Shooting for 30 mpg with my '92 Mark VII.

[The_Jed]

Thanks!

[The_Jed]

Just snagged a '99 Crown Vic for a song so I'll be pulling this fella into the garage for a thorough cleaning and some much needed r&r.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

If I were you I'd probably get a V6 out of a truck (either the 4.0L out of a Ranger or the 4.2L out of an F-150) backed by a manual 5-sped and call it a day. Unless you would like to go even further in the downsizing route, then a 2.3L or 2.5L Duratec out of a Ranger and a turbocharger would be the way to go

Originally Posted by The_Jed

Just snagged a '99 Crown Vic for a song so I'll be pulling this fella into the garage for a thorough cleaning and some much needed r&r.

So you might have plenty of time to figure out what to do in the Lincoln. BTW would you eventually also consider to do some more hardcore eco-mods in the Crown Vic? That might be even easier to justify, considering the Crown Vic is not so targetted to luxury as a Lincoln...

[The_Jed]

Yeah, I more apt to mod the Crown Vic since it is anything but rare. I bought it as a work car since, unlike the Lincoln, if I get into a wreck with the Crown Vic it won't break my heart. They only made a bit over 5,000 1992 Lincoln Mark VII's!

The Vic gets better mileage too!

[The_Jed]

I figure if they last for a few hundred thousand miles at the hands of cops and cabbies, I should be able to squeeze 200,000 out of this one.

The ad said it was a CNG car and I got pretty excited but it's just standard gasoline.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Yesterday I saw one thing that would caught your attention: a 2nd-gen Chevy S10 rebodied as some sort of full-size sedan, and it had a 4-pot gasser backed by a 5-speed manual. Considering that it's still kinda heavier than a real full-size sedan, and has worse aerodynamics, a similar setup wouldn't be supposed to feel so underpowered into a Crown Vic.

Anyway, apart from possibilities in the drivetrain field, the body-on-frame layout in the Crown Vic would make some intensive aeromodding easier...

[The_Jed]

I'll definitely be slapping some aero improvements onto the Vic, but first I need more gauges.


One of the first $100+ purchases will be a scangauge II. I feel like the car is withholding information since it has no tachometer or tripminder.

Last night I inflated the tires to a hair over 40 psi. They were all down in the mid 20's.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by The_Jed

I'll definitely be slapping some aero improvements onto the Vic, but first I need more gauges.


One of the first $100+ purchases will be a scangauge II. I feel like the car is withholding information since it has no tachometer or tripminder.

It kinda surprises me that a '99 Crown Vic wouldn't have a tachometer, considering that even some cheap econoboxes from the same era had it.

[The_Jed]

I think the P71's may have been equipped with tachometers but mine is a base model.

I can already see a huge difference in fuel economy compared to my Lincoln. The Crown Vic has gone a bit over 160 miles back and forth to work and taking the kids to school and wrestling and the gas gauge still reads above 1/2 tank from my initial fill up and trip odometer reset. The Lincoln would be well under 1/2 a tank at this point.

The Crown Vic has a 19 gallon tank and the Lincoln has a 22 gallon tank. I guess it's pretty sad when I get excited about possibly cracking 20 mpg. lol

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by The_Jed

I guess it's pretty sad when I get excited about possibly cracking 20 mpg. lol

It may not be impossible, but the 302cu.in. V8 in the Lincoln makes it a little harder. I have already seen some American landyachts breaking the 30MPG barrier retrofitted with 4-pot Diesels and 5-speed manual transmissions