I hope this is a good place to post this... If not ill move her
OK guys let me give you some background on what im doing. I have a 1988 Lincoln Town Car that was my grandparents. They purchased it in 1991, when they went to trade he off in 2002 they found out the car no longer had any trade in value…
It was about that time in my life where I was to be getting my first car. I had dreams of grandeur, a 1967 Mustang Fastback was the apple of my eye and I knew where to get one. I had saved and saved just for the moment that I could call this mustang mine! However for Christmas that year and my need of operable transportation was approaching, so my gift that year was their 1988 LTC.
As much as I hated this car it began to grow on me to the point that it become a part of who I was. As my best friend would say, “You cant describe Taylor without first describing his car.” Well like with any 16 year old the car had a rough life physically and cosmetically. It became a joke that I would never part with this automobile and that I may just drive it till I die. Well a few years ago I decided to start taking her apart and see exactly what that ‘Salvaged Title’ meant. It meant whole new from clip, distorted core support, and 1” of bondo in the A pillar to make the door fit… The amazing patch work people can do.
My grandmother used to tell me that she really felt like they had made it financially the day they purchased that car. So it meant a lot too her and thus a lot to me. She also used to joke asking if I would ever finish that car before she passed. Well that day came too soon like it always does. I remember having to go pull the old TC out of the garage and hope she would fire up so that I could drive to the cemetery. From that moment I decided enough was enough and so process of actually fixing her has begun.
Currently she’s at the frame shop getting the body pulled back into place and the door gasp aligned, then its new quarters, from the rust under the chrome panels, to the new from clip. I have a 2003 Grand Marq LSE, and before that a 2004 P71, which was recently totaled, both of which I love to drive and have thought maybe I should just drop the TC on a newer frame and reap the benefits of the new suspension and the setup for a 2014 5.0 coyote motor that I got from a salvage yard when I traded my P71. This engine has only 7K miles on it!
Now to the grit… My question is what of the whales would you think would be the best for this setup? They all have the same wheel base (minus the Ultimate L TC) as my Lincoln so the only issue is sitting her on the new frame. That’s really the least of my concerns. I just don’t want to set her on a chassis that has a ton of issues. Like I hear the 2003 cars have axle issues…
I would like the stiffer suspension of a cop car but the luxuries of traction control and all the interior amenities. Would I be better with a new town car chassis? Or a top of the line Grand Marq? I would like to be able to transfer most interior electrical and so forth.
Also keep in mind what is “too hard” is not in my vocab. So im thinking a newer towncar so that I can pull the dash and swap the goodies. Id like to just keep the outer look of the car while upgrading the seats, dash, suspension and all the nice things you get with a newer car.
Ive thought about buying a used cop car for the chassis and getting a frame bent town car for the electrical? I currently have the ability to purchase a 2005 grand marquis that has the rear trunk pushed into the back seat on the passenger side. The frame has been measured to be straight and still runs and drives with only 40k miles. Apparently a truck hit her and went over the frame. With that maybe some one knows of a better year or a more reliable year that I should look into.
This car is completely sentimental and I know that it wont be worth anything to anyone but me. However I would like to take my kids on Sundays strolls much like I did as a child. So I hope that gives you guys a good ide of what im doing/wanting. Thanks for any advice
OK guys let me give you some background on what im doing. I have a 1988 Lincoln Town Car that was my grandparents. They purchased it in 1991, when they went to trade he off in 2002 they found out the car no longer had any trade in value…
It was about that time in my life where I was to be getting my first car. I had dreams of grandeur, a 1967 Mustang Fastback was the apple of my eye and I knew where to get one. I had saved and saved just for the moment that I could call this mustang mine! However for Christmas that year and my need of operable transportation was approaching, so my gift that year was their 1988 LTC.
As much as I hated this car it began to grow on me to the point that it become a part of who I was. As my best friend would say, “You cant describe Taylor without first describing his car.” Well like with any 16 year old the car had a rough life physically and cosmetically. It became a joke that I would never part with this automobile and that I may just drive it till I die. Well a few years ago I decided to start taking her apart and see exactly what that ‘Salvaged Title’ meant. It meant whole new from clip, distorted core support, and 1” of bondo in the A pillar to make the door fit… The amazing patch work people can do.
My grandmother used to tell me that she really felt like they had made it financially the day they purchased that car. So it meant a lot too her and thus a lot to me. She also used to joke asking if I would ever finish that car before she passed. Well that day came too soon like it always does. I remember having to go pull the old TC out of the garage and hope she would fire up so that I could drive to the cemetery. From that moment I decided enough was enough and so process of actually fixing her has begun.
Currently she’s at the frame shop getting the body pulled back into place and the door gasp aligned, then its new quarters, from the rust under the chrome panels, to the new from clip. I have a 2003 Grand Marq LSE, and before that a 2004 P71, which was recently totaled, both of which I love to drive and have thought maybe I should just drop the TC on a newer frame and reap the benefits of the new suspension and the setup for a 2014 5.0 coyote motor that I got from a salvage yard when I traded my P71. This engine has only 7K miles on it!
Now to the grit… My question is what of the whales would you think would be the best for this setup? They all have the same wheel base (minus the Ultimate L TC) as my Lincoln so the only issue is sitting her on the new frame. That’s really the least of my concerns. I just don’t want to set her on a chassis that has a ton of issues. Like I hear the 2003 cars have axle issues…
I would like the stiffer suspension of a cop car but the luxuries of traction control and all the interior amenities. Would I be better with a new town car chassis? Or a top of the line Grand Marq? I would like to be able to transfer most interior electrical and so forth.
Also keep in mind what is “too hard” is not in my vocab. So im thinking a newer towncar so that I can pull the dash and swap the goodies. Id like to just keep the outer look of the car while upgrading the seats, dash, suspension and all the nice things you get with a newer car.
Ive thought about buying a used cop car for the chassis and getting a frame bent town car for the electrical? I currently have the ability to purchase a 2005 grand marquis that has the rear trunk pushed into the back seat on the passenger side. The frame has been measured to be straight and still runs and drives with only 40k miles. Apparently a truck hit her and went over the frame. With that maybe some one knows of a better year or a more reliable year that I should look into.
This car is completely sentimental and I know that it wont be worth anything to anyone but me. However I would like to take my kids on Sundays strolls much like I did as a child. So I hope that gives you guys a good ide of what im doing/wanting. Thanks for any advice
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