Engine Mods etc.

[Mr Knight]

Hey everybody!

I own a 1991 Towncar which was a handmedown from my parents. Wonderful car and I like it a lot. I have an interest in making some modifications to beef up the 190 hp v8 that I have. It's hard to get anything because it is not a sports car design and the need for any performance parts is rare. I'm looking for performance equipment I can get that would increase the HP plus perhaps help the car last much longer. Engine has 121,000 miles and has been garaged for 10 years which has kept it in excellent condition. Did the whole stero thing and I wanted a car that could perform. Any suggestions would be appreciated and feel free to e-mail me with anything.

Todd

[junky]

Hey Now Todd,

You can always go with headers and dual exhaust, if you don't have duals already that is. Headers are one of the best ways to add horsepower. I would also suggest adding performance exhaust too, such as FlowMasters.

Then you can always change your pullies over to aluminum and add a K&N air filter. These are both add ons that can add horsepower to your vehicle.

After doing that you might look into putting some other gears into your rear end for a lil more performance.

Good luck and let me know what you do....if anyone else has any ideas to add, please do, I would like to hear everyone's ideas.

Michael

[Mr Knight]

Hey thanks for the suggestions.

I've decided to move from installing new electronic parts to engine modifications. I had a bad experience with Circuit City installing a remote starter w/ keyless entry and it's cost me close to $500 in repairs. I had a leaking vaccum hose, an ignition coil go bad and then the wiring was bad and grounded to my car. Crazy stuff let me tell you. It seems like the electrical system should handle it.

Anyway...I've always loved this car and I would really like to make it more sporty but I have to get more horsepower into it without putting a super charger into it. You mentioned Flowmaster exhaust but the only one I saw that was close was a fitting for the Lincoln Mark VIII. Let me know which ones work and possibly the cost. I only have a single exhaust. Anyway, thanks for your time and please pass on any suggestions that you have. My 91 is awesome and I would love to make it fast!

Todd

[pro-five-oh]

Welcome Mr. Knight,

If I remember correctly the 1991 TC's have the 5.0 V8. As far as making them faster, you are in luck. Of course a 75hp shot of nitrous will really make that TC fly, but besides that...these motors have LOTS of upgrades to them, but most invlove changing the engine's cam, heads, intake.

On a TC, you can get a Mustang "High Output" heads, intake, fuel injectors and throttle body. You can do the cam too, but then you'll need to swap computers...a little bit harder to find the right one for a Town Car (it probably needs a Mark VII computer)

You can do the exhaust and get a K&N filter, but the only way to really go faster is to lose the restrictions inside the motor. I had the same motor in my Cougar, but swapped out the slow stuff for the Mustang parts...made a healthy difference!!!

Good luck!

------------------
pro-five-oh http://www.geocities.com/jeeves77/cougarview.jpg
88 Cougar XR-7 5.0 HO
15.0@93mph, 3740lbs
83 Continental 5.0 LO
My Mark VII Page (http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/street/3545/mark.html)

[Mr Knight]

Hey!

Actually the 91 TC was the first 4.6 L V8. I don't know if that makes much of a difference in terms of swapping components for mustang parts or not. The 90 was a 5.0 L and then Ford switched to the 4.6 for better performance.

Sounds like the easiest thing I can do at the moment is put in a K&n filter. I guess they make two different types, the filter and the charger which is supposed to be cold air induction. The charger is not made for a TC but the filter is which I can get at autozone for around $60 I believe. I was going to start with simple stuff like four contact plugs and new wires. Perhaps a new exhaust system as well. The one thing I saw was people talking about computer chips and changing those. Does that effect how the transmisson shifts, or is there more to it?

Todd

[pro-five-oh]

My bad, I forgot about the engine swap in 1991. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Do the K&N filter, and stick with the panel element. Then try to remove the air silencer attached in front of the airbox (it is a little trumpet shaped thing that restricts airflow to the filter) and then you can play with the exhaust for a nicer sound. 4.6's sound good when uncorked!

I don't know much about the 4.6 for tweaking, but grab a Ford SVO catalog and see what they have. The SVO heads and intake they use for the 1999-up Mustang gives that the 4.6 a full 260hp...with enough creativity you can do the same to your car. The possibilities are endless...

Oh yeah, you can add a chip to your car, and some of them will even firm up the shifts in your tranny! They also will advance the timing so you can take advantage of 93 octane gas. I don't think the gains will justify its price on a Town Car(about $250) but then again I have yet to see a TC with a chip!

Good luck!

[ethan_90tc]

This is what I've learned from my research of engine mods, etc...

The 5.0 engine found in the 86-90 Town Car is the the "standard output" version of the 302 Ford engine... other then the block and the actual design of the engine, very little parts are the same between the mustang/LSC 5.0 and the Crown Vic/Cougar/TBird/Grand Marquis/Town Car version... the pistons, cam, heads, intake, injectors, water pump, pulleys, etc, are all different... that's the bad news...

the good news... the parts ARE interchangable! Basically, I can just grab a mustang long block, and head out to a parts swap and grab someones old HO intake system and 19lb injectors (TC comes with 14lb stock) and have myself a complete 5.0 HO setup (minus computer). The computer hurtle is solved by going to Superchips... you tell them that you have a Town Car, and you are putting a bone-stock 5.0 HO from a mustang, and they make you a module that will be calibrated for the new injectors, large intake, different cam, etc, etc... the dual exhaust on a TC is approx. the same as a mustang... the only thing that stopped me from doing this was my fuel pump... I have no idea if my stock TC fuel pump will pump enough gph to feed the 225hp mustang engine... most people agree that in a mustang once you pass 250hp you should upgrade to a 190 or 255 lph pump, as yet I have no idea what the output of the stock town car pump is, so I can't make a guess about whether or not it will support it. That, and the fact that my engine runs fine and it isn't worth disassembling my car just to get a little bit faster...

also check out coolcats.net for more 5.0 SO info (it's designed for Cougars, but much of the information is useful).

[pro-five-oh]

Ethan, to do the HO conversion you don't have to swap blocks in a 86-up TC. The stock roller short block is fine for the HO cam and heads. Adding an FMS "E" cam is another issue, that's impossible without new pistons.

The other issue is fuel pump. You can go HO and still use the stock 60lph fuel pump. I'm still on my 60lph pump, trust me! The HO 90lph is okay, and the really big units aren't necessary unless you are pushing 275-300hp at the rear wheels.

[ethan_90tc]

Well, I know about the block http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif That was one of things I said actually wasn't different (that, and the crank). The pistons are also different (we have flat top, HO has dished... this is ok until you get above the stock HO cam shaft, then you have valve-clearance problems). Coolcats.net has a how-to on coverting over to HO without removing the engine.

As for the fuel pump... I've seen this formula as a rule of thumb on many different sites (westchesterperformance, the corral, holley, etc)... HP x .5 / 6 = GPH... a stock HO motor does 225hp x .5 / 6 = 18.75gph... convert gallons to liters and you get 70.96lph... approx 11lph less then we have stock... a stock mustang fuel pump is somehwere in the 80s lph range (88?)... Our 60lph pump (according to the equation) should be able to handle 190hp... but would not have enough to supply a true HO motor (225hp).

[pro-five-oh]

Our 60lph pump (according to the equation) should be able to handle 190hp... but would not have enough to supply a true HO motor (225hp).

I have used the stock non-HO fuel pump for over a year now and it works fine on the 225hp motor. I might make more than 225hp with an aftermarket H-pipe, 2 1/2" cat back, and cleaned up exhaust ports. 147K on the original fuel pump too! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

While getting a bigger pump is better and safer in the long run, it isn't necessary at all.

[ethan_90tc]

Well I know what I'm doing on my summer vacation! That fuel pump issue was all that was standing in my way...

Let me ask you (you may already answered this), what mods did you do to get an "HO" motor? did you simply drop in a mustang engine, or did you swap in parts? How did you recalibrate the computer?

I've never actually talked with someone who successfully did the swap on a Town Car, just swaps on other SO 5.0's...

-Ethan

Also, what year is your Town Car?

[pro-five-oh]

Ethan, I have a 1988 Mercury Cougar with the same motor as the TC. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif The only difference is that your intake points to the driver's side.

I jut swapped parts to go HO. The headers were annoying because I had to lengthen the O2 sensors so they could attach to the H-pipe. I went a step further and converted to MAF, so I got an Mustang A9L computer at the same time. Basically everything said on Coolcats.net is true. I didn't buy a new MAP sensor, and have yet to worry about it (my car now passes emissions like a new car!)

One of my friends in Cincy has gone HO with his police Crown Vic, so it can be done easily. I do not know the difference btw the TC engine harness and the Crown Vic/Gran Marquis, so maybe a Mustang computer won't work in your case.

More importantly, can Superchips change the firing order of the computer with one of their chips? I don't know what parameters are part of the computer and what can be changed. If they can gaurantee this, you are fine. Otherwise you'll be stuck with an HO motor TC with no computer to run it.

Good luck!

[ethan_90tc]

>>Otherwise you'll be stuck with an HO motor TC with no computer to run it.

Between the Haynes and Chilton’s for 1987-1992 Mustang and my full Helms collection for the Town Car I managed to figure out what pins go where... swapping computers would be a massive PITA, but is do-able... windsorperformance.com even offered to fabricate a computer harness adapter for about $300...

The problem as I see it, is the cost:gain ratio... Even if I managed to pull all the mechanical and electrical pieces together for under $500 (MAP, upper & lower intakes, cam, heads, exhaust manifolds (or headers), fuel injectors, computer, misc. bits and pieces). I would still be putting in some MAJOR time/labor... considering I've never done heads or a cam, it's big step from oil changes, brakes and the occasional power steering line! So I'm looking at at least 100 hours of solid labor to get it all done (considering my lack of experience at most of that type of work). Not to mention I'd be taking a perfectly drivable car and potentially not making it drive any more.

I have an ulterior motive here too... Why bother with a measly 225hp 1990 Town Car, when I can finance my life away and get a 2003 Mercury Marauder? http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

I think I'd probably take on this town car conversion project when I'm not relying on it to get me to work and school everyday! But in the mean time, I heard my exhaust system making a nasty rattle tonight, so maybe in the coming months I'll have the chance to get under the car and convert to dual exhaust and throw in a new set of shocks... I think I'll go with Borla... I need the thing to be quiet at idle, and not to noisy under acceleration... nothing says "ghetto" like a town car with glass packs! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

[pro-five-oh]

Ethan,

There's a guy on the Mark VII board who wants to convert to HO, but I am warning him about the wiring harness...I do not know the difference btw the non-HO lincoln harness and the HO ones...can you share your "re-pinning" information with him too???

Yes, swapping computers will be a pain, but is probably worth it. Plus if you want to go with forced induction or a hotter cam at some point, converting to MAF will be easy.

On the cost issue: you'll have to hunt for the heads/cam intake from a Mustang guy who recently upgraded his car and wants to sell his stock stuff for cheap. Check the classifieds at www.corral.net. (http://www.corral.net.) There are always some stock Mustang parts for sale there. I got mine for free, since my brother has a 1991 Mustang.

As far as labor: you are gonna need help. Since I am not super-mechanically inclined either, I didn't convert to HO by myself. I had three friends with me! I had a Mustang shop here in Houston to the MAF conversion (crunched for time at school)!

I have an ulterior motive here too... Why bother with a measly 225hp 1990 Town Car, when I can finance my life away and get a 2003 Mercury Marauder? http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

Oh, not that I don't love the Marauder, but two words: THE AFTERMARKET. Again check the corral and dig all the cool aftermarket parts available for 87-93 Mustangs. Hell, you have forged pistons; go HO and then buy a used 75hp nitrous kit for $200! No one will expect a TC to fly! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/wink.gif

[ethan_90tc]

http://ethan.no-ip.com/eec

This contains 5 scans from my 1990 Lincoln Town Car EVTM of the EEC wiring, and a scan from the Chiltons 1989-1993 Ford Mustang repair book... I'm less inclined to believe the Chiltons (it repeats several pinouts, which bothers me), but considering the number of people out there working with Mustangs, it shouldn't be too hard to find an accurate representation of the pinout of the mustang computer.

I'm flexible on the scanning... I have a full set of Helms manual for my Town Car... I have a scanner and I have my own server with virtually unlimited space... if anyone needs a new pages scanned or a wiring diagram, just drop me an email (ethan@ethanschwartz.com).

Don't bother going to my site looking for car pics just yet... I'm in between digital cameras so I have nothing decent to put online...

The other thing that has always impressed me are videos of cars at races or even just a walk around... I have a full featured capture card and encoder along with Adobe Premiere... if anyone has a decent video that they want turned into an MPG or AVI, I'm sure we can work something out... (my current project is to make an archive of ntsc quality A-Team episodes http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif )