"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
03/30/2020 at 14:32 • Filed to: None
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"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
03/30/2020 at 14:32 • Filed to: None | 4
| 12 |
Today it was no question who wins at this hotel. Ford made a good effort. They tried hard to seriously retro build a new Thunderbird. It was all the rage. Their parts-bin approach, however, let them down. The parts bin chosen was Jaguar prices.
Striking yet smooth. It fit. Mission accomplished? Sort of. A sports coupe revival had huge spacing of its 5-speeds. And was built for luxobarge comfort mated to a dohc Jaguar v8 on a jag platform. A mixed message. A big price tag!
A curious thought: Despite the style and no back seat, is a depreciated one of these a good decision? Commuter car in heated leather smooth comfort bliss?
Hmm.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 14:37 |
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No, because they are just rare enough for the remaining ones to be sought after enough for them to command far more than you would expect.
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 14:38 |
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These aren’t slow and the 3.0 l Lima V8 would be an excellent choice for a ‘ 32 roadster if you could find a way to mate it to a T5
haveacarortwoorthree2
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 14:44 |
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I thought these were ugly back when they came out. My opinion has just been affirmed. :)
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 14:45 |
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Those were the only retro design I liked. Should have chopped the Mustang platform instead of grabbing from Jag. Much better ways to execute the car.
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Grindintosecond
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
03/30/2020 at 14:48 |
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3.o? These had an AJ v8. I'm probably not understanding....
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Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 14:54 |
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Sorry, 3.9l not 3.0l, and it wa s the de stroked AJ built in Lima OH
ranwhenparked
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 15:05 |
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The final gen Thunderbird is one of those cars that I know I’m not “supposed” to like, but kind of do anyway. The interior is kind of cheap, and I wish the body wasn’t quite so jelly bean like, but, in general, they did a pretty good job of capturing the spirit of the ‘50s original. Which wasn’t built for handling or speed, either, they were always supposed to be a personal luxury car, not a sports car.
Decent ones still seem to be pretty damn expensive for an over 10 year old Ford. Whether they actually sell for their asking prices or not, I don't know, but they seem to be fairly high generally.
Tripper
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 15:34 |
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I have to chime in every time someone posts one of these. I worked as a valet for the better part of a decade and that is one of if not my very least favorite to drive
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 15:52 |
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Back in the old days you all got to stay at the Red Lion by Arden Mall. This is an improvement.
punkgoose17
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 15:55 |
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Should have did a joint platform for a Ford Mustang, Ford Thunderbird, Ford Aus Falcon, and Lincoln LS, but they did not.
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 16:17 |
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These should be nearly peak ride comfort in spite of decent handling for their era. I owned the big brother of this car, the Lincoln LS V8, and really liked it, just couldn’t justify keeping it (long story, but I bought it AFTER the FoST a few months before the FoST was delivered because it took 6 months for the FoST to show up and I sold my prior car thinking, “I’ll just rent a car until it comes in, since they’re expecting it soon”, then a month of suffering through a Chevy Sonic and Cruze, I bought this car for a song and loved it in spite of the autotragic.)... I believe it’s the finest platform Ford had to that date and it was legitimately weird in that it was a modern rear-wheel-drive longitudinal-engine platform (outside the Panthers and Mustangs , Ford didn’t do this at the time in cars ).
On the other hand, the engine problems are likely common. Injectors and the timing chain guide are weak points. If these are preemptively repaired/replaced, these motors can go indefinitely (use the Jag guides, which are metal, and that part doesn’t really go bad, but the injectors are simply a thing - you swap them out periodically, they’re on top under a couple covers). The rest is pretty much a typical engine.
Funny fact: That platform was supposed to be the platform the Mustang would be built on , but the fact it had independent rear suspension freaked out the old timers, which killed the idea.
sony1492
> Grindintosecond
03/30/2020 at 16:20 |
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That rear quarter angle is not bad, but that circle window and front end are abominations