03:47 PM

Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RTStabler51 on December 02, 2005, 04:03:47 PM
Bastich whoever it was!

I was watchign the Motorsport grille on Ebay and got beat by one dollar!  I knew I should have done the buy it now option!

BTW, I know most of you guys don't like it, but I remember looking at it in the catalog back in the day when I was a kid and wanted one...missed out.  So if anyone sees another let a brother know!
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Thunder Chicken on December 02, 2005, 04:50:57 PM
I found one in a wrecker yard last year on an '85 V8 'bird. It had the grille, ground effects and Motorsport wing, all very rare parts. I posted about 'em here and at NATO, they had a few nibbles, but nobody was serious. The car has long since gone to the crusher. Whether those parts were still attached is unkown...

(http://www.foxthundercats.com/images/DSCF0018.JPG)
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/images/DSCF0019.JPG)
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/images/DSCF0020.JPG)
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Red_LX on December 02, 2005, 05:16:13 PM
I bought an '84 Turbo Coupe a couple years ago to pull an engine from, it had the side skirts on it but nothing else which I thought was kinda weird. I pulled the skirts off and sold em.
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RTStabler51 on December 02, 2005, 09:48:17 PM
ThunderChicken, I've never seen that grille before.  This is the grille I was referring too....
(http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/92/6c/e2_12.JPG)
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Tbird232ci on December 02, 2005, 10:05:51 PM
I dont think thats the motorsport, unless the 85-86 got a differnet one
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Thunder Chicken on December 02, 2005, 10:57:41 PM
That's not the Motorsport grille. I think that's another one that was made recently by a member of NATO - I seem to remember that it caused a great deal of controversy on this board. The one in the pic I posted is the Motorsport grille
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Demented2.3T on December 02, 2005, 10:57:44 PM
Quote from: RTStabler51
ThunderChicken, I've never seen that grille before.  This is the grille I was referring too....
(http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/92/6c/e2_12.JPG)



I saw that grill too. I was thinking about buying but instead im going to make a different version of it
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RTStabler51 on December 03, 2005, 01:21:00 AM
It is a Ford Motorsport grille, the only design I've ever seen.  Looks like there maybe two different variants during the 'glory' years of the AeroBird?  I vividly remember looking at it in the SVO catalog in the late 80s.....
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Tbird232ci on December 03, 2005, 07:24:40 AM
What makes me realize that youre correct Ryan, is that look at the emblems. The one ThunderChicken posted has a molded in 83-84 emblem. The one that you posted has the provisions, and outline of the 85-86 emblem.

I do remember seeing that grill available on the aftermarket too. I remember spoilers.com used to have it so there must be some aftermarket versions floating around too.
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RTStabler51 on December 03, 2005, 11:28:04 AM
I might have the wrong name for the specific grille i posted, but like I said, I just remember seeing it in a late 80s SVO catalog my dad had.  I wish I could find the  thing....
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Sick88Tbird on December 04, 2005, 01:44:18 AM
Does anybody have a pic of one of those 'birds with all the motorsport garb still attached?  I saw those exact same side skirts on an '87 T/C out front of where I used to work...long before I joined this site and didn't know any better.
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Thunder Chicken on December 04, 2005, 08:59:57 AM
I already posted pics in this thread of one I found in the boneyard, but admittedly they're not great pics. Here's one without the wing:

(http://www.foxthundercats.com/gallery/lewis.jpg)
And this one was actually a concept car for the 87 Turbo Coupe (this pic was taken in 1983) according to Car and Driver magazine:
(http://www.foxthundercats.com/spyshot.jpg)
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: shame302 on December 04, 2005, 11:35:18 AM
awesome...i like it without the spoiler better. nice find right there...
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: DakotaEpic on December 04, 2005, 03:12:25 PM
Is there any practical use of the oddly shaped holes in it, or is it like that basically for looks?
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: shame302 on December 04, 2005, 03:24:11 PM
i realy kind of dig the non symetrical look....
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RTStabler51 on December 04, 2005, 11:27:34 PM
Quote from: DakotaEpic
Is there any practical use of the oddly shaped holes in it, or is it like that basically for looks?
According to the ebay auction the seller said it was for better airflow for the t/c....however, I thought on the t/c 2.3L the scoops in the hood fed the i/c?
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: CougarSE on December 04, 2005, 11:33:11 PM
Well the only cars to get the scoops had a solid grill, the 87 88's that wasn't replaceable. It was part of the header panel.  I think the guy is just trying to make up stuff, the regular tc grills were just as free flowing as that thing
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: BCA on December 05, 2005, 12:04:22 PM
That Geometric design grill & ground effects were made by Spoilers Plus and was also sold through Ford Motorsport. It was first offered in their 1987 catalog and then last appeared in the 1990 catalog.
Ford didn't sell the kit as one part number, it was only sold a-la-cart. The part number for the grill only was M-8200-A621.
The rest of the part numbers were:

M-10154-A621  -  Side Spats
M-17836-A621  -  Rear Quarter Deflector
M-44210-A621  -  Rear Spoiler

You could get the front air dam either with or without fog lamp openings.

M-17626-B621  -  Front air dam with fog lamp openings
M-17626-A621  -  Air dam without fog lamp openings

It seems to me that Spoilers Plus also offered the more traditional looking grill in their catalog but I don't remember for sure. I have their catalog in my collection too but it's currently buried do to a basp00get remodelling project.

BTW, the suggested retail price of that grill in "the day" was a whopping $250.00 !  :eek:

Brent
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Tbird232ci on December 05, 2005, 01:26:11 PM
Quote from: RTStabler51
According to the ebay auction the seller said it was for better airflow for the t/c....however, I thought on the t/c 2.3L the scoops in the hood fed the i/c?

The grill wouldnt make any significant change in airflow, not enough to make any difference.

The only cars to get an IC from the factory was 87-88's, and those are the only ones to have the hood scoops.
Title: early intercolers
Post by: turbokev on December 05, 2005, 02:15:56 PM
I remember that offset opening grill being available back in the day ..When I bought my 1985 TC brand new, I had a Ford Motorsport FMIC and a Ford dash mounted boost controller put in.

That grill gives 'better' air flow to the Motorsport FMIC..(at least on paper)

I didn't like the look that much so I kept my stock grill.
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RDOG on December 07, 2005, 09:07:08 PM
Yeah, it was made for a FMIC kit. I am the guy who made the billet grille unit and I am also the guy who won that one on ebay. He He He. Actually I got it to add to my collection. ACTUALLY I sold it to him many years prior and since then I picked up a 86 TC and decided to get it back. Love ebay
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Demented2.3T on December 11, 2005, 10:50:53 AM
Quote from: RDOG
Yeah, it was made for a FMIC kit. I am the guy who made the billet grille unit and I am also the guy who won that one on ebay. He He He. Actually I got it to add to my collection. ACTUALLY I sold it to him many years prior and since then I picked up a 86 TC and decided to get it back. Love ebay


Hey Rdog got any pics??
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RDOG on December 16, 2005, 12:28:50 AM
Quote from: Demented2.3T
Hey Rdog got any pics??


Here you go :)

http://biggrgivens.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album03
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: Ifixyawata on December 16, 2005, 12:57:02 AM
I don't think the grille that RTStabler51 posted was a one-off.  There was an 83-86 TC for sale just over the state line in PA for a couple months.  Frank, turbo83coupe (I think) told me about it at CJ.  When I saw it for myself (just drove by, didn't stop) I saw that very grille and thought it was a broken motorsport grille, but once I slowed down to actually look at it, I saw the vertical piece coming from the bottom.  Is this some other incarnation of the Motorsport grille, or is it another aftermarket grille from a third-party company?
Title: Motorsport Grille
Post by: RDOG on December 16, 2005, 01:09:02 AM
Quote from: Ifixyawata
I don't think the grille that RTStabler51 posted was a one-off.  There was an 83-86 TC for sale just over the state line in PA for a couple months.  Frank, turbo83coupe (I think) told me about it at CJ.  When I saw it for myself (just drove by, didn't stop) I saw that very grille and thought it was a broken motorsport grille, but once I slowed down to actually look at it, I saw the vertical piece coming from the bottom.  Is this some other incarnation of the Motorsport grille, or is it another aftermarket grille from a third-party company?


I am the party/inventor/creator of the billet grille. The other grille was made by Erubuni for FMS.