Junkyard Birds

[Burnt_Orange79]

I visited a couple of local junkyards yesterday and came across these 2 Birds. The orange one is a 79, and the brown one is a 78. I was able to get a new bezel for the headlight switch and a I got the aluminum vacuum check valve off of both cars. Both of the cars had a lot of good usable trim pieces, but the bodies were pretty much rusted out, and the interiors were trashed.

[Tim Cole]

John: Sounds like you had a great time at the junk yard. If I were you, I would take the side impact moldings, the wheel well moldings, the fender louvers, the tailight lens, and pretty much anything else in good condition. If you plan on keeping your Bird, most of these parts might come in handy down the road or someone else may need them. Rust-free bumpers are very rare. My 2 cents. Tim

[Burnt_Orange79]

Tim,
Yeah, I did have a great time at the junkyards, especially the first one that we went to because it had mostly old cars from the 60s and 70s. We were driving the Bird and it got compliments at both yards, so that was nice too. I would like to go back when I get some extra money and get some of the body side mouldings and misc. trim pieces off of those Birds. Unfortunately the bumpers all had rust on them, I've been looking for a replacement for the rear bumper on ours because it has a few pits and little bit of chrome peeling on the top.
John

[Tim Cole]

If someone remanufactured our bumpers, I believe they would make a killing. So many people have asked me for bumpers--but most, like you say, have rust. How goes the auction for the headlight? TC

[Burnt_Orange79]

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

If someone remanufactured our bumpers, I believe they would make a killing. So many people have asked me for bumpers--but most, like you say, have rust. How goes the auction for the headlight? TC

Tim,
I've heard that the bumpers on 77-79 LTD IIs are interchangable with the TBirds, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I had a chance to get a bumper from a 77 LTD II last year, but I passed because I wasn't sure if it would fit the Bird.
As for the auction for the headlight switch, I'm still the only bidder :)
John

[g_lower]

did either of those still have a factory FM radio with the knobs?

[Tim Cole]

Originally Posted by Burnt_Orange79

Tim,
I've heard that the bumpers on 77-79 LTD IIs are interchangable with the TBirds, but I'm not 100% sure about that. I had a chance to get a bumper from a 77 LTD II last year, but I passed because I wasn't sure if it would fit the Bird.
As for the auction for the headlight switch, I'm still the only bidder :)
John

The bumpers on the 77-79 LTD IIs and 77-79 Mercury Cougars are interchangeable. Some of the bumpers come with guards and rubber strips; others just plain jane. But they all will fit our Birds. So, if you see one and it is rust free and straight, jump on it. You won't need the bumper box behind it, only the bumper itself.

[Burnt_Orange79]

Originally Posted by g_lower

did either of those still have a factory FM radio with the knobs?

No, but I did see a Cougar with a factory AM/FM 8 track.

[Burnt_Orange79]

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

The bumpers on the 77-79 LTD IIs and 77-79 Mercury Cougars are interchangeable. Some of the bumpers come with guards and rubber strips; others just plain jane. But they all will fit our Birds. So, if you see one and it is rust free and straight, jump on it. You won't need the bumper box behind it, only the bumper itself.

Thanks for the info. There was a Cougar(79, I think) at one of the yards, but the bumpers were shot.

[g_lower]

I would love to have an 8 track player, how much would it take to get it not knowing if it works or not?

[Burnt_Orange79]

Originally Posted by g_lower

I would love to have an 8 track player, how much would it take to get it not knowing if it works or not?

The junkyard where I saw the 8-track player usually charges $40 for radios, plus it would probably cost about $15 to ship it. I'm not sure if you would want to pay that much for a radio that may or may not still work. Let me know if you do want it, though, and I can go back and get it. Last year when we bought our Bird, I bought a knob-style AM/FM cassette player with a MP3 input jack on Amazon.com. Since it's a knob-style radio it fits in the dash with no cutting, and it only costed about $30. The sound is pretty good, too. The brand is Dual, and the model # is XC4100. You could check Amazon and see if they still offer that radio, if you're not worried about keeping your car all original.

[g_lower]

I like to do things that are subtle and still keep the mostly stock look. as far as the amazon radio that would work but I am needing the factory knobs I have none. thanks for the info I will be looking into that for a possibility :)

[Tim Cole]

Originally Posted by g_lower

I like to do things that are subtle and still keep the mostly stock look. as far as the amazon radio that would work but I am needing the factory knobs I have none. thanks for the info I will be looking into that for a possibility :)

Graham:

I have a set or two of the factory radio knobs if you are interested. Tim

[g_lower]

Tim, I need the knobs and a working am/fm radio factory style. The one I have seems to only pick up one am station and that's it.