Wheel quandary....

[Warped9]

Curiously I can find no photos of my Dad’s ‘73 Mercury Meteor sedan Silver Anniversary Edition. It was a leviathan of a car and one I did not enjoy driving. It was scary. Any driver under about 40 today could likely find it a bizarre experience to drive such a car.

The Meteor was a name used only in the Canadian market (if I recall correctly). It was somewhat of a more affordable version of the Mercury Marquis or Grand Marquis. My Dad’s Silver Anniversary Edition had some supposedly distinctive touches, but by today’s standards it was a bare bones vehicle but with a 400 cubic inch V8 w. 2-barrel carburetor.

We had Ford Torinos and Mercury Cougars up here. The first Cougars were sweet looking cars, but then later they got terribly bloated. My older brother bought a new ‘74 Gran Torino Brougham 4dr. It was nicer than Dad’s Meteor, but I still didn’t care for it—the plush interior and vinyl roof just didn’t work for me. My brother had been set to buy a Dodge Challenger, but they had stopped making them after 1973 so he went for the Gran Torino.

Time and changing designs have a way of altering your perspective. We were once so used to those old designs yet now I find some of them look awkward, oversized and malproportioned. Mind you some contemporary designs look that way to me as well.

 

[TrickyDickie]

I did a bit of research and found pics of a 73 Meteor. As it turns out, down here in the States the very same car for quite a number of years was called the Mercury Monterey. It was indeed a plainer version of the Marquis.

One of my uncles had a 71 Mercury Monterey. It was green inside and out and had the 351 Cleveland 2 barrel in it. He had the beefier C6 transmission in his, rather than the C4, because he hauled a double-axle Shasta travel trailer with the car.

That car was even larger, because they actually downsized them some for the 1973 model year. All of those big Mercs were built on the same chassis as the Ford LTD....the Mercs were just a bit longer, with more sheet metal overhang.

When I was little, and we would go to visit my uncle, he would drive us on trips through the rather crowded streets of Albany, NY....going like hell, while having his head turned to talk to us in the back seat. It was unreal that he did not get into any accidents. For a kid, especially with the windows down, that was quite a rush. As an adult, I would not want to go through that again.

One more thing about late-model Crown Vics....the 4.6 liter 281 V8 engine is good, but I am really not a fan of aluminum heads. The threads for the spark plugs have a bad tendency to strip out. When you're at 65 on the interstate and a spark plug gets suddenly spit up out of the head, it's not a pleasant situation. Plastic intake manifolds, and torque converters with no drain plugs, are also not some of Ford's "Better Ideas".

When Starsky and Hutch first came on tv, my parents liked the Gran Torino. They found a white 74 Torino base 2 door with the 302, locally, for a good price. We had it for 14 years.

 

[Warped9]

I suppose I have grown into this car given it was definitely not something on my radar when they were in production. But with the modifications I’ve made to make it more my own I like driving it and I appreciate how distinctive it is from many contemporary cars.

This car is sixteen years old and counting, but it doesn’t really feel old to me. It feels solid and substantial. It’s comfortable and really nice on the highway. It doesn’t feel big when I’m driving it. It only feels a bit big sometimes in certain parking lots. My upgrades mean it now handles far, far better than when it was stock.

I don’t want to drastically change the exterior of the car. Yeah, a custom grille, dual exhaust and meatier wheels and tires. But no tinting, no lowering, no oversized wheels or push bar on the grille—I have no interest in trying to make it look like a cop car. More like a bit classier version of a CrownVic LX Sport (reputedly the most desired of CrownVics). When I’m done it should be somewhat better than a CrownVic Police Interceptor under the skin.

 

[TrickyDickie]

They are great cars to do virtually whatever your imagination can come up with. More and more people are swapping in the newer 302 Coyote engine. Also converting to manual transmission.

If memory serves, in 1993 there was a one-off design study called the Crown Victoria LSS that had a manual transmission. At the time, Ford was considering ideas to upstage the then-current full-size Chevrolet Impala SS.

I always liked the looks of the honeycomb wheels that came with the HPP package. But, they were only 16", as you likely know.

The 1992 Crown Victoria Touring Sedan is starting to gain a following among collectors, because there were not a whole lot made and it was a one-year-only model.

Just as a little side note, Brazil enjoyed a continuation of the 1966 Galaxie, changed very little, right through the 1982 model year! Down there, it was called the Ford Landau.

 

[Warped9]

Sometime after I took possession of the car and started thinking about some mods I came upon a site called crownvic.net where I have picked up a lot of information. It has often been a fount of knowledge and sometimes helpful advice.

 

[TrickyDickie]

grandmarq.net is another very good one, with very friendly people who have a lot of deep knowledge. The site covers Crown Vics and Lincoln Town Cars, too, not just the Grand Marquis.

I have found that YouTube videos these days are also very helpful for repair projects involving these cars. I purchased a kit on eBay for $100 and replaced all of the worn front suspension components in the 96 Grand Marquis myself, after watching a video. Saved a lot of labor costs. Then took the car to Midas for a front end alignment and they had to do very little, because I had managed to get everything very close to factory specs, even without the alignment equipment. The manager said he had never seen an average person who was not a mechanic achieve that before. He asked me how I did it. YouTube, my friend, YouTube!

 

[Warped9]

Yeah, although there are things I cannot do myself I often learn how it’s done before getting it done to eliminate or minimize surprises.

 

[TrickyDickie]

I don't attempt to delve into electrical / electronic issues myself, but it's nice that a lot of mechanical systems have changed little over the decades and I have been having fun learning things recently that I didn't have the opportunity for earlier in life.

 

[Warped9]

A year or so ago I picked up a custom built headlight relay harness from a member of crownvic.net. In tandem with upgraded bulbs my headlights are a lot better than stock.

I am curious about what is a Jmod modification. It’s a slight mechanical mod of your transmission that gives you faster and crisper shifts which is supposedly better for the transmission over the long haul.

 

[TrickyDickie]

https://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2746605

That's a link to a thread on crownvic.net that gets into detail about the jmod. I never did it on any of my cars that had the 4R70W tranny, but some people swear by it. I do wonder if it would have been beneficial to have been done at the factory, particularly for police interceptors. Not too long after I got my 1998 P71, with 126k on it, the tranny failed. It was a former New York State trooper car and they see some rough duty. Department motor pools might have benefitted from doing the mod....although, especially in the case of larger departments, vehicles are quite throw-away to surplus auctions when problems come along. Why bother being thrifty when it's just public money?

 

[Warped9]

I’ve read about the Jmod and watched videos on it. I’m just undecided as to whether I would bother with it. Despite it being a relatively simple mod in of itself it does require quite a bit of work to get to it.

There are a number of mods I’m considering and I’m weighing each of them in terms of cost and benefit in conjunction with how I drive the car. I don’t race it nor do I drive it hard even though I can appreciate the gains in overall performance.

Upgrading the suspension on these cars is paramount even if you’re not interested in using this car on the track. Just upgrading the front and rear stabilizer bars makes a world of difference without sacrificing the ride—it should always have been this way from the factory. Better tires also improves braking as well as handling. Beyond those two simple things it becomes a matter of degree of improved handling you’re looking for. But the better a car handles the faster and more safely you can go with confidence.

I’m glad I added the dual exhaust and now I am seriously considering accompanying headers. I am also interested in adding a Marauder air intake and throttle-body.

I am undecided on swapping out the gears. I currently have stock 2.73, but weighing going for 3.27 or 3.55. I am satisfied with the acceleration I presently have and gaining a few more seconds while also paying for it in fuel economy might not be worth it in my book. The overcall gains I make with the other mods I’ve made and considering strike me as good enough without the expense of opening the transmission for different gears and to add the requisite locking differential.

This could never be a sports car, but it can be a comfortable and capable grand touring car.

 

[Warped9]

As I mentioned earlier upthread as much as I would like to go with 18in. wheels I'm finding it hard to justify the added expense of needing to purchase new tires to mount on the larger wheels, particularly when my current tires have so little mileage on them.

This has led me to consider simply getting new 17in. wheels more to my liking and also allowing me to keep my current tires (which I'm very happy with). This would cost me at least half as much as going with 18in. rims.

This pandemic restricting our movements has left me with a lot of free time to think and futz around including pondering further what other wheel altenatives I might consider. Still, even after multiple searches as to what is available I come back to the same conclusions and choices...with one exception.

If I did pop for 18in. wheels the first choice remains the F1R F21 18x8.5 w. 45 offset. In the larger wheels I think it looks best and best suits the car. A close second choice would be the Fast FC04 18x8 w. 40 offset. It looks clean and actually has (what I think) the optimal sizing.

The more cost effective route is the XXR 555 17x8 w.35 offset. I think it looks badass and surprisingly suitable (in a bold way) on the car.

But an unlikely and overlooked alternative has presented itself with the Aodhan AH02 17x8 w. 35 offset. Going with Silver or Hyper Black this wheel looks nicely at home on the car. At first glance it looks almost factory and yet the details make it look more distinctive. The thick rim and lip offset the fine spokes and suggest a car thats been modified more subtlely.

I'm really liking this wheel. I feel it just works really well.

 

[publiusr]

That is a lovely car.
I miss full frame autos.

I think they called the older LTD frame “panther” in an old manual

 

[Warped9]

Yep, Ford called the Crown Victoria and Mercury Marquis Panthers.

 

[publiusr]

I’d like to hear the story on that...prowl cars for the police?

They sold best as fleet cars...

 

[Warped9]

Police and taxi drivers loved these cars for their reliability and durability. They could put crazy mileage on them and they were seemingly bullet proof. They’re roomy and comfortable. They’re excellent highway cruisers.

These cars were built to satisfy a customer that was fading away: those weaned on big, body-on-frame sedans that were roomy, quiet and comfortable. The 4.6L V8s were initially lamented for not being as powerful as desired (by the market), but won out over time as a very good engine of reliability and longevity.

But younger customers were drawn to generally smaller vehicles with sharper handling and better fuel economy. Nearer the end of production they were also starting to go for SUVs and crossovers. Ironically, though, bigger SUVs don’t really get you better fuel economy. And those big rigs are not the easiest things to park.

In their day the Panthers were generally viewed as old folks cars with more restrained design and styling. And, in fairness, their basic configuration goes back decades to the 1980s.

This is not a car I would have imagined buying for myself if I had been in the market. My taste would be more along the lines of a Ford Fusion 2.0L with AWD or a VW Jetta GLI—something with a smaller footprint and more nimble with crisp handling. But after driving it for a number of years and owning it for the last three (I inherited it when my father passed away) it has won me over, particularly after a few modest upgrades.

Upgrading the front stabilizer bar and adding a rear one immediately transforms the car. In tandem with a bit wider upgraded tires results in far superior and vastly more stable handling yet without sacrificing ride. It doesn’t float or wander anymore and tracks far better. And it no longer rolls noticeably in corners. My father would have never thought of making these upgrades, but I guarantee he would have appreciated the greatly improved handling. It makes the car feel like a (large) grand touring car. I also upgraded the headlights for better night time driving.

A little secret of the CrownVic is it doesn’t feel large when you drive it, particularly with tightened up handling. You only notice the size when parking yet it’s still easier to park than a large SUV.

I like the understated styling with some, but not too much, brightwork. In that regard I like the CrownVic better than the Marquis. The look of the car is now more distinctive since they’re not seen everywhere anymore and particularly compared with more contemporary, more low slung designed cars.

I also like the cleaner and less cluttered interior. And this leads me to one thing I absolutely hate about a lot of modern automobiles. Thankfully, my car doesn’t have any electronic driving aids or computerized infotainment system—no fucking iPad screen on the dash. It’s a CAR.

I also made the car more my own with a custom chromed honeycomb police grille and a dual exhaust system—gives the car a touch of musclecar feel. Dad might have liked the grille, but he would have preferred something more modest exhaust wise. (-:

I have some other upgrades in mind that, if I get around to them, won’t be visibly noticeable given they’re under the skin. I want to upgrade the Watts Link and rear control arms. I also want to add a Marauder airbox and throttlebody. Maybe, just maybe, I could add matching headers to go with my Stainless Works dual exhaust. I have waffled about upgrading the final gears, but that would also mean I would have to add a limited slip differential and I don’t know if I want to bother with all that either for a modest difference in acceleration and a bit worse fuel economy.

I prefer my upgrades to be more lowkey. There are a lot of people who modify these cars much more drastically. I would never go larger than 18in. wheels, but quite a few guys go with 19, 20 and 22 in. wheels. For me bigger than 19 looks absurd. Those guys usually also lower their cars—something else I don’t care. Some like to black out their Panthers to look more like cop cars and even adding push bars. 3:55, 3:73 and even 4:10 gears are popular for greater acceleration. Factory police cars were equipped with 3:27 (highway cruisers) or 3:55 (patrol cars) gears. There are a few guys who really go the distance with coil-over suspension upgrades and even swapping in a 5-speed manual transmission.

 

[sanjits]

Hi Warped9. Did you ever get to the differential? And how were the results?

 

[Avro Arrow]

Hi Warped9. Did you ever get to the differential? And how were the results?

Hi @sanjits , and welcome to the board. I hope you enjoy it here. I would ask you to please take a moment to review the board rules. We ask that people do not post in a thread that has been dormant for a year or more, and in this case, the thread has been dormant for almost four years. Normally, I would close the thread in such an instance, but since you have asked a direct question, and @Warped9 is still an active member here, I will exercise my discretion and leave the thread open to allow @Warped9 to respond, if he so chooses. But please refrain from resurrecting dead threads like this in the future. Thank you.

 

[Warped9]

Hi Warped9. Did you ever get to the differential? And how were the results?

Yes. I eventually did put 3.55 gears in the rear along with bigger air intake

A lot has changed in the past three years and particularly the last six months. My mother passed away last April at the age of 93. My life has been in flux since then and only starting to settle down to some sense of normalcy.

Part of that change, and it’s a long story I don’t wish to rehash, is that I no longer have the CrownVic. This is what it looked like before I gave it up.




This is what I have now. It’s quite different, but I actually really like it.

 

[sanjits]

@Avro Arrow thank you for leeway and sorry for not following the rules.

@Warped9 very sorry to hear about your mum. Thank you for the information and that’s a nice looking bronco sport. Your pockets must be happy going to the gas station now. Also, i noticed you did a full SW exhaust system, did you ever notice rattling coming from the car? Also, did you ever go to do a JMod? Thank you