Wet under carpet

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

MN12s unfortunately just don't extend beyond a niche, there's been little blips of exposure here and there but really if someone discovers the chassis from social media or whatever finding one in even passable shape is next to impossible without patience. So many of them got crushed in the last 20 years, I wouldn't be surprised if of the million+ combined MN12 Tbirds and Cougars built there's only 10-20% left.

Sad but probably very true.

Sometimes I fantasize what could have been if MN12 (or the Lincoln variety whose abbreviation I can never remember; F...?) had expanded to other models. Continental would have been great on it. 4-door Thunderbird. A convertible.

It's a great chassis that should have been utilized more. I mean mine is a base model with an unmodified suspension, and it still goes around expressway ramps more confidently than most modern FWD cars.

 

[Sniper83rdID]

Those Falcons have a very large amount of commonality with 66-71 Fairlanes and Torinos which helps

And as I found out back in High School, so are mustang parts.... especially chassis, electrical and drivetrain... pretty much everything except for body panels and such... of course all them things the mustang used were designed for the Falcon. So technically mustangs used alot of Falcon parts during them yrs.

 

[Sniper83rdID]

My 63 tbird was the same way. I spent a lot of time scouring JY's for stuff Thankfully, the napa store at the end of my street had a genius parts counter guy. I wasted a rear drum, and they were available for everything BUT a 62-63.

I've had that problem with several old cars I've owned over the yrs... parts catalogs, if even available, would end the model yr before my car... in the case of my old 66 Falcon, 68 Ford XL and 74 Cougar XR7... in each case, catalogs for each model ended in 65, 67, and 73.... which the cougar one really surprised me since the 74-76 cougars were practically identical and the biggest selling yrs of the car, yet nothing available for parts. Sometimes you get lucky with stuff for a 74-76 Torino or Elite since they used alot of the same parts. The only 3 cars I've ever owned that I never had problems finding parts for was my old 57 Bel Air and the 55 Fairlane and 77 Maverick I have now.... other than that, it's always been a struggle.