Hello from a New Member/Owner ;)

1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
SCTBIRD1173 said:
Does your rear neon work? Is the driver side seat trim broken? Center console spring still intact? How about the cup holder wings?
Click to expand...
Thank you Bryan,
So far i have been reading and taking it one step at a time. I wasted some money on things i tried, but that's life. :p

rear neon: I have tail lights, but i have not checked to see if they are original neon. I also understand that the headlight bulbs are hard to find. I thought the were HID/XENON. Is there something special about the voltage or plug?

driver side seat trim: The front screw hole is broken and i may have damaged one of the hold downs while working on my seat motor.

Center console spring: I do not think so. Where should i be careful?

cup holder wings: one is missing the other is missing its bottom. Is it possible to remove the cup holder and just leave an opening (maybe make a pocket?). I liked the cup holder on the center console hatch that I had in the Cougar. I was thinking of looking to see if I can adapt it.

Other:
I have replaced the multi-function switch.

I made and installed a replacement gear shifter slide cover.

I have a new "Air Door Actuator" http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-604-915-Air-Door-Actuator/dp/B00YJEZX7S but i have not yet installed it. It looks like this one is not the same design as those in the positings that I have seen. I 'm hoping its stronger. I also plan to modify the arm by elongating the bottom hole like in one of the postings.

Driver's Seat Track: I have tried a motor refresh and have replaced the middle motor. I am waiting for a "new" track and am looking at other other options like using the gearing form the Cougar and the motors or back-plate from the Mark.

Air shocks: I understand that the air ride system can be an issue. I bought an extended warranty with the car and it says that it covers Air shocks. I hope i do not have to use it.

Is there anything else i should plan for (worry about)?

I took my midget out yesterday and its such a fun experience going from such a big to such a small car and back again... :D
I have begun parting out my Cougar.:frown-blue:
 
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SCTBIRD1173

SCTBIRD1173

Mark my Bird!
Rear neon: The light bar between the tail lights is the neon and lights up with the parking lights and brighter when you hit the brakes. Arguably the coolest part of the Gen2! ;) You can buy a replacement from "Neon Ballast Steve"

Headlights: Yes it's very hard to find original head light bulbs; you're best bet is to buy a retrofit kit from Jay (98mark8lsc) on here.

Center console lid: is supposed to spring open when you unlatch it, if yours doesn't (like mine) you need a new spring. John at Temple Performance Cars is the only one that makes a replacement spring to my knowledge.

Cupholder wings: You can rebuild the cupholder and put new wings if you want. I've gotten a couple sets from members on here but haven't got around to doing the repair yet.

Blend door actuator: I wouldn't go through the trouble of pulling the dash to put some garbage aftermarket blend door actuator in there. You can buy OEM Motorcraft cheap through Rock Auto. Although the actuator isn't actually what breaks, it's usually the linkage. There is a great write-up on here about doing the job and modifying the linkage so it doesn't happen again.

Seat track: The problem is in the 'transmission' of the seat track not in the motors usually. Unfortunaltey nobody makes a replacement gear or has found a way to get the stripped gear out of the track to swap it with a good passenger seat gear. This has caused the price of used drivers seat tracks to skyrocket while passenger side ones can still be had pretty cheap. I swapped mine with one that is too rusty for my taste but at least my seat moves for now. :)

Air shocks: I wouldn't call them a problem as much as I'd say there are a lot of these old cars running around with factory systems still and when they start to fail it can get expensive. I put all new Ford stuff in mine a year after I bought it and wouldn't have done it any other way.

With proper maintenance and Ford replacement parts (where possible) they are solid reliable cars. Make use of the community if you have questions or problems; there are some really smart people around here that can save you a lot of trouble.

Good luck with her!
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thank you for the great response Bryan,

Rear neon: WOW! I did not even know about that. I'll check mine. (my wife took the my M8 out for the first time today and so far, she loves driving it.) :wink:

Headlights: so far so good, but i was thinking about putting 3M Mylar type Protection Film "Clear Bra" over my headlight lenses to protect them. I have done this with my other cars after a through cleaning. It works well. I only have to change it every 5+ years.

Center console lid: so far so good
Cupholder wings: I'm not sure what I want to do yet. Since I rarely use it anyway.

Blend door actuator: Thank you. I have seen the links. The posted instructions/write-ups are very detailed. I plan on replacing the actuator and fixing the linkage. I just need to find time this summer.

Seat track: A "new" (used replacement) track just arrived yesterday. I will work on it this weekend. I would sill like to know the trick to removing the plastic gearbox from the track without breaking it.

Air shocks: so far so good. The compressor sounds noisy. Is that normal?

I agree, this seems to be a great community with lots of valuable experience to share.

A few observations so far when compared to my 1977 MG Midget:
  • I looked up the production numbers for the gen 2 (1997-1998) and the total is only 31,162. MG Midget 1500 (1974-1979): 72,289.
  • No one is making replacement parts for the Gen 2, but there are still lots of NOS and aftermarket parts for the Midget. There are several vendors dedicated to British car parts. There are even companies, that for a price, manufacture new body parts.

Thank you all,
Y.
 
SCTBIRD1173

SCTBIRD1173

Mark my Bird!
Glad I could help!

The compressor is usually noisy because the 3 mounting bushings that isolate it are toast. Check those first, I bet that's your problem.

Yeah, it does really bother me that no one seems to make reproduction parts other than for a Mustang. My '90 T-bird SC is considered a classic car now and still barely anything made for it. I'm really not too hopeful the Mark will get much love... :( On the bright side the popularity of 3D printers could really change things for cars like this! (fingers crossed)
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Update:
I took a look at the Rear neon last night. Very impressive.:thumbsup:
My wife reported that the car is so responsive, that she has to be careful to keep from speeding, especially on the down hill.

Y.
 
SCTBIRD1173

SCTBIRD1173

Mark my Bird!
My wife always used to get nabbed in her arrest me red 1990 Super Coupe. The weight of the MN12/FN10 really makes them shine on the highways; add in the Lincoln plushness and extra sound deadening and you got yourself a great highway cruiser!
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
"arrest me red?" I thought it was "pull me over red?" :)

The first year i had my Midget running, painted and looking good, I was pulled over a few times in town (I live in a small town) since i did not yet have my signals sorted.

The first time the cop says: "Hi, I want to let you know that i did not pull you over because you have the most beautiful car in town...." ;) He then just asked about my signals...

 
SCTBIRD1173

SCTBIRD1173

Mark my Bird!
Haha that's funny!

As far as arrest me red... this is my wife's old '90 SC. Her '91 Mustang before that was the same color too.

 
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