My 2003 Purchase & Maintenance Details

J

jgoedd99

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Last seen
Joined
Mar 5, 2024
Thunderbird Year
2003
I am going to post this a couple paragraphs at a time, but this is my story with acquiring a 2003 Tbird and getting it to where i want it to be, Stay tuned.

This is a chronicle of my recently purchased 2003 Thunderbird. It may be of interest to others for its story and a summary of maintenance issues associated with the retro Thunderbirds. Your results may vary but everything in here is what I experienced.

My wife and I have been admirers of the retro bird for a number of years. My oldest brother has a 2002 turquoise Thunderbird. We saw this car probably 2015 or so. In the meantime I had kicked around picking up a 1980’s vintage 911, or a 1960’s vintage F100. Gave up on the Porsche due to cost and limited availability. Never really found a F100 that made me pull the trigger. I should mention that I am pretty loyal to Ford, currently owning an F150, Edge, and an Escape. During this time I also did a bit of research on the retro bird becoming familiar with the car, its issues, pricing, colors, etc. Most of the retro birds in western New York offered for sale were black, turquoise, and occasionally yellow or red. None of these colors appealed to me. I prefer the silver, white, or grey colors. Additionally 2002 tends to be the most common year as they sold the most. After reading as much as I could I figured that going with a 2003 or later would be the way to go because the hydraulic fan is gone and there was additional horsepower. I also figured it is usually not a good idea to go with the first year of any new model.

So that’s where we were for a number of years, not really looking but occasionally looking at FB marketplace or Craigslist. Took a vacation in Florida in spring of 2024 that took us to friends’ condo in Cape Coral. As we pull in we drive past a guy pulling a white retro bird into his parking spot and I mention ”nice car”. His reply was “it could be yours”. Turns out it was a 2003 Whisper White with black soft-top with 21,469 miles. The car had been in Florida for at least the past 2 owners (since 2018). The owner indicated he was having some health issues and was looking to sell the car. From Carfax we learned the car started out in Maryland and was there till 2018. At that time it had 10,700 miles, so it basically was a garage queen. In 2018 it was sold to its second owner brought to Florida with 11,978 miles. 3rd owner, who I purchased from, bought it in October 2021 with 11,978 miles. I purchased it in February 2024 with 21,469 miles.

Our Thunderbird was a 3 owner 2003 in Whisper White, manufactured on 6/10/2003 and originally sold 10/13/2003 in Maryland. It included a white hardtop. We saw the car with the soft-top on and we love the look of the black soft top on the white car. The hardtop was in the garage (we were hoping for black) and it was white. Oh well. Interior was black and white, again a color combo we really liked. As with the exterior color I was not a fan of red, turquoise, etc. interior. As far as other stuff, there was an original spare tire, all the owner’s manuals, the hard top, the hard top cart, and 2 receipts from the current owner showing all around replacement shock/strut & coil spring assembly and oil and filter changes. There was no: window sticker and no maintenance records from the prior 2 owners. We looked at it inside and out and it was in excellent condition, with a clean Carfax. Couple very minor scrapes/issues on front and rear bumpers. You really can’t see much under the car unless you put it on a lift, but from what we could see it was in pretty good condition and most metal looked like new. Tires were in good shape (2020 date code); battery also had a 2020 date code.

We negotiated a price, and then I had to deal with getting it back to New York State. Being a new car to me I was hesitant to get in it and drive 1,300 miles. So we elected to use a transporter. That was a bit of a cluster dealing with car transporters, brokers, etc. Paid for enclosed transportation, yet car showed up pretty dirty. That’s another story, anyway it arrived, and mileage was still 21,469 so at least it was not driven from Florida to Western New York.

Top be continued...

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So knowing what I know about retro birds from the internet, and having no maintenance records to speak of I set out to make sure the car was going to be “good to go”. I am an engineer and tend to take good care of my stuff, some may say anal. If the shoe fits… So here’s where the real fun begins. I should mention that when we bought the car every switch, lever etc. was tested and determined to work as it should. During the test drive the car ran well and there were no apparent obvious issues requiring immediate attention. I did think that the front end felt a bit light and there may have been some vibration in the steering wheel over 40 mph. Most people would get in and drive, but not me.

First thing I do is look into the coils and plugs. Remove coil covers and they have the old part numbers on them (not the replacement covers referenced in the TSB 05-16-2 Customer Satisfaction 07N09). Coils definitely look original (FOMO part numbers). Plugs also look original. They are tannish in color and look good. Underneath the covers looks PERFECT. No signs of oil, no signs of water, no rust discoloration. Absolutely beautiful black metal! OK so that’s a relief, and probably explains why the previous owners did not replace the coils on plugs (COPs). At the rear of the coil cover where the wire harness enters there was sealant and it obviously worked. The white rubber gaskets on the covers were in perfect condition and apparently did their job. Ok so far so good. BUT considering this is a 21 year old car and I’m in here, I figure I am going to change the spark plugs and coils. I go with the Ford SP468X plugs and attempt to use the NGK 48652 COPs. Plugs are a bit stiff to turn, but they come out OK. New plugs gapped and go in fine, I put a bit of aluminum anti-seize on them. Gapped at 1.05 mm. COPs do not fit well. The tab that takes the bolt sits a bit farther from the plug end and as a result the NGK COPS sit too high. Can’t bring myself to buy the FOMO COPs due to cost, and after reading every possible piece of info on the internet I go with the Amazon COPs (8-ENA515DG509). Before installation I check resistance on all and they are identical and close to the originals. No bad ones in the batch! I install them and engine fires up and runs beautiful. Good job. Finish with closing up the coil covers, applying a very small bead of Permatex Optimum Black around the perimeter (on top of the white sealant/gasket that is already there (on the covers).

As part of the coil issue I replaced the windshield wiper bracket seal (FOMO 5W4Z-54021A46A). There was a seal there but it was completely dry rotted and crumbled when you touched it. There is not much to the seal. It is ¼ inch thick black foam rubber (neoprene) with double sided mastic tape on one side. The shape is a donut, with an OD of 2.7 inches and an ID of 1.9 inches. To get to it you have to pull both wiper arms and the windshield cowl clips. The cowl pops off with a little prying as there are about 6 clips that hold it in place closer to the windshield. No issues, put new seal on (it sticks to underside of cowl); put cowl back in place being careful to get the sides properly positioned, and then pushed clips in place. Put wiper arms back, but cowl clips back.

Next I the set out to inspect the suspension system, another major known issue on the retro birds. Ouch this hurt. Yeah there were the brand new loaded struts on all four corners, but pretty much every other bushing and ball joint was ripped, boots blown out, rotted out, etc. I cannot get over the fact that whoever installed those struts must have told the owner that there were some “issues” that should be addressed… Oh well. This reminds me that during the test drive prior to purchasing I did feel that the front end of the car, the steering wheel, etc. felt a bit sloppy/loose. I suspect that the suspension issues were the cause. I have seen posts about people merely greasing and replacing rubber boots and otherwise leaving the existing ball joints in place. In New York State an annual inspection is required and in my experience if you have a ripped boot they fail you. There is no regard for whether the ball joint or bushing is tight and functional. So knowing the vehicle will not likely pass a NYS inspection, and as it sits is not up to my standards, I set out to address the suspension issues. After inspecting all four corners this is what I found (left and right were identical in all cases):

Front:

Rear:

So I start looking for suspension parts. Lot of options, lot of confusion. End up going with the 1AAuto kits for front (TRQ PSA59533) and rear (TRQ PSA42721). Front kit includes: loaded upper arms (includes 2 bushings and 1 ball joint), sway bar links, and outer steering tie rod ends. Lower arm looks OK so I am not going to do anything with it for now. Rear kit includes: loaded upper arms (includes 2 bushings and 1 ball joint), and sway bar links (short one). Separately (Rock Auto) I got the longer rear control arms for both rear wheels (Mevotech GS401243). As far as the rear lower control arm that is where confusion comes in. Most websites specify that the lower control arms are available for 2003 for vehicles made before 11/17/2002 or some say 11/18/2002. These are what I consider “reasonably priced” arms. My vehicle was made after that date so the available arms do not appear to fit my car. Moog does show rear lower arms available for 2003 cars made after 11/17/2002, but the prices that I could find were in the $600 to $1000 range, per arm. Not a reasonable price in my opinion. I found a number of posts regarding replacing the three (3) bushings on the existing rear lower control arms, now I understand why most owners go that route. For $114 I bought a complete set of rear bushings for the lower control arms on EBay (AutoAcer 42AA002). All three bushings are different, so a set of 6 has two each of the three bushing types. Had to buy some tools to remove the old and install the new bushings, but that does not bother me.

Bushing removal and replacement was not fun, but I got it done. I basically tried to set the new bushings to the same exact position as the old bushings. A couple were symmetric, but most were not. I carefully measured how far the center sleeve protruded on each side of the arm and matched that dimension when I pushed the new ones in.

Reassembly of the suspension system went pretty well, but there were issues with front steering tie rod outer end that was part of the 1A Auto kit (TRQ PSA59533). The shape of the cone on the ball joint on the steering tie rod (where it seats into the lower control arm) did not match the existing steering tie rod end, and therefore would not properly seat into the lower control arm. At this point I used local auto parts stores, and took the old part with me because it seemed like there were a number of other brands that also had the wrong ball joint shape. After special ordering the new steering outer tie rod ends, and waiting several days, the parts arrived and they were correct. These were ValueCraft Chassis VES5003 (left) and VES5002 (right). No other real issues reassembling the suspension. I got everything assembled and then while car is still on jack stands, raised the wheel (with scissor jack under rotor) to ride height to do final torque to match specs.
 
Third and final with work to date..

While I had each wheel apart I also pulled the brake calipers and caliper brackets to inspect, clean, and lubricate the pins. The rotors all looked good, minor rust, and appear to be original. The brake pads all had a lot of life. The pins were all free, but I cleaned them all and greased them. The caliper bolts on the rear were in pretty poor condition and were tough to break free. I do not think they were ever removed. I cleaned them up with a brass wire wheel and they looked good and went in easy after cleaning them. The caliper bolts on the front were newer (not original) and came out pretty easy. Upon further inspection it appears the front calipers were previously replaced as they were much cleaner than the caliper bracket and had new bolts. Both front and rear caliper bracket bolts were a bitch to break free, and once I got them turning they still did not feel right, to the point that I thought they were stripping as I loosened them. Turns out the caliper bracket bolts at all four corners were probably never removed and were installed with a ton of blue thread locker. I cleaned the bolts with the brass wire wheel and cleaned the bolt holes with a wire pipe reamer to get all the old blue thread locker out. After cleaning them the bolts threaded in and out easily. I did not use thread locker upon reinstallation. The brakes all went well, no issues, everything reassembled. Only trick is the rear calipers requires a special tool to retract the piston in (by turning clockwise) so that the calipers can be reinstalled over the pads, AND the final position of the dimples on the piston must be vertical to align with the tab on the brake pads. If the dimples on the piston are not aligned properly, the caliper bolts won’t align and it is impossible to bolt the caliper into the slide pins. Took me a while to figure this last item out.

Other stuff I did includes:

Replaced fuel filter under the fender skirt on front driver side tire. Pretty straight forward, lot of discussion on the Internet regarding how to unclip existing fuel filter, much of the info did not seem to match my 2003. There are two clips that hold the gas lines to the inlet & outlet of the filter. The clip is green in color. A small screwdriver is used to push the clip in and the filter slides right off. No issues. Some question regarding the proper FOMO filter. A lot of info on internet says the FG1011, but Ford Parts says FG1083. The filter that was in there was an FG1011. I replaced it with an FG1083. Apparently these two filters can be interchanged.

Replaced engine air filter. The filter that was in there wasn’t too bad, but no idea when it was changed. I found the only way I could get the top back on the air box was to unbolt the air box and pull the air hose off the engine air intake. That allows the top to be put on the air box and then the air box is installed, air hose reattached, and the air box bolted down. Filter was a Motorcraft FA1679.

Replaced cabin air filter. This is easily down by removing the passenger side windshield cowl clips, and lifting up the cowl. The wiper arms do not need to be removed. The problem I had was the AC filter equivalent did not fit very good (AC CF2334). I will not get this filter again; I should stick with the FOMO Motorcraft FP25 cabin air filter.

Still need to get a NYSI done, as my temporary (10day) sticker is now expired. After that wifey and I get to enjoy. Just waiting for nice weather

Took it out for Easter bruch for maiden ride, all went well. The supsension performed well. No issues. Coils & plugs are great. Everything else works as it should.

Stitched a garage cover from 3 king size flannel sheets (I do upholstery & boat canvas work as a hobby) and rigged up a harbor freight hoist for lifting the cover off. Need to fine tune that yet.

Waiting for good weather to take in for NYSI. Still need to address:
Spare tire replacement (it is original 2002 date code)

That's where i'm at, i think i got all the major issues addressed, and now am waiting for weather to get better so i can get it NYSI inspected and put some miles on it. It will be a garage queen ,and I'll only go out nice days, No salt,.

Picked up this model car on eBay for the fun of it. Its a 2002, not a 2003, but is in whisper white.
 

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Thank you for this interesting read. I, too, am anal about my cars, but our winter place in Palm Springs has no garage, so I can't do all i want to!

AND I have no good tools here ....

frown face

Thanks again.
 
Did pretty much the same to my Bronze 2005 front and rear suspension > also added Powerstop slotted rotors and their red calipers and ceramic pads > the ride and braking are much improved.
 
jgoedd99 said:
So knowing what I know about retro birds from the internet, and having no maintenance records to speak of I set out to make sure the car was going to be “good to go”. I am an engineer and tend to take good care of my stuff, some may say anal. If the shoe fits… So here’s where the real fun begins. I should mention that when we bought the car every switch, lever etc. was tested and determined to work as it should. During the test drive the car ran well and there were no apparent obvious issues requiring immediate attention. I did think that the front end felt a bit light and there may have been some vibration in the steering wheel over 40 mph. Most people would get in and drive, but not me.

First thing I do is look into the coils and plugs. Remove coil covers and they have the old part numbers on them (not the replacement covers referenced in the TSB 05-16-2 Customer Satisfaction 07N09). Coils definitely look original (FOMO part numbers). Plugs also look original. They are tannish in color and look good. Underneath the covers looks PERFECT. No signs of oil, no signs of water, no rust discoloration. Absolutely beautiful black metal! OK so that’s a relief, and probably explains why the previous owners did not replace the coils on plugs (COPs). At the rear of the coil cover where the wire harness enters there was sealant and it obviously worked. The white rubber gaskets on the covers were in perfect condition and apparently did their job. Ok so far so good. BUT considering this is a 21 year old car and I’m in here, I figure I am going to change the spark plugs and coils. I go with the Ford SP468X plugs and attempt to use the NGK 48652 COPs. Plugs are a bit stiff to turn, but they come out OK. New plugs gapped and go in fine, I put a bit of aluminum anti-seize on them. Gapped at 1.05 mm. COPs do not fit well. The tab that takes the bolt sits a bit farther from the plug end and as a result the NGK COPS sit too high. Can’t bring myself to buy the FOMO COPs due to cost, and after reading every possible piece of info on the internet I go with the Amazon COPs (8-ENA515DG509). Before installation I check resistance on all and they are identical and close to the originals. No bad ones in the batch! I install them and engine fires up and runs beautiful. Good job. Finish with closing up the coil covers, applying a very small bead of Permatex Optimum Black around the perimeter (on top of the white sealant/gasket that is already there (on the covers).

As part of the coil issue I replaced the windshield wiper bracket seal (FOMO 5W4Z-54021A46A). There was a seal there but it was completely dry rotted and crumbled when you touched it. There is not much to the seal. It is ¼ inch thick black foam rubber (neoprene) with double sided mastic tape on one side. The shape is a donut, with an OD of 2.7 inches and an ID of 1.9 inches. To get to it you have to pull both wiper arms and the windshield cowl clips. The cowl pops off with a little prying as there are about 6 clips that hold it in place closer to the windshield. No issues, put new seal on (it sticks to underside of cowl); put cowl back in place being careful to get the sides properly positioned, and then pushed clips in place. Put wiper arms back, but cowl clips back.

Next I the set out to inspect the suspension system, another major known issue on the retro birds. Ouch this hurt. Yeah there were the brand new loaded struts on all four corners, but pretty much every other bushing and ball joint was ripped, boots blown out, rotted out, etc. I cannot get over the fact that whoever installed those struts must have told the owner that there were some “issues” that should be addressed… Oh well. This reminds me that during the test drive prior to purchasing I did feel that the front end of the car, the steering wheel, etc. felt a bit sloppy/loose. I suspect that the suspension issues were the cause. I have seen posts about people merely greasing and replacing rubber boots and otherwise leaving the existing ball joints in place. In New York State an annual inspection is required and in my experience if you have a ripped boot they fail you. There is no regard for whether the ball joint or bushing is tight and functional. So knowing the vehicle will not likely pass a NYS inspection, and as it sits is not up to my standards, I set out to address the suspension issues. After inspecting all four corners this is what I found (left and right were identical in all cases):

Front:

Rear:

So I start looking for suspension parts. Lot of options, lot of confusion. End up going with the 1AAuto kits for front (TRQ PSA59533) and rear (TRQ PSA42721). Front kit includes: loaded upper arms (includes 2 bushings and 1 ball joint), sway bar links, and outer steering tie rod ends. Lower arm looks OK so I am not going to do anything with it for now. Rear kit includes: loaded upper arms (includes 2 bushings and 1 ball joint), and sway bar links (short one). Separately (Rock Auto) I got the longer rear control arms for both rear wheels (Mevotech GS401243). As far as the rear lower control arm that is where confusion comes in. Most websites specify that the lower control arms are available for 2003 for vehicles made before 11/17/2002 or some say 11/18/2002. These are what I consider “reasonably priced” arms. My vehicle was made after that date so the available arms do not appear to fit my car. Moog does show rear lower arms available for 2003 cars made after 11/17/2002, but the prices that I could find were in the $600 to $1000 range, per arm. Not a reasonable price in my opinion. I found a number of posts regarding replacing the three (3) bushings on the existing rear lower control arms, now I understand why most owners go that route. For $114 I bought a complete set of rear bushings for the lower control arms on EBay (AutoAcer 42AA002). All three bushings are different, so a set of 6 has two each of the three bushing types. Had to buy some tools to remove the old and install the new bushings, but that does not bother me.

Bushing removal and replacement was not fun, but I got it done. I basically tried to set the new bushings to the same exact position as the old bushings. A couple were symmetric, but most were not. I carefully measured how far the center sleeve protruded on each side of the arm and matched that dimension when I pushed the new ones in.

Reassembly of the suspension system went pretty well, but there were issues with front steering tie rod outer end that was part of the 1A Auto kit (TRQ PSA59533). The shape of the cone on the ball joint on the steering tie rod (where it seats into the lower control arm) did not match the existing steering tie rod end, and therefore would not properly seat into the lower control arm. At this point I used local auto parts stores, and took the old part with me because it seemed like there were a number of other brands that also had the wrong ball joint shape. After special ordering the new steering outer tie rod ends, and waiting several days, the parts arrived and they were correct. These were ValueCraft Chassis VES5003 (left) and VES5002 (right). No other real issues reassembling the suspension. I got everything assembled and then while car is still on jack stands, raised the wheel (with scissor jack under rotor) to ride height to do final torque to match specs.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post. Reinforces the work my local mechanic found and replaced on my 04 bird….suspension system ala carte - about everything you mentioned was in poor condition. Trusting my home mechanic and the need to replace brought me out of service for about $1600 bucks. Money well spent for safety and such. Mine is burgundy with black leather and burgundy hardtop and black soft top. Just loving it.
 
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