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2007 Grand Marquis LS "Luxoliner"

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    #46
    Originally posted by MrMarquis View Post
    Ghosty, the stereo is so bright on dim that the darkest green overpowers the cluster. This is about a close as it will get.

    I have the single DIN variant of that same stereo. I found that if you do the 'custom' color adjustment on it, you can set the values lower and it may dim the display a bit more. I've got mine almost properly matched to the teal color of my dashboard.


    My Cars:
    -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
    -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
    -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
    -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

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      #47
      New meats on the Luxoliner.

      We had to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to Florida for my grandfather's funeral, logged close to 1700 miles on the old OEM Michelin tires. The rears were balding and had very little tread. I've been sitting on the fence about the steelies and haven't really done anything with them, and this trip forced my hand to buy new tires.

      I went with a set of Continental TrueContacts, same size as stock. TireRack reviews are mostly positive and they are reasonably affordable. Supposedly 90k tires, at least the warranty extends that far. From what I read, the wet weather performance is excellent; winter reviews look good as well. White wall tires were more only available in the older series tire and more expensive...so farewell to the pinstripes.

      Whole car needs a bath and the tires need a good shine, but here's the new look. Gonna take some getting used to.







      sigpic
      - 2004 Ford Thunderbird - 2006 Ford F150 XLT - 2018 Ford Explorer Limited - 1958 Mercury Medalist

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        #48
        I think it looks great! I was never really a big fan of the white walls, I mean yeah sure they're alright on a box-styled body (and not just those made by FoMoCo), but on a reasonably modern-looking car like yours here they just look kinda outta place. These Contis on the other hand make you car look very much like a '96-'97 Town Car, which IMHO was one of the classiest vehicles Ford ever made. For the same reason I think it's not a bad thing you didn't do the steelies, these wheels just look right on this car, to me steelies should only go on el-strip and/or hot-rodded Crown Vics, they got no business on a Grand Marquis.
        The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
        The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

        Comment


          #49
          So I realized today that there is much less space in the front of these cars than the boxes...

          I'm working on plans for an onboard air system for the whale. I was really hoping to use my old horns that I just pulled off of Cherry, but there is no way in hell that they'll fit behind the grille of this car. The cross member in front of the radiator severely limits room to work. I hate to say it, but I may have to go with one of those plastic Hornblaster sets...I much prefer metal, but the trumpets will have to sit side by side to fit without major modification. The old set will be set aside for the truck I suppose. But I really want noisemakers again.

          Current plan is to reuse my Viair 480C compressors, pumping out 200psi to a 3-5 gallon tank. I'm trying to make everything as non-invasive as possible, with limited holes through the trunk. Everything will be secured to inner sheet metal. If I can find a suitable aluminum tank, I'll go that route; but, it must fit on the side ledge in the trunk and I'm struggling to find one of correct size that's rated for 200psi. A 20" 5 gallon tank is going to be a squeeze but readily available in steel...or I could do a dual tank setup and stack two 2-2.5 gallon tanks, not sure yet.

          As with anything, my progress is usually extremely slow. But I did pick up a 4x8 sheet of particle board to cut the bases for everything out of, and I'm researching copper lines and fittings to hard pipe everything in the trunk. DOT air line will run down the frame to the horns. I'll most likely use an electric valve instead of my manual one to avoid cutting into the passenger compartment. Not really any good space to set a big air lanyard anyways. I've got 50 feet of 6 gauge wire ready for my runs to the trunk. I'm determined to do a better job than the guy that installed my first system.

          Picture unrelated, but current state of the car.


          sigpic
          - 2004 Ford Thunderbird - 2006 Ford F150 XLT - 2018 Ford Explorer Limited - 1958 Mercury Medalist

          Comment


            #50
            Heads-up #1, you don't really need 200 psi. Big trucks rarely exceed 150 psi, and you know how loud their air horns can get. Also, to build up 200 psi it's a helluva workout for the compressors, 150 or so is much easier and helps with their life span. May wanna check the rating on the air line too, should be way up there but depending on where you source it from it can get a bit so-so.

            Heads-up#2, check the orifice size of the e-valve you wanna use. Mine is really tiny inside, it's fed by a 1/4" line like many road tractor horns are, but the valve itself must flow quite a bit less than the line can - yet it's plenty for the pair of 3" Grovers it feeds (you've heard them). My other setup consists of quad 6" Grovers, those got the lanyard mechanical valve and larger air line just cause of the air flow they need. So, lots of horns, or big horns, or lots of big horns, you need either one larger-orifice valve, or multiple smaller valves. Also keep quality of build in mind, my e-valve leaks down good 40-60 psi overnight from the pair of IIRC 5-gallon tanks, but it was cheap as heck, and I use up air all the time anyways so it doesn't bother me much.

            If you can wait a few weeks, pay me a visit and bring your car for fitment - I got at least once big Grover road tractor horn I'm not gonna be needing, it's not train horn loud but does make people jump for the bushes or lay on the throttle to gtfo the way

            Edit: your truck is an I6, all sorts of space in that engine bay for the real train horns - I strongly dislike when they're installed on the frame, they see all sorts of crap down there (especially if truck is 4x4 and used as such), and they're vulnerable from physical damage too. Engine bay is where they need to live, or in your case they can also go on the Racerback as well, but IMHO that would look tacky as all heck, and it will be hard on your own ears as well. Air tank can safely live on the outboard side of the passenger-side frame rail, especially since you have no dually fender braces or camper tie-down beams or other such obstacles. Handle valve location should also not be hard to figure out, it's a big cab with lots of space.
            Last edited by His Royal Ghostliness; 06-16-2017, 11:21 PM.
            The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
            The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

            Comment


              #51
              Originally posted by His Royal Ghostliness View Post
              Heads-up #1, you don't really need 200 psi. Big trucks rarely exceed 150 psi, and you know how loud their air horns can get. Also, to build up 200 psi it's a helluva workout for the compressors, 150 or so is much easier and helps with their life span. May wanna check the rating on the air line too, should be way up there but depending on where you source it from it can get a bit so-so.
              And locomotives only use around 135psi air systems; and I have a car, I really don't need any air system at all, so the louder the better. The Hornblaster set is rated for 227psi operating pressure. My dual Viair 480Cs are rated at 100% duty cycle life at 100psi, and 50% at 200psi. They are made to charge 10 gallon tanks up to 200psi. I have considered a regulator to supply the horns with less to extend the blast time, but all is still in the works. The 1/2" DOT reinforced air line has a burst rating of 950psi. . Again, not thrilled with the idea of plastic horns, but their four chime set does give a good impression of a train.

              Heads-up#2, check the orifice size of the e-valve you wanna use. Mine is really tiny inside, it's fed by a 1/4" line like many road tractor horns are, but the valve itself must flow quite a bit less than the line can - yet it's plenty for the pair of 3" Grovers it feeds (you've heard them). My other setup consists of quad 6" Grovers, those got the lanyard mechanical valve and larger air line just cause of the air flow they need. So, lots of horns, or big horns, or lots of big horns, you need either one larger-orifice valve, or multiple smaller valves. Also keep quality of build in mind, my e-valve leaks down good 40-60 psi overnight from the pair of IIRC 5-gallon tanks, but it was cheap as heck, and I use up air all the time anyways so it doesn't bother me much.
              The Hornblaster set is supplied with a 1/2" electric valve, and their products do get good reviews. The kit is matched to the trumpets and it seems to all work well right out of the box. I'll see if I can dig into details more, but I haven't heard of their valves leaking. I'll be reusing my cut-out cock anyways and will be able to cut the supply off overnight if need be. Minus the electric valve, I am essentially just rebuilding the old system in the new car, and it worked well until the leaks developed in the air line due to the so-called "professional" installation requiring a tight 90 degree bend with the DOT air line through sheet metal...

              If you can wait a few weeks, pay me a visit and bring your car for fitment - I got at least once big Grover road tractor horn I'm not gonna be needing, it's not train horn loud but does make people jump for the bushes or lay on the throttle to gtfo the way
              I don't work on trucks for a living. I'm obligated to go with the train horn sound. And there's no way I'm fitting Nathans in there...


              sigpic
              - 2004 Ford Thunderbird - 2006 Ford F150 XLT - 2018 Ford Explorer Limited - 1958 Mercury Medalist

              Comment


                #52
                Right, I forgot the Hornblasters setups actually do resemble the sound of real train horns, in that case carry on See I keep forgetting you're not just after loud, but it needs to be a very specific kind of loud - whereas I care for loud and where I can fit it so salt spray is not gonna eat it alive in a winter road trip or two, so the big truck horns do the trick for me just fine.

                Also, car or not, I think you actually do need an air horn systems, matter of fact everyone does. It seems to be about the only way to get the attention of the mobile-deviced retards we gotta share the roads with. Like that one fool who decided to stop at a green light for no good reason i think about a week ago, it's not like I wouldn't have been able to stop on time behind him but the blast of air seemed like a more proper response to the situation, and it sure got him going quick
                The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                Comment


                  #53
                  Yeah, there's really nor much space to mount horn shenanigans on aeros and whales.

                  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


                    #54
                    R.i.p.

                    Well, Luxo met his demise this morning as I was coming home from work. A woman pulled out from a side street right in front of me, not even looking my way as she tried to jump into a line of traffic. I was able to swerve a bit to avoid straight T-boning her, but there was no way to avoid it outright. I got her with the front corner and tore the front of her car off.

                    Cops had to push her car off onto the shoulder with their cruiser. I backed the Marquis onto the side road dragging the damage along with me. Cops got a kick out of that, as they were unsure how to move it otherwise.

                    In reality, it's probably repairable. Bumper actually didn't seem to take much of a hit and the airbags did not deploy. Hard to say if it tweaked the frame any though, couldn't really dig through the damage that well. Her insurance has already said that she was 100% responsible and I'm waiting for the adjuster to make the call at this point. I'm fairly certain they will say it's a total loss though.



                    What's left of her Camry.


                    With that, I'm Pantherless for the first time since Jan 2006. Browsing Craigslist for a replacement so I'm not driving our brandy new Explorer daily into Atlanta. We knew moving down here that our probability of getting into an accident would skyrocket. It only took nine months.

                    Thanks for the sacrifice Luxo, it's been fun.


                    sigpic
                    - 2004 Ford Thunderbird - 2006 Ford F150 XLT - 2018 Ford Explorer Limited - 1958 Mercury Medalist

                    Comment


                      #55
                      Sorry to see your car like that. At least you were not hurt. It looks fixable however insurance companies view our cars as low value and
                      more than likely will total it. You could buy it back and have it fixed if the frame is not too bad. The Camry got hammered.

                      Comment


                        #56
                        Sorry about the car Scott. Glad your ok. Not sure what the insurance will do, it really depends on the company. Back in 2015 when I had insurance work done on my 2001 Town Car the estimate was $2,000, insurance valued the car at $7500. I thought that was a bit high but obviously wasn’t going to argue. I would think today a clean 2007 would be worth at least that. If it is totaled I wish you luck finding another nice panther.


                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                        2002 Mercury Grand Marquis LSE, Sylvania Zevo LED Headlights, MSD Blaster Coils, K&N Cold Air Intake, Dual Exhaust, 3.27's - Dally Driver

                        1983 Lincoln Continental Mark VI, Smog Delete - Summer Cruiser


                        ​

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                          #57
                          Sorry to hear about the car. Does look repairable. Insurance Co may say differently. Always interesting to see what they say.
                          1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                          1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                          GMN Box Panther History
                          Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                          Box Panther Production Numbers

                          Comment


                            #58
                            Sucks Scott.

                            Was the rear wheel well and rear passengers side door damaged from this accident as well?
                            ~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


                              #59
                              The more south yougo, the worse the drivers.
                              People in upstate NY were so much better drivers.

                              Sorry about your car. That stinks. At least your ok. Definitely fixable if you want to.
                              -Nick M.
                              Columbia, SC

                              66 Squire, 89 Colony Park, 90 TC, 03 TC, 06 TC, 07 TC (2x)
                              03 BMW 540iT, 07 Toyota Tundra SR5 Dbl Cab/5.7 2WD

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                                #60
                                The more urban you go, the worse the drivers too. DFW isn't much better than Atlanta.

                                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.

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