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Detroit, 11:22 AM
Tue Nov 10
30 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #1982 more →

    I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher

    1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL

    1982: It's A Malaise-O-Rama $2188 Sale At Bert Weinman Ford!

    1982 Datsun Voice Warning Box Used Tiny Phonograph Record, Just Like Moon Base Robots

    Project Car Hell, Teutonic Nemesis Edition: BMW 750iL or Porsche 928?

    1982 Volkswagen Rabbit Cabriolet

    Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: $42,500 For A Supercharged Ford V8-Powered Maserati Quattroporte?

    1982 Honda Accord LX

    Never Mind The Callaway Porsche 944: 1982 Callaway Scirocco!

    Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $12,000 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel Pickup?
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of brc is never late, because of his v8 brc is never late, because of his v8
    10/12/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Wow, talk about dragging an old memory from the deep. Like a skilful psychiatrist, that not-really-a-popup headlight triggered something deep in my neurons. I read through the comments frantically trying to work out what else this car might have been know as, and, like a light bulb, on it came!

    I had an orange Monogram EXP model kit back when building model kits was as good as any day got. I had totally forgotten it's existence until this point. Thanks, Jalop!

    Note : gratuitous image linking
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet promoted this comment brc is never late, because of his v8 was starred brc is never late, because of his v8 was unstarred
    Image of Plecostomus [Tyrrell] Plecostomus [Tyrrell]
    10/12/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Look at you car, I don't care you're an LN7, cause you're a LIE.
    You're an EXP, no matter what you label yourself, frogeyes.
     Reply
    Plecostomus [Tyrrell] was starred Plecostomus [Tyrrell] was unstarred
    Image of If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
    10/12/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Man these things were ugly. I don't remember seeing any of these, and only a handful of EXPs. There was almost no market for a wheezy, frog-eyed Escort two seater, let alone an "upmarket" Mercury version.

    Come to think of it, I'm surprised the Escort sold as well as it did in the '80s with an all-hatch model range. Three and five doors were certainly more practical, but the market was already shifting to sedans when the Escort came out.
     Reply
    If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    10/12/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Let me guess, someone broke the rear window and the insurance company totaled this car.

    Still, although I'm more partial to the EXP, these would make for interesting cars with a bit of work (I'm thinking '88 EXP with the engine out of a mid-'90's Escort GT).
     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of MarywithanM™ MarywithanM™
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    That snazzy steering wheel did remind me of something. Not a complete match, but, what do you think? Similar?
     Reply
    MarywithanM™ was starred MarywithanM™ was unstarred
    Image of MarywithanM™ MarywithanM™
    10/11/09

    @MarywithanM™:
     Reply
    MarywithanM™ was starred MarywithanM™ was unstarred
    Image of wkiernan wkiernan
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    I saw one of these in the bank's parking lot in Pinellas Park many many years ago. The color of this one's top, dark grey on dark grey. Somebody had pried all the identifying emblems and stickers off of it. I walked around and around it, trying to peer into the heavily tinted windows, mumbling to my self "It looks familiar. But what is it? WHAT IS IT?"
     Reply
    MarywithanM™ promoted this comment wkiernan was starred wkiernan was unstarred
    Image of weskenney weskenney
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    This brings back memories. I had the Ford version, and it burned to the ground in my driveway. Went out to start it on a cold morning, came back in and ate a bowl of cereal. When I came back out, flames were shooting from the grill slits. Took the FD 2 1/2 tanker trucks to put it out.

    Good times...
     Reply
    MarywithanM™ promoted this comment weskenney was starred weskenney was unstarred
    Image of GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Yeesh. The paint must have been part of the "Dichotomy Package". Never before has an ersatz sportster looked so much like a ersatz luxo-casket for two.
     Reply
    GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls was starred GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls was unstarred
    Image of skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher

    It's missing something.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet promoted this comment skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube was starred skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    10/12/09

    @skulldriveshaft picasaweb and youtube: That right there is one of the all time best factory specials ever to roll out of the plant. Except for the bed rails. Even has thinwalls.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of A strolling player A strolling player
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Note the tachometer's marking at 5½ rpm x 1000. I would be all over that for my tachometer.

    If I had a tachometer.
     Reply
    A strolling player was starred A strolling player was unstarred
    Image of Lost in the age of Aerostar Lost in the age of Aerostar
    10/11/09

    @A strolling player: I didn't notice that.

    Why did they do that? Because you need to know exactly where the "yellow" line was? To match with the highlighted 55 on the speedo?
     Reply
    A strolling player promoted this comment Lost in the age of Aerostar was starred Lost in the age of Aerostar was unstarred
    Image of A strolling player A strolling player
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: You can almost hear the engine pleading.

    "The redline's at six thousand but please god don't make me go there I can't go there again I can't do that please just please let me shift at five and a half..."
     Reply
    A strolling player was starred A strolling player was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: Running a carburetor and a distributor leaves no simple way to cut fuel or spark to limit engine speed. The yellow line, rather than than red in this case, means 'no, seriously, shift here because it won't stop itself from blowing up'. You could keep going until you got valve float, which will both ultimately limit engine speed and probably result in some hot metal-on-metal action.
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of Lost in the age of Aerostar Lost in the age of Aerostar
    10/11/09

    @skitter: I knew that about carb-dist. engines, (don't know what valve float is, though) so I guess the yellow is just an extra waning.

    Now i'm wondering if there was ever an engine reliability difference between cars equipped with and without tachs.

    @A strolling player: I know that sound well, having had various Escorts/Lynx's in my family from 82 on.
     Reply
    Lost in the age of Aerostar was starred Lost in the age of Aerostar was unstarred
    Image of SmaartAasSaabr SmaartAasSaabr
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: The problem with spinning an engine too fast is the valves don't have time to close, so they kind of "float" open and when this happens the engine power is reduced dramatically

    the valves can hit the pistons too in extreme cases
     Reply
    skitter promoted this comment SmaartAasSaabr was starred SmaartAasSaabr was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar:

    Valve float. C'mere, kid...I'll give you some education 'bout that there valve float....

    See now, valve float is when you've revved the engine high enough so that a valve's linear travel cannot keep up with the profile of the cam lobe.

    Boy, I say, BOY...sit back down....

    So when the valves are supposed to close, they're late, because they can't close fast enough.

    You keepin' up, boy???

    Sure, you can try stiffer valve springs, but that creates other issues. Think of float as a built-in rev-limiter.

    Now get along and go play with your friends.

    /playfully sarcastic Foghorn Leghorn
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: Valve float begins when the valve springs cannot push the valve closed fast enough to keep the bucket or lifter in contact with the cam lobes. It ends when the engine slows, or in destruction if pistons make contact with the still open valves.
    /hat tip to those above who type faster

    As for reliability, people choose their shift points fairly consistently based on the speedometer. Though often arbitrary, it's rarely at the point where the engine is no longer accelerating or 'making horrible noises'.
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of Turboner Turboner
    10/11/09

    @brake booster by Lucas...I'd better get religion!: One can also remove weight from the valvetrain to achieve the same goal without overly stressing the lobe/lifter interface, such as overhead camshafts, hollowstem valves, multiple valves per cylinder (smaller moments of inertia providing the same, or more flow), and so on. Generally speaking, low RPM limits of the malaise era were more valvetrain than engine control driven, IMO.

    I like where you're coming from, but float is more like an engine lifespan limiter, you can still rev beyond that mechanically if you miss a shift...
     Reply
    Turboner was starred Turboner was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @Turboner: Yeah, but that whole "adding lightness" is 'spensive.

    For the manufacturer, engine fragmentation is much, much less-expensive.

    ...why don't you have a heart-clicky? Fixed that for myself...
     Reply
    Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 10/11/09 3:52 PM that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of 1300ccsoffury 1300ccsoffury
    10/11/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: And if you ride a Ducati motorcycle, valve float isn't an issue...because those valves ride on rocker arms instead of springs. Desmodromic valves FTW!
     Reply
    1300ccsoffury was starred 1300ccsoffury was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @1300ccsoffury:

    Yeah...but then you have to adjust the clearances.

    I remember people getting very animated when discussing this aspect of Ducati ownership...while we were all riding Hondas.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Lost in the age of Aerostar Lost in the age of Aerostar
    10/11/09

    @brake booster by Lucas...I'd better get religion!: Yes, sir, I sat down, paid attention, and learned something to boot! Thank ya, pops!

    And thanks to all the others too: skitter, smartasssaabr, Turboner!!
     Reply
    Lost in the age of Aerostar was starred Lost in the age of Aerostar was unstarred
    Image of JayXJ JayXJ
    10/12/09

    @Lost in the age of Aerostar: Had a couple of Escorts as well. I fondly (sarcasm) remember the whine of the little sewing machine engine yelling: "FREAKIN' QUIT IT ALREADY!!!!". Ahhh, good times.
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom promoted this comment Edited by JayXJ at 10/12/09 12:46 AM JayXJ was starred JayXJ was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    While it wouldn't look out of place still covering miles out on the road, the performance is far more dated than the styling. It's a sad comment on the malaise that the 85 mph speedometer is entirely adequate.
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of 57sweptside 57sweptside
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Look at that "LN7 badge. If you turn it upside down, it reads the same.
     Reply
    skitter promoted this comment 57sweptside was starred 57sweptside was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    10/11/09

    @57sweptside: I have a warped affection for any "mistake-proof" assembly process.
     Reply
    Edited by skitter at 10/11/09 1:17 PM skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @skitter:

    Hold on, now. It's a malaise-FoMoCo product...at best, it's "mistake-resistant", and this one wasn't.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    10/11/09

    @brake booster by Lucas...I'd better get religion!: I used to have this argument at work. They'd ask 'Is it mistake proof?', and I would say 'No, you could still take it and weld it on any metal surface. Nothing is mistake proof, but the correct way is obvious.' Then they would look in confusion at their paperwork or computer screen with little checkboxes.

    Now I just answer 'Yes.'
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @skitter:

    What's bad is, the older I get, the less-tolerant I am of the inability to think and/or adopt idea which are different.

    However, like you, when confronted with utter cluelessness, I go with whatever is easiest for the lemmings to understand.

    It goes against my better judgement, but I'll live longer the less I let it bother me.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of 1964F100 1964F100
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Egads, the steering wheel on that thing reminded me of FoMoCo's misguided 1980s idea to put the horn button on the turn signal stalk...anyone remember that?
     Reply
    brake booster by Lucas...I'd better get religion! promoted this comment 1964F100 was starred 1964F100 was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @1964F100: What's I find hilarious is the turn-signal stalk end...hey, at least it'd get used for something...is this was after Lincoln had the horn embedded on the inside of the steering wheel's rim. This didn't age well, and the resulting dead-spots made it a challenge to actually have the horn sound.
     Reply
    Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 10/11/09 3:03 PM that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    These used to be everywhere--I actually think the front end isn't that bad; it's the cheap-ass escortish plastic rear and huge rear glass that made it look like an old camaro that had been washed in hot water and shrunk up.
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of nollid51 nollid51
    10/11/09

    In reply to I'm Not An EXP, Says Doomed Mercury LN7 To The Crusher
    Yikes. That is a face only a mother could love. I'm trying to find a redeeming quality on it somewhere, but it really is just hideous from every angle. Put it out of its misery...
     Reply
    Alfisted promoted this comment nollid51 was starred nollid51 was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    10/11/09

    @nollid51: The redeeming quality? It made it's successor (Probe) look totally awesome in comparison.
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    10/11/09

    @Alfisted:

    What I find amazing is the MX-6, on which the Probe was based, didn't sell as well.

    I think it was the MX-6. Old auto info is starting to fade from memory...save for how to tune points-fired ignitions, and stuff like this which has been ingrained.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    10/11/09

    @brake booster by Lucas...I'd better get religion!: It was the MX-6, which was far better looking than the Probe. If it had been RWD, I would have bought one.
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
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