Alan, the 1989 Ford Probe GT Turbo
Discussion
After my Saab 9000 Aero failed it's MOT with some structural rust issues, I decided I needed another car. Since my usual car buying method is to browse eBay and see what takes my fancy I went with that. and yesterday I picked up this:
I didn't know much about these early Probes, but I could see tt had pop-up headlights and a spectacularly red interior so it was pretty much a done deal. This one came from the US back in '89 and sent a few years on the road before ending up in storage for about 20. It made its return to the roads last year and now it's mine.
It's a Mazda MX-6 underneath (no, not the pretty one that the later Probe was based on), this one:
It's got a 22 12V 4 pot with an intercooled turbo putting out a storming 145bhp and 190lbft, there's electronically adjustable dampers and features such as cruise control (that doesn't work) and air conditioning (that also doesn't work)
Here's the original advertisment courtesy of youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg3FCmflFPc
I've got a few plans like wheels and maybe a bit of lowering, but otherwise it's pretty clean and I'm just going to enjoy telling people I've bought a car like the one in Back to The Future 2
Interested to hear our thoughts and hopefully learn a bit since the entirety of my knowledge is based on a bit of googling and 24 hours ownership.
Oh and I'm sure I don't need to say this, but no Probe jokes please. I'm keeping a close eye on the thread, so don't try and slip one in behind my back.
I didn't know much about these early Probes, but I could see tt had pop-up headlights and a spectacularly red interior so it was pretty much a done deal. This one came from the US back in '89 and sent a few years on the road before ending up in storage for about 20. It made its return to the roads last year and now it's mine.
It's a Mazda MX-6 underneath (no, not the pretty one that the later Probe was based on), this one:
It's got a 22 12V 4 pot with an intercooled turbo putting out a storming 145bhp and 190lbft, there's electronically adjustable dampers and features such as cruise control (that doesn't work) and air conditioning (that also doesn't work)
Here's the original advertisment courtesy of youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg3FCmflFPc
I've got a few plans like wheels and maybe a bit of lowering, but otherwise it's pretty clean and I'm just going to enjoy telling people I've bought a car like the one in Back to The Future 2
Interested to hear our thoughts and hopefully learn a bit since the entirety of my knowledge is based on a bit of googling and 24 hours ownership.
Oh and I'm sure I don't need to say this, but no Probe jokes please. I'm keeping a close eye on the thread, so don't try and slip one in behind my back.
Glad to see some love for it! It's not classy, it's not fast and it's not beautiful, but it's got character. Being a Petrolhead isn't serious business.. Go out and buy something weird today!
More boost is appealing, there's definitely some potential there, but perhaps something else will catch my eye before I get that far
Some nice wheels work wonders and the Goodyears on the current 3 spokes are rather ancient, so if anyone sees anything cool in 5x114.3 then let me know. A couple of examples:
More boost is appealing, there's definitely some potential there, but perhaps something else will catch my eye before I get that far
Some nice wheels work wonders and the Goodyears on the current 3 spokes are rather ancient, so if anyone sees anything cool in 5x114.3 then let me know. A couple of examples:
There's definitely a fair bit Japanese influence in the styling as well as underneath. It's got bits of some of my favourite cars all mashed in there. S13 200SX and FC RX-7 are in there too.
Anyone any good with photoshop? I'd like to see it lower on some nice lattice, dished wheels with gloss black roof and maybe anthracite lower claddings.
Anyone any good with photoshop? I'd like to see it lower on some nice lattice, dished wheels with gloss black roof and maybe anthracite lower claddings.
I do fancy a bit of boost fun as it feels a little lacklustre after the 290ish bhp Saab, but I'm not sure the little turbo has much more to give!
That drag version looks great! Shame it's not RWD from the factory, but then it'd probably be worth several times as much if it were.
Cruise doesn't bother me really, but i do need to sort the lack of any functioning blower motor.
That drag version looks great! Shame it's not RWD from the factory, but then it'd probably be worth several times as much if it were.
Cruise doesn't bother me really, but i do need to sort the lack of any functioning blower motor.
None. None more red.
Yes, a new steering wheel is on the list.
How is it drive you're all asking? Well after managing to go for a bit of a B-road blast, I've found that it's far better than I expected and genunely fun. The steering is weighty (it has variable steering weight which is pretty crap round town where it just switsches between light and heavy all the time), turn in is good and the suspension is nicely sprung and very composed with great balance. The torque makes it quite punchy and the brakes are good too. I'm starting to get back into the swing of LHD in the UK too.
There's an appalling fan belt (i think) squeal, but only at night, in the day it's a bit of a chirp and then quiet. I shall order a new belt sand see if that helps.
Yes, a new steering wheel is on the list.
How is it drive you're all asking? Well after managing to go for a bit of a B-road blast, I've found that it's far better than I expected and genunely fun. The steering is weighty (it has variable steering weight which is pretty crap round town where it just switsches between light and heavy all the time), turn in is good and the suspension is nicely sprung and very composed with great balance. The torque makes it quite punchy and the brakes are good too. I'm starting to get back into the swing of LHD in the UK too.
There's an appalling fan belt (i think) squeal, but only at night, in the day it's a bit of a chirp and then quiet. I shall order a new belt sand see if that helps.
Prinny said:
If a new steering wheel is on the list as you say, please please please can it be a red one?
I am strangely drawn to this, though the more I look, the more I feel it needs a straight ‘plate on the front. I think this would improve the looks no end.
I think a red steering wheel would be too much. I am strangely drawn to this, though the more I look, the more I feel it needs a straight ‘plate on the front. I think this would improve the looks no end.
Yeh, I did think about a standard front plate since the current one is cracked anyway. Might get rid of the bucktooth look!
I can see myself spending far too much money if I'm not careful. Already deliberating over a basket of over £100 on fordprobestore.co.uk and I was only after a fan belt.
Backtobasics said:
Sensational choice. Does the ride adjust do anything?
I think so, might just be a placebo though.LewG said:
I like it 
there's something weirdly appealing about how it looks, bad, yet quite good at the same time! If you painted it black and put some red LEDs on the front and squinted it could almost be KITT from Knight Rider
A colleague made the Knight rider comment too. There are many appealing details to me, although I do agre it's not pretty as a whole. there's something weirdly appealing about how it looks, bad, yet quite good at the same time! If you painted it black and put some red LEDs on the front and squinted it could almost be KITT from Knight RiderIt also looks better in the dark unsurprisingly.
S100HP said:
Has it broken yet?
No. Well not really.... the wiper blade broke off whilst it was pissing it down 2 hours from home and thankfully my prayers were answered since the wiperless wiper arm didn't crack an un=replaceable windscreen and the getting the blade caught in the other wiper didn't break the mechanism. Thankfully a nearby Co-Op food supplied me with blu-tack, sellotape and cocktail sticks and it worked beautifully all the way back. Now more permanently fixed with some Araldite.I'm waiting on some repair manuals and a bunch of parts from the Ford Probe Store, but that might take a while, nothing urgent though.
In more exciting news
A genuine Momo Corse from 95 and a £6.48 alloy gearknob are a lot more pleasant to use than the plastic originals as well as improving the looks somewhat. Less successful is the £4.99 horn push which doesn't fit and looks s
t. replacement on order.And wheels have been acquired
They need a little love to bring them back to their best, but should look good. I'm imagining something like the ugly brother of this:
i also want to talk about something both excellent and terrible when it comes to the Probe: Storage.
Up front we have no cupholders, which is far more annoying than you'd think and the worlds smallest door pockets which have room for 3 single cassettes and nothing else
In the centre armrest we have ample room for a double cassette and maybe 4 of your favourite wrapped sweet.
And the glovebox is tiny too.
Open the boot however and it's like the Probes party trick, no-one expects it to be quite so cavernous and the seats fold down so it'll swallow bikes no problem. It's also red which could hide darker stains quite well and has restraints in case your cargo tries to escape
Up front we have no cupholders, which is far more annoying than you'd think and the worlds smallest door pockets which have room for 3 single cassettes and nothing else
In the centre armrest we have ample room for a double cassette and maybe 4 of your favourite wrapped sweet.
And the glovebox is tiny too.
Open the boot however and it's like the Probes party trick, no-one expects it to be quite so cavernous and the seats fold down so it'll swallow bikes no problem. It's also red which could hide darker stains quite well and has restraints in case your cargo tries to escape
Strela said:
What an overwhelmingly, irredeemably appalling car in every respect. I salute you. Does your eclectic taste apply in other aspects of your lifestyle, which I imagine is fabulous?
I'll let your imagination run wild on that one since I'm sure the reality would be quite disappointing! MX6 said:
Very nice choice for the wheels, I wouldn't mind those on my MX6, I think they will look more or less period correct on the Probe. I like that they have a bit of lip/dish, they should have a somewhat lower offset than the current set I guess, those standard rims are a stance fail.
Yeh, I think they'll look good, but sadly the offset is similar, but with a bit more width it should fill the arches a touch more. Spacers are a possibility.TwistingMyMelon said:
So bad its good, I love that
Whats the performance like?
I appreciate 145bhp is low, but there cant really be all that to it weight wise
It's not fast. 190lbft though so it's not slow either. As you might imagine it's fairly punchy in the mid-range with nothing up top. the turbo response is very un 80s and quite the opposite of the 9000 that preceded it! I did read that there's an overboost function and that people on the internet believe it was underrated for power (don't they always). I'm tempted to see if I can't extract a bit more go if I keep it long enough!Whats the performance like?
I appreciate 145bhp is low, but there cant really be all that to it weight wise
I also read that a Civic short shift fits quite easily which would be a definite bonus since there's no hope of shifting with any speed currently and that should definitely liven it up a bit.
Veeayt said:
Sorry for offtopic, but I forgot what a fabulous looking machine is the second-gen (FC?) RX-7 is 
They are lovely, perhaps even lovelier than the FD.New genuine Momo horn button is a big improvement, just a couple more bits and the interior is sorted. Interesting feature is that when you adjust the wheel for tilt, the entire instrument binnacle moves with it.
sinbaddio said:
I think Alan's ace! In terms of styling influences, the side profile (glass especially) reminds of the Celica Gen4:
Definitely. The slab-sidedness is very similar too. It's strange how just much Jap influence there seems to be and yet it end s up looking very definitely American.Hammerhead said:
Loving the red interior! And keep fit windows. Look forward to seeing it on the BBSs.
PS - I've got Now 10 on vinyl from back in the day..Pump up the volume
Great track, I've mostly been listening to Pat Benatar at the moment, which has been surprisingly good.PS - I've got Now 10 on vinyl from back in the day..Pump up the volume
So, I've had my first failure to Probe yesterday. The alternator belt has snapped, which isn't surprising given its squeals recently, luckily not too far from home as the RAC took 5 hours to supply some charge. Got an order in for a Mazda part from ECP that'll hopefully be available today at some point and will hopefully fit.
So I've got the correct belt, but it looks like a pig of a job since there is no space to access anything (and I still have no Haynes manual to lie about how easy it is) so I tackled the more important issue: Cupholders.
After some ebay digging, I found this, which seems perfect aside from the walnut effect (there was also a silver finish that I didn't like)
For some unknown reason the top section extends further than the base, but some hacksaw, dremel and filing action saw it skilfully re-profiled (don't measure cut once was the method selected). Add some matt black paint and we have this:
No more awkward coffee stains to the crotch for me! Success.
After some ebay digging, I found this, which seems perfect aside from the walnut effect (there was also a silver finish that I didn't like)
For some unknown reason the top section extends further than the base, but some hacksaw, dremel and filing action saw it skilfully re-profiled (don't measure cut once was the method selected). Add some matt black paint and we have this:
No more awkward coffee stains to the crotch for me! Success.
Spinakerr said:
Just check it's secure when fully laden. I will never fit a cupholder again after approaching an Autoroute toll gate a little too fast and have to fish Euro coins from an upturned McSlurry.
It's pretty secure, I've had a full cup of coffee empty itself over a centre console in the same circumstance!The engine. Not much to look at:
Changing the alternator belt was a bit of a pain, since it's a separate belt to the PAS/AC one but runs behind it on the crank pulley so it had to be removed and the tension adjustment for both belts was bot h rusty and very difficult to access, but it's sorted now. £5.68 from ECP for a Conti belt so can't complain.
Decided to test the fit of the BBS, front looks good, but rear will definitely need spacing,
Spinakerr said:
Handsome alloys, I honestly didn't think they would match but the colour helps immensely.
As an ardent fan on 90s Alfas there's only one thing required for the engine - painting the '12 valve' in red engine enamel!
I think that's a little way off yet, there's a few bits under the hood (i is American after all) that could use some paint, but a smidge of red might be nice.As an ardent fan on 90s Alfas there's only one thing required for the engine - painting the '12 valve' in red engine enamel!
Podie said:
Jeez, even the boot is red!
I know someone who had one back in 99 / 2000. It had the air con button on the dash, but no compressor or gubbins under the bonnet...
I know someone who had one back in 99 / 2000. It had the air con button on the dash, but no compressor or gubbins under the bonnet...
Mine has the gubbins, but the blower motor doesn't work, waiting on a service manual, before I regret taking the dash apart with no plan of action. I suspect the likelihood of functional A/C is practically zero, but I'm not fussed really.MX6 said:
Some good work there, I like how the interior is shaping up, those wheels are going to look the part. Nice to see an engine pic', it looks pretty clean. I'd be tempted to splash some Kurust around in there over those rust coloured areas...
Definitely going to tidy up the engine bay at some point. I've also ordered a Probinator chip from across the pond which removes the boost cut off and combined with a boost controller should find a few extra horses.Lets just hope it doesn't come with the name on the package or I'll get some funny looks from the courier!I'm having some issues though, it's started to cut out occasionally after bit of stumbling when going round sharp bends which needs investigating and the cooling fan seemingly never runs even when it's quite hot so I'm going through bit by bit and hoping I'll find the culprit, but so far no luck.
New wheels fitted with new tyres, I'll get some better shots and perhaps even give it a wash, but for now it's looking good.
Fast Bug said:
Those wheels really suit it!
Yeh, I'm pleased. There are spacers on the rear to even up the look a bit and I think it definitely needs to be a touch lower, but we're getting there.toastyhamster said:
But the bottom of that door! Rust?!
It's a plastic cladding that's not attached too well, on the list to sort!
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