MPanka

Hello!
I’ve been an auto aficionado (aka Freak) since a few years before it was even legal for me to drive… to date, I’ve owned 102, four wheeled vehicles since 1987, and was 1st able to legally drive in 1990… In 91 I was hell-bent for election to find, buy and build a Jeep CJ7, and since then, the ONLY other vehicle I have ever deliberately sought out to purchase, was my 1994 Mark VIII, for a few different reasons. First being the obvious, (to me) after all of the rusty junk I’ve driven, trials and tribulations, I finally wanted a comfortable car, that was an underdog, sleeper, and something somewhat uncommon that not everyone and their brother has already had. IMO Mustangs are a bit overrated, so much so, that it’s irritating to hear MK8 owners boast that their “ Rare Lincoln MK8 has a Cobra engine in it” when anyone in the know, is well aware that the polar opposite is true….. Technically speaking… Anyway, the 2nd reason being, the fact that I’ve seen my fair share (more like copious amounts) of pushrod 5.0L SBF engines, and sure, you can throw a ton of cash at one and make a bunch of power at them, and still have the “old school” look/feel of an OG Hotrod engine, but no matter the cash thrown at it, to find an old school sbf OE that can produce 298/303 stand alone, yet to have the potential of 1,000+ HP with the Teksid block to start with, is far more appealing to me…. Regardless of the funds thrown at it… The closest Ford came to an OE engine to do that was the coveted and ultra rare OHC BBF from way back… Lastly, my 94 WAS an Arizona driven car from day 1 in 1994, and was brought to Wisco in 2014 where it sat ignored until 2017 when I bought it for $800 cash with 67k, not a spec of rust, needing a very few things from sitting, (Battery, belt, hoses, idler pulleys, etc. things that go south from sitting dormant for a few years) While my intent was to make it a summer daily driver, things went sideways, and my son needed a car RFN for work and to run my Granddaughter’s around, so wanting to be a good father/ Grandparent, I let him use the car until he could get his fixed, which carried through 90% of the winter of 2019…. Hindsight being, it was an Arizona kept car it’s entire life, you know, where it NEVER snows, nor is salt for anything but your meal a thing…. Therefore, AZ cars have no use for a protective underbody coating…. Needless to say, the Spring/Summer of 2020 was eye-opening, when I realized (when my driveshaft broke in HALF from nothing more than standing on it in “Drive” and the violent 12 shift, where normally I just get a stout Posi Chirp, and saw when climbing under the car, that 100% of the underbody was rusted beyond comprehension, but was also attacking the inner/outer rockers, door bottoms, etc….. in such a way, that given the lack of availability of parts for these cars, without finding a complete and clean donor, I had to come to terms with facts….. I AM still driving the car to date, while working out a few Gremlins, however the Teksid based 4.6L DOHC WILL live on in its 2nd lease in life, and will be shoehorned into new living Quarters under the hood of my 1972 Maverick Grabber. Gaining 150+HP from its window sticker performance numbers, while Losing well over 200lbs by going tube chassis mounting/bolt in, Aluminum Fox body IFS, trimming the crazy heavy shock towers back which normally limit what power plant is possible, plus losing better than an additional 100lbs going from the OE Pushrod 5.0L to my 4.6L Modular, my
New and improved Power to Weight ratio should be nothing short of impressive, which, I can only imagine, will translate to a bunch of New tech Reliable power, not to mention a new lease on live for my Maverick, as well as the heart of my MK8 that would otherwise be sold off for parts or scrap… I bleed Blue, and always have, so it’ll be a cold day in Hell to EVER see anything even close to an LS swap in my world, no matter the cost…. I’d rather be true to the brand, than take “the dime a dozen” cheap route that once again, is overrated…… just like any car that there are far too many of in the road already…
That being said, Currently own 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII
1972 Ford Maverick Grabber
1990 Ford F-250 HD XLT (Heavy 3/4T)
2001 Ford Ranger XLT Lariat 3.0L 4x4
1985 Harley FLHTC (StreetGlide-ish)
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1970 C30 Dually Restomod Custom—Not by choice… lol there’s a story behind this truck…. I don’t want the truck for me, but I do want to sell it for the most I can once the transformation is complete, which will be sooner than later…
Long story short, I got stuck with a truck I didn’t want, so I’m making the best out of it, and aiming for the big return…. Building it to sell it…. Simple as that.. lol