What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

[Chandar8]

How time flies. First pic is how I got shitbird, and today I found a real cold air intake from a mustang gt. Made it work in the autozone parking lot. Oh yeah, and trickflow

 

[XR7-4.6]

How time flies. First pic is how I got shitbird, and today I found a real cold air intake from a mustang gt. Made it work in the autozone parking lot. Oh yeah, and trickflow

I know what you mean, I started mods with a cone filter and a home made heat shield and I still have a cone filter with a home made heat shield. Added 100 horsepower…


…eventually.

 

[Chandar8]

I know what you mean, I started mods with a cone filter and a home made heat shield and I still have a cone filter with a home made heat shield. Added 100 horsepower…


…eventually.

View attachment 18395
View attachment 18394

It's always funny looking at our cars like that. Superbirdo was just some grandma's car with a busted hood, shitbird is... well it's shitbird lol

Not good at body work so I guess ill see what I can do about that. Im trying really hard to do a lot of this myself and not pay other people to make *my* car. Plus it's kind of fun to have a shitty looking car that id nice internals.

 

[Grog6]

That's always been my outlook.
Matt, that cold air does add some hp now, but that last upgrade was needed to get the 10-20 hp they advertise. With those cams and exhaust, it did add hp.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Dropped off my wheels at the tire shop. They’re actually ready for me to pick up but they were closed by the time I got off so I’ll have to wait til morning

 

[Chandar8]

Tonight in my rapid effort to keep messing with my car I have bought the sct tuning software. What's the over under on needing a new motor by the end of the week?

 

[Grog6]

You can seriously break stuff. Work with the tune you got with it, until you understand the change from stock.

 

[LukesCougar]

Stared at the bird today having a telepathic conversation with it. Big ass grin on its face.

ordered oem washers for strut rod to frame and looking for nearest strut rod or just buying one from tbsc

 

[Chandar8]

You can seriously break stuff. Work with the tune you got with it, until you understand the change from stock.

I also bought the one on one class with Don, so hopefully I shouldn't screw things up too bad

 

[Grog6]

You should be fine. He's a good dude; tell him we said hi!

 

[Vicinity]

Stared at the bird today having a telepathic conversation with it. Big ass grin on its face.

ordered oem washers for strut rod to frame and looking for nearest strut rod or just buying one from tbsc

Yeah that goofy freaking grin. The F16 has the same thing going for it

 

[XR7-4.6]

Dropped off my wheels at the tire shop. They’re actually ready for me to pick up but they were closed by the time I got off so I’ll have to wait til morning

Got em went with the Toyos

 

[Chandar8]

Before and after. I was very messy with the pink stripe. I could definitely do that better. But not bad for a day or two

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Not today, but yesterday. All this got done, except for the chin spoiler after realizing that it would make oil changes more difficult .

More details on my thread. I appreciate and thank those who gave input over in my thread!

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Pretty much everyone uses 5W30 though. The original spec.

 

[Chingon1]

Not today, but yesterday. All this got done, except for the chin spoiler after realizing that it would make oil changes more difficult .

More details on my thread. I appreciate and thank those who gave input over in my thread!

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Man that piece is SUUUUPER rare. I’d love to get my hands on one do you have pictures with it on??

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Man that piece is SUUUUPER rare. I’d love to get my hands on one do you have pictures with it on??

The underbody shield? I have one for sale. Check the For Sale section.

 

[Grog6]

Those do help cooling.
I look for them; I've lost two.

 

[Chingon1]

The underbody shield? I have one for sale. Check the For Sale section.

I just checked, I’m pretty sure shipping would be hectic since I’m in CA. How much were you asking?

 

[Chingon1]

Those do help cooling.
I look for them; I've lost two.

I bet they also help with underbody aerodynamics aswell. Sealing up the whole front end.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I just checked, I’m pretty sure shipping would be hectic since I’m in CA. How much were you asking?

I can get a quote tonight. Please send me a message with your zip.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

$11 later, and I got myself this box of Elbow Adapters from O'Reilly's to get me by in my EGR P0401 issue, is what I did to my T-Bird today. It should work, right?

Ideally, I'd like to have the actual green and red hose combo, the way it's supposed to be.

 

[Kidd-7]

I replaced the LCAs and strut rod bushings. The LCA to frame bushings was toast, pretty sure that caused my popping.

 

[KevinVarnes]

Finally replaced the plugs in the '97. It had a hesitation under load at low RPM. I think these had at least 90k miles on them. I bought the car with 115k and it has 208k on it now. Also replaced the air filter and cleaned the MAF. So nice replacing plugs on these and not having to take an upper intake plenum off or crawl around under the car to access them.

Only slightly worn. Times are tough. Got to get your money's worth from the parts on your car.

 

[AdamG]

I got mine started today.
Still have a few things to wrap up before I can drive it but damn it was nice hearing the beast again...
Happy Thunderbird Appreciation Day!!!

 

[SnowyOwl]

Managed to replace first of the rear brake lines, I hope the other one will follow tomorrow. A painful job to both my fingers and my back!



For one reason or another, the engineer has decided to use M12 thread with the nipple on the other brake line junction, and M10 on the other. WTF????? I tried to do things properly this time, and pre-flare and cut the lines with a good tool that attaches to a vice, only to discover that the nipple won't fit. And redo the fitting with a hand-held tool.

I hope my swearing echoes in this motherfucker's skull as loud as it did in my neighbors.

 

[SnowyOwl]

As a follow-up to the previous, I majestically failed with the other side's line, by cross-threading the line fitting into the junction block:

Notes to self:
- Unlike the M12 fitting, the M10 one will cross-thread VERY easily
- You can't really tell whether it's just your brake line bending the fitting slightly, making it a bit more difficult to spin, or whether the fitting is eating up the threads. The brass is super soft
- Just remove the junction block to enable easier install, or at least remove the lines from the main cylinder, in order to avoid flooding brake fluid. Trying to install the fitting with everything covered in fluid won't allow you to feel the threads.
- Create a "Lessons from redoing brake lines" thread or a tech article once this saga is done and the Bird is back on the road

Well at least there seems to be enough material to make this side M12 as well now, gotta take it to a shop and ask if they could create me some new threads. I don't really want to mess this up much further, and I'm really screwed if this junction piece is Fucked Up Beyond Any Rescue.

 

[Grog6]

If it was m8, it should do m 10.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Getting my Vogtlands ready to go back in, I want them to fall somewhere between their uncut length and the cut Tokicos that are on it now, so maybe 1/2” shorter/1/2” taller respectively ? So I’m keeping the cut conservative at a little less than a half coil



Primed and painted



Colors not a great match, it’s more purple to the vogtland’s pink but closest thing I could find off the shelf. Ace Plum

 

[Grog6]

On the sport springs, earl found 1 turn front, 5/8 rear.
Voigtlands were already that short, I thought, 1" drop?