The new Thunderbird.

[Dave84]

Sounds like a cool build. What are yo gonna use for an exhaust?

[1987cp]

Sounds like a cool build. What are yo gonna use for an exhaust?

He is hereby required to do it this way .........





and of course the exterior must follow this general theme (Thunderbird-appropriate, of course - this is a '86 Cougar):

[p71towny]

Exhaust looks cool, but the rest of that kit.....NAAASTAAY. Next time someone says "I coulda shit a brick" Im gonna think of that cougar being shit out. Actually, Im surprised to see that much living vegitation around it. Oh, wait, it did take out one tree it looks like.

[Ghost]

That's the ugliest Cougar I've ever seen.


Enjoy the hell out of that Tbird, Pirate. I garrantee that's what your mother would want you to do.

[Pirate]

Shit.

Double Shit.

Triple Shit.

False freaking alarm.

Oddly enough, the wife just saw this thread. Oh, and by the way? She just showed it to the kids. The car is going to my oldest son now, as of a result of last evening's 'discussion', although he doesn't know about it yet. I am not angry, as he deserves the car, and he is a damn good driver, I couldn't think of a better person to get the car, as it's a kingly gift to a young man that has his head screwed together really well...and maybe it's a good idea, as it keeps me from screwing around with it. Let me just say that if I enjoy being married, this is the best plan. I tried to explain that I wouldn't be butchering the car...however...this engine package requires a different hood, and right now, at the current power level, the car won't kill the driver, at least from a loss-of-control-due-to-stupid-power-levels standpoint. In short, my protests fell on deaf ears.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

I hate making plans.

It looks like a 94-95 Lightning is back as the #1 vehicle choice....however, I don't have to leave that vehicle stock, and I don't plan to.

I'm sorry, guys. I tried.

[murphmobile2]

That sucks man... wait until he wants to get rid of the car and get it back lol.

[1987cp]

That sucks man... wait until he wants to get rid of the car and get it back lol.

Hehehe.... although, seeing how he has Larry for a parent, he's probably a touch smarter than that ... :p

[torquelover]

Any generation Lightning is a highly desirable item in my book. Hope it works out for you.

[Pirate]

Hehehe.... although, seeing how he has Larry for a parent, he's probably a touch smarter than that ... :p

I suspect I will hear something reminiscent of "...from my cold, dead fingers...."

[P72Ford]

First Gen Lightning!!!

[1987cp]

Any generation Lightning is a highly desirable item in my book. Hope it works out for you.

Well, there's the fact that it's sort of a pickup truck ...........

[Pirate]

Well, Shit, part II.

I now have a laundry list of boggles. Keep in mind I am not losing any sleep over any of this, as I am not forced to make ANY decision right now, this is simply something I am thinking about in an offhand manner, and wouldn't mind some feedback.

Problem #1:
My son can't even drive the Thunderbird on his own, unless he has a permit for 6 months.

Problem #2:
He wants a truck, that way he can haul his trike around....

Problem #3:
His schooling is going to absorb most of his time, and I want him to focus on that, instead of working some crap job just to make insurance payments. Rule #1: The kids pay for their own insurance.

Problem #4:
Instead of giving him the Thunderbird, and realizing that he won't be able to cover insurance, I have instead offered a substitute, which is digging up one of the following for him:
A. A 1986-up Honda TRX250R two-stroke quad, that way he can ride at a local indoor MX track AND go to the sand dunes with friends...
B. A 2000-up MX bike, between 125 and 250 CC's, two-stroke, and preferably a Yamaha or Honda, so he can do the indoor MX track stuff, and use his current Tri-Z 250 three-wheeler at the sand dunes...

I can pick up two-stroke MX bikes cheap here, but the quads are expensive...but he likes either of those two suggestions, and is willing to work with me on this. It's not a matter of my not wanting him to have the car, it's a matter of him not needing a set of wheels until a couple of years from now, and even then, the truck will be more useful to him, as he has also stated.

This leads to the MAJOR problem (if there is one, lol): What to do with the T-bird? I wouldn't mind having some fun with the T-bird, but I want the Lightning more than I want the T-bird, due to the all-around capabilities of the Lightning (towing, SCCA parking lot stuff, etc), and since I fit in the Lightning better. However, the T-bird is obviously a better road car (if I can get the seats lowered a whole bunch), and I can easily go five-speed with the T-bird, where I can't easily do it with the truck, as I also have to change the computer system to compensate for the lack of a computer-controlled automatic.
Pros and cons of both:

T-bird pros...
better handling road car
better mileage, as there is a lot less frontal area
Easy to switch to a 5-speed
It's paid for
passenger space
trunk space for sound system

T-bird cons...
Turd engine, needs more torque, 5.8 swap requires a cowl hood
R12 A/C
Limited seated height room
No towing
Header selection is nil, you actually have to modify the steering column to make a set of Fox body 351W swap shorty headers to fit, and then do a custom exhaust system.
Exhaust systems are super spendy, around $750-$800 for something I can just install, like a fox body setup
Score of frame band-aids required so nothing breaks

Lightning Pros:
351W already
Towing capability
Handles great, Roush-tuned suspension
Looks freaking evil
Roomy for the driver
94-95 R134a A/C
Only simple mods required to get into the 12's
I don't have to do an engine swap to get more torque

Cons:
I have to buy one, best ones available are north of $6000...and are at least a thousand miles away...
Initial purchase price limits ability for mods
Trannies are spendy to rebuild
It's still a truck, and rides like one
You might squeeze three people into one
5-speed swap is spendy.

Hm. Like I said, I don't have to decide what to do today, lol. It's just something to think about. I can't sell the T-bird, so that's out of the question. I have thought about simply keeping it around, but it's pretty much useless for anything other than my wife to pimp around in, due to the headroom issue with me. I can also use my Ranger to tow a light trailer, but towing another car with it is out of the question. The Lightning represents a ready-to-drive hot rod that I don't have to screw around with much, while the T-bird is going to be a bit of a project to get it to do what I want it to. As I am getting burned out with projects here of late.....

hmmmm....

[Pirate]

Well, we is gonna update the T-bird's rolling stock. The car isn't going anywhere, and I hate looking at those wheels that are on the car right now...and since it needs tires...the next time I post pics of it in here, it should be wearing either an 18x9 set of Saleen Speedline wheels, either silver painted, or chrome-plated, I haven't decided which yet....and a new set of 255/40ZR 18 BF Goodrich tires...

[packman]

What about the Ford Ranger that you got recently? Could you not give that to your son. It might not have the power, but it could probably haul the trike, insurance wouldn't be that high, and get decent MPGs.


Packman

[Pirate]

What about the Ford Ranger that you got recently? Could you not give that to your son. It might not have the power, but it could probably haul the trike, insurance wouldn't be that high, and get decent MPGs.


Packman

I was thinking the same thing. However, the Ranger may be on the chopping block as cars begin to pile up in the driveway yet again. The Ranger is wrong vehicle for all the right reasons; I don't do any light hauling, it doesn't get great gas mileage, it's too light-duty to tow anything, and not to mention I have to bend my head down to see out of the windshield. It's one of the best Rangers I have ever driven(they are much better than their earlier I-beam predecessors, this truck actually stops) , but it's still a series of compromises that I no longer have to make. I have a Mazda MX6 that gets better gas mileage (and I actually somehow fit in it), and is more comfortable to drive at freeway speeds (at 70+, the Ranger begins to become a handful), I have an Astrovan coming that tows more weight, and is better for towing the small trailer I have, so that is covered....I just don't need the truck any longer, and my son isn't in a position to pay for insurance. Who knows, I may keep it, but for right now, it is simply sitting at the house, as it's cheaper to drive the Mazda.