What did you do to your Mark VIII today?

We just got our tax return back today and I'm getting ready to order the front suspension parts for the '97 LSC front end rebuild. I'm getting upper and lower control arms, inner and outer tie rod ends, sway bar links, front and rear strut rod bushings, and an air spring/shock for the passenger side (driver side was replaced several months ago). I'm planning on buying Thunderbird parts because I can save over $100 bucks that way. The problem is, I'm going to have to take the height sensor tabs off the Mark's upper control arms and put them on the T-Bird arms. Has anyone done this before and how much trouble is it? I haven't looked at the suspension in quite a while, but I think the tabs are welded to the arms. If that is the case, I'll have to cut them off the Mark arms and weld them onto the T-Bird arms. That's not a big deal to me, but I would like to know if anyone else has ever done this and if you ran into any unforseen issues.
 
Youll have to cut and weld, use a tape measure, and variations in your reattachment distances can be forgiven by adjusting the bottom

I took mine back to the tint place...again...to have my driver side tint fixed...again, this time I guess the cold weather had some effect on it, when I rolled the window down the tint pealed right off. It'll be going back AGAIN to have it redone, since there's sand or something under it now, and it's not smoothed at all near the side mirror. I'm debating on demanding a refund and just going somewhere else and have it all stripped and redone the right way
 
Today I gathered all the reciepts together for all the parts and work I have had done over the last month of owning this clunker:
Purchase Price of car: $1000
UCA's: $100
LCA's: $120
Labor for Control arm install (tommorrow): $120
Coil Kit Rear: $190
Coil kit Front: $100
Labor for Coil Conversion install: $120
Oil Change: $30
Mercon V (14 qts.) and Filter kit: $50
New IAC: $30
Cleaning/Washing/Supplies: $30
4 new tires on clean painted 10 spokes: Traded even for average condition Chrome 10 spokes and bad tires
---------Total-----------: $1890 - Still less than I wasted on the '95, but the car still isn't right.

thaywood said:
... cutting... welding... etc...
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Rockauto sells the uppers for a very reasonable price at $75 +5%off with code, I'd not bother. It isn't worth the time.
 
Replaced the front LCA, from ground back to ground in 7 mins 14 secs lol
 
Sapperfire said:
Replaced the front LCA, from ground back to ground in 7 mins 14 secs lol
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Wow!

I'm just ordered all my front end rebuild parts for the '97 LSC this morning. I decided to go with Lincoln parts to avoid all the cutting and welding:). And it looks like I may not be able to use my friend's lift for another month or so. I'm probably going to have to just go ahead and do it in the driveway with jack stands. Gee, fun. Anyway, what's the usual time it takes to replace UCA's, LCA's, inner and outer tie rods, and sway bar links? I'm figuring 5 hours or so with a friend helping out. Hopefully I'll have it done next Saturday after all the parts get here. I'm looking forward to the ride and handling improvements, not to mention the elimination of the squeaking and creaking it's been doing the last couple of months.
 
UCA/LCA/Inner/outer/Sway links takes me just under 2 hours if I am just cruising.
 
Went to Jamie's shop, he did the upper and lower control arms and tried fruitlessly to figure out my idle/drivability issue for a little bit, it's a fu*king pain in the ass. Gotta align it soon.



Sapperfire said:
Replaced the front LCA, from ground back to ground in 7 mins 14 secs lol
Click to expand...

That's cool man, on my car you couldn't do that if you tried. It's a cold evil b*tch and will fight you tooth and nail regardless of the job.
 
Friday started my 97 Mark for the first time in a week, purred like a kitten for 4 or 5 min, then purred like a kitten hacking up a fur ball, and soon after a solid CEL. Today replaced the rear shocks with monroe 5965 an adapter plate I made in house for them to work, then changed the plugs and COP's. 50 miles later, no more CEL!
 
Changed my Plugs to new Autolite 764. Found MASSIVE oil pools in the plug holes of the valve covers and loads of crud and grossness in the boots and on the plugs. Found a poorly fitting spot on my intake tube where it attached to the t-body too. I now idle correctly, do not have any more stalling, but have a blinking CEL and a terrible misfire at idle and all RPMs. Anyway, SOOO much OIL! I need to at least make the car driveable for now, but IDK how to clean it out so it will fire correctly until I can get the valve cover gaskets done. BOTH valve covers leak terribly, but the driver's side is worse, must have been at least 4 ounces of oil if you add all 8 plug holes together. I hate my car! Oh yeah, I still need an alignment from the control arm install!
 
Replaced the cruise control buttons with a NOS pair I had gotten from Ebay. My ON/OFF button did not light up.

Air bag removed:

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Steering wheel pulled (must pull so you can unscrew 4 screws on back of wheel to remove plastic cover and get to wires:

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Wheel back together with new buttons installed:

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New wheel on:

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New buttons lit up:

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took advantage of yesterdays beautiful 40's and shoveled my driveway and found a lincoln in it, put a charger on it and got her runnin, even drove it a bit
 
Changed out the fuel filter and replaced the wipers with RainX Laditudes also yesterday, 22.00 a piece, what the hell? And then drove it 110 miles North to Bay Pines VA hospital in St Petersburg and back, 220 miles round trip for a 15 minute appt.

Averaged 90-100 mph all the way and it drove like a dream. :D
 
drove to school. realized i forgot my phone. drove to my apartment, got my phone, and back to school.
 
I washed my Mark 8. It seems like everytime I do something "nice" for my mark something always seems to go wrong.
 
Replaced my Block heater, tranny filter and pan gasket, coolant flush, amzoil oil change, put 500km on her in the past 2 days not 1 problem besides the block heater
 
Discount Tire put the wrong size tires on the back of the 98, drove the rest of the day with TC off
 
Raped Ape said:
Changed out the fuel filter and replaced the wipers with RainX Laditudes also yesterday, 22.00 a piece, what the hell? And then drove it 110 miles North to Bay Pines VA hospital in St Petersburg and back, 220 miles round trip for a 15 minute appt.

Averaged 90-100 mph all the way and it drove like a dream. :D
Click to expand...

You were in my neck of the woods, pretty close to Jamie too! :cool:
 
While we are enjoying this long awaited summerlike 35 deg heat wave, a Car Wash and quick wax today and an Oil Change & Lube Tomorrow. :cool:
 
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