1997 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Dropped $100 on the car for the start of a new project.

I picked up another set of wheels that can fit a bit more tire on them. The picture below is a before (left) and after shot (right):

I essentially stole away with really good Cobra 17" wheels that came on the '96-'97 models, which is why these have the metallic charcoal accenting. I still have some cleaning to do as they were PlastiDipped, and thinly at that (meaning it doesn't want to peel off at all, except in small little pieces), which has caused some of it to be rather stubborn at coming off, particularly in the recessed areas with the accenting. My friend used a pressure washer on the better part of the wheels and destroyed the rest of that coating. Outside of some scratches (expected with age) and one place where it look like someone didn't know how to apply a weight, these are in very good condition and I could get double what I paid for them, but I won't because I intend on fitting them sometime during the summer.

For proper fitment, I'm going to run a 1/4" spacer up front and 1.25" hub-centric adapter in the rear to fill out the wheel wells a bit better. For tires, I'm now looking at Kuhmo Ecsta ASX All-Season in a 255/50R-17 size.

This should be fun.




Oh, and if anyone is wondering, the steelies and dog dishes will be saved and stored away. I do not intend of getting rid of those.

[SVT98t]

I originally had 1/4 spacers up front, but they kept hitting.
I have 17" 04 Mustang GT wheels.
I run 1.25" hubcentric up front, and 1.5" hubcentric in the rear.

-ryan s.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I originally had 1/4 spacers up front, but they kept hitting.
I have 17" 04 Mustang GT wheels.
I run 1.25" hubcentric up front, and 1.5" hubcentric in the rear.

-ryan s.

Which one of your cars was that on?

I've been trying to get as much info so I don't wind up making any costly mistakes, and getting the right spacers will sure help. I'm not aiming to have the wheels flush with the fenders, but at least able to clear properly on the front and fill out the rear a bit.

[sly]

That was the tank. That setup works for 79-02

[SVT98t]

It was my 93.
And with the 1/4" spacers, the wheels hit the away bar at full turn.
Also, try and source smaller length lug studs. I had to trim about 3/8" off the end of my studs so the spacer would sit flush against the hub.
The parts I trimmed did not have any threads. It was the bare shank on the tip before the treads started.

-ryan s.

[SVT98t]

And I had to change to thinner 19mm lugs to attach the spacers to the hub because I could not fit the 21mm socket that I had into the hole on the spacer.
You can still use the standard lug to attach the wheel to the spacer.

-ryan s.

[SVT98t]

My car is in the air in my garage. I'll record a quick video when I return from lunch.

-ryan s.

[88Vic]

I picked up another set of wheels that can fit a bit more tire on them. I essentially stole away with really good Cobra 17" wheels that came on the '96-'97 models

I think the recessed areas and rim edge would look really good Plastidipped red to match the car.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I originally had 1/4 spacers up front, but they kept hitting.
I have 17" 04 Mustang GT wheels.
I run 1.25" hubcentric up front, and 1.5" hubcentric in the rear.

-ryan s.

Found this in TOJ2's thread:


I assume this is where you're running the above adapters? If so, that looks absolutely perfect.

Also, is there any rubbing on anything, even when going over bumps? Sorry about all the questions, just I want to try to get this setup right the first time instead of throwing money all over the place.

[pantera77]

Good times... I need to swap the factory corners back in my Dakota. The Ebay clears suck.

Personally I'd keep the steelies, dog dishes and trim rings but thats just me.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Good times... I need to swap the factory corners back in my Dakota. The Ebay clears suck.

Personally I'd keep the steelies, dog dishes and trim rings but thats just me.

I'm keeping my old wheels around. I love the look, but right now the black wheels just don't do what the red ones did. With the Cobras on the car, I will be able to properly redo them while having a little more fun with a different style. I love changing things up every so often. Keeps things from getting old.

Hell, I could have a set of summer and winter tires too, just obviously not in the same application as people who actually have snow. Summer gets Cobras and Winter gets Steelies/Dog dish.

[SVT98t]

In that pic, I have the 1.25" spacers up front, and 1.5" spacers out back.
I ran the 1/4" spacer for only a few weeks.
I did a ton of research first before ordering and I still messed it up.
I would highly recommend the setup I have.

-ryan s.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

In that pic, I have the 1.25" spacers up front, and 1.5" spacers out back.
I ran the 1/4" spacer for only a few weeks.
I did a ton of research first before ordering and I still messed it up.
I would highly recommend the setup I have.

-ryan s.

Sounds like that's what I'll do. Thanks!

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Obligatory picture for today:


New NAPA brakes and rotors installed and the oil and filter were changed (Valvoline Full Synthetic 5W-30 and Motorcraft FL-820S). Did some brake tests to set everything. Hard braking is controlled and straight and regular braking is pleasantly more responsive. After having a warped rotor for as long as I did, it's really nice just to have smooth braking effort now.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Repainted the grille in a fresh coat of black gloss paint, changed the hubcaps to one of my full size sets then did a fair amount of driving. Had some work to do at my late grandmother's house in Whitmire and I decided to get some photos.

Camped out in the garage/basement. A '93 and '01 MGM have also both resided in this garage over the years:



Getting ready to go:


The car now needs another wash down not only from the bugs I've collected, but also from the mud I threw on the rocker panels. The area before the garage was all mush, and I didn't realize that until I had backed halfway through it and the car bogged down and I spun the wheels a bit.


If anyone was wondering, this is the other set of hubcaps I have for the car:


The metal ones are from 1970s Ford full-size pickups and are stamped 'Ford Motor Company' and have the Ford crest.
The plastic ones are from 1986-1989 Mercury Sables and have the flying-M emblem.