Hello brickboarders. Just got a few questions about my brick that you guys can hopefully help me with.

First of all, I purchased this car about 9 months ago. It has 143k miles on it.

1 - I just had the engine flushed, the trans flushed, the power steering drained, the fuel injectors cleaned, and the radiator flush. Within the last 10K miles I had the timing and fan belts changed, the water pump replaced, and the AT tail shaft bushing replaced. Is there anything else I should be concerned about to get it running well and lasting forever. The guy before me did NOTHING for this car. I figure, since I got it for $600 USD, I can sink a little bit of money into it.

2 - The car "bottoms out" when I go up driveways or when I hit bumps with three large adults in the back. What can this be?

3 - I failed NOx for the emissions, but my uncle put me through with a passing sticker anyway. Is replacing the cat. conv. and exhaust system a job that a novice DIY-er can do? Also, can I do it by just jacking the rear tires or do I need a lift?

4 - The front passenger door and front passenger fender are rather badly dented. Any NJ/NY area places to get these parts? I also need rear bumper trim moulding clips, 1 tan interior door handle trim (the rectange) and tan emergency brake console. Also lookin for a front grille, but all the ones on ebay are either hundreds of dollars or have missing clips on the bottom. Can I still mount it with broken clips? If anyone has any of these parts, please email me at allantaylor2003@Yahoo.com. Thanks!

Sorry for the long, multiple topic post, but I didn't want to post multiple posts and crowd up the board. Thanks for whatever replies I get!

Re: Changing the cat. Yes, you can do it if you have some jack stands, some 6-point sockets, and a can of penetrating oil. It is closer to the front than to the back.

Bottoming out: If the normal ride height is lower than it should be, I have read here that NAPA has springs that will fit the rear for a very good price.

An '87 is about due for lots of rubber suspension bushings and the engine mounts if they have not been done before. This is a little tougher than some folks want to tackle on their own. A cheap hydraulic press from Harbor Freight is a LOT of help when it comes to replacing bushings.

The first bushings to go are the lower rear control arm bushings. Replacing those requires a special tool that you can buy, or make yourself following instructions that you can find posted on this board.

If the car seems to float around as though the tire pressure is low, or you get jumping in the rear end when you accelerate, you have worn bushings.

For molding clips I would suggest you buy them from FCP Groton . com

I have tried getting them off of junkies, but they usually break.

Actually you can get all the maintenance items you will need there and at reasonable prices. For the O2 sensor (if you decide to replace it) do a search on Foprd Mustang here on the BB. The O2 sensor that fits in the Mustang also will fit your brick but at a fraction of the cost, I believe you can get it for 35 dollars at Autozone and they will lend you the tool for free to remove the old O2 -- very useful.

Good luck.
--
'89 244DL M47 164K miles

Does the car actually bottom out by hitting the pavement or does the body bottom out the suspension? Could be rear bushings, weak springs, shocks. It could also be the exhaust pipe/muffler hitting something.

When was the last time the oxygen sensor was changed? That along with a complete tuneup and throtle body cleaning should get you to pass inspection.

You can get all of the body, trim pieces in junkyards. Most any 86-93 body parts will fit. Many interior parts will fit even back to the 70s models. Call around your area. Good Luck

Brake fluid should also be changed every couple of years. Flame trap,air filter, fresh plugs, distributor cap and rotor are all inexpensive and are regular maintance items. I have both a sedan and wagon and the springs in the sedan are softer give a smoother ride but the downside is less of a load carrying capacity. Your bottoming out with 3 large adults I would say is normal. If you do this all the time and really want to increase the load capacity Wagon or overload springs should help.

A few maintenance notes that are easy to do yourself.

Check FAQ section on this board regarding throttle body cleaning and flame trap cleaning. This will improve your performance. You may also want to check the main fuse under the hood on driver's fender well to see if it is corroded. You may want to replace it with a good weather proof type. If this gets a little corroded and overheats, the computer will get a voltage drop and make your car run like crap and then die, so its a cheap good preventative maintenance. Also if you have the old cermamic fuses in the fuse holder, and they are corroding, replace them with glass ones. Corrosion here can cause your fuel pump to stop. Finally, if you suspect that the fuel filter has never been replaced, do so.

Gary