its time to rebuild the towncar's engine help?

[89LincolnTWNcar]

the towncar keeps overheating and leaking oil out the back of the lower intake mani. so I'm parking it and I'm goin to convert it to HO* while doing gaskets and replacing the radiator/hoses/pcv screen/pcv valve. Any advice as to what head gaskets to use? Graphite or metal core? I'm using a chilton manual to guide me is that ok?
*(minus the cam, comp, and 19# inj. for now b/c it only has 60K on it and its waterpump/timing belt are fine + i dont have the funds/time/expertise. I will go with 1.7 rockers and maybe some porting on the E7's)

[Grand Marquis GT]

http://www.grandmarq.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=823

[mrltd]

http://www.grandmarq.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3319

also has some info...

[matthew]

I just did this same thing a few months ago, pm if you want and I'll try to help. Scott (lincolnmania) is also very helpful and explains things so that they are easy to understand, and is also is not condescending or sarcastic, which is a nice bonus. He helped me......a lot. I would be glad to help you not make every mistake I did, which was just about every one possible.

[gadget73]

heh. I typed out a bunch of stuff before I realized you aren't doing a full conversion, just changing the heads. I'd also reccomend adding an HO upper intake and throttle body to the mix. They are larger than stock and should realy help with airflow. You'll need to find a machine shop to bore the EGR spacer out, but anyplace that does engine work should be able to handle that with little trouble. My boss did mine on the milling machine in about a minute. The lower intake is identical to an HO unit, so no need to change that.

If you use 1.7 rockers, you'll probably need to go with taller valve covers, in which case you will need to use a spacer under the upper intake.Those can be found on ebay, but I'd really suggest getting a good one, not the $20 made in china POS. I have one of those on my car and it cracked at the EGR passage from heat in less than 12k miles. Its still on there because one of the lower intake's bolt holes is stripping out thanks to the junk bolts that came with the spacer.

I'm a fan of Fel Pro gaskets. Go with the PermaDry gaskets if at all possible. Yes, they are expensive but worth it.

[Lincolnmania]

ho conversion.....sounds like fun!
if you are considering a set of ported e7's, i reccomend thumper e7's
www.thumperoforangepark.com mike is very helpful, dont be afraid to send him an e-mail. also advancing the stock ho cam is supposed to be borth 20 extra hp on a 302 with thumper heads.........tall valve covers and a 1/2" intake spacer is what i used with my 1.7 roller rockers, some say they fit under the stock covers, but i've seen a mark 7 with a set of broken valve covers, cause the rockers didnt clear.

another question for you?
what is the condition/mileage of the stock engine?
before you go converting it, make sure that the engine has good oil pressure, i would hate to see you go thru all this work and the bottom end fails down the line
good luck!
scott

[89LincolnTWNcar]

ok ill try to answer all the stuff. 1) i plan on using the HO upper, spacer and taller valve covers with 1.7 rocker rollers 2) my engine is in great shape and only has 60K on it. Thanks for the help

[TommyN]

Why not put the camshaft in too? Not much more to putting a cam in when you are swapping heads. The engine has a timing chain. Putting a fresh one in will let the engine last that much longer before you have to take it apart again to replace the chain when it wears out.

Tom

[mrltd]

Yeah, 60K is a good time to replace the crappy stock chain. Doing the cam is two more bolts...At least put an explorer cam in it...

[DuceAnAHalf]

what are the specs on the explorer cam?

[89LincolnTWNcar]

ok you've conviced me to do the whole swap in one big shebang. Can i upgrade to a double chain timing belt and i dont think a explorer cam will work with non-dished pistons without valve reliefs

[gadget73]

double roller chain is a direct swap in. Just tell the parts store its for an 88 Mustang or something.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

say gadget-- how much difference could you feel after the HO convo? just wonderin

[TommyN]

Old school, pushrod, v8s have timing chains. Some inline 6 cylinders like Chevies just have timing gears. OHC 4cylinders such as the 2.3L Ford have a timing belt. Jesel makes a timing belt to replace the timing chain for a Ford v8, but it a race piece and would not be worth using on the street. Just thought I would give an FYI.

Tom

[gadget73]

Noticable difference, better fuel economy, and its more fun to drive. No rocketship, and its not going to feel like a Mustang GT, but they do roll nicely. I've driven Scott (lincolnmania)'s car and there is a fair amount of difference there. He has better heads and a ported upper and lower intake as well as lower gears in the back. My engine is 100% stock except for the rockers, which do make some difference. My car isn't quite up to par yet tho. The exhaust needs to be replaced and some vacuum lines need replacing as well. Once that is sorted, it should run a bit better.