Marathon thread locked

[Led Zephyrlin]

Just as I was about to break out another can of whoop arse. Ya go an lock er down :(

I was having fun defending the honor of my Zephyr.

But for real, the ending was suitable. :cool:

[Dana_15]

LOL. I was getting a little hot myself, and I definately took a few things out of context, but oh well. Having a poll in Zephyr section to see if we like the car was a little insulting (obviously all THREE of us do--we all bought them new), but hey it doesn't matter. Sounds like everyone has gotten some crap for their ride. Can't please everyone.

[Led Zephyrlin]

I know I am not alone in how the Zephyr looks both inside and out because I get alot of stares and comments of how sharp it is. Some from people that have never even seen the car before.

The uniqueness is what I love most about the car. They are just not common place.

[GorgeZeph]

Gotta love the stares, occasional thumbs up, and smiles all around. That is not the reaction that I would expect from the comments here..

Stay safe this fourth!

[Led Zephyrlin]

I agree with that.

Have a safe 4th yourself.

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, that thread was getting out of hand for everyone involved (including me). Sorry guys. :(

I want to reiterate to Zephyr-ites that getting fired up about your cars (and defending them) is a good thing.

Honestly, that's how we're gonna keep this forum--and this messageboard--alive.

[cason1]

Hey Led Zeph, I didn't get to read the other thread to reply before it got closed to reply. If I was given the choice of a Camry (or lexus equivelent), an Accord(or Acura equiv.), a Zephyr, or a comparable caddy, the Zephyr would be in my driveway. After really looking at them and truly thinking about it, they aren't bad cars at all. As to long term dependability, that is yet to be determined but I'm sure they will do just fine. I agree with your comments on how similar the old and new ones are for Lincoln as the entry level and a good way to bring new buyers to Lincoln. They are similar in that regards but the only old Zephyrs I have ever seen in person had been totally hot rodded. Sitting on the ground with the long rolling curves and everything just being perfect. That is what I think of when I hear the name Zephyr. I had never even heard of the one from the 80's from Mercury until about a year ago so that never registered either. I will find a few pics of what I see in a Lincoln Zephyr when the name is said compared to what is being produced today. Again, I don't think it is a bad car at all. A little smaller than I prefer now but not a bad car at all. Hopefully we can keep some peace in here for a little while anyway.;) :D


Edit: Here are the 3 I found first. Again, I am not hating on the Zeph anymore, just isn't what I see in a Zephyr.

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/images/carjpg/2004bjcca/2/682/2004BJCCA2_682_34.jpg

http://www.cruisenewsonline.com/SoutheastStreetRodNats2003/39LincolnZephyr.html

http://fp1.com/sept98/features/lvclassic/2.html

[Led Zephyrlin]

I completely understand what your mean. I even prefer the hot rodded classic Zephyr to what is offered today. In fact I wish they would bring back a retro version like plymouth did for the Prowler. But do you like the stock 1939 Zephyr as much as you like the chopped and dropped hot rod version?

http://www.hubcapcafe.com/ocs/pages01/linc3901.htm

The link is a decent pic and from it you can imagine how easy it would be to trick out the car. That sleek look can be obtained but it is hard to compare an extremely modified version of the original to a current day stock version. Wonder what a current day model would look like if it went under the skillful knife of Boyd Coddington or Chip Foose. I bet they could keep it similar but trick it out to the max as well. That would be nice to see.

Those are some great photos of those hot rod Zephyrs and I really think that the spirit those type hot rods instill in people is what Lincoln was trying to do with this model. I wonder what the current model will look like when hot rodders 40 years from now get their hands on the old scrape body of a modern day Zephyr, makes me wish I had a time machine.

[cason1]

The latest Hot Rod magazine have me an idea that might be worth trying in a few years. Somebody took a 65 Mustang body and integrated it onto an 03 Cobra chassis. It has mostly Cobra interior, cobra motor, cobra suspension, all safety features of the 03 work, it passes 03 smog regs but has the look of the 65. Maybe that could be attempted with an old Zephyr body and the newer stuff too. Hey, it could happen.:eek:

I really like the interior of the new Zephyr and mixing that with the body style of the 30's would be awesome.:D

After seeing what Boyd did with a Mark VII, I wouldn't trust him with another Lincoln.:p It didn't look bad at all for a T-Bird but it certainly didn't look like a Mark VII. Someone posted pics of it at somepoint and you may be able to find them. Some where playing with photoshop when the first pics were released of it and some did some really creative work to enhance what was already there and did an excellent job on it.

Well, glad we are really in basically agreement after all. I will be the same with you guys as I am with the 98+ Towncar's and the 88+ Conti's, not quite for me but if I can help I will.:D

[Led Zephyrlin]

You know all this talk about hot rods has kind of got me thinking about just what would a Zephyr look like with the tops chopped, suicide doors, revamped rear tail lights (maybe some round LED's), shaved handles, ground effects, spoiler and dropped about 2 inches.

Hmm, any good photo choppers out there care to give that a whirl??? I would love to see that done. I have photo chop but haven't developed the necessarry skills to get that creative with it yet.

[GorgeZeph]

They are similar in that regards but the only old Zephyrs I have ever seen in person had been totally hot rodded. Sitting on the ground with the long rolling curves and everything just being perfect.

There are hot rod parts starting to enter the market. Some of the spring kits lower it by 1.6". There are some body kits starting to appear. It just takes time for the after market to catch up.

I personally don't think that I would like the body kits. A Lincoln should be a little more stealth. The spring kit might be a possibility. It just depends on how this will deal with some of the rough roads around here....... Maybe just coil overs or a good set of shocks!!

[pro-five-oh]

Just (somebody, anybody!) confirm for us that Mazda 6 swaybars work. Especially for the back. That's all you really need.

[Led Zephyrlin]

I wouldn't try the Mazda chasis parts. Seems to me I read somewhere that the Zephyr/Milan/Fusion chasis is wider than the Mazda by a bit. I checked both the Mazda and the Zephyrs spec sheets and found out this

------------Zephyr Specs--------------Mazda6 Specs
Wheel Base-----107.4---------------------105.3
Width -----------72.2----------------------70.1

So if we go by this it would not appear that a stabilizer would be interchangable. They still could be interchangable but the only way really check would be to see if they carry the same part number or compare the two side by side.

[pro-five-oh]

There's a very good chance they can still be the same. If the control arms are longer but have the same swaybar mounting point (just guessing) it would work.

But the only way to know is if someone with a Fusion/Zephyr drives to a Mazda parts department and asks to borrow a (rear) swaybar for comparison purposes in the parking lot. Or remove your swaybar and compare them side by side.