What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Ok, so just for those of us whose mechanical acumen never stretches beyond our (my) current project at hand, what exactly makes a cam  killer?

I mean I can picture a cam shaft, I understand what it does, I know I only have one deep inside the V of my engine...but I don't know what makes one shaft better than the other shaft. Shaft shaft. Beautiful word. Talking about cam shafts.
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Longer duration, slightly more valve lift and more overlap. That means more time and volume of air/fuel allowed into the cylinders and with the overlap (and soon headers) more scavenging… overlap means for a few degrees the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time and the exhaust pulses actually help pull more air/fuel into the cylinder than otherwise possible with just the suction of the piston going down on the intake stroke.

It also sounds really cool idling, though I’m not sure what to expect with where I degreed them.

Grog6 said:
Killer in this context is high lift, high duration (,and high price,) lol.
Buying cams for a 4v hurts. Which is why we hunt cobra cams.
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Want to buy my Cobra cams to slightly offset the pain I’ve endured? 😆
 
When you say you "degreed" them, is that the cams relative to the crank? Or also the cams relative to each other? (Not sure if the cams relative to each other is essentially pre-determined by their design).

Sounds like A LOT of variables to consider, and I imagine the PCM tune is a lengthy trial and error process?
 
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1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
When you say you "degreed" them, is that the cams relative to the crank? Or also the cams relative to each other? (Not sure if the cams relative to each other is essential pre-determined by their design).

Sounds like A LOT of variables to consider, and I imagine the PCM tune is a lengthy trial and error process?
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With a DOHC it’s both relative to the crank and to each other as the intake cams are driven off of the exhaust cams. Yes it’s lengthy trial and error, hence this in my head being a weekend job… two weeks ago 😆

Tuning will probably be a thing which I’m not looking forward to, lots of dashpot/idle tweaks which have never been my forte.
 
PCM tuning is some trial and error, but only for certain functions. Many of the things you tune for have an exact science to them - you have the program, you observe the result, and modify the program by the difference in what it does vs. what you want. Verify behavior, and done. An example is the MAF transfer function (perhaps the most important single table in the entire program); use a wideband to observe the actual AFR, log the commanded AFR, and adjust the MAF transfer by looking at the differences across the range to make sure it always matches.

For idle, I really only needed to log ISC_INTEGRATOR PID to adjust and the idle airflow tables - I didn't need to fidget with the timing at all.

Though on occasion, it will die out when cold and in open loop when I go from P/N to R/D. Mitch Black PM'd me a few times thinking he had a fix but I never got it, and never followed up.
 
Matt, pm me what you'd want for the cobra cams, but I'm still trying to get the cash f8r the spoiler,lol.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
That shift is firm!
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Im thinking about doing the jmod.. or atleast dropping the spring in 2-3 accumulator.

I really need to do it with how i drive but im not sure if i trust myself. Might look for one that already has the nice stuff in it like a 03 gt valvebody

that and an independent oil cooler is in the works too if i can save the 1-2 bore and get it polished better. Wasnt much of any material on the magnet when i got the car so thats good
 
LukesCougar said:
Im thinking about doing the jmod.. or atleast dropping the spring in 2-3 accumulator.

I really need to do it with how i drive but im not sure if i trust myself. Might look for one that already has the nice stuff in it like a 03 gt valvebody

that and an independent oil cooler is in the works too if i can save the 1-2 bore and get it polished better. Wasnt much of any material on the magnet when i got the car so thats good
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Oil cooler is a must, easy to install, worth the effort, especially in hot weather.
 
dDUBb said:
The turquoise feet were a tribute to the original Thunderbirds.
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That's cool. I got one off a '97 at the Tallahassee pick n pull last summer and it is sitting on my shelf.
 
Wile E. Coyote said:
View attachment 11341
Installed a new header panel, painted the fender, repainted the bumper, and installed new corners. All parts from the White car so didn't cost anything.

Also fixed the brakes on my gold car. Lost a caliper bolt. Fun times.
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Is that a hole in your hood I see? Must be something good!
 
Cougar… talked with Rob yesterday. Tranny is rebuilt he’ll be installing Monday. Will also replace the rear main seal, fuel pump, fix a fuel leak and install the limited slip carrier and 1 piece aluminum drive shaft. Should have her back next week. Finally, I miss driving her.
 
Kidd-7 said:
Cougar… talked with Rob yesterday. Tranny is rebuilt he’ll be installing Monday. Will also replace the rear main seal, fuel pump, fix a fuel leak and install the limited slip carrier and 1 piece aluminum drive shaft. Should have her back next week. Finally, I miss driving her.
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The limited slip is the best upgrade! It's such a better driving experience feeling both rears push the car through corners, versus the inner tire just exploding into a burn out.
 
I used satin engine paint in mine when I had them but if you’re using LEDs it doesn’t really matter. Over paint the biggest thing I will recommend is DO NOT use generic blue masking tape as it will peel the chrome foil right off when you unmask them, use the green 3M auto body masking tape at part stores and even then try to limit its contact with a non adhesive barrier (like a piece of a magazine) covering the majority.

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Also the corners are a bitch, they won’t separate using the usual oven method like the headlights, you basically have to hack them open using a dremel, pry them apart and glue them back together.
 
A couple of people mentioned oil coolers above; What you need is a transmission fluid cooler bigger is better.
It will make your trans last a lot longer. Our stock tune does the 3-4, 4-3 thing repeatedly in traffic, and the temp soars.

Tru-Cool Max. Twice the Cooling for Your Transmission. Maximum Protection for Your Vehicle. | Tru-Cool

When an auxiliary transmission oil cooler is required for your vehicle, Tru-Cool Max delivers optimal protection with double the cooling performance of our other products. Maintain lower temperatures in your transmission and lubricant with Tru-Cool and extend the life of the vehicle you depend on.
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I'm using the biggest one they make, 48kbtu I think.It's mounted in the front of the radiator and ac stuff. I didn't use a cold weather bypass, but depending on where you are, you may need to.
 
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