Because what could look worse than a missing piece of trim?
(Submitted by Tom Klockau just today at the Cohort. Thanks, Tom!)
CC Outtake: 1984 Ford LTD Crown Victoria – If They Don’t Find You Handsome
– Posted on January 30, 2012
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Curbside Classics Archives
Hey, at least they are keeping up on the maintenance!
The 15″ 1975-77 style wheel covers indicate that this car has a Heavy-Duty fleet package with the 351 engine instead of the more common 302. There should be a 9″ rear end in there as well, instead of the weaker integral carrier type.
Hub caps are easily changed though so I wouldn’t base too much on that. I’ve never seen or heard of a 9″ factory Panther rear axle,
After 1981, the 351 motor was police car only in the US. This is a 1983-87 CV. And in the past 25+ years, someone has added 15″ wheels.
I didn’t walk around to the front, so could only narrow the year to ’83-’85. It doesn’t have the CHMSL, so it’s pre-’86, and it has the taillights that were new for ’83.
I do recall seeing some of these with the ’75-’78 LTD wheel covers back when they were still fairly new. At the time, I thought it was unusual for Ford to reintroduce wheel covers from the ’70s on a new car.
15″ wheels were optional in 1983 and became standard by 1986.
There’s plenty of these 351 powered 15″ wheel CVs in Canada, and they do have 9-inch rears.
I’d love to see proof of the 9″ rear because all the gear ratios listed as available for all Panthers are 8.8″ ratios not 9″ ratios even those with the police or class III tow package.
8.8″ ratios available from Ford
2.73 (standard in Boxes, later aeros)
3.08 (standard in later aeros, optional on Boxes)
3.23 (standard aero HPP most years, standard P71)
3.55 (standard some years with HPP & Marauders, optional later P71)
3.73 (truck/SUV)
4.10 (not factory installed, what the engineers spec’ed out for Marauder but were told no way)
9″ ratios available from Ford
3.10
3.40
3.50
3.60
3.64
3.89
4.00
4.11
Well, there were no 8.8s before 1986, but I do know the 351 powered cars have larger ring gears than standard. Way back in the mid-90s, I was talking to a guy in a wrecking yard looking for a rear for his 1981 351 panther and none of the ones in the yard were the same as his.
What time period are those 9″ ratios from? I know for a fact that got as low as 2.75 in the 70s because that’s what our 460 powered Elite had.
The 8.8″ was introduced on the Panther (early as 1980 on the Lincolns) some early Panthers came with the same 7.5″ used in Foxes.
The 8.8″ started replacing the 9″ in 1983 in the trucks and was gone from the F and E series by 1986 and started showing up as optional in Foxes that year too.
Yes I left out the lowest ratio used on some 70’s cars since I couldn’t remember whether it was 2.75 or 2.78 off the top of my head.
Late to the party..
The 8.5 rear was available for the Panthers with 351s and HD packages until the 8.8 came around.
Otherwise it sure looks to be in good shape, so it’s pretty sad they have ruined the pait under it instead of getting the proper double stick foam tape.
Anyone else seen this commercial that has been on heavy rotation around here.
Oh, who knows…the paint under the duct tape may be okay.
Of course, finding out for sure requires removing the adhesive.
To do that, you’ll need another example of American ingenuity.
Anyone seen my can of WD-40? 🙂
Yeah it’s not until you yank that duct tape off that the paint will be messed up.
The half-length vinyl roof is a great period touch.
Looks like they have a trunkful of, er, recyclable metals, let’s say! My dad put booster shocks (the ones with the coil springs on them) on our 1971 LTD probably 2-3 years after we got it, and we upgraded to full air shocks in the late 70s (that was great – kept us from getting our headlights flashed at on family trips). Those domestic shocks seemed to last about 20K miles back in the 70s (at which point one ordered a replacement set, usually from Sears or Wards).
Removal of the trim would have continued the trend of the bent front bumper corner and the loose trim on the rear bumper corner.
That said, these were great cars….I owned an ’86 that had been a former Missouri State Highway Patrol car, my father owned an ’85, and my father-in-law had an ’87 and an ’86 coupe. We then all graduated to the newer Panther’s of ’92 and up.
I smell antifreeze.
That’s how all Walmart parking lots smell.
Those tail lights are among some of my favorite of the Crown Victoria’s over the years. Right close behind are the rounded back and corner tail lights of the last years before the areo makeover.
BTW I think Red Green would have removed all the trim and replaced with shiny duct tape stripes.
Red was also pretty good with house paint.
Quando omni flunkus moritati!
“When all else fails, play dead” (not real Latin)
Dog Latin – a phrase that sounds like it could be latin but is not.
My favorite is: “Illigitimus Non Carbundum.”
Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Mine blew off in a wind storm.
Mom had a ’79 model of one of these. I remember it as being quiet on the road, having decent handling and riding nice over the bumps with a little less power than I expected a 302 to have. 20-22 mpg on trips with the a/c running. I would like to find another one and do some mods to the engine for more pickup.
My son is about 3500 miles into his 89 Grand Marquis that I did a CC on back at the end of November, I believe. After spending some time on the forums, there are some things you can do to the LoPo 302 that mostly involve swapping heads and cams and going to dual exhausts. For now, he intends to live with stock. He is a conservative driver, and has cracked 25 with no a/c and on flat midwestern interstates when he keeps his speed down. I believe that by 89 they were putting a really tall axle ratio in these.
You can save a lot of time and effort and just find yourself a Mark VII LSC with the 5.0 HO.
Please tell me you all had that car rustproofed!
I have to say that every time I click on the homepage and that car appears in the featured part, it sure brings a smile to my face 🙂
Not yet, but I am recommending to him that he do it. It has been a good car. He is a sports communications major at Indiana University and travels to games to cover/broadcast them. So far, the old Mercury has travelled to Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, and is going to Purdue this weekend. He is really enjoying it.
Impressive! Good for him. 🙂
I think a 2150 2 bbl carb for a ’69 390 (go to NAPA), mid-80s Mustang 5.0 stock FoMOCo junkyard exhaust headers, and a 1.75 inch diameter dual exhaust will yield the most bang for the buck on the 302 without going through the engine. If you have fuel injection, just do the headers and exhaust, it’ll compensate.
I don’t think it’s worth putting on a 4 bbl intake for street use unless the heads, pistons and camshaft have been modified. Just getting rid of the external smog equipment previously mentioned will help the most for driveability
But a Mark VII LSC is a Fox car, not a Panther like the Grand Marquis ;).
Just this morning I saw a similar vintage Grand Marquis in town. It wasn’t in the greatest of shape, but it still got me to thinking about how I miss seeing these 80’s Panthers on the road. Something about them always felt classy. Oh well, what are you going to do…
Around here there are still lots of Box Panthers roaming around, way more than B-Boxes. It is rare when I don’t see one everyday or at least every other day.
After 1985/86, GM cancelled some RWD big cars, and customers went to Ford, so there are quite a few more 1986-91 Panthers.
There were no RWD [boxy] big Olds, Buick or Pontiacs after ’86, and the Caprices were mostly bought by Police.
Somehow these dont look correct unless they are catching a little air through an intersection with a blue light on the roof.
It could have been worse. The owner could have drilled holes in the door and used wood screws to hold the trim on.
“Because what could look worse than a missing piece of trim?”
In today’s cars, if you take out the fenders they look awful. I remember A1 Rabbits looked nice without fenders, not now.
I guess today fenders are trim… so I agree.
Here is a shot of my ’85 C/V, Canadian spec ,with the 351W, factory dual exhaust, and 14 inch wheels. I still think that 15 inchers were an option. With a light foot, she will do around 24US on the highway, and about 18 around town. Originally supplied with the variable venturi carb, it has been replaced with a 2bbl Ford carb or uncertain origin. The rear axle is the 2.73, so it turns fairly low revs on the highway. A very smooth economical cruiser that gives away performance to my similar spec ’75 Monte with the 350 4bbl and 2.73 rear end.
smaller format photo
There are tons of US-spec Panther guys (myself included!) that wish they had a 351 like yours!
If I were ever to go bigger in mine, though, it’d be to a 460.
15″ became an option for the ’83 and became standard for the ’86 so you got the last year you could get 14″.
New Panther enthusiast here ( just purchased a 1984 CV coupe ) planning a low budget build up of the motor and I would appreciate any thoughts on me installing a set of 289 heads I have along with a mild cam and possibly a used carb and intake.
… any issues with installing these heads on the factoriy 302 I should know about?