Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
A brief update, ordered a set of shop manuals for $50 off eBay, cleaned the garage and am about to put the car on stands to do the exhaust.
Opinions on a prospective new member's car
- Thread starter Ranchero50
- Start date
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
X-pipe...
Stock exhaust is 2" cat back... I measured at the cats and sized up for my system. I'm was undecided to send everything back and go 2.25"
Cat discharge pipes are 2.25, then it necks down to 2" at the hydroformed 'H' connector. I really don't understand why they didn't do an X or H here unless it was for sound. The diagonal pipes are 90` to each other...
2.25" 'J' bend, soon to be an 'X' cross over pipe.
At the welding bench, the square is sitting on some 1" blocks. Used another straight edge to eyeball the first cut.
Then used the first cut to eyeball the second pipe.
Stock exhaust is 2" cat back... I measured at the cats and sized up for my system. I'm was undecided to send everything back and go 2.25"
Cat discharge pipes are 2.25, then it necks down to 2" at the hydroformed 'H' connector. I really don't understand why they didn't do an X or H here unless it was for sound. The diagonal pipes are 90` to each other...
2.25" 'J' bend, soon to be an 'X' cross over pipe.
At the welding bench, the square is sitting on some 1" blocks. Used another straight edge to eyeball the first cut.
Then used the first cut to eyeball the second pipe.
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Second cut, then comes the fine tuning with a sander and file to get the pipes to line up with minimal gaps while maintaining the 90` inlet pipe angle.
Hole size should be 1/2-2/3 of pipe diameter. This is the old rule of thumb from when Dr. Gas first did this for the NASCAR engines back in '02 or so. The diameter of the hole and inlet angle changes the RPM band and how hard it'll pull at that band. I should see a substantial torque increase around 3200rpm...
See? Once welded I can use a round file to finish cleaning up any burs.
After the X the pipe jumps up to 2.5" out to the tail pipes. I did hang a J bend and the mufflers off the cat pipe and ran it through to 70mph on the stands and it doesn't sound horribly loud in the garage so maybe this will work out.
Hole size should be 1/2-2/3 of pipe diameter. This is the old rule of thumb from when Dr. Gas first did this for the NASCAR engines back in '02 or so. The diameter of the hole and inlet angle changes the RPM band and how hard it'll pull at that band. I should see a substantial torque increase around 3200rpm...
See? Once welded I can use a round file to finish cleaning up any burs.
After the X the pipe jumps up to 2.5" out to the tail pipes. I did hang a J bend and the mufflers off the cat pipe and ran it through to 70mph on the stands and it doesn't sound horribly loud in the garage so maybe this will work out.
FRPP M-7843-V8 will end up on the fenders once they dry...
I just added these to mine the other day...
I also have owned two mustangs before buying a Lincoln, I owned a 96 Gt with suspension work so it drove smooth, sold it and bought a 97 Svt Cobra boosted, blew the motor and was in the process of building a 600hp California Street Car lol, now I got my Lincoln and never been any happier
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
I killed the camera battery so no pics yet. I've gotten the drivers side tacked in, working on the passenger side now. Everything is fitting pretty well and is nicely tucked up out of the way. I'm going to use 3" dairy pipe (304 SS) for tips.
Back to it.
Back to it.
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Ok, quick update. The car sounds great, nice subdued mellow burble. I didn't notice much increase or loss in performance so I'll see what the MPG meter shows after a couple days.
Not a really good shot but I was tired after crawling around the last two days. I got the but joint band clamps this morning and am pretty impressed with them. The pipe is upside down here as I was finish welding all the joints. I only used one 10' stick of pipe and most of four 2.5" J bends and the one 2.25" J bend for the 'X' pipe.
Ended up reusing the stock tips. I'm not totally happy with how they positioned themselve so I'll let the exhaust settle for a week and tweak things as needed.
I did do a YouTube video for it but haven't uploaded it yet.
Jamie
Not a really good shot but I was tired after crawling around the last two days. I got the but joint band clamps this morning and am pretty impressed with them. The pipe is upside down here as I was finish welding all the joints. I only used one 10' stick of pipe and most of four 2.5" J bends and the one 2.25" J bend for the 'X' pipe.
Ended up reusing the stock tips. I'm not totally happy with how they positioned themselve so I'll let the exhaust settle for a week and tweak things as needed.
I did do a YouTube video for it but haven't uploaded it yet.
Jamie
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
YouTube says it's still processing so it may not be available until morning. I didn't preview it so it may suck, just saying...
Upload failure... Trying again
Upload failure... Trying again
Last edited:
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Ok, took the buggy to work and back today, mileage seems the same, exhaust tone is nice but I have a sneaking suspicion I'm down on torque a bit. I figure I'll ride it out a week or so, then swap the stock exhaust back in for comparison. If I notice the stock stuff performs better I'll resize the pipes down to 2.25" all the way to the muffler.
The car does have the slightest drone right at 1500rpm.
I have 30 minutes until the upload should be done, hope it works this time
05 Lincoln LS, new exhaust - YouTube
The car does have the slightest drone right at 1500rpm.
I have 30 minutes until the upload should be done, hope it works this time
05 Lincoln LS, new exhaust - YouTube
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
So no comments? Oh well, got my Ford shop manuals this evening, about 5" thick worth. Still chasing the complete lack of radio reception. I put some no oxide compound on the antenna connection and it seemed to improve the reception a lot but it's still wiped out as soon as the rear window defroster goes on. I saw in the archive about the resister box, dreading ripping the headliner out to fix the stupid antenna.
In other news, the car runs great. The exhaust has toned up a bit and the mileage has settled in around 23 on the interstate.
The poor thing still doesn't seem to get any respect on the highway...
In other news, the car runs great. The exhaust has toned up a bit and the mileage has settled in around 23 on the interstate.
The poor thing still doesn't seem to get any respect on the highway...
I have been quietly watching your updates. Always good to see an owner who actually is on the ball with mods. As far as compliments on the highway, we know the LS is a great looking car. To heck with everyone else. 
. I got the death look today by a guy in an older Lexus IS300 and I know my car looked better than his. To heck with em. LOL.
Perhaps 4" tips instead of the smaller ones you currently are using. The larger would definitely fill out your cutouts better.
. I got the death look today by a guy in an older Lexus IS300 and I know my car looked better than his. To heck with em. LOL. Perhaps 4" tips instead of the smaller ones you currently are using. The larger would definitely fill out your cutouts better.
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
I don't know on the tips, I really want to keep the 'sleeper' look to the car. The goal is to end up with a very comfortable good handling no drama cruiser the has decent performance. The work I'm doing is to try and make the engine more efficient at the cost of some of the Lincoln silent running. So far the exhaust doesn't seem to have cost me any efficiency (mileage) so I'm happy.
Next on the list is replacing the MAF to TB inlet pipe, then possibly making a new air filter housing and routing the filter air inlet to a high pressure zone, either at the radiator side or wheel well. I'm not sure why Ford designed the inlet to pick from both areas with undersized openings unless it was about silencing the air noise. I'll rig a simple water manometer to the mirror and do some 70mph water column checks for the different inlet points vs. the engine bay itself.
Down the road I want to see what's the difference between a stock 3.9l throttle body and a new 5.0 TB. I'd love to see if I could swap that out without the puter flipping out.
I'm also chasing some ideas for angel eyes since the old vendor doesn't seem to do them anymore. Either CFL's or SMD LED's. Hoping to source some broken light housings to play with during my next junk yard trip.
Next on the list is replacing the MAF to TB inlet pipe, then possibly making a new air filter housing and routing the filter air inlet to a high pressure zone, either at the radiator side or wheel well. I'm not sure why Ford designed the inlet to pick from both areas with undersized openings unless it was about silencing the air noise. I'll rig a simple water manometer to the mirror and do some 70mph water column checks for the different inlet points vs. the engine bay itself.
Down the road I want to see what's the difference between a stock 3.9l throttle body and a new 5.0 TB. I'd love to see if I could swap that out without the puter flipping out.
I'm also chasing some ideas for angel eyes since the old vendor doesn't seem to do them anymore. Either CFL's or SMD LED's. Hoping to source some broken light housings to play with during my next junk yard trip.
jmtiseo
The Peanut Gallery
I couldn't find them on eBay but both Umnitza and Lightwurkz still have our angel eyes available on their websites. I've read CFLs are not the way to go.
Stopsign002
Dedicated LVC Member
I put 2.5" tips on my LS and it just looks better. It fills the exhaust cut out much better and really doesnt look aftermarket or anything, it just looks right
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
that is so what she said!
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Heard a rubber band works but is painful to remove...
In other news, while waiting for the humidity to burn off this morning I rummaged through my junk piles and dead projects to find a new MAF - TB pipe consisting of:
3" PVC glue coupling
3.5" misused silicone coupling
3.5" Chunk of a BBK cold air kit for '90's Mustangs.
1" stainless dairy pipe
10mm hydraulic tubing.
Pictures will be up once the paint cures.
I'm still not sure about the air filter inlet but I think I'm going to stick with a panel type filter and OEM housing. I'm also going to get the angle eyes once I work some more OT. I'll use my mill to make a backer so it'll fit the housing better.
Jamie
hite337
Hite Performance
Very nice exhaust work. I am impressed.
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Thank Hite, I'm not much of a catalog guy, more of an old school hot rodder so I try to make things vs. order them.
Ok, home built cold air time. I wanted 1.5x the TB area for the air cleaner inlet. The OEM filter inlet is about 1x so I took advantage of the existing inner fender well hole below the inlet and used a 2.5" hole saw to make another inlet to the filter.
Then as a cheap and easy 'seal' I used some spare window AC insulation foam, drilled a 2.5" hole through it and used some of the extra 16ga 2.5" stainless exhaust pipe as an 'aligner / hole size maintainer' and set it on the inner fender.
Results from the top...
From the bottom. I tweaked the foam once the filter housing was bolted down.
Here's the rest. the MAF adapter is the 3" PVC plumbing coupling that I turned on my lathe. The next peice is the old chrome 3.5" cold air kit elbow. I lopped some of the bend off as needed, then fitted and welded the two fittings on. The valve cover fitting is 1" stainless that I turned so the tube would fit and seal itself. I painted everything with some tan textured plastic paint and finally flat black (which is going to get redone with semigloss)
Now to do a test drive once I get some other stuff moved out of the way
Ok, home built cold air time. I wanted 1.5x the TB area for the air cleaner inlet. The OEM filter inlet is about 1x so I took advantage of the existing inner fender well hole below the inlet and used a 2.5" hole saw to make another inlet to the filter.
Then as a cheap and easy 'seal' I used some spare window AC insulation foam, drilled a 2.5" hole through it and used some of the extra 16ga 2.5" stainless exhaust pipe as an 'aligner / hole size maintainer' and set it on the inner fender.
Results from the top...
From the bottom. I tweaked the foam once the filter housing was bolted down.
Here's the rest. the MAF adapter is the 3" PVC plumbing coupling that I turned on my lathe. The next peice is the old chrome 3.5" cold air kit elbow. I lopped some of the bend off as needed, then fitted and welded the two fittings on. The valve cover fitting is 1" stainless that I turned so the tube would fit and seal itself. I painted everything with some tan textured plastic paint and finally flat black (which is going to get redone with semigloss)
Now to do a test drive once I get some other stuff moved out of the way
Thank Hite, I'm not much of a catalog guy, more of an old school hot rodder so I try to make things vs. order them.
Ok, home built cold air time. I wanted 1.5x the TB area for the air cleaner inlet. The OEM filter inlet is about 1x so I took advantage of the existing inner fender well hole below the inlet and used a 2.5" hole saw to make another inlet to the filter.
Then as a cheap and easy 'seal' I used some spare window AC insulation foam, drilled a 2.5" hole through it and used some of the extra 16ga 2.5" stainless exhaust pipe as an 'aligner / hole size maintainer' and set it on the inner fender.
Results from the top...
From the bottom. I tweaked the foam once the filter housing was bolted down.
Here's the rest. the MAF adapter is the 3" PVC plumbing coupling that I turned on my lathe. The next peice is the old chrome 3.5" cold air kit elbow. I lopped some of the bend off as needed, then fitted and welded the two fittings on. The valve cover fitting is 1" stainless that I turned so the tube would fit and seal itself. I painted everything with some tan textured plastic paint and finally flat black (which is going to get redone with semigloss)
Now to do a test drive once I get some other stuff moved out of the way
Nice, but clean up the joints a little. My (and most other's early on) first intake mod was cutting a hole in the bottom of the airbox and running a tube (usually dryer vent tubing) down behind the grille, next to the lower radiator.
Too bad that set-up can't be used in The People's Rebublik of Kahleefornya. We can only have the stock intake, UNLESS the aftermarket intake is certified by CARB. Believe it or not; been there, done that; my car "failed" with the K&N Typhoon intake for the T-Bird. The certification from K&N is for the T-Bird and NOT the LS; even though it is the same engine! I do have an inquiry in to K&N.....
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Fortunately the Peoples Rebublik of Marylandistan only look at the OBDII port for their answers.
The bits and pieces were all deburred and radiused before assy. The MAF coupling is a tight slip fit on both the MAF and the painted tube.
I did get a chance to run it and the only new noise is I can now hear the valve train at WOT. No real woosh or sucking sound at all.
The bits and pieces were all deburred and radiused before assy. The MAF coupling is a tight slip fit on both the MAF and the painted tube.
I did get a chance to run it and the only new noise is I can now hear the valve train at WOT. No real woosh or sucking sound at all.
Ranchero50
Well-Known LVC Member
Spent an hour this afternoon doing something with the lower grill...
The something ended up being tape it, scuff it with a scotchbright pad, wiped down with alcohol and spray it with some Rustoleum dark bronze metallic. I chose the bronze because my stock grill has some bronze in it vs. straight gray or sun bleached black and I think it's more 'luxurious' vs. flat black or dark gray.
It did turn out a little 'warmer' than the grill so I'll pull the grill tomorrow and give it the same treatment. I'm pretty happy with the color and think it compliments the dark blue. I don't think it would look 'right' on a lighter colored car.
Jamie
The something ended up being tape it, scuff it with a scotchbright pad, wiped down with alcohol and spray it with some Rustoleum dark bronze metallic. I chose the bronze because my stock grill has some bronze in it vs. straight gray or sun bleached black and I think it's more 'luxurious' vs. flat black or dark gray.
It did turn out a little 'warmer' than the grill so I'll pull the grill tomorrow and give it the same treatment. I'm pretty happy with the color and think it compliments the dark blue. I don't think it would look 'right' on a lighter colored car.
Jamie