What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

That's a bit much. Plus they don't dim.

 

[LukesCougar]

Its in the high 60s here, decided to open her up with the windows down after giving my carpets a good scrub and shop vac

 

[Boston-Bull]

Static cling light dimming sheet cut to fit

 

[XR7-4.6]

Hmm can you paint/dip the bulbs? I wonder if a mesh screen would look tacky

I’m going to try 1000 ohm resistors instead of the 470s to try to dim them back otherwise I’m switching LEDs. I wanted a little brighter than stock, not cartoon nuclear radiation lol

 

[XR7-4.6]

Its in the high 60s here, decided to open her up with the windows down after giving my carpets a good scrub and shop vac

The 1-2 chirp made me fall in love with my car, broken accumulator spring or not

 

[LukesCougar]

The 1-2 chirp made me fall in love with my car, broken accumulator spring or not

loll, i really need to get off my lazy rear and do the full jmod, but as it sits its still just running updated blue piston/ no bottom spring. I did drain, fill, new filter and i think that alone helped out the shifting. Hopefully ill get around to it, or ill just have to throw in a more modern 4r70 when this one goes

 

[XR7-4.6]

Alright fixed, boring, but fixed

 

[Trunk Monkey]

loll, i really need to get off my lazy rear and do the full jmod, but as it sits its still just running updated blue piston/ no bottom spring. I did drain, fill, new filter and i think that alone helped out the shifting. Hopefully ill get around to it, or ill just have to throw in a more modern 4r70 when this one goes

Be careful. A full J-mod on a stock transmission with a stock converter hits HARD! I had mine set to the middle J-mod setting and it snapped my neck on every 1-2 shift. It didn't smooth out until I installed a high-stall converter that allowed some slip.

At least that was my experience. Others may have different thoughts.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Be careful. A full J-mod on a stock transmission with a stock converter hits HARD! I had mine set to the middle J-mod setting and it snapped my neck on every 1-2 shift. It didn't smooth out until I installed a high-stall converter that allowed some slip. At least that was my experience. Others may have different thoughts.

I did the mild on mine and the 1-2 hit pretty hard and it got old....fast. When I did my last fluid change, I dropped the valve body and re-installed the lower spring on the 1-2 piston and the updated spring for the 2-3 piston. Definitely calmed down the harshness but still shifts nicely.

Joe

 

[Grog6]

Went to take mine on an errand run and the brake pedal was softer than Liberace in the Playboy mansion. There's a drip from one of the drums so I've probably got a bad wheel cylinder. That's a problem for tomorrow.

There are mark viii's at charlies in dayton; way easier to go to a disk knuckle, than rebuild a drum.

 

[Derphound01]

There are mark viii's at charlies in dayton; way easier to go to a disk knuckle, than rebuild a drum.

That's my current debate. I can replace shoes and hardware just fine and it's cheap. But I also have a disc swap on my list. It's a few positions down the list, but it's there.

 

[LukesCougar]

@Trunk Monkey

in that case it does sound like it would be best for me to wait for this transmission to start going and rebuild one on the side. would be easier for me anyways since its a daily. I think i could build one myself with some reading and patience but i dont have any good jacks atm. so not sure im getting the car up and safely getting under there by myself and installing a new trans

 

[Kurt K]

Alright fixed, boring, but fixed

Since you've been in the switches probably more than anyway, do you (or anyone else) have suggestions on fixing intermittent switches? I had/have issues with only one direction of a switch stop working (like only rolling the window, or not being able to unlock the passenger door from the driver's switch). Since I have a couple of parts cars, I usually just rob a switch. In the past, I've bench tested continuity and everything works, only to have it not work in the car.

Have you had luck repairing switches? Mine is a 92, but the internals look similar to the pictures of yours.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Since you've been in the switches probably more than anyway, do you (or anyone else) have suggestions on fixing intermittent switches? I had/have issues with only one direction of a switch stop working (like only rolling the window, or not being able to unlock the passenger door from the driver's switch). Since I have a couple of parts cars, I usually just rob a switch. In the past, I've bench tested continuity and everything works, only to have it not work in the car.

Have you had luck repairing switches? Mine is a 92, but the internals look similar to the pictures of yours.

It’s probably corrosion, if you look really closely inside they have little contact points on each copper contact spring like a points distributer, likewise you could fold a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and clean them up the same way

 

[Kurt K]

It’s probably corrosion, if you look really closely inside they have little contact points on each copper contact spring like a points distributer, likewise you could fold a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and clean them up the same way

View attachment 17082
View attachment 17080View attachment 17081

I did not actually try sandpaper. I stopped at contact cleaner. I'll give that a try the next time I'm motivated to dive into it.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Alright driver side switches in. Not totally satisfied with the mirror switch LED, it still has a superbright one in it but the light path is a lot less harsh than the switches, so I think that’s the ticket for it. Here I will try a diffuser of sorts. Not entirely happy with the green though, so I might try a white or yellow superbright LED and a green diffuser to get it closer to the factory one.



I discovered this mod but I never bothered refining it til now

Also, yay or nay on the “auto” switch? My purist side is clashing with my OCD side in that I do in fact have auto downs but I have them on BOTH sides. I could easily get two more switches that say auto but as a purist no Ford ever had that arrangement, let alone advertised. It’s basically this or the dual arrow switch as far as I’m concerned.

Also, don’t mind the light bleed from the mirror switch, I’m well aware. The rubber boot piece is torn on mine and I have a new one coming(mostly because I accidentally broke this one putting it together )

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Alright driver side switches in. Not totally satisfied with the mirror switch LED, it still has a superbright one in it but the light path is a lot less harsh than the switches, so I think that’s the ticket for it. Here I will try a diffuser of sorts. Not entirely happy with the green though, so I might try a white or yellow superbright LED and a green diffuser to get it closer to the factory one.

View attachment 17087

I discovered this mod but I never bothered refining it til now

Also yay or nay on the “auto” switch? My purist side is clashing with my OCD side in that I do in fact have auto downs but I have them on BOTH sides. I could easily get two more switches that say auto but as a purist no Ford ever had that arrangement, let alone advertised. It’s basically this or the dual arrow switch as far as I’m concerned.

Also also don’t mind the light bleed from the mirror switch, I’m well aware, the rubber boot piece is torn on mine and I have a new one coming(mostly because I accidentally broke this one putting it together )

Nice work Matt! I wondered what you were burning up switches for but you said not to ask.

 

[Irv]

Also, yay or nay on the “auto” switch? My purist side is clashing with my OCD side in that I do in fact have auto downs but I have them on BOTH sides. I could easily get two more switches that say auto but as a purist no Ford ever had that arrangement, let alone advertised. It’s basically this or the dual arrow switch as far as I’m concerned.

As someone who has no regard for purism, dual Auto switches. You already failed the true purist litmus test by installing one in an MN12 in the first place. May as well be honest about the dual auto down rather than misrepresent it because Ford didn't do it that way.

 

[97 30th]

Nice work Matt! I wondered what you were burning up switches for but you said not to ask.

Alright driver side switches in. Not totally satisfied with the mirror switch LED, it still has a superbright one in it but the light path is a lot less harsh than the switches, so I think that’s the ticket for it. Here I will try a diffuser of sorts. Not entirely happy with the green though, so I might try a white or yellow superbright LED and a green diffuser to get it closer to the factory one.

View attachment 17087

I discovered this mod but I never bothered refining it til now

Also, yay or nay on the “auto” switch? My purist side is clashing with my OCD side in that I do in fact have auto downs but I have them on BOTH sides. I could easily get two more switches that say auto but as a purist no Ford ever had that arrangement, let alone advertised. It’s basically this or the dual arrow switch as far as I’m concerned.

Also, don’t mind the light bleed from the mirror switch, I’m well aware. The rubber boot piece is torn on mine and I have a new one coming(mostly because I accidentally broke this one putting it together )

You know where I stand on the auto switch issue

 

[XR7-4.6]

Nice work Matt! I wondered what you were burning up switches for but you said not to ask.

Thanks!

The primary don’t ask reason was because I went back on a mod I did 10-15 years ago, retrofitting 2000s era Ford switches, which were a direct fit aesthetically but not in any other way. Now a days both are outdated and I’d rather have what it came with… I basically had to entirely rewire both doors this weekend just to have stock switches.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Ok...never liked "Auto"-marked switches because they're showroom talking points. Once you bought the car and know it, you don't need that information.

But...it would totally irritate me to have  one such marked button even though  both windows are such equipped.

And the dual arrow switch only makes sense if the switch has two detents.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Oh, and I love the illuminated mirror switch.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Oh, and I love the illuminated mirror switch.

It’s very easy to do too, Ford clearly designed the switch to illuminate providing not only the light path but even a cutout, terminal and pads in the circuit board for the requisite load resistor. AFAIK no model at the time with a similar switch ever had illumination, so it’s almost an Easter egg.


Also I’m going back to arrows for windows. Everyone’s made good points I’ve debated myself but looking at it tonight there’s a hot spot in the UT in aUTo that isn’t there in the simple arrow

 

[theterminator93]

I hereby task you with recreating the appropriate tech article.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I hereby task you with recreating the appropriate tech article.

It’s drafted in text, I just need my new switch to arrive that hasn’t been butchered 6 times to get fresh pics of

 

[Grog6]

Are those 3mm or 5mm leds?

 

[XR7-4.6]

Are those 3mm or 5mm leds?

3mm

 

[Grog6]

Bummer. That's what I thought from your pix. They make 5mm programmable ones, color and brightness.
For current in an led, its v supply- vled/resistor. red leds are ~1.7, green 3.3, and blue ~ 4.2v.
1ma is a dim led, 10 ma is usually rated brightness, 20 ma is really bright, and lower life.red is 660nm, green is 532nm, and blue is 420nm.