Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Its been a few months in the making but I finally got this car from a woman at work. Sold my 1990 sprint to a friend for the same price of the new car and drove it home, needs a bit of work but its got just under 200,000 kms, almost no rust, ground effects. All original it seens, right down to the stock casette player. Will get pics up sometime tomorrow. My friend just called and the sprint I sold him is already buried in a ditch under a snowdrift :rolleyes: atleast its not trying to kill me anymore :D

sweet....

badass. Pics are a must.

Pics pics pics pics.

:iagree:

ill second or third that  :ttiwwp:

OK well heres the pics, it snowed last night and I had to drive 60 km on the highway from where I bought it to the shop so its grubby but you get the idea.

A few more

Last ones for now..... So how many people thought I bought a turbo coupe?

For the price of a 16 year old rusted ass sprint with over 300,000km and a smashed windsheild!? are you nuts!

I do know of a loaded 88 tc sitting in a trailer park, been trying for a few years but hes pretty adamant on his $3000 price tag.. i'll be trying again in the spring, once it hits $1000 or less i'll buy it :p

Now why was I expecting to see a turbo Thunderbird? :D

Neat find, though - my brother's ex wife had one of those when new, and that little fvcker would scoot. It was so fast, tiny and tossable one couldn't help but grin when beating on it (wait a minute - was what i just said dirty?)

lol but it needs some work, its slow as hell right now, found a hole in the intercooler and patched that and gave it a new fuel filter and plugs now its a bit happier but still  slow. stone age electronics need some assistance but it didnt cost me anything but transfer fees and tax (about $45) so i'm not complaining.

You can imagine how much fun those plugs were to change. atleast I had a heated shop to play in.

(http://www.dragva.com/forums/images/smilies/wtf.gif) is that??? And why?

I don't think they sold those in the states.

40+mpg turbo, 50+mpg N/A, cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to fix, simple functional design, dependable, fun to drive, easy to fix, will run with a tc, anything else :flip:
Sure did, Chev Sprint, Pontiac Firefly, Suzuki Swift, Geo Metro, Cultus, Forsa, and Holden Barina all suzuki designed and built, sold everywhere, sales on the mk1's sucked though (something like a $3000 upgrade for the turbo on a car that cost $5000 new) but theyre around, make good rally cars, ask me how I know :P

And it parks conveniently in any stahndard size mailbox LOL

We didn't get metro turbo's here and I've never heard of the others aside from the swift.

Yeah...you forgot fugly...(http://www.tidewaterracing.com/forums/images/smilies/barfsmilie.gif)

Wow that IC had to do a lot of good behind the radiator!

To each his own, If you dont like it dont look at it, seems simple enough to me :dunno:

:rollin: :rollin: :rollin:

 nice lookin unique car tho.

just curious, what size engine is that, obviously it's a four banger, but what in liters and/or cubes?
Can't say as it's pretty, but at 40 mpg, and gas prices what they are,  for a daily driver (if that's what it's to be) who the hell can argue??

3 cylinder actually and almost a whole liter of displacement :eek: 996cc I believe pushing out a whopping 70hp stock! (the n/a cars are packing a whole 55, but I was getting over 50mpg in the one I just sold) the turbos are somewhat rare thats why I jumped on this one when I got the chance.

There are swift GTI's that have a 1.6L DOHC 4 cylinder with around 100hp and full hotchkis suspension and they scoot pretty well but are even harder to find.

If you ever drove one of these cars you would understand

And if you look at some of the other cars I own you'd realise I like the 'unique' looking ones :D

Sorry man, just joking with you. I mean what did you expect, you come on a Ford Fox site and post...well...that, whatever it is. So you have to expect some poking fun. I forgot with the harsh winters ya'll have to drive beaters in the winter. Also, Im not used to seeing alot of the cars you Canuks see, evidently ya'll tastes in cars are different...much different.

yah, closest thing to that in the states would be the GTI. and those are rare as hell as it is.
pretty cool car over all. I LIKE IT!

I've seen turbo Sprints here stateside.  There's like 3 in the junkyard.

Im not takin a jab at you i think its an intresting car infact with that gettin 40-50 mpg your one lucky . As seeing that im unemployed once again i would love to have a car that gets that good of MPG. And i Like your Zypher that car is awesome.

Really? ya know what years? I need parts..

thats alright, was kinda sore about it yesterday with some problems it has,i'm not as bitchy today :p
Thanks :D theres more pics here (http://"http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/tbirdscott/zephyr/") if your interested, one owner car, 108,000 original miles, rund good, drives like a 47 year old car though

Image 14 and 15 are the only images that dont look so good.But the rest of that car looks good enough off. Are you going to attempt and restore it? Because these look 20 times better than these new Linclon Zyphers.

Yup, already stockpiling parts for it thats why i've got no money for the tbird, gotta get this on the road this summer. It has a couple small holes in the floor, no bigger than 2" otherwise its just the drivers fender and the filler chipping off the quarter panel. Not going for a full resto, just good enough cause its gonna be driven. Have to avoid modding it, before he passed away I promised my friend I wouldnt if he gave it to me, his gold digging wife still made me pay for it :rolleyes: but its not going anywhere now so its all good :)

By late spring I will be able to get it to the shop (park it beside my buddys merc) and get goin on it. Hopefully it will make it to the fathers day show'n shine.

Cool hope you the best with that, im tied up tryin to pay my dad back and wanting to either mod the cougar or get a little beater that i can put liability on. So i kinda know how it is.

I gotta get some pics of a buds sprint. Custom hood scoop with butterflies, spoiler, running boards side skirts. It is one ghetto cruizer. You will LOVE it.

I see these sprint turbo's every few months in the jys out here. I have a map sensor, 3 injectors, intercooler scoop, horn button cover, and other stuff laying around. I had a buddy who would trade me gas scooters for parts. I would just get carried away. LOL I did not know the turbo's were worth$$. Tell me more. PM me if you want any of this stuff.

i was just thinking... that little car would be super awesome if it was RWD.. would make a fun little beater car for taking out on the twistys.
(i am assuming it is FWD by the transverse nature of the engine)

People have actually done AWD conversions, that would be awesome

If you find an 87-88 turbo I know I need a grille, drivers mirror and intercooler bracket. Not exactually sure what else I need yet or what interchange is between years...

After spending about $300 and replacing everything and anything that could get worn out or plugged up I removed the exhaust to "fix" the cats and this fell out.

(http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/dammit.JPG)

Looks like i'm in the market for a new turbo...

Atleast it handles well and still gets 30mpg

How big in diameter is that impeller?
Hard to believe it went through the engine without causing any damage!
, lol

1 inch and 3/8ths lol its actually the exhaust impeller and just ended up on top of the pre-cat, the intake impeller is still stuck in the turbo and spins, it would have to make it through 3 feet of tubeing and an intercooler before it got to the intake anyway. Either way it sucks.

wow.  thats just..... wow.  Not exactly what you were expecting to see when you took the exhaust off,  huh?  Bet that thing was lacking in power for that first drive home.

I can describe the car in two words the day I first got it -gutless wonder- i've since replaced:

*Original plug wires, coil wire had 1/4" of the center somehow missing 
*Cap & rotor, also looked original
*Original fuel filter
*Original O2 sensor
*3/4 of the original exhaust, only the very front was salvageable

Also:

*Adjusted the valves... twice
*Fresh mobil1 and filter
*'fixed' catalytic convertor
*Patched up a couple broken wires
*And as soon as I figure out how to refill it I have 3 quarts of GM syncromesh waiting for the tranny Aswell as a new timing belt.

I've also tested every sensor atleast twice.

When I got the lower exhaust manifold off I stuck my finger in to see if the impeller would spin freely and was greeted with a gaping hole, I then shook the exhaust, groaned and proceded to pick out the pieces of my turbo.

It still runs better than the sprunt' did on two cylinders lol Why do I like this car!?

 Scott, are those turbo's readily available?

Looks like a candidate for a T3 swap :D

Joking apart, don't think that 3 feet of tubing and an intercooler will save your engine if the impeller comes apart - it didn't work in my Volvo. Enough pieces made it through to hole a piston and seriously f*ck up the cylinder wall (then again, I suppose a single piece of a blade would do that at 3000 RPM)...

Can you get a picture of a factory turbo? I could swear those had an IHI very similar to the Turbo Probes.

the probe used the same turbo as the tc's/svo's yes?

No.

It used an IHI turbo, same turbine side as the 87-88 TC's, but the compressor side was downright tiny. The upgrade for probe guys is using the Tbird IHI compressor housing and mating it to the probe turbine side.

Sprint uses an IHI RHB32 and yes its difficult to find, and a bit pricey for my tastes.

Hers a comparo between the sprint turbo and a volvo T3
(http://i19.ebayimg.com/03/i/05/a3/13/51_1.JPG)

Let me do a little homework here, i might be onto something.

Im going to do some part number referencing, ill probably be PMing you tomorrow or the day after with some numbers id need you to check, to see if theyre on the turbo or not.

*edit*

Now that im looking with more detail, my idea wont work. I was thinking that maybe you could mount up an RHB52W, or even make a hybrid, but the turbo looks to be completely smaller, center section and everything.

Thanks anyway, i've got a couple leads. Ones for sure and ones a maybe, just gotta keep picking up pennies off the ground for another month and hopefully i'll be good to go.

Wow and all this time your turbo car really wasn't.

Its now been dubbed the UN-Turbo sprint..

Found a turbo in manitoba for $275, one in Abbotsford B.C. for $250, And hopefully one at a local wrecker, theyre still trying to find it, the computer says theres one in the yard somewhere..

You could always install an electric "turbonator" :D

i dont know about that one, mainly because its fwd, and it wouldnt go around a corner worth a sheat, but im sure it makes for a all around decently fun reliable car in the end

I meant in the 1/4 mile, these were rated in the 16's aswell

Unless youve driven one of these dont knock the handling, cornering is a bit fun but thats what the e-brake is for :p in snow and dirt these things are on rails.

According to GM Canada's '89 Pontiac line brochure the turbo Firefly (same as Sprint) has the same power-to-weight ratio that a Trans Am had (I'm assuming they meant a 305 version). I know a 305 T/A isn't exactly fast, but it's faster than a TC. It's been a decade and a half since I last drove a turbo Sprint, but I do remember the little  being hella fast. It's only got about a hundred horsepower, but it only weighs about 100 pounds, too (especially after 19 years worth of rust) :hick:

I don't doubt one would keep up with, if not outrun, a stock TC in the 1/4 and on a twisty course. Top end the TC would leave the Sprint in the dust, but that 3600 pounds is a lot of weight to get going and bend into turns...

Got a lil sumptin today ;)

(http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/turbo1.JPG)

http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/turbo.JPG
http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/num.JPG

$150 + S&H off a 91 firefly with a blown headgasket but the oil I did get out of it was clear so i'm not worried, spins nice and free and didnt notice any play in it. The lower coolant line appears to have rusted off and the wastegate was stuck open but my vaccume pod is smooth as butter and I hope my coolant lines are in better shape, cant wait to get it on, I could hardly sleep lastnight lol
http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/rust.JPG
Came with a new O2 sensor in it and I just spent $40 on a new one a couple weeks ago :mad:

Heh heh just re-read my post :p

 Snow???

god that thing is TINY! hehe.

heh could almost use two of those to make a Twin turbo TC one per two cyl lol

man, a regular IHI or T3 would boost that little motor to the sky.. first WOT and the thing would just be shrapnal.

bet it will be a blast to drive when finished though.

Have you ever driven a 305 T/A?  Remember my thread a while back about the 90 camaro?  That thing was about as fast as Blue84302's tbird.  (the only 5.0 fox i've driven)  I would hope a TC would be able to outrun an 84 tbird 5.0.

I'm sure a TC would outrun an '84 5.0 Bird, but any 5-speed 305 TPI T/A I've driven (which were many, I was a mechanic at a GM dealership) would run rings around both my 5.0 'Bird and my '87 TC. Of course, my '85 V6 Thunderbird easily keep up with the '80 Formula Firebird (301ci, 4-bbl) I sold to buy it, so it largely depends on the model year T/A you're talking about. The T/A I'm talking about is an '89 model year with tuned port induction, as that's the year of the Pontiac brochure I have.

The T/A's and Z28's of the day were running with 5.0 Mustangs (according to some magazine articles I have, the Mustangs won some races, the Camaros and Firebirds won others), and I don't think anyone would argue that a (bone stock) Turbo Coupe would run with a 5.0 Mustang....

My TC with minor my mods outruns a 14.30's 5-speed TPI 305 T/A

stock for stock, it should be an almost dead even race

I think I figured out why the previous turbo blew, the bolt that holds the oil line to the turbo was blocked up with sludge, which also explains how I was able to drive the car without the shaft in the turbo.. i'm just glad the blockage didnt loosen up while I was driving:shakehead

Heres some pics of the install of the 'new' turbo, they arent that great and theres only a few but I was in a hurry, I was excited:p

http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/install.JPG

When I removed the intake side pipe from the old turbo I found a suprise!
Also pictured is my lower rad hose clamp and my trans crossmember

http://ca.geocities.com/tbrd_guy/carnage.JPG

While I had it up in the air I decided to finally change the tranny fluid thats been in the trunk for a couple weeks, it used to grind on every downshift now its nice and smooth with the exception on a 'click' every now and then when going from second to first.

With the extra 30-35 horse under foot and a tranny that functions properly I was grinning from ear to ear all night. Now I just gotta get some cash together to do the front brakes... so someone buy my subs! i'm going to go with the factory brakes for now buy would like to upgrade to the larger vented disks down the road, maybe after that cam :D

Showing 6 or 7 pounds of boost. Had it up to about 160km/h on the way home from the shop sunday night, I say about because the speedo only goes to 140. the needle was on the / mark in km/h :D  will take my GPS next time.

Anywhoo I think its not bad for an 18 year old car that still gets 40mpg and has cost me about 1g total.

not bad at all. get that under carridge fixed before you fall through!!!

has to be a blast of a car to drive though.

Its just the Tranny crossmember (common problem) the floor is spotless, then engine is going to fall through before I do :p

The car is a little gokart, its so light and small you can toss it around like a paper ball. And  does that boost feel good :D

:rice: it amuses me :rice: