What did you do with your Thunderbird Today?

[XR7-4.6]

Get some late model Mustang GT mufflers or some GT500 take offs. Probably find some cheap if you wanted to test them. I posted a video of mine. Kooks, x pipe, and cats. No drone, good deep rumble.

Those are pretty quiet, my buddy absolutely loved those mufflers and bought several sets for his SCs and they do sound nice for stock mufflers, but it’s probably too much muffling here. GT500 maybe, those essentially are GT mufflers with one of the internal pipes chopped out (in fact that’s a mod people have done)

 

[LoganB]

Nice work. Were the old ball joints loose? Cutting those lower shock bolts is almost par for the course for a northern car. Monroe used to make a service kit to replace them, but I don't know if it is available any more.

It’s a « northern car » but hasn’t driven any winters and is from the US, my relative had it sitting for 10 years prior to my ownership, bwll joints weren’t loose but all the bushings on the arm were beat to all hell.

 

[LoganB]

You have a Yankee cluster, but you are in Canada.

yes! Thanks to the good old USA I’ve got a 28 year old car in Canada with bolts that still come loose XD. Car used to be in the us, relative of mine bought it at auction, had it sitting for 10 years then I got my hands on it.

 

[LoganB]

Bringing it into the shop next Wednesday with my buddy to do an alignment on both our cars, il probably upload what the results ends up

Update: Just finished up the alignment, rides great now!
Before:
After:

Didn’t really bother with the rear because the toe was fine and I’m not sure how to adjust the camber, I did see what looked like a camber bolt but just put it off for now. Camber in the front wasn’t as bad as it looked either, I think the sidewall flex made it look much worse.

 

[KevinVarnes]

Didn’t really bother with the rear because the toe was fine and I’m not sure how to adjust the camber, I did see what looked like a camber bolt but just put it off for now.

Sounds like every alignment shop I've ever taken an MN12 to!

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Sounds like every alignment shop I've ever taken an MN12 to!

That's where you go yourself and tell the alignment tech, "this one trick will be nuts!"

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Any guesses what I'm doing?

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Some sort of brace for the rubber transmission lines?

Joe

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Some sort of brace, but nothing to do with the transmission cooler other than that the bumper is off.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Got my alignment done.

View attachment 14275

I dig it!

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Sporting its new badge in its natural habitat.

 

[Kurt K]

While I hate the ever-shrinking oil filter trend, maybe the next oil change in my 95 XR7 will be a little less painful with shorter STP filter. Despite the picture, both filters are the same diameter.

 

[KevinVarnes]

I'd be curious to hear how that goes. I've tried to block it from my mind, but it seems like the diameter is just as big a problem as the height.

 

[Chingon1]

If possible you should just get the relocation kit. Works great, zero leaks and makes this a non issue in the future. Might as well order now, and never worry about it again. Those kits do use the 5.0 oil filter tho.

 

[Kurt K]

The filter seemed to maybe go in a little easier,but the diameter is the main culprit. One nice thing about the shorter filter though, I was able to get my hand over the end to actually hand tighten the filter. So maybe that's a win.?!

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Ok...I was trying to make something happen. That THUNDERBIRD script in the grille just clashed with the shape of the grille.

Where is that Mods I Regret thread when you need it?

I realized I needed  an emblem. But I didn't want to go back to the stock one. It's too big in my opinion; it makes the grille look tinier than it is.

I decided to repurpose an emblem from an old taillight. It's approximately 2.5" shorter in width. I reused the same wire hanger concoction.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I absolutely hated the thunderbird text there I just kept my mouth shut

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I absolutely hated the thunderbird text there I just kept my mouth shut

I kept thinking it said CAMARO. Must be something about the font...

 

[AdamG]

Definitely better with a bird in there, that grill kinda requires it. The Thunderbird script was a good idea but didn't look right. The smaller bird does look good though.

 

[KevinVarnes]

The Thunderbird script looked like you should be wearing it around your neck with a gold chain and a wife beater. The bird definitely looks better. I would honestly need a side by side to tell the difference between original and new. I like the little blue feet on the original bird though.

 

[Kidd-7]

Where is that Mods I Regret thread when you need it?

I thought that was all your threads.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I thought that was all your threads.

Ehh, no.
But admittedly some of my ideas end up being half-baked...

 

[Kidd-7]

I changed the oil in the Smurf.

 

[Kidd-7]

Ehh, no.
But admittedly some of my ideas end up being half-baked...

I hope you know I’m just messing with you. While some of the things you do don’t interest me or I don’t have time to pursue, it’s cool to see what you do.

 

[Derphound01]

Drove mine to the post office.

 

[Kenz]

I know my Pearl Bird doesn't have a hood light, not sure if my Gold Bird has a hood light.

The hood light probably came with the keyless entry/factory alarm option group. My 96 bird had the hood light and that was one of its few options. Iirc there was a mercury level switch to turn it on.

 

[Derphound01]

Mine has a hood light and the "Illuminated Entry Package", which consists of the backlit lock cylinders and backlit keypad. It also lights the interior up when you pull the door handle or press a button on the keypad. Illuminated Entry was discontinued for 1997.

Wonder if that was the package that the hood lights came with.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Mine has a hood light and the "Illuminated Entry Package", which consists of the backlit lock cylinders and backlit keypad. It also lights the interior up when you pull the door handle or press a button on the keypad. Illuminated Entry was discontinued for 1997.

Wonder if that was the package that the hood lights came with.

I could have sworn the package it was part of was called “light group”, but that might be the catch all preferred equipment package that encompasses all of the options.