Questions about reliability.

ShawnM93

Registered User
i apologize in advance for the lengthy post, i would just like to know if the members of this forum can help shed light on some of my concerns

I've been doing a lot of research about supercoupe, and it seems that many of them have problems with head gasket failure.

before i buy an SC, i want to know what it will take to turn a thunderbird that is in good or fair condition into a reliable daily driver.

I have a mechanic that will be coming with me to make sure the car in question is in good order and is in a mechanically sound state, if it is , i will be snatching it up
When i purchase the car, i will of course perform all of the basic maintinance, like changing plugs, fluids, and plug wires.

Here is some info about the car
1994 thunderbird SC
Auto trans
Odometer reads 076,000
My Concerns: Owner may run regular fuel (Detonation) leading to head gasket faliure
The hood doesn't appear to match the car (accident?)
There may be an aftermarket pully in the car. (Too much boost causing head gasket faliure?)

I want to know what i can do to prevent head gasket faliure. Will a high flow exhaust help by reducing boost?
If the had gasket does fail, what is the best replacement?
Will head studs prevent another failure in the future?
What else can i do to increase reliability?

I would really appreciate your input. Thanks, Shawn.

(photos of car, i will post more detailed pics later.)
sorry, i dont know how to post them directly, here is a link
http://img94.imageshack.us/g/tbird2.jpg/
 
Better exhaust is the first thing and stock pulleys.

Beyond that if the head has failed and is in the budget MLS gasket with appropriate machine work. A better intercooler will help too. Besides this just general maintenance.
 
The 1st thing you should do is replace the exaust

Ported manifolds or midlegth headers. Downtubes, High flow cats, Aftermarfet resonator. This should happen before anything else if you want to prevent head gasket failure. The stock mufflers will be fine, although once you start opening the exaust up, the sound can become annoying. Embarrassing at the least.

Machine work on the heads is not nessesary for this particular issue.
 
In general, there isn't much you can do. If you're looking for a simple daily driver that won't need much of any work, an SC is not really the best choice.

Keep the the cooling system well maintained. Keep good gas in the tank. Freeing up the exhaust can't hurt. If it has an overdrive pulley on it, switching back to the stock pulley can help.
 
thanks for the replies, turns out its and lx, the guy thought it was a supercoupe because of the overdrive button, but it is in sound condition. i will be offering him 2k.
 
thanks for the replies, turns out its and lx, the guy thought it was a supercoupe because of the overdrive button, but it is in sound condition. i will be offering him 2k.

All the above still applies....:D

Except for the super charger stuff....:p
 
Everytime i turn my key, my car starts. Runs great and is reliable. I think too many people try to "predict" problems with a car. And every car has it's mark. The sc is said to have head gasket problems. If a 16 year old, factory 12 psi boosted car has a gasket failure, you got your moneys worth.
 
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