BMW M6 (1), Thunderbird SC (0)

XxSlowpokexX

Registered User
Well I'm not into the whole drag racing or street racing thing. Haveing a well balanced all around car has been my thing mostly for the past 10 years or so. One of the reasons I always loved the sc. Its an overall good car that could be modified rather easily to be an overall really good car in my opinion. This post can fit under many of teh forums listed here but I figured non tech was the way to go.

So the past few years I have been spoiled by testing some cool (IMO) automobiles from Europe. The new M3, M5, M6 xjr, xkr, cl600, c63, B GT coupe to name a few.

By far my favorites have been the CL series v12 bi turbo benz, the xkr, 6 series Bimmers and the Bently Gt coupe. Ive driven a bunch of others but suprisingly enough these few all remind me somewhat of my SC. However the SC to me isnt quite what it used to be and I'm finding it harder and harder to even remotely compete with some of the newer cars which I consider in its class. I always liked to think in my mind that I can take my American car and make it be competative with its European counterpart. Sure I know any of the above cars can hand an SC its butt for dinner but if I mod my SC...Well cant I at least be competative....Well YES...AND NO....

Well Yes meaning with enough money and fabrication anything i spossible and no beacaus eit just isnt easy nor inexpensive. Case in point..

On my way home from work I noted an enthusiastically driven M6 come barrelling up behind me, Usually when something liek that happens I get a tad bit excited and just love to play follow...For the fun of it. Nothing crazy or drastic...So some short circuit...Or lapse in judgement made me think that I should gun it in third when I was next to this M6....Suprisingly enough I gun it and look over in which I observed what looked to be a (~~~) facial expresion (My car does sound nuts when I floor it)...So we were maybe at almost 3/4 throttle (at least I was) when I did that and I leaped ahead about a car. HE punched it shortly thereafter and suprisingly up till about my 5000rpms he was only pulling slightly. And in slightly I mean creeping. Well apparently (and I rememeber this from driving one) this thing pulls to like 8,000rpm's and the creeping started to turn into this total sence of helplessness on my behalf as the creeping became more of a trot and then a gallop. By 4th gear he was quite a number of cars ahead of me and still going...I really wasnt expecting anything less then what had happened..WHich leads me to this.

I really do actualy love my thunderbird. I always have and maybe I always will. But I think its becoming a car that cant do what I want it to do anymore. Kind of like how a 15 second 1/4 wasnt all that bad in the 70's but today its just fubar. I'm feeling as though my SC is at that point for even what I want it for. WHat it was always meant for infact. Crap I think a new Nissan Altima has better overal numbers then a stock SC..Probbaly in every catagory. So I'm at the point where the car may never be what I want it to be..With the motor being the main limiting factor. Low RPM and torque is a nice rush but at 300 some odd rwhp it isnt enough nor is my powerband enough. I want a nice big long srong powerband. SOmething great for highway cruises. Many people go "WHy do you have all these old cars when you can just buy something new"....And my answer was always because nothing I can really afford does what this car can for the price (and this may still hold true)..However I'm thinking I am no longer happy with what it can do. I mean now I can afford something but instead I keep dumping money into thee cars never getting really what I want.

So I guess I just came to a depressing realization today. I had plans for the winter with this car but Im thinking this is it. Let me no longer think its something it isnt...Arrghh I tell ya
 
Ported heads, better cam and Miller's AR would wake it up.

It's not a M5, but I know the new 350 hp S5 was no match for my SC before my upgrades and tune.

As you stated you held with the M5 until it started reaching the higher RPM band. Which means you have to beat on it to get anything out of it.
 
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I dont own my car because its faster than new ones. I look all the time at the new cars coming out like the new corvette, twice the HP of mine.:eek: Or the hemi cars or anything today labled performance. I own my SC because I like making it in to something diffrent than the guy with a pocket full of money that just buys a fancy car. I own my car because it looks awesome and I have to turn around when I am walking away from it just to look at it again. Im sure David Neibert doesnt get blasted off the road by a BMW. You know as well as anyone that a SC can be made to run with the new cars if need be. If you got a pocket full of money put into a SC with a whipple or turbo and kick their ~~~. Throw in a Nitrous shot for when they are pulling away and kick their ~~~. You are either in love with the SC and want it to be the best car you ever owned and work toward that or get a divorce from it and move on. I choose to keep trying to make it to the big dog level with mine;) Ok Im down from my soap box and out of here:D

Ken
 
I dont own my car because its faster than new ones. I look all the time at the new cars coming out like the new corvette, twice the HP of mine.:eek: Or the hemi cars or anything today labled performance.
Ken

Boy do you have that right! The wife's Sante Fe has more horsepower then a stock SC for goodness sake.

Ira
 
You can make anything fast. I know you want to buy a GT500, but ask yourself how fast you can make a car if you built it yourself for $50k? No, that doesn't enable you to build a race car, the only difference to that of a Shelby is that the Shelby is already done.

A body is a body and HP is HP. If you like the looks of your cars, as you do, and you just don't like its performance, which you don't, then you need to do something to the motor. Putting ported, stock valve heads on with a cam and a silly little S-port isn't going to get you anywhere. You haven't attempted anything great or out of the ordinary.

The only limiting reagent with how fast you can make a car, reasonably speaking, is money. If I threw $20k at my car, everyone would forget who Jimmit (Jim Demmit) is.

Do work, Pops; do work!!
 
I'm with XR7Dave on this one. Turbo that baby! Set of ported heads and single-port lower intake, box upper, turbo or two ... that should improve the situation!
 
Damon,

You want to make the SC do things it never did from the factory, but you dont want to spend the money or the time.

Why do people buy or own older ferraris or countach lambos. Is it because they go fast? Not by todays starndards. It simply because they want to own a piece of history that they fell in love with when they bought it.

Why do people get married and stay with the same lady, when there are so many others out there? Its because if you put in the time and the commitment its very rewarding, and cheaper. ;)

If you dont want to put the effort or the commitments to the SC then all hope is lost, and its time to move one.

There is always someone that is faster and has deeper pockets then you. And it going to cost you to get up there. With the SC or a newer car.
Thats newer car will also have its share of problems and will become obsolete with something faster or better or newer. You can never catch up with technology even if you tried.
 
Damon,

Your SC is never going to be the equal of an M6 or the C63 AMG, but it could be made to be quicker on the street or the strip. Still won't be or even sound as good and it won't be as refined or have that solid feeling that those cars have, but it could look just as nice. I think the SC body style has aged very well and IMO it still looks just as nice as any mustang Ford has produced thus far.

I think most of all, I like the uniqueness of owning an SC, but I can see how driving a newer car would appeal to most people. I drove my wife's Charger today...and since installing a new exhaust system, I really really like that car. But still not enough that I would give up either of my SCs for it.

Sounds to me like you don't really want to get rid of your SC, so just buy another car and let the SC sit for a while.

David
 
And of course then there is the discussion that goes something like, ".....if you installed everything on your car that you have been urging other people to put on their's your car could be a monster."

Just think about how many times you talked about trying to make 300rwhp but instead made all those parts available to other people for their cars. 300 is relatively easy now-a-days and you still haven't made any changes to do that. But you could be pushing 400 if you really wanted to.

Ira
 
Maybe I didnt explain myself correctly. I have loved the SC from the minute it was introduced. I still love the way it looks and as David has said has aged very well. I dont want a 1/4 mile bruiser nor do I want a slot car racer. I want a true autobahn type cruiser. To me an SC is and always will be a GT type car. Its just that recently the new cars have just been getting faster and faster...More refined...

Again I LOVE the Sc because of all it is and isnt. In the past its shotcommings could always be compensated for. But in a world of 500hp Gt cars.....Heck I dont know. Maybe Ive just changed a bit.

Rico it isnt about the money at all. There comes a point where money spent yeilds diminishing returns. As my car sits Its making nice power. More exgtensive head work and a larger cam would most likely not give me the power to $$ ratio Im looking for. So Im not going to do it. Ive seen way to much money spent for an additional 20rwhp. Now an AR or a whipple may be the way to go however I dont fabricate and there is nothing available....And at this point more low end torque would do me nothing as I cant keep the 285 Nittos I currently have planted.

Turbo...As Dave said. That is exactly what my plans were. This winters plan. However I am second guessing if its a good idea. Leave it alone? Sell it...Or go ahead and do it. Or buy another car.

You see if I get that gt500 like I want I wont expect it to do everything I expect my SC to do. Its a different car, a different animal.

In the end I really would like my SC to be at least 75% what a modern car can be. I want the power and handeling..I can give up refinement and gadgets...I only require a certain level of refinement and the SC is adequite in that,,But the way I see it lately nothing about my SC is making me happy.

I'm honestly trying to be realistic about this whole thing. Can the SC be what I want it to be. Powerwise I'm at a halt and someone else would have to address that for me. Eeerrrrrrrr
 
Well the car has no displacement not enough cylinders and doesnt have a turbo. So there is only so much you can do. You know that better then anybody. You have a poorly working car as is. The trans doesnt shift right and you got suspension woes. Those until fixed will give you a feeling "POS syndrome" The power you know how to get 400rwhp you just dont want to spend the money on a car that is worth cra p to the next guy. Understandable. We are all insane when it comes to it. But the car is likely paid off, no notes and is providing you with the primary function of a car. And that is Transportation. You are comparing luxury GT cars vs your SC, id be mad if I just spent 100k on a new car and cant kill 90% of the cars out there.

I love watching the Top Gear for this. Every car has shortcomings where others exell.

But for a poormans GT car the sc with 350 to 400rwhp is a very fun car. And know your competition before engaging so you dont get heart broken.
 
Well I'm not into the whole drag racing or street racing thing. Haveing a well balanced all around car has been my thing mostly for the past 10 years or so. One of the reasons I always loved the sc. Its an overall good car that could be modified rather easily to be an overall really good car in my opinion. This post can fit under many of teh forums listed here but I figured non tech was the way to go.

So the past few years I have been spoiled by testing some cool (IMO) automobiles from Europe. The new M3, M5, M6 xjr, xkr, cl600, c63, B GT coupe to name a few.

By far my favorites have been the CL series v12 bi turbo benz, the xkr, 6 series Bimmers and the Bently Gt coupe. Ive driven a bunch of others but suprisingly enough these few all remind me somewhat of my SC. However the SC to me isnt quite what it used to be and I'm finding it harder and harder to even remotely compete with some of the newer cars which I consider in its class. I always liked to think in my mind that I can take my American car and make it be competative with its European counterpart. Sure I know any of the above cars can hand an SC its butt for dinner but if I mod my SC...Well cant I at least be competative....Well YES...AND NO....

Well Yes meaning with enough money and fabrication anything i spossible and no beacaus eit just isnt easy nor inexpensive. Case in point..

On my way home from work I noted an enthusiastically driven M6 come barrelling up behind me, Usually when something liek that happens I get a tad bit excited and just love to play follow...For the fun of it. Nothing crazy or drastic...So some short circuit...Or lapse in judgement made me think that I should gun it in third when I was next to this M6....Suprisingly enough I gun it and look over in which I observed what looked to be a (~~~) facial expresion (My car does sound nuts when I floor it)...So we were maybe at almost 3/4 throttle (at least I was) when I did that and I leaped ahead about a car. HE punched it shortly thereafter and suprisingly up till about my 5000rpms he was only pulling slightly. And in slightly I mean creeping. Well apparently (and I rememeber this from driving one) this thing pulls to like 8,000rpm's and the creeping started to turn into this total sence of helplessness on my behalf as the creeping became more of a trot and then a gallop. By 4th gear he was quite a number of cars ahead of me and still going...I really wasnt expecting anything less then what had happened..WHich leads me to this.

I really do actualy love my thunderbird. I always have and maybe I always will. But I think its becoming a car that cant do what I want it to do anymore. Kind of like how a 15 second 1/4 wasnt all that bad in the 70's but today its just fubar. I'm feeling as though my SC is at that point for even what I want it for. WHat it was always meant for infact. Crap I think a new Nissan Altima has better overal numbers then a stock SC..Probbaly in every catagory. So I'm at the point where the car may never be what I want it to be..With the motor being the main limiting factor. Low RPM and torque is a nice rush but at 300 some odd rwhp it isnt enough nor is my powerband enough. I want a nice big long srong powerband. SOmething great for highway cruises. Many people go "WHy do you have all these old cars when you can just buy something new"....And my answer was always because nothing I can really afford does what this car can for the price (and this may still hold true)..However I'm thinking I am no longer happy with what it can do. I mean now I can afford something but instead I keep dumping money into thee cars never getting really what I want.

So I guess I just came to a depressing realization today. I had plans for the winter with this car but Im thinking this is it. Let me no longer think its something it isnt...Arrghh I tell ya

All I read was blah.. blah.. blah.. I got my ~~~ handed to me YET AGAIN by a German car.. Blah... blah... blah... I should just listen to Dennis finally and go get that damn CL 600/65 series!!!
 
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