What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

@Zep5.0 it KINDA makes sense to me, but like you said the control arm already acts like a link joining the front and rear portion of the frame together. From what dale on FB made em it seems it should help with the twisting force from front to rear of the frame, by squaring up the lower part of it since it doesn’t have anything to tie it together besides the arms.

Just a conversation piece for yall.

@XR7-4.6 you think the stock welds are good enough?? I don’t really have the space OR time to do that to mine but it does kinda maybe somewhat seem it could help haha, I seen a Lexus LC400 IRS subframe at the JY and that bitch looked burly.
 

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The thing is made of 12 gauge steel, the factory welds are hideous, no question (they look like mine lol), but their job is to adequately hold the halves together and they do it fine. Ever see a subframe with failed welds? If it’s twisting in the breeze as posited would the bad welds be snapping like twigs?

What is stiffening it supposed to accomplish anyway? Is it supposed to reduce control arm deflection? Because this won’t. Everything’s isolated by bushings, even if you have Delrin/UMMV ones they’ll still deflect more than the subframe will to a measurable degree.
 
AdamG said:
That Quebec tbird a nice one. It's a mark bird. Mark viii motor, interior and wheels. They're regulars at Carlisle, very nice people too...
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So those are Octastars. Kind of hard to tell at highway speed. Glad to see that he drives it (I saw it in central Alabama). I assumed he was in the community with how well-kept the car was. That's awesome!
 
@CDsDontBurn when is the first outing?? Window tint for sure haha

@XR7-4.6 your right, I’m pretty sure the control arms kinda like the braces he put there. I read somewhere that the rear window takes a lot of the twisting forces in the back. How is that possible? With out breaking?? I also seen at the JY that SC400 it pretty much had a whole firewall in the back, no trunk access at all. I’m assuming it was for keeping the rear nice and tight.IMG_8048.png
 
Chingon1 said:
@XR7-4.6 I also seen at the JY that SC400 it pretty much had a whole firewall in the back, no trunk access at all. I’m assuming it was for keeping the rear nice and tight.View attachment 13864
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Actually the reason for that is the SC300/400 has the fuel tank mounted right behind it, not for stiffness. In fact it’s a removable firewall, you can see in the pic the not very structural 4 bolts and two clips that fasten it to an otherwise open passthrough.

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I once saw an SC400 after getting clobbered in the side. The strut came up through the tower and embedded itself into the fuel tank. Somehow the tank didn't rupture.

The 2004-06 GTO had the same setup.
 
Ohhh that’s how the jaguar XJR my buddy had was. Tank in the trunk. That’s sucks I thought it was structural. Even without the middle panel it looks a lot beefier compared to the gaping hole in our cars.
 
jco1385 said:
While going up I-85 yesterday between Montgomery and Auburn, I came across this guy. What a coincidence as I never see MN12s anymore - certainly not nice ones - and the one day mine has seen the sun in like 3-4 years. I can't make out the state on the tag. It was a very clean, lowered 94-95 with what looked like 97 tails and chrome fanblades. He got pretty excited when I passed him with mine on the trailer, but he didn't follow me into the fuel stop unfortunately. Maybe he's on here?

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That thing has the full size hitch on it.
I have the smaller hitch, 1.25 or whatever the common car size one is.
 
I double-checked the steering wheel bolt today because I felt there was some play in the wheel. I was wondering if it wasn't properly seated. But it all checked out.

I think the installation may have made me more sensitive to a pre-existing bit of play, the culprit being in the column, potentially this:

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Probably not an issue, but you know, I can't un-feel it. It really is a tiny bit of play, a bit sticky. Is that common in this spot?
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
I double-checked the steering wheel bolt today because I felt there was some play in the wheel. I was wondering if it wasn't properly seated. But it all checked out.

I think the installation may have made me more sensitive to a pre-existing bit of play, the culprit being in the column, potentially this:

View attachment 13898

Probably not an issue, but you know, I can't un-feel it. It really is a tiny bit of play, a bit sticky. Is that common in this spot?
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There is some play from there but it’s not as much as it looks. The end of the breakaway portion of the shaft has plastic pads bonded around it that take up the slop inside the sleeve.
 
@1997ThunderbirdLXV6 here’s what I mentioned on the steering shaft section for clarity (ignore the end of it, I hacked it up when I was experimenting with relocation arrangements)

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Chingon1 said:
I dig it! Maybe one of those rear eBay diffusers would help in the looks department out back.
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That's the plan! But that's further down the line. Right now it's just getting the car to look like a car again, and that it'll start and move "normal".
 
@Wile E. Coyote well good luck Brodie! I smell copious amounts of jelly from myself and the members in here haha

I think I saw you got some extended arms from a guy on the FB forum?? How are you liking them?? They looked like he relocated the sway bar link to the control arm itself right??
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Chingon1 said:
@Wile E. Coyote well good luck Brodie! I smell copious amounts of jelly from myself and the members in here haha

I think I saw you got some extended arms from a guy on the FB forum?? How are you liking them?? They looked like he relocated the sway bar link to the control arm itself right??
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I like them a lot lol Screenshot_20231107-202047~2.png

The relocation is due to it extending the steering angle as much as they do. If it was left in the spindle, I'd be breaking the studs off in it.
 
I always loved driftiing the curves going up the mountain in the old tbird; even the gravel parts. :)
 
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