How'd you get your MN12?

[Vicinity]

Any known MN12s with a dark purple? Im curious how that would look, my friend went to school for automotive painting and he seems to favor that enough that he might have spare paint. I love the Ebony but curious if I ever pick up a secondary

 

[theterminator93]

Crystal Pistol at the old place used to have (IMO) the best looking 92 Sport out there.

 

[XR7-4.6]

91-92 had a dark plum that was essentially purple, there was also the 95 chameleon which was color shifting purple to blue but its not very dark

 

[Grog6]

A dark purple metallic Would look great. Even if the free paint isn't metallic, you can add flake to the clearcoat; You just need to do multiple coats of clear.

 

[Vicinity]

Oo I bet that looks cool at dawn

 

[Generalee0527]

I got my 97 Sport in April 1997. At the time I was driving an 84 mustang GT that was wearing my patience. I had already swapped in a roller cam engine (dud for performance), rebuilt the t5, replaced the factory Holley 4 bbl for an edlebrock, only to come to the conclusion I needed better seats for my back. Loved the car but.... then I heard they were stopping production and I was oh hell no. So I went to the local dealer just to see if it was true or not. Older gentleman sales came up and asked what I was looking for? I said I want fast, comfortable and rear drive. He suggested a crown vic and I was nahhh I'm not that old (just 28) and he said well then there is this tbird. It was the pearl white and I was no I don't think so. He said come let's ride. We went out and about an area I was familiar with and I knew it was ROUGH. He pulled over and put me in charge and said hit that curve @ 35. I said it will slide out and he laughed. So I launched that bird and followed his instructions and damn, that R/R xing was smooth as silk while under power. SOLD! I examined we needed a different color and he talked me into ordering mine the way I wanted it. He let me take the form w/ options home and study and w/ $500 down I had a Laser Red Sport with everything except the alarm and trak-lok. ABS meant no trak-lock. About 35 days later I was ripping the streets. I just watched odometer turn 338k yesterday and it is still my daily driver. At the moment I need a paint job (really bad due to sunny south), recover leather driver's seat and a. Windshield(cracked from road debris). Back in the day Davey Allison had the tbird I wanted to drive!

 

[Derphound01]

Davey was the man. I still remember watching that Thunderbird win the Daytona 500. If he had lived, Jeff Gordon wouldn't have won squat.

And yes I know that's a Dale Jarrett car.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Ernie Irvan didn't do too bad with the 28 car either!

Joe

 

[97'tbird monte]

I got my Thunderbird from a good friend. I did a bunch of work on his trucks for the Thunderbird. I always been a chevy guy, but I l really like the body style of the Thunderbird.

 

[White Lincoln]

Back in 99, we were at a dealers looking at cars. I showed her one I liked and she sat inside. I told her she looked "good" in the car. She was sold.

Her 80 Dodge Challenger was getting old. We had that car for 17 years before selling it in 2000.

 

[Vicinity]

Warm photos! Thats cool, I had no idea the challenger was around at that time until I saw one parked last year

 

[Fred Smailes]

Bought the car in 1999 as an insurance write off. The front end was cleaned off in the crash but the battery was the only casualty in the engine bay. It sat at a buddies farm and several times a year id go out there put a bit of gas in it and run the engine and drivetrain for a 1/2 hr or so. It wasn't till 2005 I worked up the guts to tackle the swap.
I had already started disassembly in these pics and almost gave up several times, the amount of hoses and wire was mind boggling!! Learning to focus on what I needed/wanted got me through. It was a long process and moving 12 hrs away and leaving the car sit for a year during in the swap didn't help.
Miss the big hp 351C a bit every now and then but mostly very happy I went to the 3.8.

 

[White Lincoln]

Bought the car in 1999 as an insurance write off. The front end was cleaned off in the crash but the battery was the only casualty in the engine bay. It sat at a buddies farm and several times a year id go out there put a bit of gas in it and run the engine and drivetrain for a 1/2 hr or so. It wasn't till 2005 I worked up the guts to tackle the swap.
I had already started disassembly in these pics and almost gave up several times, the amount of hoses and wire was mind boggling!! Learning to focus on what I needed/wanted got me through. It was a long process and moving 12 hrs away and leaving the car sit for a year during in the swap didn't help.
Miss the big hp 351C a bit every now and then but mostly very happy I went to the 3.8.


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Very nice Cougar and really nice Mercury!

 

[White Lincoln]

Warm photos! Thats cool, I had no idea the challenger was around at that time until I saw one parked last year

You actually saw one last year? I thought they went extinct!

 

[MadMikeyL]

I always liked those late 70s challengers, but hardly ever see them. I remember the first time seeing one it was for sale in like 2002ish, but it was in rough shape, and the guy thought he was sitting on gold. I remember thinking I could probably get it for like $1500, and then the guy said he wanted $8k so I didn’t even try to negotiate. But I always thought they would be a great candidate for some kind of engine swap.

 

[Fred Smailes]

Very nice Cougar and really nice Mercury!

The XR7 was a full load car but had been rode hard and put away wet way too many times! Interior was beat and filthy, 270,000 or so klms on it. But, it ran good actually hard! Ran it for almost 10 years before I busted the trans just after I came across a rebuilt engine and trans.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I always liked those late 70s challengers, but hardly ever see them. I remember the first time seeing one it was for sale in like 2002ish, but it was in rough shape, and the guy thought he was sitting on gold. I remember thinking I could probably get it for like $1500, and then the guy said he wanted $8k so I didn’t even try to negotiate. But I always thought they would be a great candidate for some kind of engine swap.

I bet a lot of people think they’re FWD like all the K car junk Chrysler was hocking by the 80s (including the Charger). They’re really not bad looking, the face lifted versions look like early Fox Mustangs

 

[MadMikeyL]

When I first saw it on the side of the road, I actually thought it was an early Fox Mustang. As soon as I pulled up next to it, I knew it wasn’t, but it had a for sale sign and was unlocked, and had a manual trans, so I popped the hood and started looking and saw it was RWD, so I was interested enough to look into it. But then when he wanted as much as similar condition 72/73 318 Challengers were going for at the time, I moved on. However I have only ever seen 2 or 3 of them since then. They aren’t bad looking, in an 80s kind of way, and I like the idea of a car that nobody knows what it is, so I would definitely make a project out of one if I came across one cheap and in half-way decent shape.

 

[White Lincoln]

I always liked those late 70s challengers, but hardly ever see them. I remember the first time seeing one it was for sale in like 2002ish, but it was in rough shape, and the guy thought he was sitting on gold. I remember thinking I could probably get it for like $1500, and then the guy said he wanted $8k so I didn’t even try to negotiate. But I always thought they would be a great candidate for some kind of engine swap.

Smart man. You would have easily put $6500 into it to make it run descent, let along all the body and interior work. $1500 was a reasonable price.

 

[XR7-4.6]

When I first saw it on the side of the road, I actually thought it was an early Fox Mustang. As soon as I pulled up next to it, I knew it wasn’t, but it had a for sale sign and was unlocked, and had a manual trans, so I popped the hood and started looking and saw it was RWD, so I was interested enough to look into it. But then when he wanted as much as similar condition 72/73 318 Challengers were going for at the time, I moved on. However I have only ever seen 2 or 3 of them since then. They aren’t bad looking, in an 80s kind of way, and I like the idea of a car that nobody knows what it is, so I would definitely make a project out of one if I came across one cheap and in half-way decent shape.

I've seen exactly one ever in person, and that initial fox Mustang impression was mine as well. Truth be told Mitsubishi was the best part of Chrysler in the late 70s-90s. The Starion/Conquest that was essentially the replacement for the Challenger was a really cool car everyone overlooks too. I'd take this over a MK III Supra or FC RX7 people now fawn over anyday

 

[MadMikeyL]

Actually the 2.6 in the Challenger was the same basic engine as the turbo 2.6 in the Starion/Conquest, which were actually available in junkyards back in the early 2000s. My thought at the time was doing a Starion drivetrain swap, which would likely be a really fun car.

 

[White Lincoln]

When I first saw it on the side of the road, I actually thought it was an early Fox Mustang. As soon as I pulled up next to it, I knew it wasn’t, but it had a for sale sign and was unlocked, and had a manual trans, so I popped the hood and started looking and saw it was RWD, so I was interested enough to look into it. But then when he wanted as much as similar condition 72/73 318 Challengers were going for at the time, I moved on. However I have only ever seen 2 or 3 of them since then. They aren’t bad looking, in an 80s kind of way, and I like the idea of a car that nobody knows what it is, so I would definitely make a project out of one if I came across one cheap and in half-way decent shape.

Yes, it was rear wheel drive, 4 cyl and manual. My wife had to learn to drive a stick in that car. But it was the car she saw in a parking lot and wanted one just like it. She found one at the Dodge car dealer and bougth it. She loved that car. It was one of the most confortable cars to drive long distances and had lots of power too. The only thing I recall replcaing on there was the exhaust manifold when it got a hole in it. But yeah, we went everywhere in that car, California, Nevada, Colorado, around our state and many other places.

 

[White Lincoln]

I've seen exactly one ever in person, and that initial fox Mustang impression was mine as well. Truth be told Mitsubishi was the best part of Chrysler in the late 70s-90s. The Starion/Conquest that was essentially the replacement for the Challenger was a really cool car everyone overlooks too. I'd take this over a MK III Supra or FC RX7 people now fawn over anyday

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Neighbors of mine had a red Supra. That car was the bomb. The Starion is much better looking than a Supra.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Neighbors of mine had a red Supra. That car was the bomb. The Starion is much better looking than a Supra.

That’s the MKII, that’s my favorite Supra behind the MKIV I’m generationally conditioned to consider the best, but I love the flares the wheels the overall styling a ton. The big outline Supra letters on the hatch lip is one of my favorite graphics, so 80s

 

[White Lincoln]

The XR7 was a full load car but had been rode hard and put away wet way too many times! Interior was beat and filthy, 270,000 or so klms on it. But, it ran good actually hard! Ran it for almost 10 years before I busted the trans just after I came across a rebuilt engine and trans.

As long as the owner keeps up with oil changes, fixes code errors, etc and keeps up with the cars maintenance, these 4.6 engines are very reliable. You could buy one of the Ford products with the 4.6 with 150k and it will be an easy maintenance car to keep for a very long time (as long as the person before took care of it before you bought it!).

 

[Swamprat]

My 85 T-Bird had 230,000 miles on it, was getting rusty after 10 years, headliner was drooping, and I was doing 6 hour round trip commutes in heavy traffic 2 or 3 times a week. Picked up my 95 LX 4.6 new at the dealer on the day of my wedding anniversary, something my wife won't let me forget when I was 38 years old. A year later I took a work from home job and stopped piling up miles on the car which is why it is still running great today and I'm 69 years old. Longest I've ever owned a car.

 

[Fred Smailes]

As long as the owner keeps up with oil changes, fixes code errors, etc and keeps up with the cars maintenance, these 4.6 engines are very reliable. You could buy one of the Ford products with the 4.6 with 150k and it will be an easy maintenance car to keep for a very long time (as long as the person before took care of it before you bought it!).

That is in this

 

[Chingon1]

I got my 97’ in 2020 from some guy on FB marketplace for $1000, crazy part was there was another guy just before me who test drove the car and did a lil burnout with the owner in it. I guess his offer was too low.

When it came to my turn he asked what my offer was, popped out the $1000 and that was it. Been mine for a solid 6 years, got it with 82k miles on the odometer.

 

[Zep5.0]

View attachment 17822

That is in this


View attachment 17823

Just love the slot wheels and stance on this car!

 

[KevinVarnes]

I got my Thunderbird from a good friend. I did a bunch of work on his trucks for the Thunderbird. I always been a chevy guy, but I l really like the body style of the Thunderbird.

I recognize the red smudge on the front bumper cover. I think I still have your Marketplace ad for the cowl hood saved.

I have owned or driven an MN12 in one form or another since the late 90's. My dad bought my mom a beautiful maroon '89 Cougar LS in '95-ish after her Delta 88 caught fire. I had never really paid much attention to them. It wasn't until I was home on break that I realized they were RWD. We later sold it to a gal I worked with at the time and she proceeded to completely trash it.

My old '92 T-Bird V6 six I bought off my dad at some point. It was a really sharp car for a base model. I had dreams of swapping in an SC engine and still have all the parts I collected for the swap, but the rust monster had taken hold of it. Last straw was when the upper rear shock mounts rusted out coming home from work one night. It had 260k. Engine ran great and burned no oil. OD on the trans was a little iffy. I think my wife sent it out to pasture while I was away from home doing some contract work in upstate NY.

The '89 XR7 I found on craigslist down in Goshen, IN. I think he was asking $3500. I drove down and looked at it along with a couple other cars in Indiana and Ohio that day. I offered him $3250 and he took it. Drove down a week later with my dad and picked it up.

My '95 SC I bought out of New Jersey. At the time I was dating a girl on Long Island. I don't remember where I saw the ad or if she found it. Maybe on SCCOA. One of the weekends I was out there we went and looked at it. I remember the guy selling it was a firefighter. Nice guy. A couple weeks later I flew into MacArthur and drove it home back to Michigan that weekend.

My '97 was another craigslist find. My DD '95 Saturn wagon was getting a little long in the tooth. I was having zero luck finding another wagon that wasn't absolutely destroyed so I decided to look at Cougars/T-Birds instead. Much easier to find in good shape. Went around and around with a few flakey sellers on craigslist. One confused guy in Oregon with a 94/95 Cougar couldn't understand how I was going to get the car back to Michigan and make any money selling it. I guess I threw him for a loop when I told him I was actually going to drive it. Another (older) guy had a beautiful pearl 94/95 Cougar in Arizona. We had a conversation via e-mail. He sends me his number to call so I did. He never answered my calls or returned any v-mails. Finally found the '97 out in Los Alamos, CA. Guy was initially asking $2750, but dropped down to $2350 after a couple of days. We convo'd via e-mail. He sent me 10,000 pics. Several weeks later my son and I flew out to Santa Barbara. He picked us up and we drove back home to MI. Funny thing is, I bought it as my daily driver. Then we moved 30 miles from where I work so now I DD my wife's '98 Saturn wagon and she DD's the Thunderbird.