They are separate, but the mouldings have tabs that goes down into the beutyl that the window is stuck too. I haven't seriously looked at it yet though.
Build Thread '83 T-top Coupe - Welding Holes in My Rear
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The $3700 profit was nicer......it was an ok car. Completely rust free, t-top, ran pretty good and 5 speed. I had fun with it but then moved on to something else.
http://forums.corral.net/forums/member-build-up-projects/1999626-1985-gt-t-top.html
http://forums.corral.net/forums/member-build-up-projects/1999626-1985-gt-t-top.html
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Yep, $3700 would've had me saying sold, still, a 4i'd t-top gets me going.....
Ok, so i got the afternoon off and was at the salvage yard by 2PM.
It was 22* when i got there, not bad by itself, the 15 mph wind made it extra special though.
So, i did get the steering wheel. That was easy peasy. Then i pulled the driver's seat, i broke off one stud in that ordeal. Still, not too bad.
Then i pulled the instrument panel.......Just the instrument panel and not the wiring harness. That was a two hour period i'll never get back. Did you know plastic connectors get really fckin brittle when it gets cold? I did too, but this was my chance to get there and get these parts. Not to mention all the plastic retainers are more than a little dry rotted. Some of them literally pulverized in my hands. Got to find those things, any tips on where to get them anyone? Worse comes to worse, God made zip ties for a reason!
So, there i am wadded up in my sweet little t-top, feet going numb from the cold and i'm taking a million pictures of what goes where and my phone dies!
It was fully charged this morning!
Turns out apple has had a problem with their batteries. I have to go to the little yuppie apple store in the mall to get a new battery, or so my son says.
I hate the mall and i hate yuppie stores in the mall doubly bad.
So, i'll post a couple pictures that are relevant. you won't see one with the instrument panel out. Tomorrow i'll take more at work.
Look at the dash immediately below the light switch, what the hell is that switch for?
I need to become conversant with wiring now, wheeeee. @RacEoHolic330 I need your encouragement right about now.
So, obviously i got the driver's seat out and the steering wheel. I do have the instrument panel too. I hated life and wanted to run away to my favorite liquor store by the time i pulled that hunk of plastic out of there. But i persevered, i got the windshield mouldings too. Though i'll probably need to get the lower ones that run along the cowel panel, the tabs broke off of both of them.
I really wanted to get the door trim panels too, but the sun was going down and i didn't give much of a fck by then. The owner of the yard said he'll be out there again next monday and tuesday, so i may go get them then.
Repair wise? It's a good thing i went ahead and ordered the spring sets for both front seats and the bolt sets too.
If i had time, i would have taken a serious look under that driver's side carpet. It felt......"soft" kneeling on it. Soft means rot. I know the passenger side is ok, but i didn't have time to check the driver's side. If you remember the photos from early on when i took pictures of the underside, there was one area that i thought "could" have some rust. Think there might be a driver's side floor pan in my future. Oh well, they're fairly easy to put in.
The instrument panel will be a fairly involved repair. it's pretty brittle and has several cracks. Though only two are visible and will need to be pretty. I bet the panel takes me at least a full week to repair properly.
You know what i also didn't do? I looked at the hvac box, but that's it. I wonder what has been living in it.....
I also didn't get the taillights or the rear window trim.
My lesson for you all is that if your fingers are numb, don't even begin to screw with the instrument panel. Trust me....
It was 22* when i got there, not bad by itself, the 15 mph wind made it extra special though.
So, i did get the steering wheel. That was easy peasy. Then i pulled the driver's seat, i broke off one stud in that ordeal. Still, not too bad.
Then i pulled the instrument panel.......Just the instrument panel and not the wiring harness. That was a two hour period i'll never get back. Did you know plastic connectors get really fckin brittle when it gets cold? I did too, but this was my chance to get there and get these parts. Not to mention all the plastic retainers are more than a little dry rotted. Some of them literally pulverized in my hands. Got to find those things, any tips on where to get them anyone? Worse comes to worse, God made zip ties for a reason!
So, there i am wadded up in my sweet little t-top, feet going numb from the cold and i'm taking a million pictures of what goes where and my phone dies!
It was fully charged this morning! Turns out apple has had a problem with their batteries. I have to go to the little yuppie apple store in the mall to get a new battery, or so my son says.I hate the mall and i hate yuppie stores in the mall doubly bad.So, i'll post a couple pictures that are relevant. you won't see one with the instrument panel out. Tomorrow i'll take more at work.
Look at the dash immediately below the light switch, what the hell is that switch for?
I need to become conversant with wiring now, wheeeee. @RacEoHolic330 I need your encouragement right about now.
So, obviously i got the driver's seat out and the steering wheel. I do have the instrument panel too. I hated life and wanted to run away to my favorite liquor store by the time i pulled that hunk of plastic out of there. But i persevered, i got the windshield mouldings too. Though i'll probably need to get the lower ones that run along the cowel panel, the tabs broke off of both of them.
I really wanted to get the door trim panels too, but the sun was going down and i didn't give much of a fck by then. The owner of the yard said he'll be out there again next monday and tuesday, so i may go get them then.
Repair wise? It's a good thing i went ahead and ordered the spring sets for both front seats and the bolt sets too.
If i had time, i would have taken a serious look under that driver's side carpet. It felt......"soft" kneeling on it. Soft means rot. I know the passenger side is ok, but i didn't have time to check the driver's side. If you remember the photos from early on when i took pictures of the underside, there was one area that i thought "could" have some rust. Think there might be a driver's side floor pan in my future. Oh well, they're fairly easy to put in.
The instrument panel will be a fairly involved repair. it's pretty brittle and has several cracks. Though only two are visible and will need to be pretty. I bet the panel takes me at least a full week to repair properly.
You know what i also didn't do? I looked at the hvac box, but that's it. I wonder what has been living in it.....
I also didn't get the taillights or the rear window trim.
My lesson for you all is that if your fingers are numb, don't even begin to screw with the instrument panel. Trust me....
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Nice. I've always much preferred the 79-86 dash to its successor. If I recall correctly, that switch below the headlight switch may be the fog light switch? I remember my '86 GT was equipped with them; that switch was down there like an afterthought.
I have a 79 hatch someplace out back, have to mow the grass to find it. Need anything I may make a sacrifice, I remember a switch down there but can't remember what it was for or if it was even that car that had it, I know, useless again.
No foglights, I'll figure it out later, thanks guys.
Good thing I went ahead and ordered a spring set for the driver's seat, huh?
Good thing I went ahead and ordered a spring set for the driver's seat, huh?
irate: Arrrrr.
awesome... so what happens if the wife goes through your phone and sees the pics of this mistress?
She has full knowledge of it now. She just refuses to accept it's existence.
Sooooo.........
I'm going to fix it, the rot isn't into the support. Yep, good thing I got new springs.
I'll send it off to be sandblasted today, then I'll cut out what needs to be cutout and weld in a nice patch panel made from our scrap metal pile.
I'm going to fix it, the rot isn't into the support. Yep, good thing I got new springs.
I'll send it off to be sandblasted today, then I'll cut out what needs to be cutout and weld in a nice patch panel made from our scrap metal pile.
One fun thing i did today was to throw away the old seat foam for the front seats! Yay me!
I got after the seat frame repair. I got some left over metal from a truck that we're replacing the side on. I found a piece that has a vague resemblance to the shape of the frame.
I cut out a chunk and began forming it. It'll take two separate pieces to do this part right. After beating the metal for a while, i came up with this.
I still need to get the measurements across the bolt holes to make sure when i'm welding it back together i put it in the right place. Then drill the new holes for the bolts that go to the bracket.
I want to take out that back right side bracket that's used for the seat back support and to bolt on the seat sliders. I'm going to cut out that entire area that it's welded to. I'll get rid of the rust that's on it and weld it back once the patch is in.
There's a small spot of rot on the left front of the frame that i'll weld on this little patch.
I was going to take it to the sandblaster's, but their air compressor had froze up with this cold front. So i got the parts formed today. Monday the seat will be off to the blaster, then i'll go ahead and cut out the rot area and weld in the new stuff.
I got after the seat frame repair. I got some left over metal from a truck that we're replacing the side on. I found a piece that has a vague resemblance to the shape of the frame.
I cut out a chunk and began forming it. It'll take two separate pieces to do this part right. After beating the metal for a while, i came up with this.
I still need to get the measurements across the bolt holes to make sure when i'm welding it back together i put it in the right place. Then drill the new holes for the bolts that go to the bracket.
I want to take out that back right side bracket that's used for the seat back support and to bolt on the seat sliders. I'm going to cut out that entire area that it's welded to. I'll get rid of the rust that's on it and weld it back once the patch is in.
There's a small spot of rot on the left front of the frame that i'll weld on this little patch.
I was going to take it to the sandblaster's, but their air compressor had froze up with this cold front. So i got the parts formed today. Monday the seat will be off to the blaster, then i'll go ahead and cut out the rot area and weld in the new stuff.
I realize the fun in fix'n crap and all but why not find a better seat frame? Are they different than other early fox's?
I tore down the steering wheel as well. This is a cruddy picture of the wheel with that leather/vinyl wrap on it.
Well, it must have been on there very early in it's life. Once i removed the wrap I found that the wheel is in fantastic condition, not a single crack!
I'm not positive what caused the staining where the wrap was. I scrubbed the hell out of it using various soaps and chemicals and still had these results. It's clean for sure now. The stain is irrelevant since i'm paintings it black.
Well, it must have been on there very early in it's life. Once i removed the wrap I found that the wheel is in fantastic condition, not a single crack!
I'm not positive what caused the staining where the wrap was. I scrubbed the hell out of it using various soaps and chemicals and still had these results. It's clean for sure now. The stain is irrelevant since i'm paintings it black.
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