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1987cp's new '81 LTD 2-door

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    "when in doubt... C4" - Jamie Hyneman

    that line works well in more ways than one.

    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
    rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
    Originally posted by gadget73
    ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
    Originally posted by dmccaig
    Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

    Comment


      I had to fire this car up today in front of several police officers that appeared to be on business at the apartment/motel/whatever next door to where I was picking up pizza. A bit unnerving trying to pull out of there as gently as I could manage!

      Thinking maybe I won't even try the Rumblemasters adapted to my 2" tailpipes, and just go straight for my old Walkers that fit the pipes to start with, and fit my purpose for this vehicle better anyway.
      2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

      Comment


        Originally posted by 85crownHPP View Post
        Its called a C4 :smirk:
        Yeah, when Mickey first went to look at that car I was surprised to hear of a non-AOD box.

        How does it shift, anyway? Need of vid of this car in action soon! What was that RAR again?

        Comment


          Originally posted by torquelover View Post
          Yeah, when Mickey first went to look at that car I was surprised to hear of a non-AOD box.

          How does it shift, anyway? Need of vid of this car in action soon! What was that RAR again?
          Actually, this car came with an AOD. I yanked it because I'd spent $550 on this C4 for the '79 I got rid of and wanted to put it to some use. Thus the reason for constantly whining about headaches with shift linkages, 21t speedo gears, etc.

          The C4 shifts decently enough, as it always used to in its previous life, but testing so far has been very limited, and it does shift a lot earlier than I've gotten used to in your old AOD. Being able to be in Third by 35 isn't entirely a bad thing, but I do need to hook up my spare tach so I can verify (when convenient) just where WOT shifts are occurring.

          RAR is 3.08 (open) according to the axle tag and (IIRC) the VIN sticker as well.
          2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

          Comment


            Originally posted by 1987cp View Post
            Actually, this car came with an AOD. I yanked it because I'd spent $550 on this C4 for the '79 I got rid of and wanted to put it to some use. Thus the reason for constantly whining about headaches with shift linkages, 21t speedo gears, etc.
            Ah, so that's why I keep thinking the 2-door is a '79. I'm mixing up the old rust wagon with this one. You having four Panthers in the short time I've known you doesn't help my geriatric memory, either. So, is this going to be a daily driver? What is happening to the CP? You know I'm a fan of 16" steelies, but some HPPs would look great on this one

            Comment


              lol .... yep, the '81 tudor was my third Panther, and my only sedan before acquiring a certain better-driving and better-smelling, but rustier, old POS. And considering that I got the steelies with good tires all for $200 (plus driving slightly out of my way west of Indianapolis on my way home from a visit), I think they'll be staying.

              I still don't know what's happening to the Colony Park. If money weren't a big concern, I'd love to send it to my old boss in Crawfordsville and tell him to go at it. Even if I enlist him for some work and improvements, but coordinate things with a sufficient degree of cleverness, I might be able to get a very nice, relatively modern family hauler for no more than a lot of people pay for new cars these days - except that I'd be stuck paying the money to a credit card since I don't imagine I can get a car loan for a restoration.
              2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

              Comment


                Hooked up some other vacuum junk like the HVAC motors and the reserve canister, after which my mom tried to wreck it in the driveway because I'd forgotten to reattach the brake booster. D'oh. Also, determined that satisfactorily-late part throttle shifts aren't happening with the current modulator setup, so I plan to try to learn about the non-EGR modulator, as well as finding out what shift kit the tranny shop installed back in '05. Otherwise, I'm still liking the thing pretty well.

                Picked up a door striker bushing kit yesterday. Not sure when I'll try installing it.

                Still need to find out how to fix the floppy driver's window. Why couldn't it have been the other one? :p

                Oh, and quiet exhaust is good. Quietest driver I think I've had since before the original muffler rotted off the Colony Park back in 1999!
                2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

                Comment


                  Good news: the problem with no front defrost doesn't seem to be a problem with the vacuum source or the controls. Bad news: I can only assume for now that the problem is inside the HVAC plenum. Bleh. Should probably try to compare with the other car to make sure the vacuum motors really are moving properly as I think they are.
                  Last edited by 1987cp; 12-01-2010, 01:45 PM.
                  2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

                  Comment


                    This is annoying ... this silly car is sidelined once again, this time because of transmission slippage. No warning at all - drove perfectly fine yesterday, loaned it to my mom to drive to church this morning, and this morning I get a call that it's busted. No forward thrust in "D" or "2"; in "1" it did drive forward, but was making noises by the time I got it home. Oh well, at least the other LTD still works.

                    I spent about 4.5 minutes today contemplating a 5-speed swap, but I can't imagine that being even remotely doable right now, besides the fact that I have a known-good AOD that I can put in for basically free.

                    More later.
                    Last edited by 1987cp; 12-20-2010, 04:16 AM.
                    2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

                    Comment


                      Hooray for a free/spare AOD. Would like to see a manual in there. Does your Mom or Wife drive a manual? If not, a manual could be a really good idea for you. Or maybe a bad one.

                      Comment


                        This is the one out of the wagon, so it cost me a grand (installed) back in '04, and it's still stone stock and ought to at least get a "HIREV" governor kit when it comes out.


                        Mom has never successfully driven a stick - my dad had a '78 Skyhawk 3.8L/5-speed and tried to teach her to drive it, and the first time it did the weird bucking thing a stick car does when you don't know what you're doing, she got out and refused to get back behind the wheel of any stick car, ever. I therefore got to get most of my learning in on my mother-in-law's Suzuki she shipped over just after moving to Michigan - much to her consternation, especially as she hated to see the tach needle go over 3k for any reason, and I kept failing at explaining that having to grab Second whilst barely moving seemed utterly foreign to me.

                        Wife - actually learned on sticks, as back in the day that was all either of her parents ever bought, and she still prefers sticks in principle. Not so keen on them in actual traffic, though - learned that test-driving a used Cav with a particularly grabby clutch in the northern Detroit suburbs. Up in Alaska, they didn't really have normal traffic as you or I understand it, so that made it lots easier to take the time to think about what your left foot is doing.

                        My wife, of course, has never been happy driving anything "big and square", and has actually never been behind the wheel of either of my current LTDs.
                        2012 Mazda5 Touring | Finally working on the LTD again!

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by 1987cp View Post
                          Not so keen on them in actual traffic, though - learned that test-driving a used Cav with a particularly grabby clutch in the northern Detroit suburbs. Up in Alaska, they didn't really have normal traffic as you or I understand it, so that made it lots easier to take the time to think about what your left foot is doing.
                          I can always tell when I am talking with someone who is either inexperienced with manual transmissions, has never driven one, or who doesn't drive one daily.

                          Its second nature. I never have to think about what my extremities are doing when I am driving a stick shift (which is every day). You get so used to it that is just happens.

                          I bet if you ask most people that daily drive a stick, they would tell you that they don't find it bothersome or inconvenient, even in traffic. I personally just leave it in first or second, and roll it out. I have become so accustomed to the Dodge, that I can take off from a stop smoothly without touching the gas.

                          Once you have driven one for a while, you start to experiment with rev matching shifts, shifting without the clutch, double clutching, etc, to find out what delivers the smoothest shift.

                          Different cars take some getting used to, though, for some people. My Mom has an '04 Turbo Beetle, 5 spd, that she drives everyday. She was not able to drive my truck well, when I gave her the chance.

                          Her car is much different from my truck, especially since the flywheel seems to have very little inertia. It winds up and decelerates very quickly, where my truck will hold the revs a little longer. In order to get a truly smooth shift in the Beetle, I have to blip the gas in order the match the rpms. In my truck, if you time the shift right, there is no need to blip the gas, unless you are double clutching, which I occasionally do.

                          I always find it interesting when folks try and tell me that it is not possible to shift the transmission without the clutch. Its actually quite easy to do.
                          **2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 5.0/ 6 spd/ 3.73s, 20K Cruiser
                          **2006 MGM,"Ultimate": 4.6/ 2.73/ Dark Tint, Magnaflows, 19s, 115K Daily Driver
                          **2012 Harley Davidson Wide Glide (FXDWG):103/ Cobra Speedsters/ Cosmetics, 9K Poseur HD Rider
                          **1976 Ford F-150 4WD: 360, 4 spd, 3.50s, factory A/C, 4" lift, Bilsteins, US Indy Mags, 35s Truck Duties

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by P72Ford View Post

                            I have become so accustomed to the Dodge, that I can take off from a stop smoothly without touching the gas.
                            Impressive.

                            Originally posted by P72Ford View Post
                            I always find it interesting when folks try and tell me that it is not possible to shift the transmission without the clutch. Its actually quite easy to do.
                            My Uncle shifts his tractors this way. Find the right rev's and everything falls right into place.

                            I have not driven a manual by myself ever. Dad let me drive his mustang a couple years back and I did fine..only stalled once and took her out on the highway and all. I understand the concept and how everything works I just lack much real world experience to jump right into a manual and drive. I need to learn more. Dad asks every so often if I want to drive his mustang..I just say no because this is the first car he ever bought and he had it since new in '85. I would hate to mess it up.

                            That would be a nice project Michael, but does not make sense when you have an AOD around to drop in.
                            ~David~

                            My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                            My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                            Originally posted by ootdega
                            My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                            Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                            But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                            Originally posted by gadget73
                            my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                            Comment


                              a cable clutch that you can actually feel and the stock (heavy) flywheel make taking off in my mustang with no throttle very easy. my buddys SL2 with a lightweight flywheel and hydraulic clutch means you need throttle to take off (like the beetle) or youlll stall.

                              the only thing you 'need' a clutch for is starting out and down shifting. all other gears can be floated with any amount of skill.

                              david- go hop in the mustang and take it out. the worst you could do is burn up the clutch, which is highly unlikely.
                              go to a parking lot and practice starting off. get going and stop, over and over. that mustang is very easy to drive (provided the clutch cable isnt stretched out.) it shouldnt take long at all to get comfortable.
                              Last edited by rick99601; 12-20-2010, 03:01 PM.
                              1988 MGM GS - Preferred Equipment Package 172A; InstaClear

                              1980 Lincoln Continental Coupe
                              1994 MGM GS Montigua
                              2005 F150 Lariat Scab 4x4 3.73 LS
                              2002 Mustang GT Coupe

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by 87gtVIC View Post
                                My Uncle shifts his tractors this way. Find the right rev's and everything falls right into place.

                                I have not driven a manual by myself ever. Dad let me drive his mustang a couple years back and I did fine..only stalled once and took her out on the highway and all. I understand the concept and how everything works I just lack much real world experience to jump right into a manual and drive. I need to learn more.
                                I first learned when I was 12. My Dad presented my brother's and I with a 236K mile '81 Honda Civic, 5 spd, as a 'learning tool'.

                                We had other 'learning tools' after the Civic died.

                                When I got my permit I had gone to the DMV with my Dad. When we came out he instructed me to drive his car carrier home. Nice. With as many miles as it had on it then, it was quite an experience. Very little road feel, a wandering wheel, all that good stuff.

                                But I cut my teeth on his big trucks, one with a Clark 5 spd (and a dual range axle), 1 with a Spicer 5 spd, and one with a 6+1. I first experimented without using the clutch on the Spicer, and just perfected the technique from there.

                                A real learn experience is driving our pulling machine. With straight cut gears in the 4 spd primary and 5 spd auxillary, there is no room for error. There was much grinding when I started playing with it. But now I can pretty much drive it around, although the shift sequence is obscure, and downshifting is very troublesome.

                                I should get some video of that.
                                **2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 5.0/ 6 spd/ 3.73s, 20K Cruiser
                                **2006 MGM,"Ultimate": 4.6/ 2.73/ Dark Tint, Magnaflows, 19s, 115K Daily Driver
                                **2012 Harley Davidson Wide Glide (FXDWG):103/ Cobra Speedsters/ Cosmetics, 9K Poseur HD Rider
                                **1976 Ford F-150 4WD: 360, 4 spd, 3.50s, factory A/C, 4" lift, Bilsteins, US Indy Mags, 35s Truck Duties

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