83-85 T-Bird

[captjeffro26]

Hello everyone,

I am on a mission to build the cars that have had an impact on me from my life. One such car is the 83-86 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. I know they make the 87-88 in model form, but do they make the older version? Possibly even a trans kit to make the 87-88 into the older one? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Mine looked like this one.

[Dave Van]

I've seen folks combine a NASCAR 1983 Bird and Mustang/Fox chassis and build a stock 83-86.

87-88 Bird is very different......IRS and WB IIRC. Plus the interior is different.....so a NASCAR body, fender lips from a 87 and a Fox chassis

may be easier.

[tim boyd]

The '83/'84 T-Bird, and (with new interior and other minor changes) '85/'86 T-Birds were a huge favorite of mine.

I was working for Ford in Northern (Bay Area) and Southern (LA/OC, et al) California when that car was launched in '83 1/2 and it was a huge hit there. Some LA dealers were selling 80 or 90 of them a month (per dealer). It took much, much longer to catch on throughout the rest of the country. but it was very influential (in my view) in building public acceptance for the aero design language, and that helped make the Taurus a huge hit pretty much everywhere from the word go when it was introduced in 1986.

I had a red metallic '83 Heritage 302 company car with the Michelin TRX wheels/tires, then an '84 Turbo Coupe lease car in the pale gold metallic clearcoat (a color placed into production in late 1983, along with the pale blue metallic clearcoat, based in part on my own recommendation to the company). Followed by '85, '87. and '88 Turbo Coupes. But my personal favorite was always the '83/'84 Turbo Coupe.

The easiest way to do this conversion would be to base it on the Monogram '87/'88 Turbo Coupe, which has the basic correct suspension, frame, interior bucket (the IP was carried over from the '85/'86 freshening IIRC), and engine block, with the Monogram '84 Thunderbird ProStock front, rear, and roof/trunk behind the B-pillars grafted onto the '87/'88 body. Other minor adjustments necessary (wheels, drop the intercooler, interior upholstery patterns, etc). This would get you a reasonably correct '85/''86 except for the grille insert, which would need to be tweaked to be correct for '85/'86. To make an '84/'84, you'd need to fab an all-new IP (perhaps you could use some of the ProStock kit as a start) and other interior pieces, and come up with the '83/'84 TC Aluminum Wheels.

You could also start with the Monogram '84 ProStock kit body and substitute the fenders and wheel lips from the '87/'88 body, but I don't know if the rest of the '87/'88 interior/chassis et al would slip into the Pro-Stock body and fit.

Not the easiest conversion by any means, but achievable. BTW...the IRS and revised WB didn't come until the '89 TB which was based on the new MN12 platform, replacing the Fox platform used for '83-'88 (and in an earlier form, '80-82) T-Birds.

Finally, there was a resin kit conversion of this offered, IIRC, by one of the premiere resin casters of the day, that was reasonably accurate for the time.

Hope that helps...TB

Edited April 16, 2015 by tim boyd

[Art Anderson]

It can also be done by combining the old Monogram '85 Tbird prostock body shell with Monogram's street stock '87 Turbo Coupe. Actually, pretty easy to do, not much serious modifying to do.

Art

[Dave Van]

It can also be done by combining the old Monogram '85 Tbird prostock body shell with Monogram's street stock '87 Turbo Coupe. Actually, pretty easy to do, not much serious modifying to do.

Art

I forgot that way of doing it. Both NASCAR and Pro Stock have issues that need fixed for a street stock.....but the Pro Stock may have a better greenhouse.

Nose too long on the PS.

[unclescott58]

I've seen folks combine a NASCAR 1983 Bird and Mustang/Fox chassis and build a stock 83-86.

87-88 Bird is very different......IRS and WB IIRC. Plus the interior is different.....so a NASCAR body, fender lips from a 87 and a Fox chassis

may be easier.

'89 was the big change for Thunderbird to IRS and other things. The '87 and '88 was basically a restyled body on the '83 - '86 chassis (actually the chassis goes back to 1980 on T-bird). The interior and dashboards were still very simular, if not identical, to the year before. In fact I've got a friend who gets quite perturbed when the conversation comes up about Motor Trend awarding their Car of the Year Award to the '87 Thunderbird. He drove an '83 for years and loved it. But, thought the restyled Bird of '87 too minor of a change to be considered a new car for Motor Trend's award. I'm not sure I disagree. Even though I really like the '87 and '88 T-birds.

Scott

[Dave Van]

'89 was the big change for Thunderbird to IRS and other things. The '87 and '88 was basically a restyled body on the '83 - '86 chassis (actually the chassis goes back to 1980 on T-bird). The interior and dashboards were still very simular, if not identical, to the year before. In fact I've got a friend who gets quite perturbed when the conversation comes up about Motor Trend awarding their Car of the Year Award to the '87 Thunderbird. He drove an '83 for years and loved it. But, thought the restyled Bird of '87 too minor of a change to be considered a new car for Motor Trend's award. I'm not sure I disagree. Even though I really like the '87 and '88 T-birds.

Scott

Correct....old age creeping in......

[captjeffro26]

Thank you everyone for your help. It is much appreciated. I think I will try the prostock and 87 tbird route. It looks pretty doable. It will be a while before I can move forward with it (too many in progress) but I will post it on here as I go.

Thank you all again!

[Scalper]

The pro stock body will require a lot if work. Front end is longer and the rear wheel wells are super big. But you would have the correct grill headlights and tail lights. Not sure if the glass from the 87 would work.

Also you could take the engine and wheels from the new cop car mustang but they are in 1/25

[Art Anderson]

The pro stock body will require a lot if work. Front end is longer and the rear wheel wells are super big. But you would have the correct grill headlights and tail lights. Not sure if the glass from the 87 would work.

Also you could take the engine and wheels from the new cop car mustang but they are in 1/25

Other than the rear of the roof, the '87-'88 Thunderbird was simply a facelift--combine the front fascia w/ grille and headlights to the '87, do the same with the rear fascia/taillights, and then replace the '87 back window area with that from the '85. You can use the '85 hood as well. I did that perhaps 25 years ago, for a resin casting master, and it worked quite well. IIRC, even the interior didn't change all that much from 85-86 to '87.

Art