first drive in 15 years 88 turbo coupe Thunderbird 2.3
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Well After 15 years of being infested with rats we drive the car back to the location where it’s sat , and do a little burnout in the 88 Thunderbird turbocoupe 2.3 four cylinder Ihi turbo automatic transmission 8.8 rear axle 373 gears posi
I love love love your videos! Almost 80 year old Granni, but what memories I have watching you. My Daddy had 5 girls, no boys so I became "his boy"! lol He was a shade tree mechanic, who later had his own garage and I loved working on cars with him! I have 2 sons, they are known around town as The Chevy Boys, when I bought a Mustang, they made me park it behind the house! lol Love'em anyway. Blessings from good ole East Tennessee
That’s awesome thank you we must be neighbors
2.3 lima is the most under rated motor. There tough as hell
Yes they are I have never broke one
@@Sleeperdude i had a 87 ford ranger with headers cherry bomb pro cam. And a cold air intake and 250k miles 0to60 in 7sec but 60to90 in 50sec. Haha my lil ratrod
The car brings back memories of my senior year in high school. That was one of the cars to have
I bet they were then
I had a 85 Thunderbird and it handed so nice, best car I ever had.. great video 👍 Thanks
That’s cool thank you
Just picked up an 88 TC with only 26k miles on it! These videos of you fixing up your TC are absolutely fantastic, can't wait for the next one!
Wow that’s low miles thank you
Bro you are hilarious and brilliant! I am loving this thunderbird series, it is one of my favorite cars.
Thank you
ok I had decided I had subscribed to enough channels then I watched a couple of yours and after seeing the kids being part of working on the cars I added yours thanks for the family values if there ever were a time in which we need more of it it is now
Thank you I appreciate that
Our 14 year old Yorkie still catches mice she's a demon in the yard with gophers.
Scooter goes crazy over them
I used to have one of these years ago that I built to be pretty fast and one of the first tricks I found that added a ton of low end power and throttle response was to remove the sealed cap on the Vane Airflow Meeter and actually adjust the tension on the spring to vane. If I remember correctly I added tension to the spring. With a little trial and error you'll find the sweet spot.
I messed with that as well years ago on mine but I can’t remember which way I adjusted it
@@Sleeperdude I definitely tightened it
@@barstadryan ok thank you
Many years ago I had a black 88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Very fun car to drive!!!
Awesome . Yes we love the thunderbirds
Keep these videos coming! Fun to watch your family in action. Always there to help!
Being a Tc enthusiast myself and owning one, this series is awesome! Keep it up
Thanks !
LMAO, "lets take it easy 'cause the timing belt" next breath "Hey lets do a burn out". Great vid. Can't wait to see what is next.
Very true thanks for watching
Your first turbo coupe video is what turned me on to your channel. I love the turbo coupes. I’ve owned many of them. I’m excited to see what you do with it. I really like your other videos too. Keep up the good work!
Thanks man I’m a big Thunderbird supercoupe and turbocoupe fan to
Thumbs up for you spending time with your son......Got to find me an old school T-Bird !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you
These are great cars, that sadly not many of are left. I have a 1987 Turbocoupe as a daily driver and it is the fourth 87-88 turbo bird I have owned. Reliable and super fun to drive especially if they are a 5 speed car. Make sure that use use original Motorcraft ignition parts when giving these 2.3 turbo cars a tune up
Yes I have had a bunch of them too I love them
What happened to the other 3?
Welded to my phone 📱 with this series , thanks for the tour of that area very beautiful.
Great thank you
Really like the videos. I’m a big Tbird fan from way back. My first was an 83 TC 5 speed.I’ve had several over the years. My current is an 85 V8 bird.It’s a 30th Anniversary edition and probably my keeper.
I have had a bunch of them over the years I love them
I just bought a '88 same color. Love that car.
That’s awesome
Congrats on it running and driving. And it's awesome to see a small piece of history still alive. Cheers from Oshawa Ontario Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you
I don’t think you will ever get that smell out of the seats. I think that’s why the pup was looking for the rats. Maybe there is a remedy? Great video!
Yeah he’s a rat killer !!!!
Imagine electronics not working after soaking them down with water....🤣 Great stuff though. I've never seen these Thunderbird models.
This video was fun to watch. I was 20 years old when this car came out. Wanted a white 5 speed so much.
Heard you on the Ramsey Show and wanted to send you some love. Best of luck doing what you're doing!
Thank you for checking the channel out
Nice video always liked these turbo birds, you definitely should get a new carpet... its worth it! 🙂
Thanks , yes I should
Love them T-Birds my dad loved them drove several nice ones. Yours is a good find have fun with it. Nice to see your family participate brings a family closer and stronger. Your little goats are beautiful they are awesome. Are they special breed? Had a couple my self , small and normal size. Smart beautiful animals . The little doggie looks spunky.
Yes it’s great to have my family help the goat is a Nigerian dwarf
@@Sleeperdude I loved it, way to get the kids in there and Rocky! He is cute and so are your kids!
Oh I used to have a super coupe in 87 I loved it. I used to think I was so cool 😎
That’s awesome
Oh back in the 90's I bought one of these bad boys from a shady dealer in Florida. In those days I traveled with the rodeo, and the bucking stock was kept in Central Florida. I took my bonus (for making it to the end of the year without quitting or getting a leg broken), and spent about half of it on what I thought was a beautiful, low-mileage 88 Turbo Coupe. I hit the road with two other cowboys who needed a ride to Vegas, 3 dogs, and one stripper. What followed was two hellish weeks of long-haul mechanical hell. Before I even got to Ocala the car started overheating, and I had to stop every 20 miles or so to fill up the radiator. Stopping every 20 miles on a 3000 mile road trip is no fun.
We got into Louisiana by the next day, and stopped in a small town called Denham Springs. I stopped at a radiator shop and had them check out my radiator, but there was no problems. No water leaks, fans working, thermostat working, she just ran hot and spit out water from the overflow tank. I narrowed the problem down to a bad head gasket, and not having the cash to have a shop do the work, I went to the nearby Napa and talked to the owner, a good old boy called Mr Ruben. He was a Southern Gentleman, and myself, having been in the Army for some years in Alabama and Georgia, and picked up the accent. We got along well, he gave me what I needed to fix my car, and offered me, my cowboys, stripper, and 3 dogs a place to spend the night.
Next morning I went to a pawn shop and bought the basic tools I needed to change a head gasket. I worked on the car in the parking lot behind the radiator shop, and in a few hours I had the head off. When I had a close look at it, I found the head gasket was fine, and the cylinder head was cracked. Now, the Ford 2.3 Turbo has a unique cylinder head. The nearby junk yard was full of Pintos and 2.3 parts, but, hidden in all the junk was a wrecked SVO Mustang. The kid at the junk yard pulled the head for me, and I bought it for $60.
The owner of the radiator shop brought me back to put my car back together. He, like Mr Ruben, was a nice guy. He invited me, my two cowboys, the stripper, and dogs, to his home for dinner with his family, and we had a great meal. The next day all of us, except for the dogs, went to see his kids march in the Christmas parade in Baton Rouge. Later in the day I got the car back together, and our troop hit the road.
We got across the rest of Louisiana, drove into Texas, and got as far as San Antonio when the car started losing power, and wouldn't go faster than 70 mph. I found out that the fuel pump wasn't working well, I swapped it out in a Walmart parking lot. We got to Phoenix, and the car started stalling. It would run fine for a couple hours, and then just shut off. After checking he fuel pump, filters, wires, etc. I guessed it was the TFI module. I replaced the module, and the car ran like a champ.
We rolled into Vegas a week later than expected, tired of each other's company. We checked into a roach motel, and the next morning the police knocked on my door. They asked me if I owned a gold 88 T-Bird, and if I knew this person (they showed me a picture of the stripper). It turns out she "borrowed" my car in the middle of the night, got drunk with some other strippers, and rolled my car down I-15, with everyone being ejected from the car, but no one getting more than some scratches and bruises.
I had to go the police tow yard to get my things out of the car. The two cowboys headed home with two of the dogs, the stripper went to jail when it was found she had two priors for DUI (even though she was only 19), and arrest warrants from two other states. I hitchhiked home with one dog, and had nothing more to do with the rodeo or strippers. I did buy another 88 Turbo Coupe a couple years later.
I would LOVE to have one of these nowadays. I had a 1990 Supercoupe, but that was probably 20 years ago. I have a 1997 Honda Civic coupe that makes 709 wheel horsepower and a 2001 Honda Accord that has an Acura 3.2 V6 with a six speed manual swap with a GTS3582 turbo and it makes 502 whp. I'd love to have an old school 88 Turbocoupe or a SVO Mustang and upgrade the exhaust manifold and turbo, throw a front mount intercooler on it, bigger injectors, get rid of that airflow sensor, put a cold air intake on it, and run it off of the Megasquirt that I have in my toolbox. It'd also have to get a T5 swap...I can't roll with an auto.
Edit: I also wouldn't mind having a Merkur XR4Ti.
That sounds like the thoughts in my head
I had an '88 with a manual transmission, I loved the car and drove it to almost 230,000 miles until the head gasket went and the head cracked. I never had to do any unscheduled maintenance on the engine. I will say it used to go through timing belts as they would start cracking after a little while. I did replace the heater core (twice) and will say that the job SUCKS as the whole dashboard has to come out of the car. I still have an axle shaft in the attic with the tone ring on it, not sure if the automatic and the standard used the same axle shaft.
To this day it was my favorite car to drive and I do miss it.
I blew 2 head gaskets on mine turning the boost up with the stock fuel pump mistake
I just can't believe it!! Seriously can't believe this!! I had the exact same car in grey 88 t bird turbo coupe but was 5 spd n was the car that tought me how 2 shift fast,, that car didn't care how hard u shifted it, it would just take it! I think mine had a worn cam though because around 90mph it made a tinny sound in the top end and my oil psi looked good in normal on the guage but never actually tested its psi physically.. the boost seemed 2 work fine but I wish it made little more,, could've taken it to someone, a race mechanic in my neighborhood or fool w myself at the time but I only owned for 1yr,, boost would run up to 11 or 12 psi but driving casual would b around 7,, my hood was so faded i sanded it n sprayed it black enamel and the rest of paint still looked decent and still was waxable looked pretty good w the hood in black just set it off a little, it had 190k n the issue I had was it blowing head gaskets,, would run hot shut down for 20 min or so then run again,, I remember it was programmed from factory to run very warm think around 210 n was supposed to turn fan (s) on at 220 similar 2 today's cars but in opinion for this turbo coupe back then was too hot, I replaced head gasket n let me tell u it's a iron head weighing what feels like 100lb but in reality was probly 50 or so... upon removing old gasket I remember it looking as if it could've been done before... ran good after I changed gasket n I wasn't cheap 2 it,, put new rad, t stat, water pump, basic tune up,, also the fans weren't working, I never fixed or figured out y they weren't triggering on from computer, was probly fan/temp switch,, instead I wired one of them 2 turn on w a/c since it still worked but bearly blew cold but had enough refrigerant psi to trigger the compressor clutch on so I disconnect compressor n ran one fan off that plug n it didn't overheat after that,, I sure wouldn't recommend anyone do that but at the moment I just wanted 2 get it more drivable, the alternator I think was a denso,, it needed one n was bit hard 2 find atleast in my price range at the time so actually found one used n still cost 100$ but it worked great,, suspension was another thing,, was just worn out, bit too soft so I bypassed the firm ride switch to b on all the time n handled much better,, selling point to turbo coupe I had was,, it looked good inside n out,, but was just worn out n me being only 25 or so back then I didn't have as much knowledge but I feel I did decent w it....was definitely a car w its own character, interesting car but I didn't trust it very much n chose 2 sell it,, regret a little but I felt was rite thing to do so it was sold 1 yr later,, Thankx 4 video!!
Thanks I really like them too
Glad yall getting it running good luck buddy take care
Thank you
The best I could get out of mine in the 1/8th was a 10.2 at 70mph. It won’t 60ft worth a crap with the automatic. Mods are Cone filter, intercooler fan, increased fuel pressure, 16-18psi. Adjusted VAM. Cat back straight pipe. Shifting at 5000rpm
Wow I wasn’t sure what they ran my 5?speed one ran 9.2 stock and my modified 2.3 maverick ran 8.0 @ 90
I sold new Fords from 1984 to 1990 at a dealership in Texas. We got in several of these shipped to us and were fairly popular and easy sales. We dealer traded one from Dallas to Houston and an older gentleman drove it back. He pulled off the hwy and shut it off without letting it cooled down. Fried the bearings on the turbo with less than 300 miles.
That is the highest mileage superbird in existence!
I have heard you can do that if you really beat on them and then shut them off
Like my volvo 940 2316 single turbo ...! Top speed 220kmph standard engine ...! Can feel the GO with the turbo and volvo EXHAUST SOUND ...!
Anything turbo I like
I'm a Ford guy. Love it brother...thanks for sharing....
Thank you
👌
I really can't wait to see this when it's all done saving it from the crusher and bringing it back to life
Me too
@@Sleeperdude my car is an 86 with a 5.0 and I love it I just hate how unappreciated they are
One of my favorite cars or all time. Great video
Me too
I was able to get headlights like those polished up with Meguire's Plastix. It worked on a Taurus, a Sable, and a Cougar headlights from the same era as your car.
For the bad one, I'd start with 1000 then 1500 then 2000 grit wet paper. You could start with 1500 and go to 2000 grit on the good one. It will save a lot of polishing time and paste if you do, but it will look like you made it worse temporarily.
I tried Pastix plastic polish on the dash lens of my 71 Javelin and discovered it had clock! My rubber trim on my Mark 8 is like yours. I think I am going to spray paint it dull red or argent grey so it is all the same color again.
Ok thank you
Nothin like bringing a cool vehicle back to life man.
I agree thank you
Man you are a cool dude and a good mechanic.
Thank you
Nice to see people still likes these cars I used to build in Lorain assembly plant in Ohio
That’s soo cool
Awesome video. Loving the Turbo Coupe!!👍
Thank you
For the carpet use dawn dish soap baking soda and fabulous scrub power wash then shop vac it good to go great video love the channel
Ok great thank you
I like this, looking forward to future videos
Thank you
@@Sleeperdude I need someone to fix my car..LOL I have a 2000 LEXUS LS400
the RPM's are so low I can not drive it anymore unless I keep the a/c on.. otherwise it stalls..
You had me at thunderbird 😂 love it, I got an ‘87 that was a six cylinder that I swapped an 5.0 in to
I love them too
Man it was awesome to see it on the road man. I know you had a lot of fun driving it. Especially on them back roads , doing those burnouts , even had your favorite driving shoes on. ( you know I love that part I say that a lot myself ) I make my co-workers laugh all the time when I say ( don't make me have to put on my steel toe flip-flops on to put a hammer down ) one thing you can say she's not weak she did a burnout. It just needs a little upgrade tuning and it'll be alright. That sucks about the heating cord but I'm glad it didn't overheat on you and leave you stranded. I'm glad you got that oil pressure gauge working again but I will put another one up against the windshield panel frame inside the car & put a booster gauge too. Good video Brothers.
Thank you
Found you from you Dave Ramsey call today. Great channel! Good luck to you!
That’s cool thanks for checking my channel out
I used to ride to work back in the 90s with a friend who had a 86 turbo coupe with the 5 speed it was a nice car
The 5 speed ones are fun
I have got to tell you I love your channel ❤️💕🥰👍
Thank you
I love the sound the exhaust makes
Me too just needs to be louder
Lol... tightened put the oil plug to 1000 pounds 😂. I love your videos!
Thanks Josh hey that’s my name too
@@Sleeperdude Right on! 🙂
I forgive you for using that language you said new tires coming out of the tire store we all have slip ups but the good thing is that you got help for it
That motor brings back memories of my 85 SVO
I love svos
Found myself living in a pinto station wagon with a 2.3 in the early nineties. It smoked and I honestly don’t know how I lived. But that engine sound reminds me.
Lovin these thunderbird videos brother! Keep it up!
Thank you
heard you call in to Uncle Dave, love to see you using the envelope...keep it up!
Oh cool thank you for checking my channel out
I had a radioestore in that exact condition. At some point it started to sprinkle and I just installed the tow package radiator. It was just an 85 grand marquis but man I miss that thing
Absolutely Love your channel
Thank you
@@Sleeperdude When you get 1 million subscribers, please remember the ones at the start🙂🤟🙂❤️
Yes sir
Love the vids and the car it's a keeper wuz up from west knoxville.
Yep it’s a keeper
I know whenever I'm driving to town to get my "May-Pop Tires" replaced, as soon as I find myself on a back road in the middle of nowhere, the 1st thing that comes to my mind is "Hey, I think I'll line-lock this sucker and see if I can shred me some rubber"! I do wish I could say I never did anything like that but well....... LOL
Exactly !!!! Thanks for watching
Yesterday, took my F350 SD to pick up a ton of gravel. Get done, head to the Amoco to put $30 in it. Out by the fuel island- "Pop!"- and the water pump just let go. It hasn't been a year since it went through a big re-vamp
That’s crazy
@@Sleeperdude happens. Same truck about 11 days earlier had two deers leap out from Duke Forest and go under the bumper & wheels. Luckily (again), it sports a Warn bumper and had no damage
🤣 kick panel for when copperhead road comes on the radio. starting to get up there with vice grip on the one liners
Thank you
You just gained a new subscriber I just starting a née project with a 2.3T. 1984 Ford ranger 5 speed 4x4
That’s sounds neat thanks for watching
I had one of these in the Early 90's Get used to them running HOT they did it from day 1.
The only way I kept it in check on hot days was run a Jumper to the Fans and that seemed
to help so when on fan kick on they both we on.
Heavy Slow traffic it was always close to the RED!!
Loved the car though. My Auto Trans went out at 64k though.
OK thanks for letting me know
I own the rival 90 Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix. Dig these Turbo Coupes! Best thing for a turbo car is 3k oil change maintenance schedule. I only ever use Shell Rotella T4 diesel oil in classics. Has more ZDDP in it if you have flat tappets. If you have hydraulic lifters you can really use anything. Id probably use Pennzoil High Mileage. Used it for years. Least you'll have something that makes the seals swell in it.
Had to subscribe really enjoy your Videos we live in Tennessee to and we have 9n ford and a falcon 😁😁😁👍👍
We must be related then
I had an 83 model. It was a fun car to drive.
That looked so good driving on the road...
Thanks
I had one of those, it was fun. Modded waste gate with a holley carb jet for more boost
That’s a neat idea
Great video, great job, i'll wait for another video!!!!
Coming soon
your rear defrost switch stuck in the one position is what drains your battery... I have the same problem with my 87 turbo coupe
Ok I will look at that thanks
Nice resurrection! I always have had a soft spot for T Birds. First one was a 1956, which I bought in 1960. It was the site of lots of good times! Next one was a 1970 4 door bought in 74. Then a 1997 bought new. Finally a 2003, which I still own, and will keep it forever. Nice and snug in my shop building. Really love the 2 passenger models. Does yours have pussyfoot (4 wheel independent) suspension? Removing the A/C belt, regardless of the old wives tales, does not exert measurable drag. The big culprit is the fan. I even tried out the A/C or no A/C to see for myself. Being hot outside, we had the windows open, which creates drag, and gas mileage was nearly identical over the same 20 mile stretch of I40. I'd rather be cool, thanks!
No the 88 had a live rear axle but my 89 is independent rear suspension
Great job Josh 👍
My oil pressure sensor stoped working a week ago today. Had it towed home. Took out the sensor and a oil gauge to it. Had 55 pounds of pressure cold. Hooked up new sensor. Gauge works again. When warmed up gauge Is low. But no noise from the motor at all..
Your good to go
Awesome throw back video
Thank you for watching it
looking foward to see you putting the interior back
Me too
There's one of these sitting in a backyard next to a ladies house I mow. I saw the old man once out there piddling, but I was talking to someone else and didn't get a chance to ask about it. Im not really a person who randomly knocks on doors or i would. The last time I did that asking about an IROC Camaro, "The Hills Have Eyes" answered the door. The car looks complete, its in the shade covered in pecan sap, so its not sun-beaten at least. Anyway...IDK. Maybe if I see him out again.
Yeah it can be sketchy knocking on doors
@@Sleeperdude I like your comedy in your videos. Its just as much a part of the subject of getting cars going. I did a bit of improv stand up years ago in Houston. You're a natural.
I like the 67 tbird and the 87 88s ive had a few. Wish i still had them
Yes I am a t bird fan for life
@@Sleeperdude me 2 my dad and i was looking for a 67 for years father son project. He passed b4 we found 1. I finally bought 1 awhile back havent got very far with it yet
Great video!! Can't wait for the next!
Thank you
Hello! We own a same year Thunderbird and a turbo coupe as well. We seem to be having the same problem that you have with the ignition. Basically it to get it to start, I have to, well, start it and I have to hold the key forward to keep it running. To get anything else to work, I have to roll the key back to the run position but it’s so finicky to the point where it takes a couple tries to do it. Any recommendations?
Replacing that ignition switch fixed mine
@@Sleeperdude good to hear, I’ll have to try that on ours. Thanks!
@@Sleeperdude glad to report, it fixed ours as well. Superb.
reason why most fire 1342 is to keep the engine from rocking, not to mention its also because of the crank design .
Ok cool
I hate the anti theft in these cars, being a owner of a 86 t-bird. I can say I don't recommend fixing it.
Ok thanks
Excuse the question, but I have been following your videos about this vehicle and when you went out for a ride, I noticed that the temperature indicator was higher than it should normally be, did you notice it? Is it due to the loss of fluid from the radiator? Be careful with the overheated ones, see that they can cost you dearly. many greetings and my congratulations from Buenos Aires Argentina !!!
I believe it was a combination of losing antifreeze from the heater core and the electric fans are not working thanks for watching in Argentina
11:23 nice pour. A car with firing order different than 1-3-4-2, VW aircooled motors are 1-4-3-2.
Always thought these were cool cars. 👍
Me too
I just love all the pets
Thanks we do too
Good details and great video
Thank you
sprinkle baking soda throughout to remove odours, vacuum or blow out after a couple days.
That’s a great idea
I’m still waiting to find me some empty envelopes like you did. Maybe someday…..🙂
That’s funny
Definitely waiting for the next video
There will be one
How did you fix the door lock? We have the same issue on an 88
Ik you hope you don't have a blown head gasket but honestly I kinda hope you do ONLY bc I would love to see you fix the problem. I learn so much fun watching these videos.
AFM meter. Bmws and Peugeots had them too in the 1980s and the early 1990s
Yes I have a 1990 e30 325i that has the same thing you are right
I'd love to see one of those turbo engines in your ford galaxy wagon😁🤣👍
👍
Sprinkle some baking soda in it. The stuff folks keep in their fridge to keep any smells out. Sprinkle it on the seats and on the run... leave it in there a few days and then vacuum it out, see if it helps. You can try using pet powdered deodorizer its basically the same thing but they add a scent to it, that may help too
Great idea
Had 2 sets of those jack stands. Mine kicked the bucket while holding up my brothers new ram 3500 dually. It didn't drop it just jammed up the pile after it came loose of the handle... what are you doing with all these old ferds?? That T bird is almost nice. If I where allowed to leave my country I'd offer to buy it from you. But I can't...so I won't..
I just happened upon a guy that wanted to sell all of them and I couldn’t resist some of them are going to be builds on the channel and some of them I’m going to sell once I get them going
That calcification in your radiator is usually caused by mixing different types of coolant. Flush that system out, use coolant flush, remove thermostat and back flush it, pray it will clean up without having to replace the radiator, heater core and all the rubber hoses! Use green coolant and flush every two years. I have had nothing but problems both at home and at work with OAT coolants so all my vehicles get flushed, swapped over to green coolant and serviced (flushed and refilled) every two years. Do this before you run it on the road and have overheating issues.
Ok thank you
I loved these cars to
They are a good looking car
I love the shape of the car
Me too