New owner with ????

photogirl72

Registered User
Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D I am the proud new owner of an '89' T-bird. I am so pleased with this car. It needs a lot of work and love though. :( I have a strange question to add to this. Are there different bumper styles for the '89'? Mine do not look the same as everyone elses, and it really bugs me. Would it be worth it to buy replacements, especially since I am having the car painted anyway? I am planning on doing a lot of work on this car, but the bumpers kinda seemed trivial until I started looking at other cars that are the same year.
 
The SC's in '89 had a different front bumper cover than the LX's which had the commonly referred to as "cheese grater" front bumper cover. In '92 the LX's and SC's got the same front bumper cover and the base T-Birds still retained the cheese grater front covers. In '93 and beyond all T-Birds (SC's, base, and LX's) got the same front bumper covers. Do you have an SC or and LX?
 
Well, I do have an LX, but it doesn't have a cheese grater bumper either. It looks just like the SC bumbers but without the lettering and without the extra whole at the top. The bumper and hood don't seem to match up though. There is a 1-2 inch gap. Could the nose be dipped down from an unknown accident then? The hood matches up everywhere else, so it just seems weird.
 
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DOH!!! Cheese Grater....

DOH!!!! I think I just figured out what was meant by the "cheese grater". Thats the ridges on the lower half of the bumper, right. Yes, it has those, but the top half of the bumper doesn't match up with everyone elses. And that hood not matching up thing is gonna make me crazy. The previous owner had a bra on the car that hid the flaw. If I had checked it out, I would not have bought the car. Would have saved me from having to replace the head gaskets two weeks later too. And I said I liked my car??? Well, yes, I love my car, but I just feel bad that the previous owners neglected her so much.
 
Yes, that is the "cheese grater" bumper cover. Some people don't like them, but my '92 Base T-bird has it so I have grown to accept it. How is the bumper cover misaligned? There is naturally a bit of a gap between the hood and the bumper cover. Are the gaps between the headlights and hood consistent? What about between the lights and the bumper cover? Are there any other clues that there was a front end accident? I know my XR7 sometimes looks like it has had some front end work (it hasn't) if I look at it long enough. If you are going to paint the car, you may want to look at putting the 92/93 LX bumper on the front. I think they look a little better. You may also find any indications of problems with the front end. The bumper cover is actually pretty easy to remove, but it is a 2 man (or woman) job due to it flexing and bending all over the place. Congratulations on your purchase and good luck. Did you do the head gaskets yourself or did you have someone else do them for you?
 
hood gaps

The gap between the hood and the lights and bumper is consistent all the way across. There isn't a gap at all between the bumper and the headlights. That is kinda why I thought that there might be a problem. Oh! and when I push down on the hood, there isn't any give at all. Which I am hoping is a good thing, but I don't know.

The cheese grater doesn't really bother me either, its just that the top of the bumper looks like there is something missing.

I didn't do the gaskets myself, but I would have liked to learn. Being the only female in the family I am expected to not get dirty. Bummer. If it ever happens again or if I ever need any other kind of engine work done, I may just strait up and ask my uncle to let me help so that I can learn. My uncle owns a shop, so I get all my engine work done by him. Now if only I had an uncle that did body work. ;)
 
I would say if all of the gaps are consistent and the paint matches up then it is probably okay. Might just take some getting used to. Sometimes I like the cheese grater and sometimes I can't stand it. I guess it's an aquired taste :) If your gaskets were done right then they shouldn't require replacement again. I did the headgaskets on my base '92 over 100,000 miles ago and it's still running down the road just fine. The Ford 3.8 is not the most powerful or technologically advanced engine in the world, but (aside from the head gaskets) it is extremely tough and durable. Keep it in good tune, change the oil and coolant at regular intervals and it will run forever. You may want to also check out tccoa.com or if you have any other questions you can e-mail me at varn8030@hotmail.com. I have become quite intimate with the regular 3.8 engine over the years. Good luck!
 
thanks

Thank you Kevin. You've made me feel better about my gaps. No, the paint is all the same, crappy. I'll be doing the painting myself, so, I guess I will be getting to know my car's body a little more. I think I will look into the 92/93 bumper though. I kinda like them better. Maybe a couple more months of not having the bra on will help me get used to the gap. We shall see.

And I believe my uncle when he says that he did it right. The previous owner didn't do it right so it was bound to blow. It has 120,000 + miles on it now and he says I'm good to go for a long time. My main concerns right now are all cosmetic.

Thanks again...
 
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