Questions about the Mark VIII

[FastSpecV]

I currently have a 2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V and my very first car I owned was a 1986 Lincoln Mark VII LSC and me and my dad did a 1987 Special Edition package to my '86 so it looked nice. But anyways....I'm currently looking to get a new car so i can have a nice looking car as well as also a car that can haul some ass. My dad did kinda the same thing. He has a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and modded it up and he's running 14.2's in it. So I wanna do the same thing but be able to spank him in the 1/4. So my main question is what is the difference between the Mark VIII and the Mark VII LSC models? Is it just cosmetics? Or is there a slight hp difference? Because there's a guy selling a 1993 Mark VIII *black w/ tan interior fully loaded w/ 84k miles on it* for $4995. So I'm really interested in it. So is there any years for the Mark VIII's to avoid? Any years better then the others? If I can think of any other I will let you know. Sorry for the long post though

[ekooke]

Main difference between a base Mark VIII and an LSC is 10 hp, with the LSC having true dual exhausts. The rest is mostly "badge engineering." In the 94-96 years, it was refinements and correcting engineering oversights from 1993. 1997 saw a front-end redesign. If you're going drag racing with it, you'll want to get the revised 1-2 shift piston accumulator. If you want to see to drive at night, you'll need HID headlights from a '96. $5k sounds a little high for a '93, even with 84K miles.

[FastSpecV]

quote:Originally posted by ekooke:
Main difference between a base Mark VIII and an LSC is 10 hp, with the LSC having true dual exhausts. The rest is mostly "badge engineering." In the 94-96 years, it was refinements and correcting engineering oversights from 1993. 1997 saw a front-end redesign. If you're going drag racing with it, you'll want to get the revised 1-2 shift piston accumulator. If you want to see to drive at night, you'll need HID headlights from a '96. $5k sounds a little high for a '93, even with 84K miles.
Well that was another question I was goign to ask was when did they start doing the HID option for the Mark VIII's? And how much would it cost to get them for a non HID Mark VIII? Now about the 1-2 shift piston accumulator, what exactly is that? Is that an aftermarket product or something that comes with the cars?

[Mike 09MKS]

The HID was an option on the 1996 Mark VIII LSC, then became standard on all models in 1997.

Mike 98LSC

[FastSpecV]

Would the HID seup fit into the pre-1996 Mark VIII's? Or would there need to be a headlamp swap or just some modifying of the stock housing?

[ekooke]

FastSpecV,
It's a direct swap from a '96 (only)* HID headlight setup to a '93-'95, except some of the cars (but not all) seem to need a little clearance ground out of the holes in the header panels where the BACK of the headlights fit. You would also have to mount & hook up the ballasts for the HIDs to the existing wiring, and installing relays is recommended -by me- to take the extra startup load off the factory headlight switch. A minor modification to the MF (dimmer) switch will keep the HIDs on when you turn the high beams on. Cutting a wire in the glove box will disable the headlight out warning on the MC, and that's about it.
The 1-2 shift accumulator for the transmission is a Ford factory product, just an improvement over the original one, which had a design flaw (over-square piston) that caused excessive wear in the cylinder bore, and eventual failure.

* There were about 500 '95 LSC models equipped with HIDs, but most of them were retrofitted back to halogen at the dealers due to a manufacturing error, before the new owners could take delivery, so HIDs for a 1996 is what you want. HIDs from a 1997 or 1998 will not fit, since they more than doubled the size of them in '97.

[pro-five-oh]

FastspecV,

Man, your family has great tastes in cars...I can't imagine how much fun it is to smoke almost anything on the road in a LT1 Fleetwood! What did you do to make it go that fast???

The Marks are great cars and I would get the cleanest one you can get. I like the 1993 models the best: no wood trim, small stereo (easy to replace with a aftermarket unit and it looks stock). They are all great, but the 1st generations are my preferred choice.

I would look at each year and decide which is right for you. Here are the changes from the top of my head:

1994: some wood trim and lincoln stitching on the seats.
1995: LSC option and redesigned dash with the "big" stereo.
1996: LSCs got HIDs, Diamond Anniversary Edition.
1997: new front end, rear end, interior with softer seats and higher quality plastics. Intake was swapped with the same unit as the Mustang Cobras. (big advantage right there)More conservative styling all around: everything from the gauges to the grille changed
1998: collector's edition.

If you have a healthy budget, get a high mileage (but clean) 1993 model and use the extra money to build a low compression 5.0 stroker motor and top it off with a Kenne Belle Whipplecharger.

2003 Cobra guys are making close to 600hp on the dyno with this blower on a 4.6L motor!!! Not cheap, but that's the perfect sleeper in my book.

[FastSpecV]

Thanks for all the info. I saw a 1997 Mark VIII at a dealers lot yesterday. it was nice looking, Pearl with a tan interior. The body was in perfect shape, the interior looked flawless but something about the price made me think otherwise. The car only had 81k miles on it and the price tag was only $8995. Now I've seen 1997's going for as much as $19k so to me that screams something is wrong whether it be engine or transmission I dunno. Does that seem like a low price for a 1997 Mark VII? But I did a search on Autotrader.com as well and saw a few Diamond Editions for sale. Whats so different abou them? Just cosmetics?

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, just the look. Its a little tacky for me. They are maroon outside with a gray and maroon interior (maroon inserts in the seats) and "diamond anniversary" etched quarter windows.

That is a fair price for a 1997 model. I;ve seen clean ones like that go for that much on Ebay many times. These cars deprecaite like crazy and most folks would rather have a used Lexus or Lincoln SUV...so consider yourself lucky that you like a not-so-desirable car. smile.gif

If a particular year doesn't grab you just find one with a motivated seller!