Devin's 06 LS - Round 2

[DeviLSh]

Have had these sitting around since the Powerflex swap was done, but I wanted to wait to install so I could experience results independently. It looks as if I have found another "Jag part" that fits the LS.

These are adjustable front sway bar links made by SuperPro. They offer various size link kits for multiple applications. This is the TRC1085 unit. (M10 thread size, 185mm maximum in total length). Superpro's catalog lists the S-Type, among other cars in the application list, so I gave these a shot and they fit. It is a tight clearance near the lower strut bolt, but they do fit. The ball joint ends thread into the bi-directional threaded ends to provide for an adjustable range for omitting pre-load on a sway bar. This is particularly useful for those who alter ride height, or desire to "tune" their sway bar. I also like the thicker component for a more robust link. These are anodized and the ends are replaceable from SuperPro. Downside would be that they cannot be re-greased (like the MOOG units can).

Test drive yielded a little less noise I was having over uneven surfaces, and my turn-in is slightly more sharp/crisp. The car feels better than before. I will continue running them for now, and let you all know if the driving experience should change.

I paid $109, and got free shipping from DST since I had ordered some other things at the time. I will email DST to let them know this fits the LS.

Product Page Link

Taking the LS on a 5-6 drive tomorrow to visit family, hoping more a safe trip!

Take care

 

[RigsLS]

Nice !!!!

 

[TiMoN_135]

good **** dev. see you progressing well.
had a blast taking that rear frame out with ya bro

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Hawk03]

The car is looking good! Glad to see some fun progress on your car.

 

[DeviLSh]

good **** dev. see you progressing well.
had a blast taking that rear frame out with ya bro

Thanks man, we made a good team - all in all it went pretty smoothly. Cannot wait to get started on that project.

The car is looking good! Glad to see some fun progress on your car.

Thanks for checking in. I still love this car, driving it daily is a real pleasure.

 

[elephantrider]

dam, those links are BEEFY !

 

[Alax7]

Nice find. I'm going to start my suspension overhall soon, going start searching and gathering parts. This will be a nice addition

Sent from my VS820 using Tapatalk

 

[DeviLSh]

New wheels and tires are on the way! (Happy dance) Hopefully have pics of them on next week. My OEM 17's are still up for sale if anyone is looking for some OEM chrome.

Also got some bushing lube from Energy suspension (an 8oz tub) going to pull the arms off an give all the PF stuff a nice coating before winter comes just to be safe. Get some slight groans from where the poly hits the front subframe and I probably wasn't liberal enough in the initial application. Will do that before the new shoes go on, so I can get ONE alignment and be good.

Anyone perform a smoke test to find vac leaks on an LS? Still have a high pitched whine, think its coming from the intake manifold, would like to get that taken care of soon.

 

[DeviLSh]

Update -

Lubed up lower control arms and the car is now silent. Double checked tie rods boots, and did a visual inspection for the upcoming winter.

TigerPaws and stock wheels are off, and the new wheels/tires arrived. I was not going to be able to push the Uniroyals into winter. I ordered a set of my personal dream wheels - one of my all time favorites. Wanted something that resembled the Jag Tucanas but had a touch more of a motorsport feel to them, as I will progressively adapt this theme to the car's build.

OZ Racing Superturismo LM, 18x8 et45 in Matte Silver Finish. They included centering rings, and 20 new lugs with purchase. I wrapped them in 245/40/18 Conti DWS 06 tires. Everything was mounted and balanced then shipped to my house. I waxed/sealed the wheels and mounted them up Tuesday night.

Each wheel & tire combo weighs about 46.5 lbs. 1-2 lbs lighter than the stock 17" combo. The additional 15mm of poke vs the stock wheels is near perfect in terms of spacing relative to the cars fenders. very happy with the overall fitment and look of the wheels on the LS.

While getting aligned, I also had the non-passive rear toe links installed on the rear. At this point the only original suspension parts on the car now are the front struts, and their mounts. Everything else has been replaced or modified on this car's suspension. With the fresh rubber, alignment, and new parts she drives like a dream. The car feels very sharp, I am happy with it. (for now)

With the overall diameter being slightly smaller than stock, my wheel gap is more noticeable. Lowering this car is in it's near future but probably after winter.

 

[LQ1906]

Those look sweet Devin! Nice job man....its coming along nicely.

 

[LS4me]

:burnout::burnout:

 

[DeviLSh]

Washed her today, and snapped some better photos of the wheels. We had a great day in Chicago today. Also decided to convert my chrome waterfall section to flat black until I get my Mclaren grill painted. I used plasti-dip so I can always go back. Either way, I am loving the new look without the chrome. New wheels/tires still feeling great.

And for good measure -

Lastly, the next piece of the puzzle has arrived!

 

[RigsLS]

Great keeping it clean and mint like that isn't it? Nice quality pics! Sweet LS and wheels +1

 

[DeviLSh]

HI all - couple updates. Been out on a honeymoon, but back home and back at work - ready for my busy time of the year. Doesn't mean things don't break, or stop happening on this ever-lasting project though!

- Hit a nasty pothole and it threw off my alignment. So had another alignment done.
- The Trans/PS cooler leak is back when the temp drops real low. Only leaked for one day.... no spots on the driveway the last week with warmer temps, so hopefully it remains ok.
- Received the following for the diff project: New rear carrier bushings(more on this later), mark8 Poly forward bushing kit, Gen1 LS rear diff cover. I can now proceed with mockup on the spare K-Frame I have.
- The inner boot of my RR RimmerBros non-passive rear tie rod fell off its mount. For anyone considering these links. This may have been from my pothole incident.
- My front calipers make a lot of noise, so I have finally decided on brakes. Going to go with the late Jag STR setup. Debated doing custom brackers, radial mount calipers, and 2-pc rotors, but the cost/benefit of the jag setup just makes more sense at this stage of the game

Before I committed to the brakes, my neighbor let me test fit my OZ wheels onto his Jag XF 5.0 - tight fit, but they fit. So I went ahead and ordered a set of calipers, rotors, and SS lines. Still need to grab fluid, pads, and paint. Open to recommendations on pads/fluid.

 

[02LincLS]

I use Valvoline synthetic Dot 3&4 fluid since its readily available and has good boil point properties while still being capable of absorbing water like a traditional Dot 3. My pads (Lifetime warranty autozone cmax gold) last about 60K so I flush the fluid then. Then I give them the worn out pad and they give me new ones free. Though I never autocrossed it (which requires a dedicated pad), they work good for normal and spirited driving. I've never had fade in this car and I did back to back 120-0 stops

 

[RigsLS]

... The inner boot of my RR RimmerBros non-passive rear tie rod fell off its mount. For anyone considering these links. This may have been from my pothole incident ...

Hey now, dont be dissing my Bros across the pond like that, nothing wrong with them links. Steer around crater holes next time. Operator Error !!!

 

[DeviLSh]

Took the spare K-frame, mark8 diff, and hardware to the fabricator today. The following will be happening while it is with him:

1 - Media blast and remove unused mounting hardware for ebrake, exhaust hangers, and oem diff.
2 - Removal of 4 SF bushings.
3 - Welded forward mounts for mark8 diff
4 - reinforced/gussets for control arm tabs and subframe strength.
5 - Post fab powdercoat, along with RSB and hardware to match and add longevity to the piece.

Also, just this week, everything arrived from various retailers for the Brake overhaul. Unfortunately, my caliper guide stiffening kit (pictured) will not work for the Jag STR caliper carriers. Was hoping I would get lucky.

I will do full write-ups on either project, if anyone is interested. None of which are new territory for this forum, but we tend to get unorganized on here, so I was thinking of making new threads with some part#'s and DIY tips.

Before my vacation I bought a new DSLR, with video capability. So I did what any reasonable LS owner would do and took more videos of the car's exhaust. Video is just a raw upload and conversion. I am excited to get the hang of this thing in the coming months. The picture and audio quality so far is very impressive. See below for some decent exhaust clips.



Equipment: Sony @77ii, sony 1.4/50mm prime lens, RODE pro-mic (stereo).

Thanks for checking in! Brake project should begin this weekend after work.

-dev

 

[DeviLSh]

Brakes are on - See my post here: STR Brakes

Overall, I am blown away by the stopping power of the Jag parts. I did not realize how much the stock brakes were lacking (for me) before this mod. Here is one comparison pic, and one with the OZ wheel mounted. All others are in the link above.

Received parts back from fabricator. I had the rear K-Frame and spare rear swaybar, and its associated brackets blasted & coated in gloss black for added durability. Note two details -

1) The control arm mounting tabs have been reinforced with added welds and material.
2) I had a second set of holes drilled on the oem sway bar, in an effort to increase the spring rate of the oem bar. Hoping this will tighten up the rear a bit once on. (also hoping this will hold and not break!)

Subframe -

Forward mount for the mark8 diff (coming soon)

'06 LS Rear sway bar, re-drilled and coated

Sourced new rear diff bushings from Jaguar. These are a revised bushing for the later Stypes, but are identical in dimensions to the LS pieces. $26 for the pair, and unlike the LS unit, these are solid rubber, no voids in the bushing. Assuming this will mean less flex, and less prone to cracking. Both the bushings that were on my donor K-Frame, and the ones currently on my LS have some bad cracks in them.

Last but not least, my wife and I got a second Lincoln. Welcome our '14 MKZ 3.7 awd. We are selling my wife's car (VW CC) so she we decided to get one of our favorites, an MKZ. So far we really enjoy it. CPO, 25k mi, pano roof, thx, etc. This car will serve as a daily driver for us, and eventually might be my every day car. This is dependent on how reliable the LS can be for us.

In the coming weeks, I should have more updates on the diff project. I need to still source an LSD, R&P, rebuild kit, axles, and some misc hardware. Will do my best to get an official write up done when I get all the stuff done.

As always - thanks for checking in!

 

[RigsLS]

Damn Devin, never cease to amaze me. Well done.

 

[LQ1906]

Congrats again Devin....we both got LS and MKZ, now you have one more car to get and this is a Mark VIII....and you will have the Triple Crown

 

[cammerfe]

An alternative to the sway-bar links would be to use tubes available from circle track suppliers and a double set of Heim joints for their ends. Substitute appropriate bolts and nuts to mount the Heims to and have, effectively, the same construction without the mark-up.

KS

 

[DeviLSh]

Ken, I looked into that, as you have mentioned it before in other posts. But I received this RSB "free" with my Kframe, so I figured might as well see how this goes first, before I look into other custom options. Fabricator also drilled this and coated it at no additional charge, so it literally is a free experiment! I am excited to test it out.

LQ - I would love a triple crown. Hopefully see you soon! we need to have an MKZ/LS photoshoot, clearly.

 

[DeviLSh]

My K&N was looking a little beat, and to be honest i do not like the look of the red filter element. Wanted to post this here in case anyone else is looking into replacements. This AEM dry flow unit (part # 21-2147BF) has a grey element, and is not an oiled filter. Also reusable. The dimensions slightly exceed the original K&N filter, so the fit is a bit tighter, but it does indeed fit.

Ordered from here: AEM 21-2147BF - Universal Air Filters, AEM DryFlow Air Filter Factory Direct

 

[DeviLSh]

I have started a thread in the High Performance section forum regarding weight reduction of the LS. This type of modding is extreme and not for the LS purist, but if you feel that you can contribute please visit the thread and let me know. Over the next few months I will be researching how deep I want to go into making this car my "ultimate" LS.

LS Weight Reduction - Discussion Thread

Thanks!

 

[DeviLSh]

I had the weekend free, so I decided to start my coolant overhaul project, and try to identify my engine whistle (vac leak?) I have had for months. Assuming intake mani gaskets to be the culprit. What I found I was quite surprised by....

Upon removing the intake manifold, I turned it over to investigate the gaskets, all looked good to my surprise, no oil seepage or carbon stains implying a leak. But I noticed where the throttle body snout/neck connects to the manifold, there were two holes, near the lower two bolts that secure the snout to the manifold. Almost looked like melting or a rotary tool carved into the plastic. Or if the bolts that held the water outlet pipe were too large and were chewing into the manifold plenum above. While the picture doesn't show, you can actually see the green gasket through these holes. I am thinking this might be the cause of my high pitched whine at idle.

Has anyone seen damage like this? I don't know if it's from someone trying to access the outlet bolts without removing the manifold, heat, or wear over time, but it's bizarre. I am almost wondering if a swivel socket was used to access the water outlet at some point and it carved these two pockets.

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