2000 lincoln town car upgrades... revisited.

[V-Tally]

a while back I asked a question about how to get affordable power out of my town car, I am now looking for information on what would be recommended if i was to completely rip apart the engine. also if there is a way I can still pass inspection with a true dual setup (not straight pipes though, mufflers and cats intact, I don't want to stand out that much), and how that would be done. I don't know much about engine modifications and tuning, my friend suggested a port and polish, boring out the cylinders, getting a new cam, heads, basically everything that can be done. The budget I'm working with is 3000, and I figured someone here can recommend something for that range. if you also have brake advice that would be nice, because the brakes I got on there now heat up. quick. and i want to be able to stop if I've been beating on them for a little bit. I don't normally beat on my car, but sometimes I wish it had more power. maybe another 100 or so horsepower.

 

[abe_lincoln78]

I think your best bet would be to go with a set of ported PI heads and the most mild cam Comp Cams makes. With that setup you'll still have a smooth idle and good vacuum and you should see torque improvements on the low end.

On the exhaust side I'd go with headers (whichever manufacturer you prefer) an on-road H-Pipe for the same model year Mustang as your car and 2.5 inch mandrel bent exhaust all the way back. I read somewhere on this forum that someone like Borla or BBK makes mandrel bent 2.5 inch tail pipes for SS Impalas, which happen to fit well over TC axles. Listen to some Mustang sound clips from the pre-S197 cars so you can decide which mufflers to purchase.

If you replace the whole exhaust system you should experience an increase in horsepower you can really feel in the seat of your pants. I would expect the whole thing to cost you 1600 - 2000 dollars. It may be your biggest bang for the buck improvement.

Remember that no matter what you do you'll need a custom tune to not only get the most improvement out of your upgrades but also to ensure your car has acceptable drivability and passes emissions.

Let us know how it all turns out!

 

[kustomizingkid]

For that budget you won't be able to tear down your mod motor and rebuild it.... These motors are EXPENSIVE to do internal work to and aren't the old SBC and SBF a lot of shops are accustomed to working with.

There is NO WAY you will squeeze another 100hp out of a 2v with $3000 except for Nitrous, sorry thats just the reality of it....

Click

That link is a friend of mine who has done a complete build up to his car.... he has every single bolt on there is, a fully built PI motor and it is not emmision legal in any state... all that and he layed down 280 rwhp...

 

[kustomizingkid]

If you want bang for your buck here is what I would do.... with a $3000 budget in mind:

Low mileage Performance Improved motor 01+: $600-$1000
Marauder Converter: $300
Gears 3.55-3.73 and a tlock: $1000
Tune to tie it all together: $400-$500

You aren't going to see bigger improvements for less money.... after those mods there are a ton of other bolt ons you can throw at the motor.

 

[V-Tally]

thanks for the info, I didn't think an extra 100hp was that expensive to pull out of the engine.

 

[abe_lincoln78]

Here's my reccommendation:

Use parts for a Mustang with an automatic tranny.

BBK X-Pipe - $420
BBK Equal Length Shorty (replaces stock manifold) Headers - $300.00
Mufflers (your choice) - $160 for Flowmaster
Dynomax SS Impala Tail Pipes - $32 per side
Superchip - $250? I don't know on this one

So here you're looking at a total of under $1500. The only thing missing from the exhaust part is the intermediate pipe and installation. You should be able to get both those for under $200 since you're talking about 4-6 feet of pipe and a few hangers at the exhaust shop.

Those changes should give you a satisfying boost in power over what you already have and give you a sound you'll enjoy.

 

[kustomizingkid]

Here's my reccommendation:

Use parts for a Mustang with an automatic tranny.

BBK X-Pipe - $420
BBK Equal Length Shorty (replaces stock manifold) Headers - $300.00
Mufflers (your choice) - $160 for Flowmaster
Dynomax SS Impala Tail Pipes - $32 per side
Superchip - $250? I don't know on this one

So here you're looking at a total of under $1500. The only thing missing from the exhaust part is the intermediate pipe and installation. You should be able to get both those for under $200 since you're talking about 4-6 feet of pipe and a few hangers at the exhaust shop.

Those changes should give you a satisfying boost in power over what you already have and give you a sound you'll enjoy.

All items in bold will not fit an 00 town car without modifications.

The header need to have some tube moved around and a lttle massaging with a hammer to fit. The X pipe will be around a foot or more too short. The Impala SS tailpipes can be made to work, but buying the right ones for a Town car fit a lot better....

As far as Superchips goes if you are referring to one of the universal tuners they are garbage...

Get a real Xcal with real performance tuning on it.

 

[V-Tally]

I appreciate the advice, I've decided on getting an intake, exhaust, and chip from Lincoln Motor Sport. If I like how the car moves afterwards i might not even do anything else. definetely interested in looking into 3.55 rear and trac lock. any suggestions where to find?

 

[perichbrothers]

Tc

For 3000 I bet you can throw a manual transmission in there.
The T-56 or T-10 might work, probably a mustang piece.
someone here has better info for that engine.

The only serious modifications are a new clutch pedal and linkage/hydraulic slave,
a hole for the shifter,
rear tranny mount change,
and change from flex plate to flywheel/clutch/plate.

I've got an older 90 5.0 tC that i'm seriously considering a manual tranny swap.
Alot cheaper with this engine I know it would wake up the driveability.

TP

 

[kustomizingkid]

I appreciate the advice, I've decided on getting an intake, exhaust, and chip from Lincoln Motor Sport. If I like how the car moves afterwards i might not even do anything else. definetely interested in looking into 3.55 rear and trac lock. any suggestions where to find?

You have two options...

Buy the gears and tlock and have them installed in your car.

Buy a junkyard axle from a 99-00 Crown Vic Police interceptor, they came with 3.55's for the most part, finding a locked one will be a bit harder. The axle is a very easy one day swap with hand tools.

 

[kustomizingkid]

For 3000 I bet you can throw a manual transmission in there.
The T-56 or T-10 might work, probably a mustang piece.
someone here has better info for that engine.

The only serious modifications are a new clutch pedal and linkage/hydraulic slave,
a hole for the shifter,
rear tranny mount change,
and change from flex plate to flywheel/clutch/plate.

I've got an older 90 5.0 tC that i'm seriously considering a manual tranny swap.
Alot cheaper with this engine I know it would wake up the driveability.

TP

Are you joking?

Swapping a manual into a 00 Town Car is much more involved than your post would lead to...

Also I will guarantee you that a manual trans int he Town Car will make it slower than a good auto... a converter will wake the car up way way more than a manual trans...

 

[abe_lincoln78]

There is a gentleman who stated on another thread in this very site that the impala parts worked perfectly on his tc. I was unaware of the manifold problem, but the "too short" x-pipe is why I mentioned the intermediate pipe later. I guess you failed to read the rest of my post eh?

Besides, I only quoted those headers to show price. Regular shorties would be cheeper anyway, and he still has a much easier (and cheaper) job that removing and replacing a whole effing engine.

Lighten up there dude, not everybody will do things exactly the same as you.


Its good to see you've made your choices v-tally. I think you'll have a very enjoyable ride when you're finished.

 

[dRock95MarkVIII]

Read this thread for info on some of the popular entry-level bolt ons:
http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1320971&fpart=1


I doubt you want to swap the engine or get into the heads/cams/timing it. Most actually pull the engine just to swap the heads.
That said, I would start with gears (3.55), dual exhaust if you don't have it, a Marauder airbox and MAF, and a tune.
The steeper rear gears will make the largest impact, the car will feel like it lost a couple hundred pounds. I use 3.55s on my supercharged Marquis and they feel perfect. I had 3.27s and 2.73s prior. Your 2000 TC has 3.08s stock if non-Touring.

Later on you can replace the nPI intake manifold for a PI intake manifold for a little more power or do some of the other small upgrades (ie underdrives)
Swapping to the PI intake yields very impressive gains and is a very simple retrofit.



And yes, you will pass emissions with a dual exhaust as long as the cats are in place and you have no existing CEL/codes.

I think your best bet would be to go with a set of ported PI heads and the most mild cam Comp Cams makes. With that setup you'll still have a smooth idle and good vacuum and you should see torque improvements on the low end.

Actually he would notice less low-end torque with those. PI heads make more power, but not as much on the low end as nPIs.

Installing PI heads on his nPI block will also cause a compression bump which is good for even more power than a normal PI block/heads, and would help a little with the PI torque loss, though.




FRPP / Mustang shorty headers ARE NOT worth the hassle to install on a panther unless you plan on more significant upgrades. They are prone to warping flanges and leaking. One of the primary tubes needs to be 'massaged' with a hammer to clear the steering shaft. Only the BBK shorties require cutting/welding the tube in a new position.
Take a look around the manifold and note how TIGHT clearance is there. Installation is a b~tch!

As for a manual tranny swap - there is a guide on my webpage documenting my buddy Ian's conversion on his Crown Victoria to a T-45. If you used a different manual trans it would be mostly the same provided it is from a Mustang ('96+ - ie 01+ TR-3560)
That should be possible with a 3 grand budget IF (and only if) you are doing the work yourself.

 

[V-Tally]

ya would be doing all work myself, or thru family, except the exhaust.