Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

96 MGM Florida Car in Maine

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    I've used the universals. Generally, for a non-custom exhaust, by the time you wrestle it into place and custom pipe it, it's not much cheaper than replacing the original or having it repaired (if it's not too far gone).
    I have one in my '87 F150, but that has headers/custom exhaust.
    If you're paying someone an hourly rate to build the pipes around it, guess 2 hours' labor plus that and decide if that's cheaper than a stock replacement.
    If you're doing it yourself, grab your box of exhaust pieces and adapters and go for it.

    Comment


      #17
      I saw this car listing and thought of taking a ride up to see it but got sidetracked.

      Might as well go with the PI intake if your gonna swap it out and gain some HP. Does it have dual exhaust?
      1997 Grand Marquis LS HPP
      2000 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series

      - Richard

      Comment


        #18
        No it is single exhaust which i prefer, less material underneath to rot out. until i discovered this thing has 4 converters underneath, which is what i am dealing with now.

        as soon as i got it home it developed a hole in a cat, started clunking (front end) in the bumps, and the radio went on the fritz. and a hard cold start which i am hoping is a coolant temp sensor. guess the guy sold it just in time lol.

        still, it is a nice car, especially for finding it in the maine williwacks. 3 shops have all praised the underneath so far, tho it's not quite as pristine a "no rust florida car" as the dealer said, once i saw it on the lift yesterday. not worth driving up from mass for, esp one you pay out of state title transfer, if you have that there like we do here. plus you guys get shorter winters than we do up here, on average less salt from what i have seen. i've seen what look like better deals on 96 ltc's and sometimes mgm's close to boston but could never get the sellers to send me clear pics of underneath to justify such a long trip on an unknown...
        96 MGM
        sigpic
        Cruisin up and down the road...

        Comment


          #19
          Originally posted by bgreywolf View Post
          I've used the universals. Generally, for a non-custom exhaust, by the time you wrestle it into place and custom pipe it, it's not much cheaper than replacing the original or having it repaired (if it's not too far gone).
          I have one in my '87 F150, but that has headers/custom exhaust.
          If you're paying someone an hourly rate to build the pipes around it, guess 2 hours' labor plus that and decide if that's cheaper than a stock replacement.
          If you're doing it yourself, grab your box of exhaust pieces and adapters and go for it.
          thanks for pointing that out. i assumed b/c it says it fits my car it was less universal and more specific but after studying it see that a true fit comes with bent pipes and flanges on the ends. and inclused the front cat which i don't need, and costs 300 bucks more...

          i will keep looking for something more specific, tho part of the problem is maine is now a carb state and half the cats won't ship here now. i don't mind keeping it legal and prefer keeping it stock, but the carb compliant cats cost 3x as much as the regular cats.

          the guy yesterday said he'd replace the rear cats with pipes for 100 bucks but i'd rather keep it stock and avoid any problems down the road...

          also the whole exhast from the rears back is getting pretty crusty so not sure if the flanges would be a benefit at this point or not, might just be better to sleeve/splice the pipes and leave the rusted flanges alone
          Last edited by BoulevardRide; 01-15-2020, 12:41 PM.
          96 MGM
          sigpic
          Cruisin up and down the road...

          Comment


            #20
            So today my new intake came in. I was sitting in my 88 in the garage, trying to figure out which car would cause me less stress to keep. Here is a pic of where it rides out the winter
            Click image for larger version

Name:	lincshop.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	53.6 KB
ID:	1286413


            Then the fedex truck pulls up with the new intake for the 96. I figure that is a sign pointing to the newer car.

            Until i open the box and see this
            Click image for larger version

Name:	0.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	48.1 KB
ID:	1286412

            Now i am wondering if it is a sign telling me to keep the 88. No plastic intake, no aluminum threads in the head, better built, nicer car, except that it's slower and the vacuum cruise is a frig...

            today the 96 is in the shop getting a trailer hitch bolted on. i'll take the new intake to the guy and see what he says, he prefers the dorman brand, but this one was half the price from a place called Evan Fischer. had good reviews, don't know why the thing broke in the mail, box looked well padded. it looks like a post for the fuel rail meant for a self-tapping screw...?...
            96 MGM
            sigpic
            Cruisin up and down the road...

            Comment


              #21
              Originally posted by BoulevardRide View Post
              i've seen what look like better deals on 96 ltc's and sometimes mgm's close to boston but could never get the sellers to send me clear pics of underneath to justify such a long trip on an unknown...
              No shit. There was a 1997 TC for sale with only 60k for 6k near Boston. Called and talked to the dealer he said there is no rust. So stop on by, car looks alright as I'm pulling in. Check it over looks clean from all outward appearances then I get on the ground and look underneath and thing looks like it was parked over a salt pile. Totally crusty and look at the rear dog legs and there is rust starting to bubble. Told the guy about it and he wouldn't budge on the price and still insisted there wasn't any rust, what a waste of time. Some poor bastard overpaid for that car.
              1997 Grand Marquis LS HPP
              2000 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series

              - Richard

              Comment


                #22
                It's not much better here, except they will move on the price if you catch them... couple years back i looked at an 06 that was evil underneath, the guy walked up as i was driving away with his calculator trying to knock it down enough so i'd buy. nice shiny repainted mgm with mustang rims in western Maine, drove 2 hours to get there with the mrs all ready to drive it back, looked great until you went underneath and it looked like it went for a swim in the north atlantic, wall to wall brown crust, with my finger i could deflect the gas tank over 1/4"... 6 months later it was for sale by whoever bought it, i emailed about the rust and got the standard "never gave me any problem."

                The guy i bought this 96 from knocked 500 off the top and removed the window tint, so i can't complain, as dealer cars go...
                96 MGM
                sigpic
                Cruisin up and down the road...

                Comment


                  #23
                  Thanks to our liberal (hopefully one term) politicians, Maine is going the same way as Ca. The converter law which recently changed is forcing people to either get rid of their cars or pay dearly for "official" replacement cats. Those replacements have to have documentation done and turned in. Failure to do so is a serious fine. One shop I know got caught and fined on the first offense. Since we do not have smog checks up here, I would go with the pipes. On the intake, Send it back for a replacement or money back. I would stay away from Dorman. When I need to replace mine, I am getting one from Ford racing. Regarding the radio, Do you use the cassette ? I know I have double din without a cassette, and I have a single din with the adapter kit which came with my car when I bought it. May have a couple of others but would have to check the connections.
                  If you want new check out Sonic or Crutchfield. Both have clearance /sale sections. Crutchfield includes adapters at no charge.
                  Front end parts, Check out Rock Auto. I get great deals there. Just buy the best quality you can.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Well I got the Merc back from the shop with the trailer hitch and a plug-in trailer wiring kit installed.

                    Should I be running a converter that pulls straight from the battery to save drain on the lighting module? I remember doing that for my 95 vic.

                    With the receiver hitch and a lifted ball mount it works a lot better with my trailer than my 88ltc, which has the lower plate hitch that bolts to the rear bumper. no more heaving the trailer onto the ball, as the higher mount now clears the trailer jack. So a check in the keep-the-96-column for now...

                    Last night I glued the broken tab back on the new intake with some West System G Flex I had laying around. has good reviews for polyester resin bonding online and i know it is very strong, having used it on boats. tomorrow i will put some torque on it to see if it holds. although the tab is for the coil-onplug which my 96 doesn't have so may not even need to use that tab anyway. the fuel rail actually bolts to the brass inserts up higher on the intake. right now it's below zero with the wind chill and the car is out by the road in a snow bank so i'm not going out to pop the hood and see. i got a refund from the company so right now it's not costing me anything to play with the new intake and it seems to have better reviews than dorman besides.

                    Yesterday i got a refund from ebay on the Walker converter i ordered, did not realize for $100 it was not legal for Carb so he would not ship to Maine. here i thought i was doing the right thing. paid 5 bucks more and ordered from amazon, have a ups number showing movement so think it will arrive after all. technically it is legal here on pre-01, so i'm not breaking any laws on this 96. my mechanic likes the walker brand so should be happy to install, bend pipe if needed. he looked at the intake, said it looks good, will try installing next week. he has done a bunch of these for the local cop cars.

                    making pretty good progress whipping this 96 into shape and hasn't broke the bank yet...
                    96 MGM
                    sigpic
                    Cruisin up and down the road...

                    Comment


                      #25
                      This week the new converter arrived. Then my garage door opener crapped out. Took it apart, the plastic gear stripped out, box says 1984 on it, had a good run. I have a spare gear kit from our last house except it fits the newer Sears style with the metal shaft/worm gear, our current house has an older Challenger unit with the molded gear/sprocket combo. So i got to order a new gear and learn a new system. I actually prefer the older style, easier to do and seems more rugged. Plus it has a mechanical emergency stop/lift, no need for a beam and wiring that can fail.

                      While the garage was cleared out for repair i got a pic of the new hitch.
                      Click image for larger version

Name:	hitches.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	112.7 KB
ID:	1286433

                      The 96 has been the shop for 3 days now on the intake install. I am hoping he got hung up fixing a plow truck or something and that this doesn't turn into an expensive job. He has done the job a lot in the past and said it is around 2 hours, not sure what is up. have had good luck on repairs with this car so far, hope the luck holds. will see
                      96 MGM
                      sigpic
                      Cruisin up and down the road...

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Welcome! I had a '93 GM for a winter car in the past. Sold it because the frame was too rusty.
                        '79 Continental Town Car
                        '90 Crown Victoria LTD
                        '94 Crown Victoria

                        Comment


                          #27
                          This frame is good, body is good, there is a fair amount of rust on some underneath incidentals, mostly threads and fasteners, will have it undercoated in a couple weeks once i'm done getting it worked on. brake lines this week, rear cat replacement next, hoping to be done with it by then.

                          Last night i got it back from the shop after a week for the intake, still had the factory original. Charged me the book rate, 5 hours, but his hourly rate is low and did a bunch of other stuff. new oil filter adapter gasket, cleaned the t.b., flushed out the heater core. he said it came out brown even tho i had it flushed a few weeks ago. so it's all good.

                          pic of spiffy new plastic/metal intake
                          Click image for larger version

Name:	intake.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	97.7 KB
ID:	1286448

                          i saw online where a guy did this job then sprung a leak where the aluminum crossover bolts to the plastic intake. sure enough, the bolts on my new piece were barely past finger tight. so i loctited them in place with around 20 inch-lbs of mechanic's feel before taking it in for installation.

                          new temp sensor installed as well, now it fires right up on a cold morning, and idles down like a new car.
                          96 MGM
                          sigpic
                          Cruisin up and down the road...

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Your car is progressing well. When you replace brake lines are you going with the coated lines ? In my opinion, that is the only way to go. More expensive but worth it. Warm winter we are having this year. End of January and some days have been warm ,almost 50 degrees. All the snow has melted off the driveway now.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Hi Tom, for brake lines I let them put on whatever they recommend. The guy who did the rear crossover last week, told me last year when he did my Lincoln that they use copper or nickel or something, can't remember. At this point the mechanics are starting to get tired of me and my new, old car so have to shop it around. Fortunately there are a few shops here, that treat me good for a while, till they get tired of it and i have to take it to the next guy.

                              This week I'm taking it to a different shop for the cat, when he had it in the air last month showed me a front line that needs done so I'm hoping he can do that while it's up for the exhaust, since i am only replacing 1 cat with another cat and not both cats with straight pipes that he originally talked me into until i had a change of heart. He also uses the copper/nickel brake lines i think he said. Everyone is so busy around here, this appointment took 3 weeks to get.

                              Yes for Maine it certainly is a mild winter, unfortunately my body just isn't feeling it, spine is seized up bad. Hoping to whip this car into shape and head south so i can get some relief on my old bones.

                              Here is the night i got it back from the last brake line job, dragged my trailer out of the field so i could do some more work to it with the driveway clear. Got 2 inside boards screwed down before my back gave out, have been laid up on heat and ice since, even tho it is almost 40 degrees out as you say, i need a week of 80s/90s to thaw out lol Click image for larger version

Name:	nitrailr.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	65.3 KB
ID:	1286461
                              This MGM seems to fit the trailer better than my box Town Car. Haven't actually hauled it down the road tho, waiting until i get the exhaust fixed before putting a load on it.
                              96 MGM
                              sigpic
                              Cruisin up and down the road...

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X