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Other Vehicles / Re: Oops, I did it again. I bought a new car. (1986 Ford LTD wagon)
Last post by Chuck W -
Yeah, my main towing will be probably a 5x8 utility trailer, but I may stick a tow dolly behind it occasionally.

I'll have some SFCs under it and will probably just add a trans cooler by default. I have one sitting in the garage that I thought I was going to use on the LTS.

I also have clips for a set of Yakima roof-top load bars, which will be available for install, incase I need to throw something up top that's a bit much for that factory roof rack. We also have a Thule rooftop cargo pod that we use occasionally for trips.
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Other Vehicles / Re: Oops, I did it again. I bought a new car. (1986 Ford LTD wagon)
Last post by Mikey97D -
I used to tow a lot when doing the NETRA Enduro series with cars / wagons.
'00 Subaru Outback, for a 4 cylinder auto it tried really hard and actually towed well my open 8x5 utility trailer.  Felt like I was trying to murder it on the highway though.
'06 Pontiac Grand Prix - Towed well considering how light duty the tow hitch was mounted.  Transmission temperatures were threw the roof!
'06 Dodge Magnum RT AWD - It was awesome....I wish I had added bags to the rear coils to help with weight.
'06 Maggy

If you are only around town towing that setup will be fine.  If you are going any long distance I would at a minimum add an additional transmission cooler.

Looking forward to your rebuild on this when you get settled.
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Other Vehicles / Re: Oops, I did it again. I bought a new car. (1986 Ford LTD wagon)
Last post by Chuck W -
Quote from: Mikey97D – on
This will be a fun project for you.  Will you be keeping the LTD sedan or will it become a parts donor?
This wagon is begging for a modern interior.  Heated and Cooled seats out of a newer Mustang.........  Forget added weight and just enjoy.........Can you yell I am getting old?  LOL
A 3.5 EB would make an exceptional tow machine out of it.  Well, as much as a unibody can be a tow machine from that era.   And YES, frame connectors STAT!!!

I drove an '80 4dr Fairmont with a progressive 2 barrel 2.3l.  Still stands as the worst car I have driven today.  The frame flex was so bad you could feel it flex between the front and rear axles twisting.

There's some videos online of a guy in NJ with a wagon Fairmont with an independent rear, 351W, and T5 plus 5 lug conversion.  Thing is pretty slick,

The LTS isn't going anywhere. It's 1 of 134 built. It was going to donate it's 5.0/AOD to the wagon, but I opted to drop the 3.7/6R80 in instead. The 5.0 won't remain in the LTS forever, though.

As long as the AC works and the stereo is good, that's enough of interior upgrades for me. Just wish it wasn't light tan. There's an '83 LTD wagon for sale in FL with a "nice" light blue interior, but that's too far away to deal with, and the rest of the car is kind of rotten. If it was closer, I'd grab it for the interior and scrap the rest.

I have a spare console for the LTD, so I may swap seats and install the console in it, but I'm not really a fan of all of the new "space car" interiors.

The 3.7 will handle the towing I'll need to do just fine, honestly. I'll probably be building my own hitch, though. I'm also looking at some sort of air helper or just air springs in the back, mainly for load leveling. Not going to bag the entire car. Not really a fan, and the car won't be slammed.

Quote from: Mikey97D – on
Quote from: Thunder Chicken – on
I'd love to see a 3.5 Ecoboost T-Bird...
Here you go!  Not mine but on YT.


I figured they were out there. I might contact that guy for any more info on the build, though. So far I've only come across a 3.7 swap into a New Edge Mustang.
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Other Vehicles / Re: Oops, I did it again. I bought a new car. (1986 Ford LTD wagon)
Last post by Mikey97D -
This will be a fun project for you.  Will you be keeping the LTD sedan or will it become a parts donor?
This wagon is begging for a modern interior.  Heated and Cooled seats out of a newer Mustang.........  Forget added weight and just enjoy.........Can you yell I am getting old?  LOL
A 3.5 EB would make an exceptional tow machine out of it.  Well, as much as a unibody can be a tow machine from that era.   And YES, frame connectors STAT!!!

I drove an '80 4dr Fairmont with a progressive 2 barrel 2.3l.  Still stands as the worst car I have driven today.  The frame flex was so bad you could feel it flex between the front and rear axles twisting.

There's some videos online of a guy in NJ with a wagon Fairmont with an independent rear, 351W, and T5 plus 5 lug conversion.  Thing is pretty slick,
19
Other Vehicles / Re: Oops, I did it again. I bought a new car. (1986 Ford LTD wagon)
Last post by Chuck W -
Quote from: Thunder Chicken – on
That 3.7 swap should be cool. My brother has a 2012 3.7 Mustang and as much as I bug him for buying a 6 cylinder Mustang I will admit (only because he won't see this) that it works well.

I'd love to see a 3.5 Ecoboost T-Bird...

It should move along just fine in a platform that weighs about 3-400# less. It's going to be over twice what this thing had stock...and better mileage.

This will also be a test fit for the engine platform. I too also have an interest in a 3.5 EB in a Fox car.