'88 Turbo Coupe (Build Thread)

Hello all,

I am new to the forum as I have just bought a 1988 TC 5MT and this is the first ford in my family... I come from a long line of GM gearheads so Fords have never been at any family event ever, not even spouses that married in with projects and hotrods. 

In the midst of some window shopping the local craigslist scene, I noticed this one virtually in my back yard. A "runs and drives" car with a factory turbo, 5mt, and lsd. Everything a mid 20 something wants in a project drifter right? Not selling my organs to find a clapped out mid 80s-90s 3 series coupe with a welded diff no sir. No Japanese platforms within 500 miles.

I went to check it out and it wasn't completely horrible. The PO is a ford guy with a built up fox stang and wanted the 2.3l and t-5 for another project. He basically kept it alive under a tree at his house for 3 years before I got it with 3 year old gas in it. We drove it through the neighborhood and at one point he stepped into it for a quick 2-4 and the car honestly responded. By no means perfect, but actually runs and drives. Clutch feels tight, and brakes are halfway decent. All of the lights work (even fogs) except the passenger headlight and the driver turning light side marker thing. While I want a drifter, I'm going to be happy getting it somewhat restored first. I call it my spaceship and I love it already.

It needs a plethora of small interior parts and I have already begun going through all the general tune up things.

So far the car has received:

• 4.5 quarts of the EDGE high mileage 5w-30
  
• K&N oil filter
  
• K&N air filter
  
• Motorcraft oem spark plugs and wires
  
• topped off power steering reservoir with LucasOil fluid with conditioner
  
• max strength Seafoam fuel system cleaner (I'll have the 3 year old gas until my fuel filter comes in and I can drop the tank while the car is on stands)
  

Motorcraft oem fuel filter has been ordered as well as a shop manual. Hopefully tires this week So for sure my temp and boost gauges don't work, and I have already started tracking down hoses but I haven't pulled the instrument cluster to see if the lines are undone there yet. 

Plans right now are tires on Monday (currents are cracked bad) so I can cruise the neighborhood and access things further, and two Monday's after be changing rotors and pads and rear diff fluid. After I find some interior parts and get the factory gauges working, I plan on pulling the stock stereo and equalizer in favor of an aftermarket stereo with 3 gauges above it (Boost, Temp, Volt). Future plans, pull the fancy suspension and try to clean it up and save it (recommendations for coilovers?), possibly look into that jazz about getting 15 lbs of boost in all gears, but I want it running sound first.

My real draw back here has been finding a pick n pull with one of these available. My real question for the forum is... Does anyone know of where I could pull my fill of interior parts off of either an 87 or 88 TC in Texas? I know she's a big state but I'd make a trip, and anywhere close to either San Antonio or Austin would be ideal.

My gratitude for any and all help! I will try to upload some photos and a cold start video soon!

Congrats on the new wheels!

I believe these cars take 5 quarts of oil so keep an eye on the oil level. Depending if the car still has the slider cam you may want to add a zinc additive to the oil, but if it has a roller cam then no worries. Most of us are running 10w30 synthetic oil with the turbo.

Read through the FAQ section here, there's a plethora of information in there.

Good luck finding your interior parts. You didn't mention the color of the car and interior?

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Thanks Mikey, I'll keep an eye on that and make the switch to synthetic 10w next time around. 

So I am guessing it is Ford's "Medium Red" with red interior? Wouldn't mind eventually getting it primer grey then wrapping it midnight purple...

Most of the door pieces are in the trunk, but I'm considering weather or not to just fab some flat panels out of aluminum with a pull strap and leave space for the speakers. Picked up a MOMO shifter as I didn't have anything. It'll get new buckets and harnesses at a later date when more applicable. 

Any insight on these wheels? I haven't seen these with the rounded cutouts on any TCs online yet.

Those look like 10 hole wheels. 15" or 14"?

'87-88 came with 16" Snowflakes

They are 15", I thought they looked a bit out of place from others I'd seen.

If you want interior plastic, You should not be looking for a Turbo coupe in the junkyard. You should be looking for thunderbirds, and maybe not in the junkyard. The interiors, some colors (most of them?) fade pretty bad. if you could find a thunderbird in somebody's basement that would be 10X better. Obviously the articulated seats in good condition and the right color are a challenge. Not going to be in every t-bird and hard to ship. Somebody in the club might have them. They got robbed out a lot, unfortunately, for any and all vehicles.

It's not easy to find older cars at pick-n-pull. Their business model is they get a car picked over for a few weeks and that's it. It's a brief window. If you watch for them over the next 10 years, yes, you can get some deals, yes. You just have to bide your time. If you go to car-part.com you'll see everybody in Texas who's got a TC in the junkyard and most of those will have been in the junkyard for years.

Where are you located? I've got a parts car with blue interior but all the top console plastic should be the same. The shift boot I have is a little torn though, I actually think a mouse had a go at it.

If you want interior plastic, You should not be looking for a Turbo coupe in the junkyard.  You should be looking for thunderbirds, and maybe not in the junkyard.  The interiors, some colors (most of them?) fade pretty bad.  if you could find a thunderbird in somebody's basement that would be 10X better.  Obviously the articulated seats in good condition and the right color are a challenge.  Not going to be in every t-bird and hard to ship. Somebody in the club might have them.  They got robbed out a lot, unfortunately, for any and all vehicles.

It's not easy to find older cars at pick-n-pull.  Their business model is they get a car picked over for a few weeks and that's it.  It's a brief window.  If you watch for them over the next 10 years, yes, you can get some deals, yes.  You just have to bide your time.  If you go to car-part.com you'll see everybody in Texas who's got a TC in the junkyard and most of those will have been in the junkyard for years.

I appreciate that. The local yard that had been around for the last 60 years recently got bought up and the land cleared so for the first time in 20 years I have to find a new place to source parts. I'm leaning toward some lightweight door cards that can easily be fabricated and a carpet dash cover for the immediate time frame. And Spittinfire, thanks for the offer but a blue dash in a red on red car already hurts my brain lol, and I actually need the plastic around the base of the boot, I am gonna make my own boot

Ordered some cheap tires from Discount in 215/60/15, same as what is already on it. New wheels and tires beginning of next year.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear but I was talking about the plastic around the shifter and the lid to your center console or arm rest. To my knowledge they were all black regardless of interior color.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear but I was talking about the plastic around the shifter and the lid to your center console or arm rest.  To my knowledge they were all black regardless of interior color.

Ohhh, I do not know why my brain processed the dash. I would be very interested and grateful if you'd sell them to me.