its been about 9 years since my last thunderbird and XR7 cougar were forcefully removed by my parents. it was an 88 XR7 and a 86turbo coupe swapped to 302/T-5.....well thats the past now to the discussion...
im looking to make a new custom car and would like some tips/suggestions/info
car will be a V8 and a 5 speed thats a given now my questions were where is a mark 7 LSC hiding the extra 500lb over the t-bird?
well things I like LSC is 5 lug 4 wheel disk all have floor shifter location
thunderbird i love the look but 87,88 are getting hard to find.
so there it is ide love your input into the matter to help me decide.
tbirds have floor shifter too, same with cougars
Mark 7's have ALOT more options then the birds. Air ride, full power seats(the seats weight almost 200 pounds I beileve), I mean they have LOTS of options that stack on weight. I own one, and yes people do 5 speed swaps to them all the time. If your gonna do one, BRAKES, SUSPENSION, then trans and motor.
Join http://www.FordvsChevy.com theres TONS of mark 7 guys on there with INSANE marks.
But the vast majority do not...
Ive always considered myself lucky to have a 88 with moon roof keyless entry and a spoiler and floor shift... They are out there just hidin.....
the mark is also longer to start with. more metal, more weight
not alot longer... If you want light, you might want to check out the 80-82 box birds. There also a fox body.
Otherwise, I would look for a 88 sport or xr7, for better suspension/sway bars, larger differential and if you go with a 5.0, its already there. They also had consoles.
Also, 84-86 turbo coupe/xr7's are slightly lighter, have traction lock, and consoles.
only about 4'' longer. It adds to the extras that it has over a bird.
It may be a bit wider too. I'm not sure though
width is a little more(my rear end is wider then a birds)
My car has a nice set up for road race and drag because of the air bags. Great weight transfer and all that. Bolt in a ADDCO rear sway bar, turbo coupe front, throw in some SN95 front struts, fox mustang rear shocks with adapter brackets, and lower it by moving a sensor and you got a nice handleing car.
1.5" over all is the track width supposedly. And thats only like 86? and newer marks. Before that they were mustang width.
I'm sure most of the extra weight is from the ton of options and gadgets they threw in. You couldn't really get a stripped Mark VII. Although that would've been cool. :hick: The only options were alarm, sunroof, trak-lok, JBL stereo, Front license plate bracket, auto dim mirror, block heater, and Kali emissions. Everything else was standard. The carpet alone felt like it probably weighed 60 lbs because of all the insulation and mass backing . :hick:
It varies from year to year, but 1988 LSC curb weight is 3772. Compared to 3450 for a 1988 5.0 Sport (1988 XR7 is 3485) that isn't that much different. 322 lbs.
Of course you get the HO 302 in the Mark so that pretty much evens it out. :D :giggle:
1987-93 Mustang
56.6" front track
57.0" rear track
100.5" wheelbase
1994-98 Mustang
60.6" front track
59.1" rear track
101.3" wheelbase
Continental Mark VII 1984-92
58.4" front track
59.0" rear track
wheelbase 108.5"
Thunderbird/Cougar 1983-86
58.1" front track
58.5" rear track
wheelbase 104.0"
Thunderbird/Cougar 1987-88
58.1" front track
58.5" rear track
104.2" wheelbase
Track width is .3" wider on front and .5" wider on back.
The wheelbase is 4.5" longer on Mark VII than the T-Bird.
The Mustang is a lot smaller. Except the track on 94-98
All years of Mark VII have the same chassis dimensions.
I think all the Mark VIIs got the 8.8" axle in 86.
1 square foot of 20 Gauge sheet metal weighs 1.5 lbs
quarter windows are larger too
My fat ass fully loaded 88 T-bird weighs about 3700lbs so hey it weighs just as much as a Mark VII :hick: