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    How far and how much can I tow?

    Towing a small box trailer just under 1k lbs, another 500lbs or so inside the car, including occupants. So 1500 lbs over curb weight. Looking to head south out of the maine winter. Possibly florida, possibly arizona, possibly the mountains of south appalachia. Might be a long trip. Here's a pic of my rig
    Click image for larger version

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    Car is my 88 ltc, 3.27 rear, 119k miles. Been towing locally, boats, tractors, snowmobiles, some weighed over 1500 lbs and did fine. I have coilover Monroes in back to replace the blown air shocks.

    More on the car. Owned it for 2 years, put 10,000 miles on it. Trans rebuilt 6 years ago by a local shop, has a brass tv bushing so i'm guessing they knew what they were doing. Shifts fine, i've done 2 trans fluid/filter changes and it came out clean. Put around $3k in catchup maintenance into the car, new radiator, water pump/t-stat/hoses, steering gear, all fluids changed at least twice, brake/fuel lines as needed, front brakes/rotors/bearings, etc etc etc. We have annual safety inspections and good local mechanics. Thing runs like a top and has been super reliable. Previous owners were also older and took care of it, car was never thrashed or abandoned.

    My concern is long distance breakdowns, particularly the aod, as well as being generally down on power on hills, at least with the old vacuum cruise control. I have a bad leg and need to drive on cruise 95% of the time. On the bigger hills i have to pedal it to keep the speed up.

    My other concern is the rat's nest of eeciv wiring, vacuum lines, servos, etc that i'll never fully comprehend and most mechanics in bumfuck alabama wouldn't be able to figure out either if something goes nuts. I did fix a crazy idling/dying/racing problem with a new iac, carb cleaner, tape, and general good luck but not sure how long i can count on dumb luck. Shows a code 34 but it runs fine and gets 18mpg+ all year round.

    One advantage to my car is it's spent all its summers in coooler maine so the plastic and rubber bits are all still working, tho for how much longer who knows, especially once i start pounding it 400 miles a day for weeks at a time...

    So, how far would you trust your box Panther to haul 1500 lbs, and for how long?

    Not really looking for general towing theory, i know the basics. I want to know should i trust this car to push it hard, or should i be looking at a 4.6 panther with the 4r70? With my wicked arthritis it has to be a Panther, no other car or truck will do. otherwise a motorhome but i know nothing about that lifestyle other than big bucks and parking problems.

    Most of the 4.6 cars i've found locally in decent shape i.e. not all rotted out or thrashed, have a 2.73 or at best 3.08 gear. I feel pretty lucky with my 3.27, the old 5.0 really cooks up the hills, even towing. I just have to goose the pedal as the vacuum leaks or sucks or whatever it does to the cruise system under heavy load.

    I did bomb around the US a few years back on a loaded-down 4.6 Vic, also a 3.27 gear, and it had no issues with the newer style electronic cruise, even at 80+mph on the insane big city interstates. I know my 88 won't do that but still need to stay ahead of the majority of cops and idiots with no breakdowns.

    My concern with getting a 4.6 car are the plugs blowing, intake cracking, hidden maintenance issues, dumping another $4k into a 20+ year-old ride to make it reliable, etc. Usually i spend a year or more shaking down a car before trusting it cross-country, but i don't have that luxury right now with winter here and my arthritic ass all froze up, crying for palm trees.

    so, should i trust to my badass 5.0 or roll the dice on a 96-down aero? 98-up whale seats are no good for me either and the newer "big brake" suspensions pound my back. thanks for any specific experience input.

    one final consideration is an old 460/c6 tank with a 9" rear so i can tow an actual ton+ camper, but again the whole deferred maintenance issue comes up. as well as the vacuum system cruise control. if anyone ever did this i'd be interested to hear that, as well. If this is the ultimate tow rig i can wait to fix up one of these and just hug the wood stove for another year getting it ready, if need be. The old 70s boats come up for sale near me from time to time. but 8mpg sucks as well. who knows. thanks for any help
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    Last edited by BoulevardRide; 12-18-2019, 12:29 PM.
    96 MGM
    sigpic
    Cruisin up and down the road...

    #2
    I cannot give you any useful advice except be ready financially for the unexpected.
    Personally I would not attempt a trip like this in a old vehicle well maintained or not without lots of cash on hand and in the bank plus a AAA+ membership.

    My Wife and I are sick of the South Florida heat and humidity ( even during our so called winter ) Yesterday morning at 4:30 A.M it was 77 deg F and 87 percent humidity
    2007 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport

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      #3
      I have an 89 Grand Marquis that I towed a car trailer with my race car on it all over the US for years never had an issue.Had what I called a box of just in case with me that contained a starter, alternator,belts & hoses,a TFI module,duct tape, tie wraps,various nuts,bolts & clamps & enough tools to fix most anything on the side of the road. Last thing towed with it was when I purchased my Marauder in Philly 2 years ago an over 300 mile round trip probably close to 5k lbs being towed with the car having more than 350k miles on it & didn't have a problem.If you feel you know the car well enough & you trust it I wouldn't hesitate to use it as you described.Before the Marquis I had a 77 LTD that I put a 460 & C6 in that I towed the race car with but got tired of having to stop every 175 miles to fill up because of the 7-8 Mpg it got.The Grand Marquis still managed to get 13-14 Mpg dragging the trailer around which was much more acceptable.

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        #4
        Originally posted by EaOutlaw1969 View Post
        I cannot give you any useful advice except be ready financially for the unexpected.
        Personally I would not attempt a trip like this in a old vehicle well maintained or not without lots of cash on hand and in the bank plus a AAA+ membership.

        My Wife and I are sick of the South Florida heat and humidity ( even during our so called winter ) Yesterday morning at 4:30 A.M it was 77 deg F and 87 percent humidity
        Thanks EA I have AAA, they towed this car for me when i bought it, wanted to get the trans fluid changed out before any long drives.

        Right now I need that heat and humidity... need to sweat out about 80 lbs... really packed on the blubber trying to stay warm through all these 6 month winters...
        96 MGM
        sigpic
        Cruisin up and down the road...

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          #5
          Originally posted by Mustang Eddie View Post
          I have an 89 Grand Marquis that I towed a car trailer with my race car on it all over the US for years never had an issue.Had what I called a box of just in case with me that contained a starter, alternator,belts & hoses,a TFI module,duct tape, tie wraps,various nuts,bolts & clamps & enough tools to fix most anything on the side of the road. Last thing towed with it was when I purchased my Marauder in Philly 2 years ago an over 300 mile round trip probably close to 5k lbs being towed with the car having more than 350k miles on it & didn't have a problem.If you feel you know the car well enough & you trust it I wouldn't hesitate to use it as you described.Before the Marquis I had a 77 LTD that I put a 460 & C6 in that I towed the race car with but got tired of having to stop every 175 miles to fill up because of the 7-8 Mpg it got.The Grand Marquis still managed to get 13-14 Mpg dragging the trailer around which was much more acceptable.
          Thanks Eddie that's good info. Did you ever rebuild or beef up the drivetrain for that amount of weight.

          What kind of race car did you have?
          96 MGM
          sigpic
          Cruisin up and down the road...

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            #6
            Originally posted by BoulevardRide View Post
            Thanks Eddie that's good info. Did you ever rebuild or beef up the drivetrain for that amount of weight.

            What kind of race car did you have?
            I have a 90 Lx Mustang I bought new in late 89 that I raced extensively throughout the 90's & early 2000's.Took the 12k motor from the Mustang & put it in the Grand Marquis in 99. The trans has a baumann shift kit in it & I put Moog cargo coils & gabriel air shocks in it.It originally had 2.73's in it & over the course of the 22 years I've owed it it has had every gear between 2.73's to 4.30's in it. For the last 10 years it's had 3.27's or 3.31's in it which I have found is the best compromise between gas mileage & towing ability. I also maintain it religiously trans fluid was changed every 25k miles. Because I was towing between 4-5k lbs it also has a 3 core radiator, a trans cooler & a police package oil cooler on it for reliability but for the load you are thinking about probably not necessary.
            Last edited by Mustang Eddie; 12-18-2019, 07:51 PM.

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              #7
              If you daily or frequently drive the car and she’s running like a Swiss watch, I’d go. Sounds like you’ve covered most of the trouble spots covered. Give everything a once over (or have your good mechanic do it, tell him/her what you’re planning).

              Be sure the tires are fresh. Don’t push it. At 80mph up a nice grade, my car is pretty much WOT. 65 we can do much easier!

              Be sure your smog pump still has the vacuum hose on the back side and the check valve on the hose is working properly.
              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

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                #8
                Thanks guys for the info. I wish i had the mechanical knowledge to change out ring gears and all the other stuff you guys seem to do for breakfast.

                I really am a dummy with this era of car. My first obd1 vehicle. I drove carbs from the late 70s until 2005 then went right to obd2, which is fairly easy for me to understand or at least diagnose with my 50 buck autozone scan tool. This eec4 is more than my old brain can take on at this point. so i appreciate the advice.

                in fact i forgot all about that tfi thing until mustang Eddie mentioned it above so I had to look it up. So will be buying a spare one of those and studying the test procedure. any thing else you guys think i should pack along that is 88 ford specific please lmk. already have a box of general tools/supplies in the trunk fwiw. my body is shot but if it's something i can fix on the side of the road with my brain it would keep me from having to hassle with getting a trailer towed and trying to find someone in the middle of nowhere who knows these cars... i also don't have mobile internet so need to learn before hitting the road.

                yes Tiggie i have 4 new tires and a good spare in the trunk lol. I did reseat the vacuum line on the smog pump with a zip tie and i think the egr hose last year when it was running rough. did not realize it had a check valve i will have to look into that.

                thanks again guys. keep the advice coming, i appreciate it.
                96 MGM
                sigpic
                Cruisin up and down the road...

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Mustang Eddie View Post
                  I have a 90 Lx Mustang I bought new in late 89 that I raced extensively throughout the 90's & early 2000's....
                  what kind of times were you running with that LX? did you run nitrous or just a big 4 barrel?
                  96 MGM
                  sigpic
                  Cruisin up and down the road...

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by BoulevardRide View Post
                    what kind of times were you running with that LX? did you run nitrous or just a big 4 barrel?
                    It has a naturally aspirated fuel injected 331ci engine best it ever ran was 10.04@133.90Click image for larger version

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                      #11
                      [QUOTE=

                      in fact i forgot all about that tfi thing until mustang Eddie mentioned it above so I had to look it up. So will be buying a spare one of those and studying the test procedure. any thing else you guys think i should pack along that is 88 ford specific please lmk. [/QUOTE]


                      Do yourself a favor & buy a good one. I prefer Motorcraft don't buy the cheap chinese ones.Also the tool to remove the screws on the TFI module is inexpensive get one of those also makes the job easier at most a 15 minute fix on the side of the road once the car cools down enough to not burn you while working on it.

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                        #12
                        I would add a good size transmission cooler if you don't have one. Carry a variety of spare parts. Hoses, belts, clamps,wheel bearings,U joint. etc. for car and trailer. With a older vehicle if it has not been used on long trips and then suddenly taken on a long trip, expect something to break. Heat buildup on metal due to long extended trips with a vehicle that is not used to it can mean trouble. Have plenty of reserve money. In Ca. I put high miles on vehicles mostly in very hot weather. Sometimes 500 miles a day. The vehicles were used to it and with normal servicing, they lasted. I saw many vehicles with broken axles, seized wheel bearings because their owners chose to take their city vehicle on a long trip. Don't forget to take the emergency stuff we keep in the car just in case we get stranded here in Maine. INCLUDING CHAINS. Just for info, unlike Maine, the speed limit when towing a trailer in other States could be between 55-65 and could be strictly enforced. I would not exceed 65 mph anyway when towing. Just too dangerous.
                        Didn't you have a white 87 or 88 TC ?

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                          #13
                          Hi Tom, thanks for the info. Yep 88 TC, it is tan. trailer is white. There is a pic in the first post Didn't you have a 75 or so LTD or Marquis? How is that running?
                          96 MGM
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                          Cruisin up and down the road...

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Mustang Eddie View Post
                            It has a naturally aspirated fuel injected 331ci engine best it ever ran was 10.04@133.90
                            Wow that is amazing. 331 seems like a strong motor I did not know it was that quick on fi. What is your 60'? Did you tub it? cage?


                            Do yourself a favor & buy a good one. I prefer Motorcraft don't buy the cheap chinese ones.Also the tool to remove the screws on the TFI module is inexpensive get one of those also makes the job easier at most a 15 minute fix on the side of the road once the car cools down enough to not burn you while working on it.
                            Thanks, I will do that!
                            96 MGM
                            sigpic
                            Cruisin up and down the road...

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                              #15
                              It was a full out race motor,14-1 compression, aluminum rods,big solid roller cam that I was launching at between 7-7500 rpm & shifting at 8k rpm going through the lights at 8300 rpm.Best ever 60' was 1.323. No tubs, 6pt roll bar, stock style rear suspension weighed about 2800lbs with me in it.Has the factory eec-iv efi setup on it with different intake manifold, bigger injectors & what is called an eec-iv extender to defeat the factory rev limiter.
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                              Last edited by Mustang Eddie; 12-19-2019, 02:38 PM.

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