OK, I'm an idiot... maybe. So I bought a beautiful 97, all original paint. Interior is nice, expect for BO smell. The car seemed original except for the Cobra 3.73 rear, which is one of the few things the seller wanted to talk about. I could have spent a minute to run the VIN, but waited until it was too late... It was originally a V6 car.
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong the V8 engine and its subsystems at all. It runs perfectly. No SES light, no issues whatsoever. Surely something must be wrong... I ran through two tanks of gas wiped a paper towel in the exhaust tips and there was just some dry red dust. The owner told me the engine had the common crack in the intake fixed. There is a new tensioner, belt and hoses. Everything seems normal. There is a K&N air filter.
Most accessories seem to work. A/C, cruise, ABS, traction assist, sunroof, windows, locks, seats all work. The only thing that doesn't work is the OD button on the shifter, which seems to be a common problem and not related to the swap, hopefully.
There are issues in the front suspension. It's probably the normal things like bushings and ball joints and I know it will need work. I was disappointed when I took it on rougher roads. It got mad and took it on some dirt roads in the woods. Man, is this car a blast on forest trails. I'm sure it will fine once the suspension is fixed.
I was told it has a Cobra 3.73 Trac-Loc. There is a shiny webbed pumpkin with a Ford mark in the upper right. I'm familiar with a 351C and 3.50 gears and the Thunderbird seems similar. The owner assured me the speedo gear was changed and that the speedometer read correctly, but that was not true. It reads about 10% slower than the actual speed. I read about some issues with shift points and an electronic governor limiting engine speeds. So far I have only explored the red line in first and second gears and it seems normal.
Apparently, the exhaust pipe is half crushed in a spot. It might have been run over on a garage floor. Maybe it will accelerate faster if it's fixed. It's pretty fast now and the first automatic car I've ever had that can spin the wheels when shifting into third gear.
There was a lot of noise in the rear. There's a big plastic thing under the left rear passenger seat that is loose. I pushed it up and took off a rattling license plate frame and that made a huge improvement.
The owner did not want me to test the parking bark because "it had not been used for a while". I see a tie wrap on a bracket just behind the differential where the cables connect. I figured that might be an issue due to the Cobra gears, but from what I read here, it may be just another common problem.
The owner said he "heard" something from the previous owner about sport springs and shocks. I think it may have sport suspension parts because of the way it rides. The car also seems to have a slightly high stance. I was expecting to have a ride similar to my mothers Riviera. But it does not. I attributed this to bad front end parts. But the trip off road showed me otherwise. The suspension is very firm and I was surprised how well the car handles and it feels lighter than it really is.
The car seems to have perfect wheels. The tires are brand new and so are the front brake rotors. I was expecting the 215/70/15 tires to feel as wimpy as they do on a Riviera. But they do not.
This car must have been a project with bigger plans, and then put together and sold. The owner works in the auto industry. He might be smarter than he appeared. I'm likely dumber than I appear.
My question is what should I look out for with this swap? Is it possible that it is OK and I can fix and enjoy this car?
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong the V8 engine and its subsystems at all. It runs perfectly. No SES light, no issues whatsoever. Surely something must be wrong... I ran through two tanks of gas wiped a paper towel in the exhaust tips and there was just some dry red dust. The owner told me the engine had the common crack in the intake fixed. There is a new tensioner, belt and hoses. Everything seems normal. There is a K&N air filter.
Most accessories seem to work. A/C, cruise, ABS, traction assist, sunroof, windows, locks, seats all work. The only thing that doesn't work is the OD button on the shifter, which seems to be a common problem and not related to the swap, hopefully.
There are issues in the front suspension. It's probably the normal things like bushings and ball joints and I know it will need work. I was disappointed when I took it on rougher roads. It got mad and took it on some dirt roads in the woods. Man, is this car a blast on forest trails. I'm sure it will fine once the suspension is fixed.
I was told it has a Cobra 3.73 Trac-Loc. There is a shiny webbed pumpkin with a Ford mark in the upper right. I'm familiar with a 351C and 3.50 gears and the Thunderbird seems similar. The owner assured me the speedo gear was changed and that the speedometer read correctly, but that was not true. It reads about 10% slower than the actual speed. I read about some issues with shift points and an electronic governor limiting engine speeds. So far I have only explored the red line in first and second gears and it seems normal.
Apparently, the exhaust pipe is half crushed in a spot. It might have been run over on a garage floor. Maybe it will accelerate faster if it's fixed. It's pretty fast now and the first automatic car I've ever had that can spin the wheels when shifting into third gear.
There was a lot of noise in the rear. There's a big plastic thing under the left rear passenger seat that is loose. I pushed it up and took off a rattling license plate frame and that made a huge improvement.
The owner did not want me to test the parking bark because "it had not been used for a while". I see a tie wrap on a bracket just behind the differential where the cables connect. I figured that might be an issue due to the Cobra gears, but from what I read here, it may be just another common problem.
The owner said he "heard" something from the previous owner about sport springs and shocks. I think it may have sport suspension parts because of the way it rides. The car also seems to have a slightly high stance. I was expecting to have a ride similar to my mothers Riviera. But it does not. I attributed this to bad front end parts. But the trip off road showed me otherwise. The suspension is very firm and I was surprised how well the car handles and it feels lighter than it really is.
The car seems to have perfect wheels. The tires are brand new and so are the front brake rotors. I was expecting the 215/70/15 tires to feel as wimpy as they do on a Riviera. But they do not.
This car must have been a project with bigger plans, and then put together and sold. The owner works in the auto industry. He might be smarter than he appeared. I'm likely dumber than I appear.
My question is what should I look out for with this swap? Is it possible that it is OK and I can fix and enjoy this car?