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Immediate and future plans for 1986

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    Immediate and future plans for 1986

    I'm gathering parts for projects.

    It's cold out, I have minimal time and warm spaces, so immediate work is stuff I can do in friend's garages in an afternoon:
    Brakes! All around, drums, rotors, front wheel bearings, hydraulics.
    Radio, steering wheel cover, dash cover and various other interior fripperies.
    Possibly exhaust, since this one is pretty decent and I have the stuff to convert to the stock-style duals--but only if it looks like this one will come apart without trauma.
    Shocks and springs.
    Winter tires.
    Trailer hitch and wiring.
    All fluids flush and fill. Add a transmission cooler.
    Tune-up (cap rotor wires plugs filters) if it needs it. I'm going to do a compression test for my records, and if the plugs aren't real pretty I'll do the whole thing. It looks recent so I may skip the extra work.
    Pretty much all stock replacement items for the moment.

    This summer I am going to freshen up the motor a little, again, I don't want to do major work but I'm thinking of an HO intake to go with the dual exhaust.
    How major can I get on the stock computer?
    Eventually I'd like to add better flowing heads (I have a pair of rebuildable E7TE heads I took off my truck for no good reason a decade ago) and probably shorty headers at that time.
    I have a truck camshaft, and since I'm thinking of towing more than racing, I could put that in...but would it play nice with a car computer and intake? I'm not sure if it's an LO or HO firing order, but that's easy enough to look at. I will be doing the timing chain this summer, as preventative maintenance. Also water pump and 3G alternator then too.
    I have the stock computer, of course, but I do have a Lincoln D9S computer i just nabbed off ebay. I'd prefer to stay SD, this is not a major performance vehicle, I just figure if I am taking the parts off to do some minor overhauls I might as well replace them with upgrades.

    Edit: Transmission: I've generally given up on the AODs for truck use, but they seem to work will if you don't bust the TV cable grommet (which I don't have anyway). I'd like to keep this one, and keep it alive. Shift improvement kits? Adjustable governor? Leave it alone and change the fluid every couple years? Anyone? I'm less worried about the performance shifting than the not-falling-apart-behind-a-trailer shifting.

    Lastly, looking for a trac-loc center for my spare 3.55s. I don't have an extra 8.8 center section, and I'm not going to bother swapping the whole rear unless I get a real good deal.

    I think better breathing (and the associated hp/tq), decent brakes/suspension, and a stout trailer hitch in a comfort cruiser is exactly what I'm after in this car.

    Thoughts? Suggestions? Do's/dont's on the HO/LO stock computers? I've Megasqurted, NisTuned, and currently have a couple SCT tuners with custom software...I'd rather not do any tuning with this car that can't be accomplished with physical wire connections and a screwdriver. I'll save my tuning time for the weekend cars.
    Last edited by bgreywolf; 12-10-2018, 03:24 AM.

    #2
    Id find out of the truck camshaft you have is HO or LO before deciding what to do.

    If LO Id run the stock computer and see what it does. Not much you can do otherwise really.

    If HO (which i think you should convert to anyways for ease of future advancements) id run the SD HO puter and do the necessary wiring to make it so. Its easy and with those heads Id say it would be fine. Not sure of the difference between truck e7 and mustang e7's but I would say the SD HO puter can deal with it. This would keep it simple and not need any tuning.

    Id put in a shift kit to make it not as much of a slush box. I have a B&M shift improver kit in my car. Its better than stock but nothing spectacular. I also added the HO Hi rev kit because I am HO and all and figured I needed it. That does well and I would recommend it.

    You have any u pull its around your parts? I got a killer class V hitch at the junkyard for around 15 bucks. I cant imaging it being anywhere near that new.
    ~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


      #3
      Add a trans cooler. Automatics like it, and it will really appreciate the cooler for towing.

      Explorer cam is a good choice if you want to tow, but it needs a different ECM. I ran a Mark VII one for a while but it was lean. With non-ported heads it probably wouldn't be so bad though. The Explorer cam I think is the same as used in the F150 from about 94 onward, whenever they went to the roller cam. If yours is a flat tappet cam, skip it and grab a roller cam. Someone probably has a few Explorer ones laying around. Its basically like the stock cam on steroids. All bottom end, done for by 4500, but it pulls harder than the stock cam through the range. I wouldn't bother with changing the governor with that cam though.
      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

      Originally posted by phayzer5
      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

      Comment


        #4
        The cam is out of an '87 or 88 F150, got it when I did the heads on my truck (since it had almost 300,000 miles on it when I bought it, but super well maintained...bought parts to partly rebuild engine and ended up just swapping the heads for a couple rebuilt ones, so I have the parts cam and my old heads; I put on the low-mile used heads I had bought and done a valve job on).
        And yes, trans cooler, I have that (and an inline filter) but forgot to mention them. Also trans temp gauge--wouldn't tow without one!

        Sounds like I should go for the roller setup from a later HO engine. I'm thinking I have an SD HO MK VII computer, so I could just recreate that engine with cam, heads, intake, and whatever other bits it needs...at 225hp/300tq it meets the goals for this car, and I know the parts will play nice together.

        Comment


          #5
          Verify that it's a roller cam. I have this niggling feeling it's an IRON flat tappet cam. It does have the lopo firing order though if it's out of a 302. The 351 cam would have the HO firing order IIRC. If it is indeed a cast iron bump stick, you'll need a distributor with the iron gear.

          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


            #6
            yeah I wouldn't bother with a flat iron cam. Exploder cam is roller and will drop in without any fuss. HO firing order too.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment


              #7
              I got the cam out of an '87 or '88 parts truck. It's definitely an iron flat tappet cam.
              Honestly, my old truck heads are rusty from sitting and definitely need a rebuild, so I'll just keep my eyes peeled on the classifieds for a matching set of stock HO heads and camshaft from somebody who upgraded. Once I'm doing shorty headers and a timing chain, I'm only a few bolts away from doing the whole thing; and a stock HO motor is basically okay for a stock-braked, stock-suspensioned Panther in good overall condition. I do all my towing and (formerly) plowing in a basically stock 1987 F150 (long tube headers, custom y-pipe, rear exhaust piping off a diesel F250, Bilstein shocks and stiffer rear leaf springs on F250 mounts). All upgrades done during essentially basic maintenance.

              Comment


                #8
                The thing with the HO cam, they have shit for torque under about 2500. The tall rears in these cars make them very uninspiring to drive unless you either change the gears or the converter. Once it winds up to the point where the cam is doing some work it goes but its pretty "meh" under that point. If I'm being honest about it, 0-30 in a stock car is probably faster.
                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                Originally posted by phayzer5
                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                  The thing with the HO cam, they have shit for torque under about 2500. The tall rears in these cars make them very uninspiring to drive unless you either change the gears or the converter. Once it winds up to the point where the cam is doing some work it goes but its pretty "meh" under that point. If I'm being honest about it, 0-30 in a stock car is probably faster.
                  I have to second this. Off the line now my car is slower than when I had the lopo in there. After that though forget about it. No comparison in the least.
                  ~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


                    #10
                    I'm fairly happy with the cam in my car, but if I wanted something to tow with, it wouldn't be an HO cam. I have actually towed with my car with an HO cam, it was not much good. Did fine with the Exploder stick tho.
                    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                    Originally posted by phayzer5
                    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I've towed my car with my mom's '98 Exploder. It had no problems. My dad towed my Yukon with the Exploder and also said it had no problem towing that. Both trips were about 50-60 miles.
                      So I'd imagine a panther with an Exploder setup would do fine for towing.
                      Last edited by VicCrownVic; 12-12-2018, 10:34 PM.
                      Vic

                      ~ 1989 MGM LS Colony Park - Large Marge
                      ~ 1998 MGM LS - new DD
                      ~ 1991 MGM LS "The Scab"
                      ~ 1991 MGM GS "The Ice Car"

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I tow with the F150 using basically the cam heads and computer I have now (and 3.55 gears). But the truck has the truck intake with the funky dual snorkels. Pretty sure that's too tall for the LTD, but I've had no complaints with it for towing.
                        Maybe I should leave the engine well enough alone and just put 3.27s or 3.55s in. If I was going to do the Exploder route, I'd swap it to the OBD2 computer and maybe even a 2WD Exploder transmission and SCT-type tuner...and then we're looking at ANOTHER project car because I can't leave well enough alone. :P

                        Comment


                          #13
                          When we had that '91 Mark VII BB with it's HO & 3.08 gearing the lack of bottom end was noticeable, but it was good 'nuff for me and felt just as fast if not faster than my TC just without the in your seat grunt which was most likely designed in to the LOPO to sell these cars to Ford's target demographic at the time. Unless you live your life one stop sign at a time, you only start off once. Every time I wish I had more power was on the freeway or when trying to pass. When you floor it and your turd down shifts it is not going to go down to 1200 rpm...….
                          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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