Is it actually jacked up, or is it just wonky air suspension? I’ve seen both–sometimes when the front drops (leaky or blown air shocks) the rear will rise. Or, sometimes folks actually go for this look and “lock” it there (I’d hate to see how harsh the ride becomes.)
Still, nice-looking VII. A lot I’ve seen lately are heading toward beater status but this one still seems to be well-kept other than the odd attitude. With the “turbine” rims this is probably an early LSC.
It is almost certainly jacked up on purpose. If the front bags failed it would be sitting lower in the front. A failed sensor can cause it to either drop to its stops or top out. That wouldn’t explain the front stance though as it would be lower. The sensors are adjustable and if you want you can modify the sensor mounting to increase the range of adjustment. I did on my Crown Vic but it was to go lower than the regular range.
I’m pretty sure we have seen this exact car on this site before.
It may not be jacked up on purpose. I’ve owned two MK’s, and if the air suspension sensor gets damaged ( mine ripped off some how ) the air bag will completely fill up, raising the car like in the picture. On my car, it was the front suspension, and it looked like the car in the picture, but reversed!
Now….. it is odd that the front is down ( torn air bags not holding air? ), and the back is up ( broken sensor ), but it is possible. Maybe.
Yes the sensor(s) can become disconnected or break and cause the system to go to full up position on the front suspension. On the rear when the link breaks or gets disconnected the suspension will almost always vent completely unless the sensor arm gets stuck on something or jammed. The front and rear sensors work in opposite directions on the VII.
However that front is almost certainly done on purpose as it isn’t all the way on the stops as it would be with a torn bag. Since the front is highly likely due to intentional adjustment of the sensor I’m betting that the rear is also a sensor adjusted to achieve that effect.
The thing that gets me is that stance pretty is pretty much at the limit of travel the shocks will allow, in fact it seems like I’ve pulled coils out of Mustangs with the axle that drooped. Bet that’s a comfortable ride.
I agree that it looks like it is topped out against the shocks. One thing to note is that the T-bird/Mark use longer shocks and have more suspension travel in the rear than the Mustang/Fairmont. Found that out when I wanted to fit air shocks on my 83 Bird to level it when towing a trailer. They didn’t make air shocks for the Bird so I bought some for a Mustang, drilled a couple of mounts and relocated the lower mount bracket. Worked like a charm though I lost some travel.
Trust me, that’s not intentional. 25 years working at Lincoln dealers has given me a lot of insight. That’s a sign of a bad rear ride height sensor. Sold many back in the day.
Thanks for confirming what what I assumed. I just don’t see this being deliberate.
Eric VanBuren
Posted June 6, 2014 at 10:28 AM
If it were only the rear sitting that high then I might think it was a failed rear sensor. But the fact that the front is sitting where it would if the sensor was deliberately adjusted to the setting where it would give the lowest ride height within the factory range makes me think it was done on purpose. The front seems to be sitting level from side to side, at least as good as can be gathered from the picture, which further supports that the front was done deliberately. If they purposely adjusted the front that low then I would suspect that they did the rear too. I just don’t see all 3 sensors having failed and in such a manner that would cause it to sit like that.
Interesting, that guy’s face is blurred. If the rake was not so severe my first thought would be that the suspension had gotten tired of holding up the engine over the past 20 plus years. I love every bit of these vehicles from the color, the lines, the wheels, the proportions, but yet the closest I have come to one of these is sitting in a Thunderbird in a junkyard.
Teddy, I specifically blurred his face for you! Seriously; you gave me a bit of grief about showing the back of that guy working on his Camry in his driveway, so I thought if I did this, I wouldn’t hear from you about it. Guess I can’t win, either way 🙂
This is a rehab facility, and I decided to give him a bit of a break.
Now I feel like an asshole because I realize the error of my ways in regards to the Camry article, but I did not put two and two together this time. I thought that was a pot shop Paul, my apologizes. I am going to be doing some pondering now.
I like these a lot,they were the first Lincoln to interest me since the beautiful 56.Wasn’t there a kind of airbag suspension on these?I’m sure I remember my ex putting new airbags in an 80s Lincoln
+1 this was the best looking American car of the 80s .American car makers often got it right first time,nice as the Mk VIII was it was a slight step back in looks
The VII may well have been the best looking American car of the 80’s. They just nailed the styling and attitude. (MN12 T-bird and Buick Grand National may have been in the running for me…)
I disagree that the VIII was a step back in looks though. Different, sure, as it is very much a part of the early 90’s aero idiom, but I loved it when it came out and love it just as much today. Owned one for two years (’04 to ’06) and, were it not for the accident that totaled it, might have kept it until today.
This was actually a one-off experimental car. Lincoln engineers decided to see if the old 460 could be put back into service. The combination of the heavy lump of iron over the front wheels and the usually-empty gas tank over the back made the car look like this all the time. Of course, the project was cancelled.
I used to use a Town Car as a truck. This was in 1996, so the Lincoln was probably a ’94 or ’95. When I’d unload the hundreds of pounds of boat gear from the trunk and back seat, the Lincoln would assume this position until all the doors and the deck lid were closed. Then it would settle back to level. I guess that isn’t what happened here, since this one is all closed up.
In certain applications they put a delay in the vent procedure so they won’t vent until 15-30 minutes after the vehicle is unloaded. I do not believe that was done on the Marks though.
I was working in a shop in Mi. in the 90s when a guy who had an 87 or so was throwing all the Mustang performance parts at his engine. Cams, intakes, headers, ect. He blew up the engine, then he ordered a Ford Hipo 5.0 create engine, big mistake. The engine was built to be installed in a light Mustang w/ a 5speed & 3.73s. His car wouldn’t even chirp ’em. He should’ve ordered a more mild stroker 5.0, built to make torque when installed in a heavy car with an auto & 3.08s. Everybody sees that 400hp & say “that’s the one for me”.
What amazes me about that vintage of Lexus (Lexii?) is how they just are mostly un-killable. Some of the electric stuff goes wrong, but they seem to be pretty stout as far as drivelines.
Seem in that I just see the most clapped-out versions still going strong.
I’ve also seen about a dozen Lincoln Continentals in that exact same pose.
I think they really are the ultimate beater. I’d prefer an old Benz convertible because their heftier control efforts make them more pleasant in extended day-to-day use and because I like convertibles, but old LS400s really are hard to top in terms of reliability and genuine satisfaction.
Is it actually jacked up, or is it just wonky air suspension? I’ve seen both–sometimes when the front drops (leaky or blown air shocks) the rear will rise. Or, sometimes folks actually go for this look and “lock” it there (I’d hate to see how harsh the ride becomes.)
Still, nice-looking VII. A lot I’ve seen lately are heading toward beater status but this one still seems to be well-kept other than the odd attitude. With the “turbine” rims this is probably an early LSC.
My guess is wonky. I had a ’90 Mark VII some years back and it would do interesting aerobics like that and settle back to normal just driving around.
It is almost certainly jacked up on purpose. If the front bags failed it would be sitting lower in the front. A failed sensor can cause it to either drop to its stops or top out. That wouldn’t explain the front stance though as it would be lower. The sensors are adjustable and if you want you can modify the sensor mounting to increase the range of adjustment. I did on my Crown Vic but it was to go lower than the regular range.
I’m pretty sure we have seen this exact car on this site before.
It may not be jacked up on purpose. I’ve owned two MK’s, and if the air suspension sensor gets damaged ( mine ripped off some how ) the air bag will completely fill up, raising the car like in the picture. On my car, it was the front suspension, and it looked like the car in the picture, but reversed!
Now….. it is odd that the front is down ( torn air bags not holding air? ), and the back is up ( broken sensor ), but it is possible. Maybe.
Yes the sensor(s) can become disconnected or break and cause the system to go to full up position on the front suspension. On the rear when the link breaks or gets disconnected the suspension will almost always vent completely unless the sensor arm gets stuck on something or jammed. The front and rear sensors work in opposite directions on the VII.
However that front is almost certainly done on purpose as it isn’t all the way on the stops as it would be with a torn bag. Since the front is highly likely due to intentional adjustment of the sensor I’m betting that the rear is also a sensor adjusted to achieve that effect.
The thing that gets me is that stance pretty is pretty much at the limit of travel the shocks will allow, in fact it seems like I’ve pulled coils out of Mustangs with the axle that drooped. Bet that’s a comfortable ride.
I agree that it looks like it is topped out against the shocks. One thing to note is that the T-bird/Mark use longer shocks and have more suspension travel in the rear than the Mustang/Fairmont. Found that out when I wanted to fit air shocks on my 83 Bird to level it when towing a trailer. They didn’t make air shocks for the Bird so I bought some for a Mustang, drilled a couple of mounts and relocated the lower mount bracket. Worked like a charm though I lost some travel.
Trust me, that’s not intentional. 25 years working at Lincoln dealers has given me a lot of insight. That’s a sign of a bad rear ride height sensor. Sold many back in the day.
Thanks for confirming what what I assumed. I just don’t see this being deliberate.
If it were only the rear sitting that high then I might think it was a failed rear sensor. But the fact that the front is sitting where it would if the sensor was deliberately adjusted to the setting where it would give the lowest ride height within the factory range makes me think it was done on purpose. The front seems to be sitting level from side to side, at least as good as can be gathered from the picture, which further supports that the front was done deliberately. If they purposely adjusted the front that low then I would suspect that they did the rear too. I just don’t see all 3 sensors having failed and in such a manner that would cause it to sit like that.
Interesting, that guy’s face is blurred. If the rake was not so severe my first thought would be that the suspension had gotten tired of holding up the engine over the past 20 plus years. I love every bit of these vehicles from the color, the lines, the wheels, the proportions, but yet the closest I have come to one of these is sitting in a Thunderbird in a junkyard.
Teddy, I specifically blurred his face for you! Seriously; you gave me a bit of grief about showing the back of that guy working on his Camry in his driveway, so I thought if I did this, I wouldn’t hear from you about it. Guess I can’t win, either way 🙂
This is a rehab facility, and I decided to give him a bit of a break.
Now I feel like an asshole because I realize the error of my ways in regards to the Camry article, but I did not put two and two together this time. I thought that was a pot shop Paul, my apologizes. I am going to be doing some pondering now.
No big deal. Let’s just stick to the cars, not the people in the pictures. 🙂
I like these a lot,they were the first Lincoln to interest me since the beautiful 56.Wasn’t there a kind of airbag suspension on these?I’m sure I remember my ex putting new airbags in an 80s Lincoln
What about the beautiful 1961?
Sorry but I just never took to it,give me a 61 Starliner anyday.
Yes these had 4 corner air suspension.
Thanks Eric
Is this thing in front of a re-hab clinic? Ha.
I do like these LSC Marks, not this one with it’s jacked up suspension, but a nice clean one, yeah.
+1 this was the best looking American car of the 80s .American car makers often got it right first time,nice as the Mk VIII was it was a slight step back in looks
Yep. I remember the first time I laid eyes on a Mark VII and it was love at first sight. The first time I saw a Mark VIII it was “WTF?”…
The VII may well have been the best looking American car of the 80’s. They just nailed the styling and attitude. (MN12 T-bird and Buick Grand National may have been in the running for me…)
I disagree that the VIII was a step back in looks though. Different, sure, as it is very much a part of the early 90’s aero idiom, but I loved it when it came out and love it just as much today. Owned one for two years (’04 to ’06) and, were it not for the accident that totaled it, might have kept it until today.
This was actually a one-off experimental car. Lincoln engineers decided to see if the old 460 could be put back into service. The combination of the heavy lump of iron over the front wheels and the usually-empty gas tank over the back made the car look like this all the time. Of course, the project was cancelled.
Looks like the driver is executing a panic stop.
I used to use a Town Car as a truck. This was in 1996, so the Lincoln was probably a ’94 or ’95. When I’d unload the hundreds of pounds of boat gear from the trunk and back seat, the Lincoln would assume this position until all the doors and the deck lid were closed. Then it would settle back to level. I guess that isn’t what happened here, since this one is all closed up.
In certain applications they put a delay in the vent procedure so they won’t vent until 15-30 minutes after the vehicle is unloaded. I do not believe that was done on the Marks though.
I was working in a shop in Mi. in the 90s when a guy who had an 87 or so was throwing all the Mustang performance parts at his engine. Cams, intakes, headers, ect. He blew up the engine, then he ordered a Ford Hipo 5.0 create engine, big mistake. The engine was built to be installed in a light Mustang w/ a 5speed & 3.73s. His car wouldn’t even chirp ’em. He should’ve ordered a more mild stroker 5.0, built to make torque when installed in a heavy car with an auto & 3.08s. Everybody sees that 400hp & say “that’s the one for me”.
Did you happen to notice this shot in the Cohort? I’m always looking for a Lexus with air suspension, and it seems Williamrubano’s finally found one!
What amazes me about that vintage of Lexus (Lexii?) is how they just are mostly un-killable. Some of the electric stuff goes wrong, but they seem to be pretty stout as far as drivelines.
Seem in that I just see the most clapped-out versions still going strong.
I’ve also seen about a dozen Lincoln Continentals in that exact same pose.
The ’88-’94 Conti’s were the worst. There wasn’t one single good thing about those steaming piles, except that I made a lot of money from them.
I think they really are the ultimate beater. I’d prefer an old Benz convertible because their heftier control efforts make them more pleasant in extended day-to-day use and because I like convertibles, but old LS400s really are hard to top in terms of reliability and genuine satisfaction.
Now that I notice it’s a rehab facility, I see why my comment was deleted.
Perhaps they have a program for Fox platform adherents …
Not exclusive to Lincolns only…
I had the airbag in the rear POP… when I was sitting in traffic, in my 85 Subaru RX awd Turbo.
I thought someone shot a bazooka… those airbag suspensions were an idea that NEVER worked out, a very bad idea.
I switched the whole suspension for regular coilovers from a GL/DL wagon.