The Mod That EVERYBODY Should Do

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

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New thread idea just came to me: the objectively good modification!

Ok, yes, it's all a matter of taste and preference (LED interior lights, anyone?). But we've all done that one mod where we think this feels just right; it's a no-brainer; everybody should do it!

The most obvious example: '97 cupholder in '94-'96. Is there any owner who actually has  not done this?!


The purpose of this thread: Post your personal no-brainer mod. The standards by which we measure:
  • Objective appeal (I know this one is debatable, but humor me)
  • Easy to do
  • Cheap to do

With these standards...I can't post wood trim anything. So I'll go with this:

The semi-floating bird emblem. All you have to do is cut out 90% of the grille. It's made from very soft plastic, so the effort is minimal. I did go through the trouble of painting the structural part of the bumper black.

20251113_164231.jpg


And now to your mods!
 
I don't have a picture but the metal transmission-to-throttle body linkage bushing mod. For the early aod cars its a absolute no brainer if you want peace of mind that the linkage will never come undone randomly and grenade your transmission. Not a flashy mod but one that certainly lets our birds live longer happier lives
 
Jae 'Bird said:
I don't have a picture but the metal transmission-to-throttle body linkage bushing mod. For the early aod cars its a absolute no brainer if you want peace of mind that the linkage will never come undone randomly and grenade your transmission. Not a flashy mod but one that certainly lets our birds live longer happier lives
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't know that one.
 
POL-PKG connection and add a USB / USB-C adapter plug to the cigarette lighter so you can charge your phone. It's the ultimate resto-mod mod.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Get a dash-cam in the car, especially if you daily drive it.
 
Manual transmission😆

Ok seriously Mark VIII double visors. They are kind of low key so they shouldn’t cost a fortune so cheap✅ they essentially bolt right in place of the old ones with the only caveat that you have to adapt the plug, but that’s pretty easy to hackjob and still work even if you suck at electrical✅ and they are objectively better, as they look exactly the same closed as stock ones, can find them in most colors of MN12 headliners to match as well as moonroof/non-moonroof configurations but the function they provide you will never want to live without again✅
 
My list:

02 4r70 swap w small tc
02 gtmaf/airbox, w/pi intake swap.
Mark autodim rear view
12awg speaker wire 4 locations
2awg power to trunk
Rear shock tower brace
rear lca mount brace
PBR brakes
Xcal2+new tune

These mods are on all 3 cars, even the tbird I sold.

I still want to do the poly/mark lca mod to the red cougar.
Maybe when I do the engine on Lazarus, I'll add the 1 3/8" sway bars.
More to do.
 
Last edited:
Grog6 said:
My list:

02 4r70 swap w small tc
02 gtmaf/airbox, w/pi intake swap.
Mark autodim rear view
12awg speaker wire 4 locations
2awg power to trunk
Rear shock tower brace
rear lca mount brace
PBR brakes

These mods are on all 3 cars, even the tbird I sold.

I still want to do the poly/mark lca mod to the red cougar.
Maybe when I do the engine on Lazarus, I'll add the 1 3/8" sway bars.
More to do.
Click to expand...

Missing cheap and easy for all but the mirror lol
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
What?
Click to expand...

It's an old running club joke that there are disconnected wires buried deep in the dash (think pull the dash and replace the heater core deep) that Ford installed in every car for "Police package (POL-PKG)" Thunderbirds that, if connected will unlock all kinds of additional power. They don't exist but we used to joke with the newbies that it could be done.
 
My car didn't come with a cigarette lighter and has a "Thunderbird" plug over where the hole is. I've never seen another one: was it really that rare to choose the lighter delete option?

I'd love to replace it with something practical like a USB charger, but at the same time I would hate to lose this oddball thing.
 
None. The wording under the bird art says "Thunderbird" in an all-caps script, but there's so much bleed on the letters that it's quite hard to read. It came with the car, though I'm at least the fourth owner. I just assumed it was a standard option, but now I'm beginning to wonder.

It's a little loose so it will rotate slightly when you drive, and you can manually rotate it with your hands, but it won't come off, at least, not with any casual prying.

20251216_223406.png
 
@Stanley
I'm pretty sure a previous owner put that there, and there's a 12V outlet behind it.
That panel comes out easily, so you can check. First pull out the ashtray; then there's a tab on the left, which when pushed to the right allows you to pull out the entire ashtray frame including the lighter housing.
 
I'll take a peak at some point. The tray housing was squeaking when I drove, so I sealed it in with butyl rope and now it will be annoying to remove.
 
Sorry, follow-on question. Wasn't the ashtray interior metal? My tray is all-plastic in and out, so I assume it wasn't an ashtray.
 
On a 97, the ashtray is plastic. mine had a cig lighter where your emblem is. ashtray was to the left.
 
This is a true, zero-cost upgrade.
It adds throttle response, a bit of sound, and costs 10 minutes of time.
I would add seafoam to this list. Done properly, it adds a bit of pep. I usually do it every spring, with the first oil change.
 
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