Damages to '86 Colony Park

Discussion in 'Cosmetic & Restoration' started by LeonLinton, Oct 21, 2021.

  1. LeonLinton

    LeonLinton Member

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    Absolute novice coming through!
    In my hunt for my first wagon, the best vehicle I have come across seems to be a 1986 Mercury Colony Park. I messaged the seller requesting more photos and, after having received and studied them, I have noticed a few scratches in the woodgrain:
    20.jpg 13.jpg

    Is this reparable without having to spend a lot of money on woodgrain for the whole car when the damage is just here? What can I do to fix this?

    I feel sort of stupid for asking this question, but I saw what I thought was a scratch, but am now starting to think is just part of the car - please can someone confirm?
    19.jpg

    I also noticed this, but I don't actually really know what it is - please feel free to inform me what this is and what I can do!
    14.jpg

    Thanks you've all been such a help through the beginnings of my longroof affairs!
     
  2. ArnieM888

    ArnieM888 Well-Known Member

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    I am retired autobody guy and have changed plenty of woodgrain back in the day ..... replacement woodgrain came from the factory in standard rolls .... one roll would do a door or fender etc .... always some left over because the basic roll could do a long 1/4 panel etc .

    If you were lucky and could find an old school bodyshop they would have some remnants you could use.

    Carefully remove the old stuff with a heat gun .... peel it off .... dont scrape it or damage the underlying paint .... woodgrain is partially transparent and base paint shows through.

    That "scratch" on the left front fender is poor workmanship .... there is a seam between the header panel and fender and they have gone right over top with the woodgrain .... at the very least it should have been cut with an exacto knife and the edges pressed down into the seam .... personally I would have loosened the front panel and wrapped it around the edges ..... an economy fix would be to use a tiny brush and apply brown paint in the "scratch" .... you would hardly notice it afterwards.

    .
     
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  3. ArnieM888

    ArnieM888 Well-Known Member

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    .

    Should also add that any other chips and flaws in the woodgrain can also be touched up with a dab of brown paint .... cost nothing and easy to do ..... the chrome trim above the windshield was likely damaged by an ice scraper or something .... those parts are often still available as NOS (new old stock)

    Overall that wagon looks to be in very nice shape .... those few imperfections should not be a concern.

    .
     
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  4. LeonLinton

    LeonLinton Member

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    Thank you so very much - your help is massively appreciated, sir!
     
  5. 60Mercman

    60Mercman Well-Known Member

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    The nice thing about the windshield molding is that should also work from a Grand Marquis of that vintage. There are a ton of those around. Our local pic and pull probably has 8-10 Mercs and CVics of that era. Agree with Arnie. That looks like a nice wagon. Plus it’s an ‘86 which is the first year for EFI set up in those. IMO much nicer than the carbureted pre ‘86 version. I have both. Much prefer the ‘86 and up models. By the way. Looks nicely loaded. Is it a GS or an LS?
     
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  6. LeonLinton

    LeonLinton Member

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    It's an LS - "loaded to the max" as the seller says. 20.jpg
     
  7. 60Mercman

    60Mercman Well-Known Member

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    It looks really nice. I have an ‘83 LS CP and an ‘86 and ‘91 Grand Marquis LS. Really love those panther body cars. Also have a ‘90 and ‘91 GS’s and those are very nice as well.
     
  8. MAK

    MAK Well-Known Member

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    Overall car is VERY decent, had a 89 Colony Park that I bought new, and an 85 that I got in 2015. The back corners is where they wrapped the sides to the back, it has always been an issue, on my 85 I CAREFULLY peeled back the sides about 4"-8" and reattached using 3 m 2 sided tape - it worked, from 2015-18 the car sat outside still never detached.

    Issues that I have experienced:
    > Part of the transmission Ford AOD transmission kickdown TV cable HD grommet & clip that are known to break - originals are made out of plastic, they break with NO warning - and will toast the transmission. This is a $10-$15.00 part!
    upload_2021-10-23_15-30-23.png
    > Spare tire wheel well - rust thru
    > bottom of doors - drain holes get clogged and will rust out the bottom of the door - get pictures of door bottoms!
    > Gaskets and seals on ANY 40+ year old car - if original - are probably dried up and shot, gaskets and seals are cheap! getting to them can be expensive if you have someone else do the repair, like I did.
    My 85 only had 56,000 miles on it when i purchased it - and I spent over $3,000 getting gaskets and seals replaced.
    > door locks and window actuators fail - they are not expensive and very easy to replace.

    Good Luck - I love Colony Park wagons - would get another - but I'd have to get divorced 1st! Now that's a bad investment.
     
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  9. ArnieM888

    ArnieM888 Well-Known Member

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    The more I look at this car , the more I like it ..... especially the colors .... paint matches perfect with the woodgrain .... and that luxurious brown leather interior is nicer than most Lincolns and Cadillacs .... the body and paint are almost immaculate .

    The price is not cheap ($14,000) but when you consider the time and effort some folks invest in restoring older wagons this could be considered a bargain .... write a check and drive it home.

    Total 1986 Mercury wagon production was 9891 so the luxury LS model is likely just a couple thousand.

    .
     
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  10. MAK

    MAK Well-Known Member

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    Agree with ArnieM but at $14,000 it has to mechanically in top shape - I would want to see record of repairs or I'd walk at that price
     
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  11. ArnieM888

    ArnieM888 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the post .... and you are exactly right about those corners above the taillight ..... the factory work-around was to use 2 separate pieces of woodgrain and overlap them at the seam .... looked OK and most people would never notice .... I blew up a picture and you can see woodgrain patterns are not exactly the same.

    .

    overlap woodgrain.JPG
     
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  12. LeonLinton

    LeonLinton Member

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    Thank you, you're all so helpful, more so than I think you'd imagine!
    If you're interested, I found this video out of pure luck that shows the car in question - it seems the issues highlighted by the person filming have been rectified:
     
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  13. LeonLinton

    LeonLinton Member

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    I also have some further photos that I requested from the seller:
    1.jpg 21.jpg 19.jpg 14.jpg 13.jpg 15.jpg 5.jpg 22.jpg 23.jpg 4.jpg
     
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  14. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    This one has about 7-8K miles less than my '89, and mine has the red leather instead of brown. My '83 CP had brown leather, though.
     
  15. jschwartz74

    jschwartz74 Active Member

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    Did you end up purchasing this one?
     
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