Firm up TC suspension a little

[invisik]

Hey,

I was wondering, if I installed some very hard shocks, would that firm up the ride on my 96 TC? I don't want to fully give up the air spring ride, but would like it a little tighter. If you have to make an emergency sharp turn, you bang your head on the side window. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

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96 Town Car, Diamond Anniv
http://lincolntowncar.org

prev: 93 TC Signature, 87 Mercedes 560 SEL, 87 Mercedes 300 SDL, 80 Mercedes 300D

[pro-five-oh]

Edelbrock makes some Preformer IAS shocks for the Crown Vics and Gran Marquis. They are supposedly much firmer than the stock units and sacrifice little ride quality.

I would check to see if they fit on a TC. Supposedly the new Mercury Marauder will have the IAB shocks, so even Ford likes them!

[invisik]

Just checked out the Edelbrock web site. Those shocks look sweet! I think they would be the perfect compliment to the air springs in the TC. I called Jegs and they didn't know if they'd fit on a TC, so I e-mailed Edelbrock directly.

Is it a general rule of thumb that Grand Marquis shocks and springs are a direct-fit on a TC?

Thanks again.

-m

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96 Town Car, Diamond Anniv
http://lincolntowncar.org

prev: 93 TC Signature, 87 Mercedes 560 SEL, 87 Mercedes 300 SDL, 80 Mercedes 300D

[pro-five-oh]

I am not too familiar with the Ford "panther" chassis, so I do not know if the cheaper panther's stuff will bolt on to the TC.

Maybe a more seasoned veteran of air suspensions can answer that question! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[pro-five-oh]

Invisik, you might also wanna check with Kenny Brown Performance as they do a LOT with panther bodied Fords.

[BLUECOLLAR]

They will work on the T/C. They probably don't have alot of call for them on Town Cars so they might not be listed.

[ethan_90tc]

speaking of firming up the suspension...

has any tried installing poly-bushings on their swaybar, or replacing the sway bar with a larger model, like from addcoindustries.com?

I like the ride, but I'd like a little less roll on the turns... right now I'm stuck with 215/70R15's (I just got a new set of Pirelli P400 Touring's, plus I wouldn't want any other rim except a 96/97 style, which go for $500 on ebay)... the sway bars are ~$120 so it seems like a cheap way to get better cornering...

[invisik]

I checked out the Kenny Brown site and they do a lot of mods on the Panther series cars. They don't talk about how interchangable they are, however. They do talk a lot about superchargers, though! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

I found www.swaybars.com (http://www.swaybars.com) has larger bars as well. I'm considering the bars first (those Edelbrock shocks are $70 each). I have some experience on other cars with the results of adding better sway bars, and am very curious to see how much of a difference it makes.

Any opinions on sway bars versus shocks in this thread?

-m

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96 Town Car, Diamond Anniv
http://lincolntowncar.org

prev: 93 TC Signature, 87 Mercedes 560 SEL, 87 Mercedes 300 SDL, 80 Mercedes 300D

[invisik]

Looks like Addco and Swaybars sell the same thing....

[pro-five-oh]

Hmm, sway bars vs. IAS shocks?

Yes. Get both. Do the shocks first since they will also stop the TC from floating over bumps (I did this via some Monroe shocks on my Continental and NEVER regretted it) and do the sway bars later.

I CAN SEE IT NOW: those two things combined with some 17x8" Mustang cobra wheels and sticky tires would really wake up a slumbering giant like a TC. Would scare some imports at an Autocross! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/tongue.gif

[invisik]

You never know. My brother has a 1996 turbo Integra and has gotten into autocrossing. I'm going to go check it out one of these days, and who knows, maybe the TC will make an appearance!

I also am considering a set of Flowmaster 70 series, just for a little sound. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif It could be quitea hot rod Lincoln...

-m

[pro-five-oh]

Invisik, I'd be looking forward to some shots of the TC tearing through the cones!

Now THAT's the way for Lincoln to celebrate it's 75th! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[ethan_90tc]

Does hitting a bunch of cones count?

They're doing construction (destruction is more like it) on my street and setup an impossible obstacle course of cones around the gaping holes that they dug around manhole covers and other utilities, but the cones were a good 12-24" from the holes (someone was being cautious I guess)... and there's no way to leave my driveway without hitting the cones, so... to make a long story even longer, I ended up dragging two cones about 500-600' down the road http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

[invisik]

Ethan,

Any pictures? http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/wink.gif


You should rearrange the cones and make yourself a little autocross course... http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

-m

[Pionius]

Invisik, I attached a thicker rear bar - from a police car - to the lower control arms. I had to use a couple of 4x6 inch plates to mount it just under the control arms, rather than to the sides, as brackets on the rear axle were in the way. This made a huge difference in handling.