>I am looking for a little help from the FORD family in our group. I have
>just received a test to the expression,"There is no such thing as a bad
>company car.". My newly assigned vehicle is a ' 01Mercury Grand Marquis
>that has had the true duals of the Marauder and the 17" wheels
>added.What with 45k miles, the shocks that probably weren't all that
>great when new are gone and there isn't a rear bar at all.The boss says
>I can make it roadworthy but to try and keep the cost under control
>(sort of my feeling about the car).
As you might have guessed, I know a few things about making a big car handle
:^). Between my 96 Impala SS and my parent's cars (a 94 and a 97 Grand
Marquis), I've been around a bit on this one....
BTW, the Marauder comes with 18" wheels (and fairly crappy tires :^)).
As for this car, it is actually a decent start. The rear suspension design
(Watts Linkage) is good for being a solid axle car. Front is surprisingly
good as well, considering the target audience (i.e. average age of driver =
70). Ford re-did much of the suspension and put on better brakes starting
with the 98 model year.
* Swaybars : Addco
http://www.addco.net/products/ford.shtml
your bar applications are the same as the 91.5-99 Full Size, specifically
Addco front swaybar #509 1 1/4", about $90
Addco rear swaybar #650 1", about $90
You'll also need new bushings that clamp to the frame, both front and rear,
as well as endlinks. Get these ones :
Energy Suspension ENS-9-5165G 1 1/4" "C" clamp w/grease, $13.95
Energy Suspension ENS-9-5161G 1" "C" clamp w/grease, $13.95
New front end link - ENS-9-8124G x2, 3 9/16" $13.95
Addco/Energy Suspension endlink bushings for rear (not sure on PN) - Package
of 8, $7.95
* Shocks : Bilsteins. PNs are
Bilstein HD front P/N B46-1495
Bilstein HD rear P/N B46-1496
Expect to spend around $300 total on all 4 shocks.
Brakes : flush the fluid out, and throw on some Performance Friction Carbon
Metallic pads.
Alignment : Throw in -10 camber in front, and set toe-in to be 1/16" toe-in.
Tires : Find out what size the rims are for sure (diameter and width) and
can go from there....
The above should make A BIG difference in how that boat handles! I'd try
for the shocks and alignment first, then go to the swaybars after that as
far as the suspension.
Hope this helps!
Ed Runnion mailto:Ed_Runnion@RegionOfDoom.com
Specializing in scaring the hell out of cones with over 2 tons of steel :^)
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