Ford makes seemingly easy jobs tough - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

w123fanman · #16 12-23-2013, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I loved the BOX Vics and MGMs. (model year 1979-1991) My '88. I drove it real hard too, on San Francisco hills and streets.

Watch this car, get rear ended seconds after this movie shot. ( hit by a '72 Torino @ 0:42) It's a then-new 1985 (last year of the no 3rd brake light)

To Live and Die in L.A. Car Chase (1985) HD - YouTube

The jumping shot is amazing. (@ about 3:50) The stunt driver, it is said, almost broke his back...

Never seen that movie. Those cars took some serious beating. I will admit, I do like driving that car fast from time to time because it obviously wasn't designed for it.

w123fanman · #17 12-23-2013, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

This is the one on my '09.

Pretty intuitive, just select your desired level and dial for dollars!

They are notoriously reliable, and I never had a problem, not once.

Same look as the unit in ours but I know there are slight differences, plus I would assume the manufacturing process greatly improved over the years.

w123fanman · #18 12-23-2013, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I love the Panthers. I have owned 40 of them, an '81 and '88 Crown Vic, and two '09 Grand Marquises.
Cheapest cars to own and maintain, dollar per mile, I have ever had in 47 years of buying cars.

Here's my last one, a Toreador Red '09 ---

I highly advise you upgrade it a little bit - like I did to my red one --

1. Grab front and rear Merc Marauder sway bars and some good HD shocks.

2. Install a cat-back Police Interceptor type dual exhaust

3. Install a full size matching spare tire oin a matfching reburbished rim and mount it on the shelf above the trunk space, where your donut spare is now, as seen on the Police Interceptor models

4. A set of 4 factory Grand Marquis mudflaps do wonders in keeping the car clean in winter snow rain and slush conditions.

5. If your '06 is a low spec one, you can knock out the black cardboard inserts (SEEN BELOW) and buy and install the higher level factory fog lights right in there, and I installed as lit toggle swotch on the left dashboard just below the3 headlight knob.

6. for about $75 you can buy a wonderful metal dead pedal, so you can cruise for miles and miles and have something to comfortably rest your left foot on and not to have it dangle in the air. This I think is a must, The guy who fabricates them lives and works in Florida and is reputable. The dead pedal is specifically engineered for this Mercury Grand Marquis model and works perfectly and is made of tough steel, and works perfectly for i9ts intended purpose.

7. A 35% window tint works and looks well on these, and is legal in most places.

Yes they are BIG! (by today's standards. But they are perfect for American highways) and I even decided to riff on that idea with these stickers sold by and fpr the Mini Coopers!

They and the Crown Victorias were built at STAP (The St Thomas Assembly plant) just across the bridge from Detroit into Canada. The STAP has been disassembled. Even the sign has been taken down. End of an era...

Here is the VERY last one ever made. It was built on January 4th, 2011. There was not even a celebration. I think the very last one should have been put into the Ford museum and preserved. But no: It was unceremoniously shipped to Saudi Arabia to begin service in a rental fleet. It was an end without dignity.

The 06 is an LS, but not the ultimate edition. We will probably pick it up tomorrow and I'll get pictures up. It only has 40K miles on it so it probably won't be needing any suspension work soon. As for the 96, the LS "Bayshore Edition" (with an ugly, cheap blue and grey interior), we just had a good amount of suspension work done with new shocks as well as some other things. Unfortunately my dad went with the OE replacement shocks instead of getting the sportier ones like my brother and I had recommended he get. I'm not sure but I think they are just the old style hydraulic shocks (no gas) so on top of them being soft, they probably perform so poorly because they aren't gas pressurized like Mercedes shocks. My dad plans to let my brother have the 96 because he has no car (even though he has assisted with funding the massive amounts of money I have put into my 190D, which at this point is probably a million times what it is worth, lesson to be learned, don't buy a car with 300,000 miles and not expect everything to go wrong). He drives my car though. If my brother doesn't get the 96, it will probably just sit until my dad figures out what to do with it.

Jim B. · #19 12-23-2013, 01:53 AM

The '06 LS edition I think does not have foglights and rear air suspension.

I am unsure whether Bilstein HDs are available for these. Perhaps KYB or Koni shocks in HD iteration might work.

40k is NOTHING for a car like this. that is les than 4k a year! Basically I is new.

Rental Grand Marquis units typically do 30k just the first year! Tough I lucked out and got one at a rural Ford Mercury dealer that picked it up at a ford dealer only auction, it was explained to me that they get the cream of the crop to bid on. This one had only 13k on it. I really do miss that car. Traded it in on a new Subaru Outback in 2011 (seen below) for the snow we get around here in the winter.

The Grand Marquis of mine was instantly nabbed by another AutoNation dealer in Phoenix, that sold it very quickly.

Looking forward to pic's when you get them.

I suspect you'll be well pleased.

Though I'd consider checking the brakes, all FLUIDS, IE, BRAKE, COOLANT, OIL, etc and maybe putting in a new battery, Interstate maybe, in addition to the other things I mentioned above that I would do personally if I were starting out.

Good luck with it!

Skippy · #20 12-23-2013, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I loved the BOX Vics and MGMs. (model year 1979-1991) My '88. I drove it real hard too, on San Francisco hills and streets.

Watch this car, get rear ended seconds after this movie shot. ( hit by a '72 Torino @ 0:42) It's a then-new 1985 (last year of the no 3rd brake light)

To Live and Die in L.A. Car Chase (1985) HD - YouTube

The jumping shot is amazing. (@ about 3:50) The stunt driver, it is said, almost broke his back...

My mom had that same style Caprice as the video. Hers was a '90 she got for cheap from the local PD with 100k on it. She only put about another 10k on it before someone stole it. The replacement was a '00 Grand Marquis that I helped talk her into buying. It outlasted her. Dad still has it.

MS Fowler · #21 12-23-2013, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate Stanley

And I don't miss it one bit.

After the second heater core went, and the third began leaking, I knew it was time.

They hang the heater core on a string and build the rest of the car around it. So when yours goes, be prepared to yank the front seats and dash just to get to it.

One of the worst designs I've ever seen. It was a happy day when I C4C'ed it at 170K, never looked back.

The seats were mediocre, lousy brakes (I know they upgraded them in '98), peeling clearcoat, overall a quite forgettable car.

As always, it depends on your standard fro comparison. I don't think Ford is the worst offender, but in terms of service-thought, they aren't Mercedes, either.
Remember back in the 70s when the blower motor was buried in the passenger side front fender? You had to cut a hole, and make a panel to cover it when done. The repair manuals even had a template for the patch panel.
Access can't be any worse than the heater blower on a 504 Peugeot. I swear the assembly line began with the naked blower motor and they built the car around it. They used a rather archaic design with the blower motor and fan mounted face-to-face with the heater core, and the whole stack going from the top of the driveshaft tunnel to the underside of the dash--very littl3e room to maneuver.

Xlimodriver · #22 12-23-2013, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruchase

Unless I switch jobs and don't commute as much as I currently do, I think a Police Interceptor will be my next DD. I just love the body on frame concept and the sleek styling.

Go upscale with a Lincoln. In '98 Ford brought out the redesigned TownCar and added a Touring version for a few years.
It had all the Crown Vic Interceptor upgrades. Most of the chrome was blacked out and it came with neat chrome wheels.
Every time I was assigned to a government Protocol order I made sure I had one of the Touring version TownCars so I could keep up with Mounties.

E150GT · #23 12-23-2013, 08:18 AM

I think all newer cars are this way, not just fords. I cursed that stupid '98 tahoe every time I had to work on it.

Txjake · #24 12-23-2013, 08:50 AM

sounds like a cra I need to check out

kmaysob · #25 12-23-2013, 08:44 PM

all newer cars are like this.

02 oldsmobile alero : to get the alternator out, you have to unbolt 3 motor mounts and lever the engine out of the way.

late 90s early 2000s buicks required a motormount be undone to change the belt. same car also runs a coolant line through the casting on the belt tensioner. stupid ass design.

03 monte carlo with the 3.8 requires pushrods be removed to change intake gasket. ( theres a special tool to make it easy, but i made my own)

i could go on all day. they all do stupid ****. mercedes did it with the vacuum pods that are a mother****er to replace

Idle · #26 12-23-2013, 10:05 PM

On the newer Panthers, not the box, you can pull a driveshaft from a Police Interceptor and install it for what amounts to a 5 hp gain.

The shaft is aluminum and drops right in.

These show up at Pick -n-Pulls now and then. If you don't mind steel wheels then you can also pick up some wider rims off the police cars, and sometimes wheel spacers.

And don't forget the sway bars and oil coolers!

w123fanman · #27 12-26-2013, 11:55 PM

Went to pick it up, and even though we were assured that it had been started last week, the battery was at 4 volts and all 4 tires were shot, so the lawyer for the estate is allowing us to get new tires and a new battery for the same price we previously agreed on since the value given for the car depends on it having good tires and can start. So its now an even sweeter deal. We are paying a little less than the blue book value (which is a bit higher than true market) but we know the history of it for the most part and it has a scooter lift on the back of it that will fit my sister's wheelchair so it will be good for transporting her.