That smooth Boulevard Ride

[BoulevardRide]

My car, not me. 88 lincoln, bought in November. Just kind of fell into it. Hard to find anything older than 2000 around here not all rusted out. So got it pretty cheap, nobody wants an old car around here.
Owned a 95 vic, after the aero issues i'm digging the basic ruggedness of this 88.
Feel like i got lucky with the trans, supposedly was rebuilt around 10 years ago and has the brass bushing in the cable end. And the fluid came out clean.
No major rust, spent its early winters in Florida so i was told. The usual issues i've been dealing with as i go along. It's my only car, i'm disabled and need that smooth boulevard ride for my back and joints.
Plush velour interior smells like an old cigar, still working on that one. At least the front windows work. Flushed out the heater core so i have good heat and can cruise with the smoking vents down for some fresh air.
Already doubled the purchase price in deferred maintenance and still working on it, but it rides smooth, nobody keeps up with me in the frost heaves on the busted up winter roads around here, and no clunking.
Also had it undercoated and spray out the underside after driving it in slush.
4-way adjustable headrest is the cat's business for my stiff neck. Tuff Ford power seats still work for those micro adjustments going down the road. And the reliable Panther cruise keeps pressure off my legs.
Here it is in all its glory

[87gtVIC]

Welcome to the forum. Nice ride!

[VicCrownVic]

Welcome!

Very nice ride. The newer model wheels look great on it.

[knucklehead0202]

Beautiful! The HPP wheels look nice on her too. Welcome to the madhouse!

[DerekTheGreat]

Welcome! Nice to see another box Townie on here. 1988, the best year for box Town Cars

[BoulevardRide]

Here's a pic of the interior. At first i passed on this car being older and no leather seats. Getting kinda desperate with no car and winter coming, was looking outside my "comfort zone" and called up the seller. Glad i did, i like these seats... very comfy and my dog won't slide around the way he did on leather

[BoulevardRide]

Beautiful! The HPP wheels look nice on her too. Welcome to the madhouse!

Thanks for the compliments. All i really did to the exterior was wash it and get the wheels matching. The seller had a rusted out 97 lincoln and was swapping out wheels, this was his wife's driver until the back windows quit working, they had a big dog who would ride back there. The center caps say 97 so i'm guessing they came off his other car. What is HPP?

[turbo2256b]

i rented a rinse and vac and went over the whole interior of one of my cars. smelled a lot better after that. did it in the summer though.

[Tiggie]

Cloth for the win. Both mine are vinyl... yuck. Welcome.

[knucklehead0202]

Thanks for the compliments. All i really did to the exterior was wash it and get the wheels matching. The seller had a rusted out 97 lincoln and was swapping out wheels, this was his wife's driver until the back windows quit working, they had a big dog who would ride back there. The center caps say 97 so i'm guessing they came off his other car. What is HPP?

HPP=Handling and Performance Package. And you also won with the interior. My first box had the velour and my new one has leather. I hate it in any weather and so do my doggies, lol.

[DerekTheGreat]

Your interior is the same color as mine, only you got the digi dash! Jealous. You have the load leveling suspension or JBL audio system?

Velour > Leather. Holds up better over time too. If that car had leather, I'm sure the seats would look like Cheryl Crows face by now.

[BoulevardRide]

HPP=Handling and Performance Package. And you also won with the interior. My first box had the velour and my new one has leather. I hate it in any weather and so do my doggies, lol.

Thanks! I'm learning something every day... tho i need to forget about "performance," i really dig the floating yacht, slow takeoffs, feels like the 70s, even tho it's 88... angry drivers no longer bother me in this boat lol

[BoulevardRide]

i rented a rinse and vac and went over the whole interior of one of my cars. smelled a lot better after that. did it in the summer though.

You're right i've been trying everything but might have better luck once it warms up out there

Cloth for the win. Both mine are vinyl... yuck. Welcome.

Last year i almost bought an 89 CV wagon... red vinyl... seats were nice but somehow thought i needed less bounce in the front end... will never make that mistake again, i need the bounce lol

Your interior is the same color as mine, only you got the digi dash! Jealous. You have the load leveling suspension or JBL audio system?

Velour > Leather. Holds up better over time too. If that car had leather, I'm sure the seats would look like Cheryl Crows face by now.

It had air bags but someone installed coils. rear speakers say premium sound, it sounds pretty good and still works! even the tape deck, when it wants to...

I tried a bunch of different seats, honestly this old lincoln is more comfortable than some later model aeros i tried with cloth seats... and the newest panther leather was too firm for my old bones... old and plush where it's at for me lol

[DerekTheGreat]

The load leveling suspension still has coil springs but has shock absorbers with air bladders on them to adjust ride height. So long as it's still got the compressor and the lines haven't been cut or trimmed too far back you can make it work again. It's really a simple system and those special shock absorbers aren't too expensive. Monroe or Skyjacker sells them, I forget the part number. You'll also need the adaptors but other than that, it's no issue. Mine has been working just peachy since. It's fun putting a bunch of weight in the back and watching the car compensate for it. Great for traveling too as it keeps the car from looking like a hooptie when going down the road with a load. Caveat some talk about is the ride can get bouncy as those air bladders don't have much volume. I've never noticed the ride being negatively affected though.

I've got two compressors if you need one, genuine motorcraft units

Ah, premium is the base. Can be upgraded easily to JBL. The amp swap takes 5 minutes and provides noticeable oomph in the volume, bass, treble & clarity department. Provided you can find a good one, they like to piss the bed after awhile. Rear deck speakers make a noticeable difference too, the JBL units have big fat magnets on them and reproduce bass, midrange and highs very well. Tough to beat with aftermarket stuff even. Just have to be careful as the midrange driver has foam surrounds which are probably disintegrated at this point. Disconnect or fix and be on your way.

I agree with the comfort part. I haven't sat in a 90-95 but those at least LOOK like the last of the comfortable Lincolns. After that the interiors just got to be too "corporate & cold" for me. The older ones are where it's at, warm, plush & inviting.

[knucklehead0202]

You jerks are making me want a Town Car again. Dang it.