Thunderbird that is....well I am buying her off of my neighbor across the street. He has pampered it and the main reason I am buying it is because I know he always took care of it. I always wanted this car...since I first saw it when he moved here a few years ago(when I was in 9th grade). Well since my '83 TA was in the accident and I couldnt find any nice TPI TA's or GTA's for sale I guess I will be picking up this car. Tell me what you think. Soon enough I will own a gunmetal gray t-top L98 GTA...but until then this is my car. '88 Turbo Coupe...I know it is a 4 banger...but I like it.

James

 

Damn, looks sweet!!!!

I have a soft spot for those too, don't diss the 4 cyl though, they can move out pretty well. Lots of mods are available for them too.
Here's a link for tons of info. The guys on this board are really helpful. It's like our thirdgen board for Turboford owners.
http://ubb.turboford.org/

And a few other things, I'm on that board under the same user name.
So get in touch with me, here or there. How much $$ did you give for it?, mileage, etc........

And since this isn't really a thirdgen related matter,
prepare for LOCKDOWN.
9...........8.............7............6...........

 

Well...before it is locked. I payed 2 grand for her. She has 122k miles on her. They are pampered miles though. It is all stock with a K&N airfilter. The car is auto, leather interior, electric sunroof, the trunk is dynomatted for my stereo install(the previous owner used the car in audio competitions), has remote start. The car was covered in the winters and he drove his truck in winters. I plan to possibly do some mods in the future...but I would rather keep her original for now. Before I do any modding I would like to make sure the engine is in tip top running order. Please let me know of some mods to do. Is it possible to get these cars to run with 3rd gen TPI cars?? Thanks.

James
jimbo1184@hotmail.com

My sn on that website is Jimbos88TC

 

1- Boost controller
2- Larger diameter downpipe from Turbo to (or past) Cat Conv.
3- No converter preferred (if you don't have emissions testing)
4- Modify Turbo, or get a bigger one (Remove IHI, Get a T-3)
5- This is a MUST, this is more to increase the life of your Turbo, use Synthetic oil, or at least Durablend(semi-synthetic) Change at 3,000 miles RELIGIOUSLY, and let it run at least a minute or 2 if you've been running it hard, before you shut the engine off. That way the Turbo gets down from the HIGH RPM's that they turn under boost.
6- Turbocharged cars respond best to breathing enhancements, open up intake/exhaust and add more boost.
7- Use Premium Fuel to avoid Detonation.
8- Ditch the Automatic, the Ford Autobox stinks!!!, or at least plan on modifying it (shiftkit) And also the automatic equipped cars were limited on boost to around 10-12 PSI, the 5-speeds could run 15-18 PSI.

Good Luck!
These cars can run well over 200K with proper care, the bottom ends are bulletproof. The heads can be a weak point, prone to cracking if car overheats. And LOTS of parts for these cars have been discontinued from Ford, and can be hard to find in the yards.

 

Nice car, looks like my brothers!!
His exterior looks the same, but he has blue cloth interior, 5 speed tranny, and a t3 turbo!

 

Hey Jim, when did you have an accident with the TA? How bad? Did you manage to sell that car or did you part it out or junk it?

BTW, that T-Bird beats the hell out of that Saturn I told ya about.