Well with the gas prices and all I had to do it. I have a new daily drive a white 2.3L 5speed Tempo. I know what the first questions going to be do you still have the cougar. Yes. How much was it, this will make some sick. I traded my project engine for it. FE 390 with the big port heads, RV cam, and new pistons.
The cougar is going to sleep for a long time while she gets a make over.
Pics of the Tempo coming soon.
Now to search the junk yard for the rear axle and AWD trans.
Why oh why didn't I sell my other LSC before gas prices went insane.. heh.
Wish I could get my old Escort back.. that 32/39 rating would come in handy right about now.
I hope you get better gas mileage with your tempo than I do, mine won't do any better than 27 mpg running back and forth to school and work and junk...on long highway trips it'll do 36 mpg though :dunno: This car also has the mushiest suspension I've ever felt on a car, expect it to bottom out a lot.
BTW my tempo is white too. 2 door, '94, got it for $650 with 123K on it. Had to replace the water pump and starter in the first 3 months I was driving it :disappoin
And in case you're curious, 4-lug Fox body wheels will fit the car with some custom lug nuts from advance auto parts ($24 for a whole set).
I traded my '90 Bronco a few months ago for a '97 Ford Ranger becuase I saw this coming... I miss the Bronco, but I certainly don't miss the gas mileage.
From 10 mpg to 23 mpg is a refreshing change!
I had a Tempo years ago, an '85 four-door 5-speed. I bought it for the 60-mile round trip commute to trade school but it got worse mileage than the '85 V6 T-Bird I had at the same time, so I ended up driving the T-Bird anyway! I put 70k miles on that T-Bird between September and June...
Tempo's aren't too bad. My mom bought one new in 1989.
Talk about a good move at the wrong time. She traded her 99 Mailibu in for an 05 Grand Cherokee this past June. I'm sure she misses the 33 mpg's with the Malibu compared to the 18's with the Cherokee. :giggle:
But the GC is sooooo nice. I drive it and use up her gas whenever I can! :D
I was looking into trying the TC rims on it just for kicks. I wonder what size 16 needs to go on it.
The tempo has to get better milage than the cougar. I get 18 right now witht the cougar.
I had a 93 tempo 2door that car kickwd ass as far as a good depnedable car. I deilivered pizza in the car and made lots of cash. I got about 28 mpg and I beat on the car all day everyday. I had a buddy with a 90 eclipse and he would always ask how com eyour tempo goes so much better that my car? I told him I guess ford know how to build a car right. LOL
I just got a line on an AWD tempo sitting next to a garage about 45min from my house. I was told it had been sitting there for several years now.
Might have to check it out for the trans and rear end.
Have you tried running some SeaFoam through it? I see/hear a lot of people swear by it. I use it, but haven't been using it long enough to notice a difference. Sprayed in through a vacuum line *and* dumped in the tank once in awhile. You should've seen the day I ran it through all three functioning cars.. the clouds were huge. :D
Anyway, that Lincoln board that pro-five-oh mods on has quite a few users who love SeaFoam and claim gas mileage increases after treatments. At $5-7 a can, you really don't have much to lose.. that's what, 2 gallons of gas? :crazy:
EDIT: http://www.lincolnsonline.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=000985
SMALL. That's all I can tell you. I have 205/65's on my 10-holes (about the smallest size I dare trying to run on a 7" wide rim) and they rub pretty bad at full lock and when I go over big bumps. Just for kicks I test fit another set of 10-holes that I had with 225/60's on them, they hit against everything. You can't fit very big tires under a tempo apparently.
Also I wouldn't bother with the AWD tempo idea. I've heard nothing but bad things about them.
http://www.tempotopaz.com/main/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=1087 (http://www.tempotopaz.com/main/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=1087)
Odds are if you love the look and feel of Tbirds and Cougars, you'll love the Tempos and Topazes. I like the look of it with 10holes, for sure. If you do try seafoam (nectar of the Gods, neater than sliced bread) make sure to replace the plugs at the same time. Whatever seafoam blows out of the intake winds up on the plugs or out the tailpipe.
The webmaster of http://www.tempotopaz.com has this little V6 powered beauty with Pony rims. These suckers were fast too. http://www.mikuhl.net/glsnxr5/
Sweet I've heard alot about those AWD tempo's MAybe you should turbo the 2.3 and make it a sleeper ricer killer! I get about 26mpg in my 84 Turbo coupe right now. I'm even runnin 10psi boost and that is in town. That is haulin my big ole bird around and once again I'm not what you would call light footed.
(http://www.piranha-fury.com/photopost/data/500/5147Netcar.jpg)
I thought about it but the problem is running the plumbing for the turbo because it doesn't have a cross flow head design.
Hav you looked over at http://www.turboford.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=2 they have a few that have done that in a Tempo.
Wife's 87 spaz has 10 holes on it and it used to have 205/60/15s which did have quite a rubbing problem(better after i rolled the lip).
Now it has 195/60/15s and they fit perfect,no rubbing at all.
195/45R16 or 195/40R16 is what I would have to run on the TC rims.
thats small.
Talking to a friend and he says as a joke I need:
A fart can.
A set of neons that are all differnt colors.
A Ricer wing.
A wind shield banner that says: "I live my life a quarter mile at a time. for those 20 seconds or less nothing else matters"
What to you guys think?
The tempo/topaz had a super low final drive gear. Add to that the fact that the autos were a 3 speed without overdrive. My V-6 with the auto got about 24-25 MPG combined city and highway. My Cougar with all it's current mods gets 19-20.
My old 87 V-6 cougar was actually better than the Topaz on gas.
Well went and picked it up today.
White with blue interior. And all I have too say is I have to say is I have driven some slow cars but man this think takes the cake.