What should I do to my car first? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MSD · 11-29-2005, 10:27 PM

As I mentioned a while ago, I have a '91 Lincoln Mark VII with only 74k on it as my daily driver, and now I want to do stuff to it. In the distant future (1-2 years,) I'd like some forced-induciton, but for now I need to stick to things I can afford.

Most likely, the first thing I'll do is a custom exhaust. I haven't seen any kits (supposedly you need it done for your particular car due to clearance issues with the rear axle,) so it looks like it's going to be a local performance or exhaust shop doing it. I'm not exactly up-to-date on exhaust technology, so I need to ask a few questions. First, I know I'll be replacing the stock headers, and want some reccomendations to free up airflow. Second, I have a very vague knoledge of exhaust tuning, so I'm not sure what the best layout would be (H-pipe, X-pipe, etc.) but I want to gree it up as much as possible for both power and efficiency. In addition to reccomendations, I want to know how much I should expect to spend for a decent mandrel-bent 2.25" dual exhaust.

The competition with the exhaust for first mod is tinted windows. Perfectly clear windows don't look right on the car, and as a personal preference I'll be going as dark as legally possible, which should look nice with a new paint job.

This brings me to the paint and body work. There are two very small dents in the right rear trim around the wheel well, and I want those fixed up, but if it's in for body work I want to do the paint at the same time. The factory paint still looks good (the hood is the best, I can literally read license plates 10-20 feet away in the reflection,) but most of the car has normal hairline scratches and fading, although less than you'd expect on a 15-year-old car. The other issue is the color. It's grey (looks just like this one: http://www.valbrigequip.com/lnc1.jpg) but what I really want is black. Unless I want to go for the comedy option of letting the local high school auto shop class do it for nothing more than the cost of paint, I know I'm going to be spending a fair amount. Again, I have no knowledge of auto paint, so I would like a ballpark figure of how much it'll cost.

On the subject of body work, I'm thinking about a very small rear spoiler that will just barely clear the hump on the trunk, like the one here: http://www.groundeffects.com/wings/lmark7.htm I'd also love to get my hands on the rear window louvres like the ones on this car: http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...25_94_full.jpg
When I looked at that car, I also really liked what he did with the rims, and I may mask mine off and paint them myself (I've got a spare set of mags from an '86 Firebird that need refinishing to practice on.) Although the body kit looks pretty good on his car, I don't think it's the kind of thing I'd want on my car. I've lowered mine, and I don't think it needs anything to smooth out the lines other than (maybe) some bigger wheels to fill out the wells more completely. Perhaps I'll do some custom side skirts and bumpers if I decide to try fiberglass working, but I doubt that I'll ever get around to it.

Third, and as much as I'd like to do it right away I doubt it'll happen any time soon, is a five-speed manual swap. I know a Mustang 5.0 transmission will bolt right into place with just a bit of driveshaft work, but I don't have the experience to do the pedals and clutch setup, so that would be outsourced to the local performance shop. I'm also concerned that I'll have to have custom shift linkages fabricated to extend the shifter back far enough to clear the Lincoln console. This will most likely be delayed until I blow the transmission (it's an AOD, so it shouldn't be too long.)

merkerguitars · 11-30-2005, 08:59 PM

Ok, exhaust wise do the following, first get some nice long tube headers, not those wussy shortie ones. They are harder to install but offer way more power. I bought my flowtech set for my mustang for around $120. Just do an H-pipe setup and run the exhaust into some Flowmaster mufflers and end them with some nice stainless tips of your choice (don't get chrome unless you like rust color within a year). Install the headers yourself, then the exhaust should run you about $400 for a decent 2.5" all the way back. Plus about $150+ for mufflers. A good exhaust costs money but is well worth it.

On the subject of paint, either it will cost alot or a little a good quality paint job requires ALOT of work, which entails removing everything you can, prepping it, priming it all separate, painting the hard to get areas, then assembling it and blasting it the final color.

Pedals and clutch setup should be a cakewalk. It should bolt in easy, you just gotta remove the dash to do it easily

. and the clutch is just a plain hole in the firewall and its cable operated so its not bad at all. The thing with the linkage is the thing that is gonna get you. You can't extend the linkage on a T5 transmission. The shifter is directly bolted to the transmission. But if you want I can take some dimensions so you can tell if it will line up. I believe the driveshaft doesn't need to be modified at all. The t5 and the AOD share the exact same tail spline size and the AOD is as long as a T5.

IanSturgill · 12-02-2005, 07:16 AM

good advice Merker

Go with the flowmasters and long tube headers, mabye you should consider some turndowns too, they would help you get a good sound without having your foot buried in the tank all day long.

11-29-2005, 10:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	What should I do to my car first? As I mentioned a while ago, I have a '91 Lincoln Mark VII with only 74k on it as my daily driver, and now I want to do stuff to it. In the distant future (1-2 years,) I'd like some forced-induciton, but for now I need to stick to things I can afford. Most likely, the first thing I'll do is a custom exhaust. I haven't seen any kits (supposedly you need it done for your particular car due to clearance issues with the rear axle,) so it looks like it's going to be a local performance or exhaust shop doing it. I'm not exactly up-to-date on exhaust technology, so I need to ask a few questions. First, I know I'll be replacing the stock headers, and want some reccomendations to free up airflow. Second, I have a very vague knoledge of exhaust tuning, so I'm not sure what the best layout would be (H-pipe, X-pipe, etc.) but I want to gree it up as much as possible for both power and efficiency. In addition to reccomendations, I want to know how much I should expect to spend for a decent mandrel-bent 2.25" dual exhaust. The competition with the exhaust for first mod is tinted windows. Perfectly clear windows don't look right on the car, and as a personal preference I'll be going as dark as legally possible, which should look nice with a new paint job. This brings me to the paint and body work. There are two very small dents in the right rear trim around the wheel well, and I want those fixed up, but if it's in for body work I want to do the paint at the same time. The factory paint still looks good (the hood is the best, I can literally read license plates 10-20 feet away in the reflection,) but most of the car has normal hairline scratches and fading, although less than you'd expect on a 15-year-old car. The other issue is the color. It's grey (looks just like this one: http://www.valbrigequip.com/lnc1.jpg) but what I really want is black. Unless I want to go for the comedy option of letting the local high school auto shop class do it for nothing more than the cost of paint, I know I'm going to be spending a fair amount. Again, I have no knowledge of auto paint, so I would like a ballpark figure of how much it'll cost. On the subject of body work, I'm thinking about a very small rear spoiler that will just barely clear the hump on the trunk, like the one here: http://www.groundeffects.com/wings/lmark7.htm I'd also love to get my hands on the rear window louvres like the ones on this car: http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...25_94_full.jpg When I looked at that car, I also really liked what he did with the rims, and I may mask mine off and paint them myself (I've got a spare set of mags from an '86 Firebird that need refinishing to practice on.) Although the body kit looks pretty good on his car, I don't think it's the kind of thing I'd want on my car. I've lowered mine, and I don't think it needs anything to smooth out the lines other than (maybe) some bigger wheels to fill out the wells more completely. Perhaps I'll do some custom side skirts and bumpers if I decide to try fiberglass working, but I doubt that I'll ever get around to it. Third, and as much as I'd like to do it right away I doubt it'll happen any time soon, is a five-speed manual swap. I know a Mustang 5.0 transmission will bolt right into place with just a bit of driveshaft work, but I don't have the experience to do the pedals and clutch setup, so that would be outsourced to the local performance shop. I'm also concerned that I'll have to have custom shift linkages fabricated to extend the shifter back far enough to clear the Lincoln console. This will most likely be delayed until I blow the transmission (it's an AOD, so it shouldn't be too long.) Last edited by MSD; 11-29-2005 at 10:30 PM..

11-30-2005, 08:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	Ok, exhaust wise do the following, first get some nice long tube headers, not those wussy shortie ones. They are harder to install but offer way more power. I bought my flowtech set for my mustang for around $120. Just do an H-pipe setup and run the exhaust into some Flowmaster mufflers and end them with some nice stainless tips of your choice (don't get chrome unless you like rust color within a year). Install the headers yourself, then the exhaust should run you about $400 for a decent 2.5" all the way back. Plus about $150+ for mufflers. A good exhaust costs money but is well worth it. On the subject of paint, either it will cost alot or a little a good quality paint job requires ALOT of work, which entails removing everything you can, prepping it, priming it all separate, painting the hard to get areas, then assembling it and blasting it the final color. Pedals and clutch setup should be a cakewalk. It should bolt in easy, you just gotta remove the dash to do it easily . and the clutch is just a plain hole in the firewall and its cable operated so its not bad at all. The thing with the linkage is the thing that is gonna get you. You can't extend the linkage on a T5 transmission. The shifter is directly bolted to the transmission. But if you want I can take some dimensions so you can tell if it will line up. I believe the driveshaft doesn't need to be modified at all. The t5 and the AOD share the exact same tail spline size and the AOD is as long as a T5. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

12-02-2005, 07:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
IanSturgill Crazy Location: Lex Vegas, KY	good advice Merker Go with the flowmasters and long tube headers, mabye you should consider some turndowns too, they would help you get a good sound without having your foot buried in the tank all day long.