New here, questions about a Super Coupe...

Smoof

Registered User
Sorry, I'm an idiot. Moving elsewhere.

Hi, well basically yeah. The title says it all. I'm considering a very nice looking Super Coupe and since I'm a sucker for Fords (Have a Bronco... but it's broke...way broke) I decided I may want to get it. I was originally looking at a Foxbody, but after I saw this T-Bird it's more like Foxwhat?
ANYWAY, just some questions.
Basically, are they reliable? What about insurence? Last one is, HOW DO I MAKE IT FASTER!!

The one I'm looking at has 96k on it. The thing I'm a tad worried about about the milage. I don't know very much about non-NA engines, but I've heard generally they start giving out and having problems right around 100k.
So whats the deal, is my information bias or what?
Also, what kind of repairs generally do they need? I'm not scared of doing anything, besides maybe pulling a tranny or something serious with the engine. Also, is the 3.8 in the T-Bird the same one as in the 94+ Stangs? Are parts interchangible?
 
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well check this out, this car has a OK reliability rating, its very reliable if u take care of it, if u dont then it isnt. Things that go bad over 100k are CRANK sensor, CAM sensor, Starter, Harmonic Balancer, DIS MODULE, door hinges, Vacuum Leaks, IAC valve.

If u do get it, i would first start off by checking the supercharger oil by unscrewing the allen plug and making sure that the oil is at the final threads of the screw. second, pull up the codes, see if it has any stored, u should always run PREMIUM with this car, none of that cheap gasoline, u should always get MOTORCRAFT spark plugs or AUTOLITE double platinums.

To make ur car go faster u would start by putting in a high performance exhaust, removing the stock resonator and putting in a MAGNAFLOW with ur choice of mufflers. then, u would upgrade to a bigger throttle body and bigger MAF. Then i would recommend u either wrap the lower ic tube in header wrap or shell out the money for a front mount intercooler.
would be a bad idea to have the heads ported and the supercharger ported also.
 
Sc Sc

hey whats up, glad u got your eye on one-- these cars are a lot of fun-- i think i speak for all of us when i say every one of these cars has a mind of it's own. some run perfectly great never giving any doubt of something going wrong, and then something goes. the more history youknow about the car, the better it is, very common thing on these cars are the headgaskets going,, check to see if they have been replaced, just find out all the work that's been done to it, at 96K miles, you definitely need to know what has been replaced or worked on, if the car has never had any big services, it might go another 50K with no problems, or another 50 miles and then spit up a bunch at you. depending on who's selling the car, have it checked out. if it's a dealership, it's probably gone through a check already but still get all records for it. if it's a private owner, i would definitely take it to a mechanic and have them look it over, it's worth the bit of money the charge you, dont let me scare u away though, these cars are very fun, very heavy and very quick for their size with a small engine, surprises ALOT of people. i never get tired of driving mine. insurance is not bad at all either, depending on your driving record. most insurance companies dont even realize the car is supercharged so they insure it like a regular t bird. the sc engine is different than the mustangs and the n/a t birds. it's built much stronger to withstand the boost of the supercharger, there are a few parts on the stang engine though i think people have used with a little modding to it.
And to make it faster??? PLENTY of ways, these cars definitely cost more to mod than other cars, but i love the results, very fun cars. definitely look into the car deeper and get back to us if it has any problems, there is plenty of help on this board, and the people are just awesome. ask all you want, and be sure to use the search button, you will most likely find every question u have answered by others earlier on, good luck--!!!! sorry this is so long-
Damon
 
Thanks for the info guys. Sorry, I ment to change the title of this thread and delete all the text, cause I reposted it in the n00b forum. If you like, you can stop replying here and go there. Sorry for the double post.
Thanks for the info1
I'm not too scared by the work as long as it's nothing serious, I can do most of it myself. Anyway, I'm going to go check the car out tomorrow, I'm thinking that it might just be in pretty good shape. It belongs to a lady at a drugstore. I'm figuring she probably hasn't driven it very hard so it's in pretty good shape. I'm hoping. I'm just glad theres ways to make them faster! Well that and they can be reliable. Which I've learned already. Any car can be reliable as long as you maintain it. My Bronco was till it's transmission decided to give :mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm really looking forward to seeing this car. It just seems to have my name written all over it. I'm planning to ask tomorrow if she'll let me take the car over to a local Ford dealership (I'm hoping she lets me drive it there, because that would let me get the test drive done at the sametime. Taking it on the highway, and on city streets, but I doubt it, it's understandible) to get it checked out.

I'm really looking forward to test driving the car, and if it's in good shape, BUYING IT! Ever since I've had my Bronco I've definitly been a Ford guy. I really like other cars (any make, as long as it looks good and can perform), but Ford is my favorite. I'm real excited about this! I just hope it works out!

Oh, and whats the best place to look for performance stuff? I've dug through my Summit and Jegs catalogs. I haven't really found anything besides an exhaust system (speaking of which, it says 92-97 (I think) T-Bird, but isn't the '92 the same as the '91? Would I be able to put that on?). What would you sugguest, if I did get the car and got exhaust (first thing), should I put a Y-Pipe or true dual? Would true dual have a big advantage since it's just a six cylinder? Also, sorry for sounding stupid, but what/where is the resonator? I'm still learning about everything and my Bronco didn't have one, I THINK. So what exactly is it, and where is it? Is it located after the cat?

Thanks.
 
nice

sounds like it's gonna be a nice car, even if it does have some small problems with it, it certainly sounds like you want it bad, if it's stuff that you can fix yourself or even have ot taketo s hop, offer her less money or something, but if you let it go, you might regret it, sounds lik eu really want it haha. good places for parts, www.supercoupeperformance.com great guy there, he is a bit pricey but very knowledgeable and has great stuff, can never go wrong with that. www.mn12performance.com good stuff too. and i cant remember the site, but search on yahoo for "spinning wheels sc" they are awesome too. the resonator does what it say, it resonates the sound, kinda like a 3rd muffler actually. it's directly under the middle of the car, the stock one is real small and the biggest bottleneck of the exhaust. there are SO many exhaust setups, do a search on this site, just type in exhaust and youll be reading for hours. i did so much before i got my system, justread, youll hear about every setup u can imagine almost and people saying if they are happy what it sounds like etc,, for my exhaust, i got 2.5" piping from the manifolds into 2.5" cats, ito a magnaflow resonator with a 3 inch outlet, and then it Y's back into 2.5" into dynomax super turbo mufflers. and i love it, but again just do a search and read... good luck-- let us know how the car is.
Damon
 
I want it bad yes. But I think a lot of it has to do because I go ape**** over a lot of cars. I've only ever looked at four cars in my entire life (I'm twenty... so far...); my original Bronco, and two different Fieros (hey, they're some of my favorite cars. I love them. Just not enough aftermarket for them unless you're swapping in a SBC! Which I don't have $6000 to do that), now this SC. Granted, when I saw this SC, I knew it was a car I had to own. It's just... very ME. Plus, it's the first car since my Bronco (trying to sell it. It's got problems and wont start anymore. Just grinds) that I've actually jumped on. I could have had either of those Fieros I mentioned (One because my friends, girlfriends, dad (lol) wanted to trade me, but I backed out, because my Bronco was worth more...at the time. The other because I was about to sell my Bronco a year ago, but then decided not to, I should have :( ) and/or looked at another car, such as a Foxbody, but when I saw this T-Bird (today, 8/24) I just had to have it. I've only got $1000 in my checking account, but I'm trying to get $1500 or so for my Bronco. My mom who actually drove me over to see the car today (she had been mentioning it all week), told me I aught to call my grandpa and ask him if he'd loan me money until I sell my Bronco. Well, my benevolent grandpa (I feel like such a jerk for asking for money though) deicded to loan me $2000 and here I am. |-| This close to owning an SC. I don't know what it was, but I just had to jump on the ball with this one. So with anyluck, if everything works out with it and it has no/minor problems it will hopefully be mine next week. Strangely enough, a year ago when I was looking to sell my Bronco I was considering getting a 5.0 T-Bird. I never realized (until recently when I looked-up SC info) how gutless the 5.0 was.
We'll see how it works out. I'm hoping it's in great shape, the body is pretty pristine, but has a few tiny dents in it. Has a few tears in the vinyl(?) like on the drivers seat and one in the back near the headrest. The car apperently "runs great", so we'll see.
But yeah, I am pretty excited, lol. Soon as I get off school tomorrow I get to ride the bus home, where I will be dropped off near the car at exactly the time the person selling it gets off work.

One thing I have noticed is that the whole Ford community in general are pretty helpful people. Always were when I was on Ford-trucks.com, then Stangnet.com/Allfordmustangs.com and even crownvic.net (I considered a P71, ex-police crown vic for a while.)

Not to go off-topic here, but looking at your sig, are you a cop, greatwhite? :)
 
nice

lol, no im not a cop, im actually 20 years old myself, will be 21 this saturday though. i just always liked that icon. well the car sounds pretty good, what year is it by the way? you know the 94-95 sc's had 20 more hp and 15 more torque than the earlier models good luck tomorrow--
Damon
 
Hmm, didn't realize I hadn't yet posted the year.
Well it's a '91...

Now... I'm going to bed. Ahhh, sweet, sweet dreams...
 
Alright, well I took it for a test drive today. Took it through normal city driving, then hit the highway for a little bit. It seemed pretty solid. My only complaint is there were some blind spots it seems. Though it could also be the for sale signs in the quarter windows. But it has some real nice power. There was a little bit of lag on the highway when I floored it at about 60 (went from 60-80), then it downshifted and kicked-up. Anyway, it drove really great, but I have one question. When it was sittle idle, it seemed to idle well, there was no fluctuation in the RPM needle. But it seemed to have this odd pulsing feeling when it was idle. The needle was solid and the idle didn't feel rough, but there was an odd pulsing. Is this normal? I've never driven a supercharged car before, but the way this thing handles and drives it would definitly take some getting used to. Otherwise the pulsing it feels great. So whats the deal with that, is it normal? Boost gauge was slightly to the left on idle. Looking at 5PSI of vacuum or something.
So whats the deal?
 
dont worry mines does the same thing, its idling fine but u can feel like if it is unbalanced, like if one piston is out of whack, its kool though,
 
Okay, good to know it's normal. This thing is a lot different to drive than my Bronco, or even my girlfriends '93 Explorer! It's going to take some getting used to. Theres just something weird feeling about it in the steering. Not like the steering is wrong, but like it's super tight. Feels very similar to the Fiero I've driven. Feels like it has no power steering at all type of tight, like the Fiero. Definitly has a lot more power though!
My mom seems to think the insurence is going to be high on it though, because it's "sporty". She got a quote for a '92 Mustang 5.0 LX a little while ago and it was $240 a month, she thinks it'll be around there, but I'm really doubting it. This is definitly no Mustang, I like the luxury the T-Bird has...

Oh, another question, how does the tilt steering work? I tried to adjust it, but it didn't move, but I think thats because I'm not doing it right. I'm 6'2" and the steering position on it was rubbing on my legs. So how does that work? Do you have to push it real hard or what? My Bronco was the same. Never got the tilt to work on that, course I never needed it. So whats the deal with that?

Well anyway, I'm getting it checked-out tomorrow at the local dealership, so if everything checks-out with it and it's in great shape, it should be mine by next week. I was going to offer the seller $2800 for the car, they're asking $3300. $2500-$4000 in my area is about right for an SC. Tell me if you think this is a good price, the car is...

1991 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe
96000 miles
AC, PDL, PW, CC all in working condition
tears on the drivers side seat in the vinyl
some tears in the back, but nothing huge
Car runs nice, it's been maintained/babied through it's life it looks like. Apperently the original owner was an older man in Arizona I believe. The car has all maintaince records, had the SC oil and the radiator fluid changed back in May 2002, since that point it has an extra 12k miles on it. The oil has been changed every 3k. The outside is cherry red, near perfect condition, with a few tiny dents and some chipping on the front-end on the GFX. The car about two years ago blew a valve spring and had an entire top-end rebuild. New head gaskets, rebuilt heads, the works. The belts are in great shape, they look almost brand new. I think thats about it.
 
oh, u pull it and the steering wheel should go up by itself, it doesnt move vertically just the wheel moves diagnally, hope it helps

oh yeah, dont worry, insurance wont be that high, because insurance companies dont know what the TBIRD SC has different than a NA. so dont need to worry about it
 
I'm not sure whose exhaust system you saw in the Jegs and Summit Catalogs but if it said 92-97 it will not fit your car without swapping the has tank to one out of a later car. From 89-91 the exhaust was routed around the tank on the drivers side of the car. Afterwards the tank redesigned to allow a straighter path for the exhaust pipe. I'm not sure how much improvement there was in flow, but the new tank did have about a gallon less capacity than the earlier design. I THINK the only exhaust sytem made to fit the earlier tank is one made by Flowmaster. If you get that one just be sure to order the resonator (I think they refer to it as the "V6 conversion kit") which is listed under a seperate part number. If you can find the number for Barnett's Performance (which is located in the Atlanta area I think), you may be able to get the system for a few buck cheaper than Jegs or Summitt.
 
Smoof said:
Alright, well I took it for a test drive today. Took it through normal city driving, then hit the highway for a little bit. It seemed pretty solid. My only complaint is there were some blind spots it seems. Though it could also be the for sale signs in the quarter windows. But it has some real nice power. There was a little bit of lag on the highway when I floored it at about 60 (went from 60-80), then it downshifted and kicked-up. Anyway, it drove really great, but I have one question. When it was sittle idle, it seemed to idle well, there was no fluctuation in the RPM needle. But it seemed to have this odd pulsing feeling when it was idle. The needle was solid and the idle didn't feel rough, but there was an odd pulsing. Is this normal? I've never driven a supercharged car before, but the way this thing handles and drives it would definitly take some getting used to. Otherwise the pulsing it feels great. So whats the deal with that, is it normal? Boost gauge was slightly to the left on idle. Looking at 5PSI of vacuum or something.
So whats the deal?

If you got 5 Hg mm of vacuum at idle, then there is a vacuum leak. Mine is usually at 16-17 Hg mm at idle. I'm getting the same pulsation feel that you do and I have new plugs. I am thinking that it is just wires, but I have not had my fuel system cleaned for about 40k miles. Maybe that's it. I'm not throwing any codes, but I've read on here before that some sensors might be acting up, not exactly broke, and not throw any codes. But, your situation is that you will have a vacuum leak and might need new plugs. Ford will want about 400 bucks in labor to change said plugs, but you can save it by doing it yourself. I can say with some authority that it is one of the biggest pain in the butt to do, but I feel better that I did it. The second time I had to do it, it took only 3 hours to change all plugs. Anyway, and most importantly, see if the previous owners have had the engine mounts changed. If you want to know more, do a search about these engine mounts. But, if they haven't been changed THAT SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING THAT YOU HAVE DONE!!! SO many people on here have said that this problem will cause other things. I hope this helps....
 
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