I expanded my garage. With a V8.

"Desu-San-Desu" (Desu-San-Desu)
04/11/2016 at 21:38 • Filed to: None

Because ‘MURICA!

Actually, because $400 in good running condition. It’s nice when your coworker decides to buy a new car and is like “Hey...anybody need a car? I was gonna throw it on craigslist, but I’d rather sell it to a friend.” Since the Windstar kicked the bucket, we’ve been needing another vehicle that the girlfriend can drive for errands and such while I’m at work and considering she grew up driving old Crown Vics, it seemed like a no-brainer.

Nitty gritty? 4.6 liter modular V8, RWD, 4-speed automatic (the only transmission that was offered for them). 193k miles but aside from needing new rear rotors and pads (soon), a new serpentine belt (done) , an A/C recharge (done), a new parking light lens (soon), a 12v outlet (done), windshield wipers (done), a new air filter (done), and a long cleaning session (in progress), it’s pretty much good to go. For $400? I can’t complain, haha.

Oh, and the Mini got some loving:

Grabbed a set of autocross wheels and tires off a buddy of mine. Drove 2 hours to get them, but considering he let me have them for $250 and the wheels are 11lbs apiece at 16x7 with my bolt pattern and the proper hubcentric rings and the tires still have an autocross or so left in them, it was hard to pass up. They’ve been checked for balance and true and they’re good to go.

Also took a trip to DDM Works, since they’re only 10 minutes down the road from me. Being a member of the local Mini owners club, I get a discount, too. I already have their intercooler boots and love them. I recently got a Helix cold air intake assembly from a friend for cheap with the only issue being the el-cheapo Upgr8/eBay filter that came with it. I decided to grab one of the custom-sized dual-stage foam UNI filters that DDMW uses on their own CAI kit, since it fits the airbox space perfectly and provides maximum filtration with more than enough CFM flow for the engine.

I gotta say, the supercharger whine with the CAI kit? Is pants-tighteningly good- genuinely addictive. You even hear the whistle of the bypass valve actuating at partial throttle.

So, at this point, my garage consists of:

-AWD: 1991 Audi 80 quattro 5MT - 2.3L Naturally aspirated slant-5
-FWD: 2006 Mini Cooper S 6MT - 1.6L Supercharged inline-4
-RWD: 1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 4AT- 4.6L Naturally-aspirated V8

AWD, FWD, and RWD?

I FINALLY HAVE THE TRIFECTA!

I gotta wonder...how Jalop does that make my driveway now?

DISCUSSION (16)

Urambo Tauro > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 21:45

Looks good!

Tell me more about the 5-speed auto...

BorkBorkBjork > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 21:48

Kinja'd!!!

Pretty sure its a 4-Speed 4r70W. We have one for LeMons, if you need parts or advice on how to fix one, let me know.

Alfalfa > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 21:49

Woo MN12! I feel like more of these have been popping up on Oppo lately...

Desu-San-Desu > BorkBorkBjork
04/11/2016 at 21:53

Oops, my bad. You’re correct. I’m not used to typing the number ‘4' in relation to transmissions, haha.

Desu-San-Desu > Urambo Tauro
04/11/2016 at 21:55

I’ll say this- I’m not used to automatics, haha.

Desu-San-Desu > BorkBorkBjork
04/11/2016 at 21:56

And I’ll be sure to pick your brain from time to time.

To start: How much do these cars share with the Mustangs and Crown Vics of the same era? I live near two LKQ pull-your-parts yards and those cars are plentiful there.

Also...I’ve heard something about some sort of J-Mod for the transmission to make it more responsive? Something about drilling holes along a template or something?

JR1 > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 21:59

That is an awesome car for auto cross or even Le Mons

Desu-San-Desu > JR1
04/11/2016 at 22:01

Maybe in a few years after we can save up to buy her an Outback 3.0R, lol.

BorkBorkBjork > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 22:07

#1: They share the engine and transmission, and that’s really about it. Even stuff like the exhaust manifolds are Thunderbird-specific. The rear suspension is basically identical to the IRS setup on the 1999 Cobra Mustangs (at least ours was, it was 1997 Thunderbird Sport). The wheels are a completely different bolt pattern than the Mustang, it’s actually shared with Jaguar, so aftermarket wheels are rare and expensive (5-18" wheels and tires cost us about $2000, and those were the cheapest wheels we could find). You can swap to the Mustang (SN95) bolt pattern, but it is some pretty serious work, and you have to fabricate a bracket to make the Mustang rear brakes fit.

#2: We ran 6 races with the 4R70W. On the first 3 we ran a Trans-Go shift kit and it was wonderful. Then we got talking to some transmission guy on the TCCOA forums (which, despite this story, is a wonderful source of information) and he sold us on the J-Mod and a Torque convertor, both purchased through him. Next race, the car lasted 4 hours and we bowed-out due to a transmission failure. Now, the J-Mod may very well be fine, and it may be a fluke, but I would say don’t risk it. It is just as easy to swap these cars to a T-45 manual transmission out of a Mustang or Cobra as it is to perform the J-Mod.

Birddog > Desu-San-Desu
04/11/2016 at 22:19

I think he’s hinting that it’s not a 5 speed auto.

Desu-San-Desu > Birddog
04/11/2016 at 22:44

Yep. And I’m hinting that I’m aware of the error and admitting that I have trouble wrapping my head around the idea of less than 5 gears, haha.

Urambo Tauro > Desu-San-Desu
04/12/2016 at 00:07

Don’t be afraid of J-mod ding a street-driven car. A Ford engineer developed it after the cars were already built. There are different levels of valve body modifications, and you should always follow whichever level matches your engine’s power output.

I modded my stock-powered daily driven ‘96 to the mildest setting, but had to find a stock spring to put back in while removing a stiffer one that a previous owner had installed as part of his shift kit. The aftermarket spring was hammering the intermediate (2nd gear) clutches, and would eventually cause a failure if it had been left in. I like firm, positive shift engagement, but I sure didn’t need harsh tire-barking shifts.

+1 on recommending TCCoA ; best place for MN12 info. Really good bunch of dedicated guys there.

Desu-San-Desu > Urambo Tauro
04/12/2016 at 09:17

Thanks. :-)

I’ll probably just leave it as is while the girlfriend is the primary driver. It seems to shift fine right now and she’s happy with it.

Birddog > Desu-San-Desu
04/12/2016 at 09:48

HA! Damn.. The taste of my foot in my mouth really sucks!

Urambo Tauro > Desu-San-Desu
04/12/2016 at 11:07

Who knows, maybe someone already did it...?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Desu-San-Desu
04/15/2016 at 16:57

I’ve been looking for one of these TBirds to RallyX, 400 bucks, man that’s perfect.