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Fisher's 1999 Ford Taurus SE Restoration Thread

9K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  TaurusSEComfort 
#1 · (Edited)
As stated in my Introduction, I have a Toreador Red 1999 Ford Taurus SE that belonged to my mom before it was passed down to me. I will use this thread to post updates of the project, including some pictures.

The attached picture doesn't do the car justice- but unfortunately, I'd say that's not really a good thing (Yes, that's a 2008 Registration Sticker). My mom didn't keep up with maintenance too much (Hence why it broke down), and she had two rather messy young kiddos in the backseat (including yours truely). The car was used by the family between 2002 and 2008, before it broke down and was parked in my Grandmother's driveway in Austin, TX.

Here is the list of things that currently need to be done (as far as I can tell):

-Windshield needs to be replaced.
-Tires are flat/dry-rotted/recalled.
-Missing minor stuff (2 caps, etc).
-Paint is Oxidized/Has Scratches.
-Body has minor Dents and Dings.
-Leather is dry/dirty (not too bad).
-Stains in Carpet, Seatbelts, etc.
-Engine died years ago (No Oil?).
-A/C also died? (Before engine).
-Other cosmetic stuff (Dash, etc).

Obviously, there's a lot of things that need to be repaired or replaced, and although it isn't really worth it financially, I want to get this one back up and running due to its sentimental value. Fortunately, I think that I'm savvy enough to be able to do most of the work myself (YouTube and forums are also helpful), plus my cousin/mechanic is willing to help out, as well as let me use his tools and workshop.

Like most college students, I don't have too much spare time/money, so this will probably be a long term project. Since Tauruses/Tauri? are still pretty common, I'm hoping that the cost of some scrap yard parts will be fairly reasonable. I'm thinking that new tires, a new windshield, fluids, belts, and some other miscellaneous parts will be around $600 if I also use some stuff that my cousin has lying around (parts for the HVOC and Engine not included).

Anyways, that's about it. I'll be sure to post updates as I do things with the car, but I won't be able to start on it for a while as I'm attending college in Galveston (Again, the car is located in Austin). If anyone has any advice or connections that they'd like to share, feel free to reply or PM.

Thanks!

-Fisher
 

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#3 ·
Quick Update: I'm finally able to begin working on the Taurus as I'm back in Austin for the Thanksgiving break. I'll be sure to post more pictures of the car and of my progress as I make changes and repairs during the project.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Not just yet- I'll be taking videos of everything I do, including opening (or trying to open) the hood for the first time.

EDIT: Finally got it open! It took a bit of persuasion (and fingernails), but I was finally able to get in and take a picture (see below, video to come).
 
#7 ·
Yup. Seems that a lot of these dashes tend to peel up when left out in the sun (Mine is pretty gnarly as its been outside without any shade or cover for the past decade). Apparently you can repair it with Gorilla Glue and some clamps, although I have no idea how long that fix would last.
 
#10 ·
I'm finally starting to make a bit of progress on my Taurus! :D

I was able to get a good look at the car this past week, and it actually seems to have fared a bit better than I expected. I was also able to take some pictures of the car in its current condition (and a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure).


The Good:


-The car is absolutely loaded, with leather, automatic everything, etc.

-The body is rust free, having lived all of its life in South Central Texas.

-The car belonged to my mom, so it's pretty cool to have something like this passed down to me. Has about 172k on the odometer- pretty high in 2008 when it died, but average to decent today.

-My mom still has the title, carfax (which is probably as close as I'll get to the original window sticker), and a few other papers from the car. There's also a good chance of finding more papers later on.


The Bad:


-All rubber exposed to the sun is destroyed, including tires, window trim, etc.

-There are a few broken plastic bits here and there, including an air vent, the moonroof bezel, and the center console latch.

-The car was left unlocked for years, so who knows if there is anything missing other than the two center wheel caps.

-The original Carmax report indicates that the car had ABS installed, but Ford's VIN lookup indicates that this may not be true.

-Windows are going to need a bit of work (Windshield is cracked, windshield wipers are rusty, there were problems with the sunroof and side windows moving, etc).

-The family mechanic (uncle) who previously worked on and originally diagnosed the car apparently hid the key somewhere, but unfortunately I cannot ask him where it is anymore as he has passed on from cancer (I am currently speaking with relatives).

-The engine died years ago, and will need to be repaired or replaced, along with a bunch of other parts. Apparently the car was starved of oil (it was about 1500 miles past due for an oil change), but the oil service station that my mom went to nearly killed another car by leaving the coolant cap off, so who knows who is at fault. There is also a good chance that rodents got inside (I don't remember hearing about an engine upgrade option that included pecans...).


The Ugly:


-The carpets are disgusting, as my six to eleven year old self didn't know how to keep things clean (somehow I knew that would come back to haunt me one day, as I'm the one cleaning it back up years later!).

-The leather seats, dash, and steering wheel are all dried out from the Texas sun, and may need to be replaced (or at least thoroughly moistened). I've applied some general (gentle) interior cleaner in the meantime.

-The paint is pretty bad from being left outside and rarely washed, with peeling paint and scratches from the family dogs jumping onto the sides all over the body. There is also a small dent on the right side (apparently from being sideswiped in a parking lot).


Get to the point already...

Anyways, I'll be sure to keep you guys updated as I put more work into the car. It will be slow going as the car is a couple hundred miles away and I'm in college, but stay tuned!


-Fisher
 

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#11 · (Edited)
Walkaround:



EDIT: Annotations added, as I seem to have a tendency of mumbling and making absolutely zero sense.
 
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#12 ·
It's actually in really good shape considering its been sitting for so long. The paint could be much worse. It's really only bad on the spoiler. The rest is still pretty good. I noticed the Impala you had next to it. Just thought it was kinda funny that I'm not the only one whose had both a 7th gen Impala and a 3rd gen Taurus at the same time lol The Tauruses were always more reliable than the Impala btw
 
#14 · (Edited)
I noticed the Impala you had next to it. Just thought it was kinda funny that I'm not the only one whose had both a 7th gen Impala and a 3rd gen Taurus at the same time lol The Tauruses were always more reliable than the Impala btw
It's actually not mine, but rather an 8th gen that belongs to my cousin. But I know exactly what you mean- I don't think that Impala ever really worked right!

Do you know what happened to the engine that you think it was dead? The 'tec is a great motor, and aside from the pan gasket leaks and coil packs failing I'd be doubting that it's in fact dead.
Complex explanation incoming...

Story goes that my mom was driving to the store and the car "just died" at a stop light. The check engine light lit up about the same time this happened (seconds before/after). At that point she couldn't get it started again and it had to be towed back to her house.

Later, it was examined by my uncle (family mechanic #1). It then sat for a few months before we needed to move, so it was towed to another family mechanics shop (#2), but not really examined. It was then moved back and forth between the two mechanics a couple times before finally being parked where it is today. Apparently both gave up. Mechanic #1 declared that it needed a new engine, and I don't think that Mechanic #2 really diagnosed it.

I was just told this information over the phone by my mom, and by the sounds of it, the car may have "died" from a very simple issue (Dirty MAF, Fuel Pump, who knows?). Any thoughts?
 
#13 ·
Do you know what happened to the engine that you think it was dead? The 'tec is a great motor, and aside from the pan gasket leaks and coil packs failing I'd be doubting that it's in fact dead. If you can't find the key, you should be able to take the vin to the dealership and have them make you a key. And make sure you douse(and work in) that hood latch so it doesn't stick on you anymore.
 
#15 ·
Most likely a dead fuel pump from the sounds of it, but you'll only know that once you get a key and a good battery to give it a shot. I doubt the motor is shot unless it was ran for a long time with no oil and seized it up. The 'tec is a very good, and fairly forgiving, engine ;)
 
#17 ·
New (Short) Video:

 
#19 ·
Been a while since I made an update, so I figured I should post one.

I didn't get much done on the Taurus while I was in Austin for Christmas, but I did begin working on the interior as I had the knowledge and tools to begin restoring it.

As you can tell in the photos, the leather was very dry and dirty, and had almost no flex to it whatsoever. I used a variety of Meguiars gold series products to clean, moisturize, and loosen up a couple sections of the leather in the backseat for reference.

I also got a recollection from my Aunt (who was with my mom when the car died) as follows:

-The two of them went to the earlier mentioned oil service station for oil work (Note: the same store nearly killed her Mazda Bastrop which replaced her Taurus by not reinstalling the coolant cap after she had some work done to it).
-They told my mom that there was an oil leak.
-She did not want to have it fixed at that time, and opted to have the oil topped off instead.
-She and my aunt then drove it for about 10 miles back home before it started knocking shortly after turning onto her street.
-It died shortly (loss of power, etc) and they pulled over for a short while.
-They got it started again, and drove it the rest of the way to the house (about one more mile), the car still knocking.
-The car was parked in the driveway and sat there before being towed away, picked at, etc.
-The car was parked where it currently sits.

*Sigh* :(

Looks like there's probably going to be some extensive engine work that will need to be done before I can get it back on the road, although I won't know for sure until I take it apart.
 

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