You've just won...

Topic: You've just won... (Read 3751 times) previous topic - next topic

You've just won...

November 19, 2004, 04:30:31 PM

...eleventy-two bazillion dollars. You can now build the fox T-Bird or Couugar of your dreams. Since you can buy and sell Billy Gates with an hour's worth of interest on your fortune, money is no object. Thing is, since I am the commisioner of the lottery I attach a stipulation that any car you build MUST be a 1983-1988 T-Bird or Cougar (preferrably based on the car you have now). What would you do? What would you do?

My dream Fox ThunderCat:

Start with a pristine 1988 T-Bird (mine would do

). A TC would not be necessary because virtually the only stock part that would remain would be body & interior. Then from there I would:

Completely remove the drivetrain and suspension. The front K-member would go as well, as would much of the floor and firewall. In its place would go a custom tube-frame and sheetmetal setup that would allow the use of a Navigator-sourced AWD system.
The rear end would be a custom IRS setup (not the Cobra rear due to its geometry problems).
Powering this AWD system would be a GT-spec supercharged 5.4-liter V8 with dry sump lubrication (required to clear the AWD setup and keep the engine as low as possible). If I couldn't get a GT engine I'd build one. The tranny would be a beefed-up 5R55E automatic (Sourced from the Navigator, required to work with the AWD)
The body would be left 100% stock (you can't improve on perfection) except a TC header and a cowl hood to clear the 5.4
The interior would remain stock with the addtion of TC seats, except that everything would be covered in the finest leather available. Hell, I'd even leave it red. Custom carpeting would have to be made to fit the new floor (I recon a transfer case would create a hump). A complete custom gauge panel would be made up, and of course the audio/visual system would be spectacular (I don't know enough about this stuff to know what I'd want right now, but with eleventy-two billion dollars I'd hire somebody who does. And it'd be very, very expensive, to say the least)
Lighting, both interior and exterior, would be custom LED and HID. There would not be an incandescent bulb on the car.

I'm sure I will add to this fantasy car later on, after I eat supper (and give you all achance to post so I can steal some of your ideas

). So come on then, let's hear your dreams.

Re: You've just won...

Reply #1 – November 19, 2004, 05:34:07 PM

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/11/flame.thrower.car/

need some preventive measures for theft. Its surprising I still remembered the story above after all these years

Re: You've just won...

Reply #2 – November 19, 2004, 07:06:28 PM

- I would do every removable body panel in full, painted-over carbon fiber. (apparently, most "carbon fiber look" hoods and what not are just one layer of CF over several layers of fiberglass, to save money. Well, I don't want the carbon fiber look.. I want the strength and light weight.. but full CF costs $$$$$$$$$)
- I'd get one of the rumored Dart SBF aluminum blocks, to go with aluminum heads and intake. Not sure which, yet. I think I'd get one with the 351W deck height and 302 mains, if they offered the same choices as the iron blocks they sell now. I saw a link to some 4 valve per cylinder Windsor heads as a tangent to some other thread around here.. maybe I'd try those.
- Aluminum radiator. (cores are generally wider)
- Pretty much all of the suspension/body upgrades I currently have in mind for my V8 Bird: Tubular A-arms, tubular Mustang K-member, welded subframe connectors, beef up the torque boxes, etc.
- Perfect restoration of the interior of the '88.. all new leather.. new dash.. new door panels.. all new carpet. Close to what I have in mind already.. although I'm not planning on being perfect about it. I'd also have all appropriate parts of the interior Dynamatted, which is something I'm also hoping to do to this car anyway.
- Pretty much same plans for the drivetrain as I have now: Aluminum driveshaft, AOD + Gear Vendors' gear splitter, (maybe go electronic tranny + Baumannator TCS, if it's compatible with both the AOD-E AND the gear splitter.. would essentially make an 8-speed transmission out of it all) 8.8" rear end converted to quad-shock and w/ 3.55 plus PowerTrax locker. Maybe, in the spirit of the all-out fantasy of the thread here, I'd go with a custom carbon fiber driveshaft instead, with the mil-spec U-joints and all that .
- Custom-fabbed and coated Tri-Y headers, high-flow cats, and maybe that 3.5" single exhaust I was considering, just to screw with people's heads. :p
- A decent, but not earth-shattering, stereo system built for sound quality. I really can't stand loud stereos in other people's cars.. so it would be kinda hypocritical of me to build something out of this world. I've long wanted a small box with an isobaric pair, maybe 8s or 10s.. plus component speakers all 'round.
- Trans and oil coolers, perhaps also with one of the remote-mount dual-filter setups. I'd also tack on extra AutoMeter gauges, perhaps on an A-pillar pod, for oil temp. and trans temp.
- I'd look into the possibility, as I have already been researching for the past couple weeks, of running a bi-fuel setup with propane/LPG and gasoline. You can get toroidal (doughnut-shaped) tanks for propane as an alternative to huge cylindrical tanks, and I think I'd have it rigged to squirt the propane in just after the supercharger, to try and take advantage of the cold temps involved with LPG.
- The best brakes I could put on the car, which is also a priority in my current plans. Also, the best (lightest weight, easiest on my eyes, and best performing for my goals) wheels and tires I can put around 'em. Probably the 13" cobra discs, 4-wheel disc/5-lug conversion, and 245/40ZR17s all around. If it made sense to go with anything beyond that, (I see a few race applications in the Summit catalog, etc.) I'd go that route. Gotta have my stopping power and control as much as I'd have my get-up-and-go power.

Basically, I would play up my existing desires in a car: I would love to make a Fox T-bird that wore the iconic name well, performed like a Mustang, rode as comfortably as a Lincoln, and wouldn't be completely embarrassed to be caught next to some granola-munching hippie in a hybrid sitting at a stoplight. (not that I'm shooting for a ULEV or anything like that.. just equal to or better than stock 1988 T-bird emissions output) I'd shoot for at least 300 hp and 30 mpg highway, because raw horsepower numbers aren't all that important to me. If the Callaway Corvette can supposedly get close to 30 mpg highway, I don't see why I couldn't try for the above. I don't build or drive to impress anyone but myself. Being able to travel long distances comfortably and efficiently is, in my own quirky manner. If I were infatuated with raw power and had the unlimited budget of your fantasy-thread here, I'd just buy that new Bugatti that has a 1001 hp/"W" 16 cylinder engine and something like a 250 mph top speed.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/bugatti.htm

Basically, I'd rather have (fantasy scenario here) a T-bird that an ex-Ford employee who worked on them would come up to me and say ", I WISH we could've built 'em like that!" than have someone come up to me and say ", you just smoked my ".

Re: You've just won...

Reply #3 – November 19, 2004, 07:12:34 PM

And yes, I realize there's a possible slight contradiction in there.. saying I don't build or drive for anyone else, yet making one statement to screw with people's heads.. while it's true, I don't build things to impress others, I don't mind messing with other people a little. Minor, inoffensive head games are fun sometimes. I see something like that as little more than stuff like the old gag of tapping someone in a crowd on the opposite shoulder from you, to make them look the other way.

I also forgot to include that I'd consider one (possibly) really tacky change to the car: Painting the entire car in green/purple chameleon paint, like the cell phone I gave to my mother. I love green, and I love purple. That's like my dream paint. :p OK, no throwing of heavy objects in protest. :p

Re: You've just won...

Reply #4 – November 19, 2004, 07:18:22 PM

i'd buy myself the hottest hookers and let take them for a spin in my tbird :flip:

Re: You've just won...

Reply #5 – November 19, 2004, 09:21:52 PM

id go the same as you sam, awd. probley the same built supercharged 5.4 but i would also have the cf body with a coustom chromemoly tubular cage/body (strength of a rollcage, but you cant see it) tubular suspension coustome of corse, a audio system that would be able to implode a human :) the lighting would all be replaced and accent lighting would be installed to illuminate key features, or colored floresent lights would be installed to match interior color. i would have frameless doors, and those fancy windows from 3m that you can adjust the tint level from opaque to clear. the interior would be high quality textile, leather, and suade. it will be sound proofe inside with the radio turned off. headlights and fog lights would turn night into day, even on the dark side of the moon, vaporizeing anything in my path. and if you rember that tbird that did the 4.6 swap and had the coustome intake and ghoste flames? i would have a header pannel like that, tc style, with the sc emblem and grill vent. the car would be louder, faster, and handel better than anything ever. it would beat any of the super cars on the road today. run a 5 at the track, pull 10g's on the skid pad, go 400mph + :) i may even use the seating arangement of the mclaren. sence i have enough money i can actualy say just do it, i dont cair what it costs. and people would.

o, and one more thing, i would have a team of specialy trained medical staff following me, the best medical insurance, and a few extra of these cars for when i wreck one doing something stupid:)

Re: You've just won...

Reply #6 – November 19, 2004, 10:37:52 PM

since i love the fox platform, i wouldnt do much to changing the overall design, i would mostly improve upon it

id like to first find a full option (other than leather) 87-88 bird, put it in a shop that can do every imaginable thing to restore a car, and restore the body and interior to better than new condition, the interior would stay stock other than the 140mph speedo mod, a good sound system and just some accent items

the body would be smoothed, shaved everything other than the bird embelum in the TC header panel, LX bumper cover, LX hood, the car would have a widebody kit, mostly flairing out the fenders probably 1.5 inches, have it repainted the current red my red bird is

suspension...tubular k-member, coil overs, c/c plates, g-load brace, strut tower brace, upper and lower control arms (adjustable) swaybars, subframe connectors, custom built torque box's, custom tubular arms that make the car 1.5"s wider on each side up front, and a custom 9" rear making the rear tires about flush with the fender, wheels and tires...03 cobra's, 9" up front, 10.5 in the rear

under the hood....ahhhhhh....Dart Aluminum block, forged stroker kit taking it to 347, balanced and built by the machine shop, forged pistons for an 8.5:1 compression ratio, AFR heads, edelbrock lower intake manifold with a custom sheetmetal upper intake, here's the kicker...twin Garrett GT66's hanging on some custom built headers, feeding a custom shoehorned intercooler in the nose, dual 3" exhaust all the way back

tranmission...whatever i can find or build to hold up to that power, id prefer a 6-speed of sorts

Re: You've just won...

Reply #7 – November 20, 2004, 01:01:50 AM

First thing I would do is start a company producing all the obsolete parts for these cars, I would have different cars for different purposes so to long to list everything for the road racing, drag, daily driver, and extreme rough as a cob sleeper

Re: You've just won...

Reply #8 – November 20, 2004, 07:50:49 AM

Quote

...eleventy-two bazillion dollars.

Is this US or CDN???? Curious if I'd be able to afford tires for the thing after the engine build. :grinno:

Me I'd stay old skool(if retaining the stock appearing engine is old school). Probably get one of the Dart blocks that will take a .100 overbore, and stroke it to the full 372 ci in that can be stuffed in the 8.2" deck(5.0) block. If that wasn't fast enough, probablly SC it or go with a 351 stroked to 427. As far as AWD, naah we don't need stuff like that here on the coast of VA.

I'd take some of the money and definatly buy a '63 1/2 Galaxie Fastback, with the 427 of course(with all that money I'd likely get a '64 as well). Also I'd have a '67 Fairlane, again with the 427.

Re: You've just won...

Reply #9 – November 21, 2004, 08:39:19 AM

Yeah, I'd deffinitely have to go get another '70 Torino Cobra, a Pantera, and maybe a Thunderbolt.

Re: You've just won...

Reply #10 – November 22, 2004, 12:19:44 AM

Ooooo!!!

I'd put most of the money (spent) into the chassis/suspension! In the front i'd go with Bilstiens and coil-overs. Strut tower brace, already have cc plates ($$$ saved... w00t!), MM K-member, control arms, and other little thingies i don't feel like getting into at the moment.

In the rear i'd pull out that live axle and get a Cobra IRS setup installed. Along with Bilstein shocks and H&R springs for that. Do all the chassis stiffening possible for the 4.6 DOHC Twin Turbo Engine w/ T-56 making way into it's new home. The turbos would be mainly to return my TurboCoupe into a "turbo" coupe!!! Power... i'm not that greedy, 300 hp would suffice me...(as i do like to drive my car on the street, lol) but obviously it would be up around 400-500 hp.

Then i would grab three designers of wheels to design me a set of one of a kind, never to be duplicated wheels for my new ride.

And of course i would pay anyone handsomely to install side exhaust on my car.

And another lucky chum will be paid handsomely to design me a set of freakin louvers!!!! (i seen some today on a black tbird and they look awesome!!!!!!) Except for the wheels and louvers... i would leave cosmetics mostly stock and try to hit that ultimate sleeper look. heh heh... they'll never know what hit them. ^_^

Re: You've just won...

Reply #11 – November 22, 2004, 09:13:48 AM

I can't even figure out what to do on a low budget, never mind no budget! But there'd be a few of them in the long run.

The craziest turbo coupe money could buy (2.3 turbo engine included)
A super high tech small block car and the craziest chopped & channeled, carbed, supercharged big block bird I could make.

Like I said... decisions decisions which is why details are non existant

Re: You've just won...

Reply #12 – November 23, 2004, 12:26:03 AM

If i had no budget, I'd get an '88 Turbo Coupe and build it how the factory should have.
It would have to be fully loaded, I would be the same color as Hawk's car, shave the handles and antenna, and lower it 1.5". have a dart iron block punched to 408ci and AFR 225 heads. Aeromotive fuel system. AEM computer with a speed density sytem (is that possible?). Trick flow's new box intake, and a 76mm turbo. Then throw a TKO 600 5spd behind it and beef the hell out of the 8.8". To stop it, it would have roush 14" front brakes and 13" cobra rears. And for the wheels, probably those Saleen ones (Speed Star?) in 18".

Nick

Re: You've just won...

Reply #13 – November 23, 2004, 01:08:27 AM

With all that money, ill pay for a Hydrogen or hybrid engine with all sort of high tech useless gadget...

I'd also laugh at all you when filling my car with Water while washing it... :flip:

Nah... seriously, ill build myself a Bran new car... Always wanted an old chassis with Modern Interior.

I better stop dreaming.....

Re: You've just won...

Reply #14 – November 23, 2004, 01:25:27 AM

I'd just buy another 87 Xr-7