What can ya do with a Grand Marquis?

[pstrbrc]

Quick update:
thermostat helped a bunch. Up to ~22mpg on last highway haul. Since then have deleted belt-driven fan, and added an electric fan I had laying in the "warehouse". Actually, a storage room off the garage that my wife is afraid to enter. I don't have it on an automatic switch yet, so the manual switch for the fan is right next to the new temp gauge.
BUT...
I found out today that it has 3.55 gears in it! To quote Frank Barone, HOLY CRAP!!! Yeah, the door tag says it should have 3.08, but obviously a PO thought he was a drag racer. GEEEEZZZZZ!!!!!
A friend has a collection of Crown Vics/Grand Marqs that he uses for demo derby, and he's drooling over the thought of swapping my 3.55 axle for one of his 3.08's, and he's not sure he doesn't have a 2.73! So it'll be free, AND I'll have help to do it! Now, if it'll just get up over freezing...

[Frank Lee]

Bah, it doesn't have to be above freezing for driveway mechanik work!

[hamsterpower]

you could paint it black and white and add a light bar.. No waiting for lights or traffic.

[pstrbrc]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Bah, it doesn't have to be above freezing for driveway mechanik work!

LOL!
Reminds me of my younger days, only car was a Maverick w/302. Water pump went out in February. A -20* February. The parking lot of the apartment building was the work area. Good thing they didn't make parts out of aluminum back then! As it was, I had to break out the propane torch to warm up a couple of water pump bolts whose heads snapped off! Now, I just make sure I have extra cars! BTW, it wouldn't be driveway work. The friend's extra cars are out in a pasture. BRRRRR!!!!!!!!

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by pstrbrc

LOL!
Reminds me of my younger days, only car was a Maverick w/302. Water pump went out in February. A -20* February. The parking lot of the apartment building was the work area. Good thing they didn't make parts out of aluminum back then! As it was, I had to break out the propane torch to warm up a couple of water pump bolts whose heads snapped off! Now, I just make sure I have extra cars! BTW, it wouldn't be driveway work. The friend's extra cars are out in a pasture. BRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Your story brings back memories of the a similar situation that happened in the 1970's when I was in college. It was my very first car, a 1963 Cadillac convertible (a jalopy that was given to me by a well-off relative). One January morning, about 15 degrees, I went to start the car and as soon as it started... WHAM!!! - something exploded and went right through the hood of the car! The 'something' was the water pump. Back in the bad old days fans didn't even have a clutch - they were rigid mounted and belt driven. One blade of the steel fan literally sliced right through the hood! Thank God the car wasn't in motion or with the hood open when it happened. And, as with your story, I froze my fingers replacing the water pump and fan in sub-freezing weather.

They don't make 'em like they used to...

[pstrbrc]

Come to think of it, remember when 15* was cold enough that if you didn't plug your block heater in, and tuck a blanket around the air cleaner, it just might not start? Ah, for the good ol' days of carburetors and points ignitions!

[Frank Lee]

Yes, LOTS of screwing around in the cold trying to get things started in the bad old days. Now if I'd only had a Subie boxer...

[War_Wagon]

That 302 would just be a regular hydraulic lifter motor. If you really want a drivetrain for a future project, any '85 and newer 5.0L H.O. motor would be a much better choice, then you get the benefit of a roller camshaft. There are hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks running around with them. If you are stuck on modding this car, check craigslist etc for used 5.0L Mustang exhaust parts. Some factory headers, mated to an aftermarket 2.5 inch H pipe might work - though you may have to modify your transmission crossmember to clear it.

To save some weight, you could gut window motors and mechanisms out of the rear doors and just make the windows permanently closed. Those flattish side windows could be easy to copy out of some flat plexiglass sheet too. Yank the carpet and remove the sound deadener/underlay then put the carpet back in. That stuff is heavy, especially if you have any water coming into the car, it acts as a big sponge. We could talk about removing the side impact beams in the rear doors (if you never have rear passengers that is) but that sounds like skirting the edge of liability issues.

That car has 5 x 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern, there are lots of cheap lightweight used aftermarket wheels around that would fit it, probably even at the wrecking yards you go to. Thunderbird Turbo Coupes have some super lightweight wheels if you can find them, though you'd have to see if the backspacing would work on your car. Lots of guides online to compare them.

I don't know about the Ford bumper brackets, but GMs from that era use a gas charged cylinder like a shock absorber. Drilling into a pressurized cylinder is never a good idea, but I have seen it done. Once the pressure is gone, the cylinder can be compressed (shortened) and tack welded in that position. This will relocate the bumpers closer to the car by whatever amount the bracket is compressed. You lose any low speed crash absorbtion of course.

[lilgreenbrick]

Even with that flat front, the back is more important.



Do it. Except have it go all the way to the back of the trunk line. When you open the trunk, it could slide under the aero back if you hinge it at the roofline. You could hold it down with two dollars worth of bungees on the underside. If you use acrylic, it could be almost as clean as the original aerocoupe was. Just a thought, my (car's) backside is even more square than your (car's) backside.

[Christ]

Dude, just install some Shell V-power and a little Chevron with Techron at every oil change.

You'll have some V-Tech, then. Screamin mad V-tak, y0!

Sorry, I had to.