Classic "Aero-Bird" pics

[blkfordsedan]

I thought I would share some pics of a friend's '84 T-bird. You really don't see them much anymore, and IMO, they are one of the best looking mid-size Fords to come out of the '80's. This car has a fairly healthy 5.0L with forged flat-tops, a nice choppy idle torque grind cam, aluminum dual plane intake, headers, Edelbrock 4V carb, AOD trans w/shift kit and 4:11 posi rear. It also has a gear drive set-up and dumped Flowmasters on an off-road H pipe. It sounds pretty nasty and runs pretty well. Unfortunately, he ran out of money and had to re-use the stock factory heads and torque converter. With a good set of GT40 heads and a 2500 stall converter, I suspect it could be a solid mid-low 13 sec. car.
Sorry for the crappy pics, the car is super bright white and the camera in my Blackberry didn't handle it well. Everything had a bluish tint.

[PhoenixSHO]

Those T birds are the best looking ones , with the 89+ SCs.

[Aaronbrook37]

Those T birds are the best looking ones , with the 89+ SCs.

Completely agreed. I bet this one sounds like a million bucks, too.

<2 Fast 2 Furious>
Ammmerrican Musccccle
</2 Fast 2 Furious>

[Hot_Wheels]

i like the early ones an the 5.0 mark 7? turbo coupes yumm

[blkfordsedan]

I forgot about the Supercoupes. I like those as well. Oh Yeah.....and the very last version that was the retro-'57 roadster design. IMO, that was one of the best looking retro designs by any of the car manufacturers (Ford GT being my favorite). I guess it's the '87 models with the pointed nose and grill that I don't like. Note the "smoker's wing-glass" on the side windows of my friend's car. He's looked for several years to find another set of doors that have them, but never has found another set.

[blkfordsedan]

i like the early ones an the 5.0 mark 7? turbo coupes yumm

Yes! I love my '86 MkVII LSC. What an amazing road car to drive. It has the 5.0 H.O. (first year for EFI!), air bag suspension, leather Recaro style seats, 8.8 Posi rear w/4-wheel disc brakes, big sway bars, Marchal fog lights, climate control and every luxury option you could get except a moon roof. The thing handles & goes like a Mustang GT and rides like Town Car. It needs a new front fender & hood (which I have) but otherwise is in excellent condition. It's been in storage for 10 years, but I need to get off my butt and get it back on the road. Soo many cars, soo little time.....and even less money!

[bhazard]

Friend of mine's autox bird. He grafted the 4eye nose onto the 87-88 body. Pretty stock 2.3 turbo.





He also has an 88 turbo coupe, holset, megasquirt, etc, runs 12.75's at 112. 350rwhp on a fairly stock 2.3.

[bhazard]

His other one...

The blue/black one is a purpose built autox car.

[FB71]

His other one...

The blue/black one is a purpose built autox car.

jizz in my pants....

I LOVE the '87-'88 birds! I had an '86 Elan 5.0... it was ok looking.

[blkfordsedan]

Was the '86 Elan 5.0L muti-point EFI like my LSC or did it have that CFI throttle body injection thing?

I don't mind the closed nose front like the Turbo Coupe in the picture, but the '87-'88's with the cross-bar style open grill looks a little funny to me.

[FB71]

Was the '86 Elan 5.0L muti-point EFI like my LSC or did it have that CFI throttle body injection thing?

I don't mind the closed nose front like the Turbo Coupe in the picture, but the '87-'88's with the cross-bar style open grill looks a little funny to me.

Multi-port, but bank-fire. Pretty sure the LSCs were Multi-port SEFI (precursor to the '87 Mustang 5.0 HO). I converted mine to speed-density SEFI, used an '87 LSC pcm.

Agreed on the TC vs standard grill on the '87-'88s. Although there used to be an aftermarket grill for the standard cars, that made them resemble the TCs. Don't recall who made it. I had two or three customers that had them, along with a complete body kit, all dealer installed. I remember seeing them on the lots at Towson Ford, Tower/Monument Ford (changed during '87), Al Packer Ford and Norris Ford, all here around Baltimore. Neat little tidbit; Norris Ford is one of the oldest Ford dealers in the country. Been in business for nearly 100 years now.

[Kraig]

Beautiful 'Birds!! Makes me miss the TurboCoupe I owned for 17 years!! Of course it couldn't compete with my SVO. Always thought TurboCoupes were an overlooked and fantastic car! The Aero Birds have timeless lines....

[blkfordsedan]

Never really thought about the bank fire vs. sequential on the older 5.0s. Guess I assumed all the MPFI cars were sequential. I know the engine in my LSC looks identical (valve covers, "5.0L H.O." intake plenum, tubular exhaust manifolds, etc.) to the engines in the '86 Mustang GT's. I believe it also has a smaller throttle body vs. the 60mm starting in '87. I remember test driving an '86 Mustang Ex-Nebr Highway Patrol Mustang (2dr coupe) back in about 1991. That was the first EFI 5.0L HO Mustang I had driven....wish I had bought it and put it in storage!

[FB71]

one of my local Mustang club members has a restored Georgia pursuit Mustang, and one of 3 known Calypso Green '93 SSP cars. The other two are accounted for, but only one other survives.

[FB71]

Never really thought about the bank fire vs. sequential on the older 5.0s. Guess I assumed all the MPFI cars were sequential. I know the engine in my LSC looks identical (valve covers, "5.0L H.O." intake plenum, tubular exhaust manifolds, etc.) to the engines in the '86 Mustang GT's. I believe it also has a smaller throttle body vs. the 60mm starting in '87. I remember test driving an '86 Mustang Ex-Nebr Highway Patrol Mustang (2dr coupe) back in about 1991. That was the first EFI 5.0L HO Mustang I had driven....wish I had bought it and put it in storage!

I think you're right, the '86 Mustang was SEFI, too. All the HOs were SEFI, the non-HOs were bank fire. LSCs got the HOs, Tbirds got the non-HO. I do know the '86 HO had the old open chamber passenger car heads with flat top pistons, then the '87s got the E7TZ quench chamber truck heads and relieved pistons.