My '89 Lincoln Town Car

[RyPow]

Once it's done, it will go to the driveway and wait there until I'm out of school and can give the time and money to have it fixed up properly.

I also decided to buy another car. Driving a car that doesn't have working rear doors, consistently-working seatbelts, or the ability to break 20 mpg isn't practical for me. I found a 2002 Buick Park Avenue (114,000 miles) for sale near my area and I am picking it up tomorrow night. The car is in nearly perfect shape on the inside and outside. It was owned by an older couple who kept it in a garage and only drove it before and after winter to Florida and back. I drove it last week and I could not find anything wrong with it. It drives very smooth and has plenty of passing power. I'm looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.

This sounds like a good move on your part. I know how difficult working on cars can be while going to school. The Buick should serve you well, they were very good cars. Is it an Ultra with the supercharged 3.8? My daily driver is an '04 LeSabre with 56k, same drivetrain as the non-supercharged Park Ave (3800 Series II, 4T65-E).

Things to watch on the Buick:
- window regulators (cable drive that likes to come off its pulleys and bind up)
- rear air shocks prone to leaking with age, listen for the compressor (behind passenger quarter panel) coming on excessively
- watch for coolant in oil, the lower intake manifold gaskets were prone to failure. Not very difficult to replace
- plastic coolant elbows into/out of alternator bracket, if O-rings get old they will pop out under hard acceleration, watch for weeping
- transmission fluid serviced appropriately, some have had issues in the low-100k range but my buddy's wifes 2002 LeSabre has 230k on the original transmission and it is just starting to have downshifting problems
- block heater (if equipped) prone to popping out due to overtorquing, the brass retaining tabs break off. Cheap/easy fix. Mine went and I shut off the engine as soon as my heat quit and I saw the steam.

[L1011tristar17]

This sounds like a good move on your part. I know how difficult working on cars can be while going to school. The Buick should serve you well, they were very good cars. Is it an Ultra with the supercharged 3.8? My daily driver is an '04 LeSabre with 56k, same drivetrain as the non-supercharged Park Ave (3800 Series II, 4T65-E).

Things to watch on the Buick:
- window regulators (cable drive that likes to come off its pulleys and bind up)
- rear air shocks prone to leaking with age, listen for the compressor (behind passenger quarter panel) coming on excessively
- watch for coolant in oil, the lower intake manifold gaskets were prone to failure. Not very difficult to replace
- plastic coolant elbows into/out of alternator bracket, if O-rings get old they will pop out under hard acceleration, watch for weeping
- transmission fluid serviced appropriately, some have had issues in the low-100k range but my buddy's wifes 2002 LeSabre has 230k on the original transmission and it is just starting to have downshifting problems
- block heater (if equipped) prone to popping out due to overtorquing, the brass retaining tabs break off. Cheap/easy fix. Mine went and I shut off the engine as soon as my heat quit and I saw the steam.

Thanks! I picked it up today (pictures to follow) and drove it back to my house (45 minute drive). Everything on the car works great! It handles really well on the country roads, especially for a car of its size.

I looked through the records and one of the most recent repairs was a new intake plenum, so that made me feel better. I can hear the compressor kick in when starting up the car but it shuts off after 10-15 seconds. When I looked under the hood, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The engine runs real quiet with no shuddering or smokeshow, so I'm assuming that the oil and coolant are not mixing. Good info on those elbows. I know they like to blow out on the older Series I engines. I think you can order aluminum replacements. My car isn't equipped with a block heater though. It's actually pretty light with the options. No supercharger, info center, HUD, heated seats, or traction control.

[L1011tristar17]

Good luck with your new-to-you daily driver!

Thank you!

[L1011tristar17]

The car lives! I decided to finish putting it together myself instead of having it towed to the shop. It took a day and a half but at least I didn't have to spend any additional money on it. Once I get some antifreeze, I'll take it out for a test drive.

[Mainemantom]

Nothing is a better motivator to fix a panther than having to drive a GM. (I guess I better say that I am kidding)

[L1011tristar17]

Nothing is a better motivator to fix a panther than having to drive a GM. (I guess I better say that I am kidding)

LMAO! The prospect of a $300 shop bill and $50 tow bill is also a great motivator!

[slack]

The car lives! I decided to finish putting it together myself instead of having it towed to the shop. It took a day and a half but at least I didn't have to spend any additional money on it. Once I get some antifreeze, I'll take it out for a test drive.

Awesome! I guess you were able to get the stud out that snapped by the smog pump?

[L1011tristar17]

Awesome! I guess you were able to get the stud out that snapped by the smog pump?

I left it in. Even without the nut, there is enough of the stud left for the smog pump to sit on. With the other bolt in tight, the pump doesn't budge.

[Hearsesrock427]

Nothing is a better motivator to fix a panther than having to drive a GM. (I guess I better say that I am kidding)

Haha! Not all GM cars are as epic or lovable as B-body, F-body, trucks, and Corvette. There are unlovable toilets, like the Cruze. Rubbery, non-linear, feedback-deprived steering + squishy, non-linear brake pedal travel = unpleasantry.

@L1011Tristar17: Definitely a good move to retire the Townie from DD duty. I can't imagine the hassle of scrambling to perform maintenance/fix stuff on a car you need to drive to work/school every day. Welcome to the garage queened panther club!

[88Vic]

Not to get off topic but the Cruze drives fine to me, I had a loaner from a body shop after my wife's car got t-boned and I liked it, kinda like a big go-cart. The Cobalt though was a lot worse, and much more so the Cavalier, what a pile that car was. My wife had one for her first car, slow and no fun to drive at all.

[L1011tristar17]

Drove the Lincoln around for a bit after topping off the coolant. And by that, I mean adding just over a gallon. It didn't leak after I started it up, but after driving five miles I noticed dripping from the front of the engine. Once I got back, no more dripping It was nice to drive it again, but at the same time I was reminded of every reason why I decided to buy the Buick. Can't wait for the day I'll be able to actually work on it again!

[L1011tristar17]

I've been very busy these last few weeks. The first week of March was my spring break, so me and my friends drove down to Daytona for the week. My Buick made the seven hour trip with no issues.



I've been thinking about swapping in a Driver's Information Center since my Buick didn't come with one. I posted a thread on the GM forum and I'll see what replies I get. Hopefully most of the wiring is already there and it will be a plug and play swap.

In other news, I got the Lincoln running again! I went home two weekends ago and drove the Townie for a bit. It fired right up and didn't seem to have any issues driving it! The gas tank was half full when I parked it in November so I'm trying to use it before it starts to go bad! I'll probably continue to drive it around town whenever I visit home. I should be going back again Easter weekend. Too bad our driveway is getting crowded with six cars.

[tjc78]

I know my cousin did the DiC swap on his Silverado and it was plug and play. Knowing GM, it probably is on the LeSabre.

[L1011tristar17]

Future Plans

Now that I have only a year of school left (plus grad school) it's time to start thinking about what I'm going to do with this car. Right now it sits at my parents' house in Virginia and gets driven once a month. The inspection expired last month and I haven't filled it up since sometime in December. The only work I've done on it since buying the Buick was fixing both the back doors, so those open now.

My plan for this car is to rebuild this car by basically starting from scratch. Right now it drives okay, but it has a lot of little mileage and age-related issues that make it less pleasant to drive than the Buick. Here's what I have planned:

Exterior

• New paint (silver with red and black pinstripes)
• New carriage top (black)
• Ding-free chrome rocker trim
• Repaired door hinges and realigned doors

Under the hood

• HO Engine
• Rebuilt AOD w/ higher stall converter
• 3.55 rear gears
• Lincoln Logs
• Mark VII engine computer
• 60mm throttle body
• Higher volume injectors
• '90 TC fan shroud (already installed)
• Aero air intake
• Aero inner fenders
• 3G Alternator (already installed)
• Headlight relay mod
• Smog system delete
• Blower motor relay mod
• Transmission cooler

Interior

• New carpet (existing carpet has a hole in it)
• Cleaned-up existing seats
• Patched and reinforced door panels
• Sound deadening under carpet and behind door panels
• New headliner (screwed up last attempt)
• New dome light (old one is oxidized and crappy looking)
• New heater core
• Fixed doors in HVAC system
• Lubricated power window tracks
• New lock actuators for both drivers side doors
• New dew-wipes and weather seals
• New keyless entry keypad
• Fixed wonky driver door handle (already have the part)
• New seatbelts and retractors for all three front seats

Underbody

• INew body mount bushings
• Repainted frame
• New motor mounts
• Stock exhaust from the headers back
• All new fuel and brake lines

Handling

• New shocks and springs on all four corners of the car
• New bushings (LCAs, UCAs, trailing arms, etc.)
• Rear sway bar
• Trailer hitch
• Big brakes on the front
• '90-'94 discs in the rear
• 16" Lincoln rims

[79lincolnlover]

How will you reinforce the door panels?