For a while back in 2013, it seemed every other time I’d stop by my favorite thrift store, I’d catch an old Ford hanging out in the parking lot. After a lengthy hiatus, I’ve finally cornered another one.
Introduced in 1979 on the new “Panther” platform, the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis were about 700lb. lighter (almost half a Volkswagen Beetle!) and 7″ shorter (ditto) than the outgoing mid-sized LTD II. In addition to sporting more (very cushy) passenger and trunk room, the LTD was only a second-and-a-half slower to 60 MPH than the same-year Mustang Cobra.
However, by 1982, the 351W V8 was no longer available to the public (although it remained standard on Police models), and the available engine and axle ratios were being tuned toward meeting tightening federal fuel economy requirements. Of far more importance, the speedometer needle color was changed to white this year.
Note that our subject car sports a Ford ‘blue oval’ on its grille that was reintroduced across the whole Ford lineup in 1982. This Crown Vic shows a good bit of wear and tear, and has certainly seen better days. But like most of the items in the thrift store, it still has some life left in it yet.
Related Reading:
CC Capsule: Thrift Store Fords No. 1 – 1971 Ford LTD in “Resale Red”
CC Outtake: Thrift Store Fords No. 2 – 1975-78 Mercury Bobcat Villager
Reading that head line, I thought this Ford was available for purchase at the thrift store. Around here, we have Goodwill Industries, a second hand store that helps the handicapped, and also we have the Kidney Foundation, plus the Salvation Army thrift stores that sell donated cars. I have seen Yugo’s to Corvettes available at their auction. A lot of the cars are very nice, not to mention dirt cheap.
None of our local thrift stores offer autos, but the rescue mission we volunteer at does. I have some pics from their lot that will eventually make it into a post here.
For unknown reasons, I have always liked these Panther platform Fords. We all have our weaknesses.
Finding one from 1982 is a find; wasn’t Ford still foisting the variable venturi carburetor on people at that time? It seems like all the Fords of this body style, prior to the advent of fuel injection, disappeared some time ago.
The picture showing the manual transmission applied to one of these has a distinct Gator McCluskey vibe to it.
When my son had his 89 MGM, I came across a guy on a forum who posted detailed instructions on how to convert one of these to a stick shift, right down to a complete list of parts from other vehicles that could do the job. It would have been a *lot* of work, but I really wanted to make that conversion on one of these. The shift characteristics of the AOD was always my least favorite part of these cars, and I always carried a torch for one of these with a 5.0 HO and a 5 speed.
I’ve wanted to do that to a police interceptor Crown Vic for a while. Lack of time and garage space had prevented me from doing so- probably a good thing.
My grandparents owned two box Panthers, both Mercury Marquis. I think the first one was either a ’79 or ’80 with the VV carb. They bought it slightly used from my great-Uncle, who was a Merc Service Dept. manager in Alabama. The car made many a return trip because of that carb.
It was eventually replaced with an ’85 MM, which was my ‘date car’ while in college and our wedding getaway car a few years later.
The V.V. carburetor on our ’82 Squire was fine right up until about 100k miles, and then started acting very temperamental. Dad’s wagon was a durable workhorse, never even needing one return to the dealership for a warranty repair. And I learned to drive with that car – I wasn’t always the nicest to it. So I can attest to that car being durable! If ours had fuel injection I know it would have easily gone 200k without a glitch and Dad would have kept it forever as he loved everything about that car. These cars were well-built, rode extremely well and for 1982 very good quality automobiles.
In the past, with cars that I’ve owned that had carburetors, they always seemed to need to be rebuilt at about the 100,000 mile mark. The plastic floats would become saturated with gas and refuse to float, so they’d need to be replaced, and at about that point in time the various rubber seals would have rotted and the carburetor would be leaking gas, so the seals would have to be redone.
I’d heard that in older cars from the 1950 and early 1960s they used brass or metal floats and they didn’t need to be replaced, but that leaking carburetor seals were still a problem.
Exactly, Johnster. The strange thing was that mechanics were unsure how to work on the variable venturi carburetor back then. I’m not even sure if it was possible to work on them or if they were simply disposable. Most of them wanted to replace it at a huge cost, back then around $500 which my Dad thought wasn’t worth it on a five year old wagon with over 100k miles.
the only way to make the 302/ 5.0 liter ford motor unreliable, slap one of those junky Variable Venturi carburetors on it. they sucked so bad it certainly hastened the introduction of throttle body fuel injection. my grandparents had a later 85-86 Gran marquis from new and I was surprised how peppy it was at the time. also scared the hell out of me when I had to panic stop the tank and all four wheels locked up and it skidded sideways!
“The picture showing the manual transmission applied to one of these has a distinct Gator McCluskey vibe to it.”
I thought the same thing! Sad thing is that Custom 500 in white nightning was nothing more than a custom 500 with the wheel covers removed. The engine shots and T handle power shifting footage was actually taken in a 71 Mach 1 🙁
Was this downsized Ford available with a six like the Impala ?
Rent A Center in the picture. Surprised there wasn’t a Title Max nearby as well. Surefire ways to keep one shopping at the local thrift store.
Motor on Crown Vic
Nope. Ford quit putting six cylinder’s in full size cars in 72.
To clarify, ’72 was the final year of a six-cylinder full size Ford.
Yeah, and it was strange. In the 1st printing of the sales brochure (09/71), the 351 with automatic and PS were said to be standard equipment across the board, including the Custom 500. In the revised (01/72) brochure they reverted back to the 240 (again with auto/PS) for the Custom 500 and Galaxie 500. Have no reason why they felt the need to retrograde back, maybe because the Taxi company’s complained, or maybe the goverment procurement guys wanted a price reduction, etc., etc.
And to further muddify, this piece makes it look like the six was a delete option to the V8. I’d like to see the 240 pull the bloated, big bumpered ’73 model!
The only six Ford of that late generation was a ’71 Custom that a druggie acquaintance of mine bought as his first car. Former Texaco company car.
It was destroyed one 1977 summer night in an orgy of beer & dope fueled mayhem, windows kicked out & everything….by the owner and his friends LOL!
Yup, that muddies it up..is that the Canadian brochure? Maybe it was different up there.
Strange though it seems, I would LOVE to have a 71 Custom 500 just like the blue one in the brochure with the 240 and three-speed. I like being different. And I bet it would be the only one left now.
Yes as a matter of fact it is.
I thought so. I didnt remember my USA brochures showing that. Only Canadian brochure I have (out of hundreds) is for the 70 Maverick.
Also bear in mind it’s one of the earliest ones for the year, so the info may not be correct. In fact, it’s the same brochure that lists a 400 V8 for the T-Bird. Believe it or not, exactly 2006 were built that way before they reverted to the 429, with the 460 optional.
WOW! Shame I dont like the 72 ‘Birds. I have no brochures for those. Just 73 and up. Wonder if the 400 was only offered in Canada?Like your LDO coming with E70 tires that were never listed here.
Thanks, Guy. I couldn’t remember.
I do know that 1981-82 Ford LTDs can be had with the 4.2 liter V8, which was a boat anchor since it only put out 115 HP.
Honestly, I was never much of a fan of the early Panther LTDs. Part of it was the car itself and part was the fact that Mopar R bodies were still out there, and I considered those better cars (so long as you got a good one, anyway).
It wasn’t until several years into their run when these got rid of the dodgey fuel systems and saw some of their trim details cleaned up a bit. I warmed to the later ones, but found the 1992 re-do a *much* better car to drive.
I saw a nice later version of a box Panther for sale a few days ago. However, I got my fill with my son’s 89 MGM and have no desire to go there again. I miss my 93 CV LX way more than I miss that MGM.
Agreed. I wouldn’t give a plug nickel for a box Panther, but a ’92-up aero-Panther could interest me.
And i’m the opposite, I don’t like the aero restyle. Make mine a 79.
Me too Guy!
+1, Guy and Tom. And same with the bloatmobile Caprice
I miss the style of the ’91 box CVLX I used to have. I think the ’88 rounded corner refresh nicely cleaned up many of the slightly overwrought detail of the ’79-’87 cars, and you really can’t beat a nice set of turbine alloys. (Though they are admittedly hard to keep clean).
The aeros have the virtue of the 4.6 as opposed to the 5.0, and they’re not extremely common anymore. However, they are almost too similar to the later cars on the inside (the interior got a refresh for ’95 and then proceeded to stay almost exactly the same until the end of production 16 years later).
Wow that red interior looks like a murder scene from a horror movie.
This was the early 80’s however, when interiors came in any bold color you wanted.
This could be a good or bad thing.
That red interior is a Fox LTD, not a Panther.
Ah, thanks for clarifying.
The brochure pic of the red interior belongs to the Fox LTD, not this one.
Now you know where the original K-Car design came from!
While the 351 may have shown up on 1981 civilian models as an option I have literally never ever saw one in all my years of being a car guy. From what I understand they are as rare to find as a 255 equipped Fairmont or a 360 equipped 1980 Mirada. The vast majority of 1981-82 Panthers were 302 equipped with the odd 255 coupe or sedan and the lovely VV carburetor and the stalling prone early run AOD transmissions for which Ford got in deep hot water over.
I think it would be a neat thing to have a rare engine sighting post sometime. Compile a list of cars with many engine options but were mainly seen with one popular choice in the real world. Something rare like a 1981 Buick Riviera T-Type with the std 4.1 liter V6 credit option or a Olds Tononado with that engine from 1981-84 or a 1979 Slant Six Chrysler Newport or a 1978 Buick Regal/Century with the ultra rare 3.2 196 V6.
Lots of 351 Panthers in Canada. Early ones recognizable by their dual exhausts.
Later ones were usually sold as fleet models, and the 351 required heavy duty chassis equipment. The tell was 15″ wheels instead of 14″, which required the use of the 1975-78 style LTD wheel covers if an upgrade from dog-dishes was specified. We had one on our VW-Audi used lot in the late 80s when I was selling cars. Total lot poison, couldn’t give it away.
An interesting tidbit, the 351 was available right up thru 1991 on these, wretched VV carb and all. It was the only way to delete the standard AC, which the RCMP did! It’s hard to believe, but our federal cops avoided AC until they no longer had a choice.
This car could almost be the twin to my ’85 with 351W and big 14 inch tires.
After the vinyl top replacement.
Unfortunate ’86 twin with 302 FI spotted in a PEI wrecking yard. Big rust issues on the Island.
But these sound like cop cars from 81-91. I have seen those with VV 351 motors. It’s the civilian 1981 that I have never seen a 351 installed in despite being offered as an option in 49 state trim.
Another rare car engine is the vin “9” motor in the 1986-90 Cadillac Brougham of which I have only read about and never actually saw one. They are always “Y” engines even the stretched limos.
Well Joe, at home I have pics of a 77 Impala 2dr with the six at an impound auction a few years ago. Don’t know how rare that is. I would imagine a 72 Bronco with the 170 would be rare too. Anybody ever seen one?
I’ve never seen an early Bronco that wasn’t a V8, factory or otherwise.
According to the brochures, the 170 became the 200 in ’73, then in ’75 all were V8.
Yup, the mighty 170 was dropped across the board in 72. Last offered in Econolines in 70. I have a 71 2dr Maverick with one.
On the Granada/Monarch/Versailles board there are two junk yard documented 77 Granada’s , a 2dr and a 4dr with the 200. Some day I’m going to get the Marti’s on them and see how rare they are.
Dad’s only complaint about his 1982 Country Squire was the lack of power from the small 302 V-8 compared to his previous wagon, a ’77 Caprice Estate with the 350 and special rear-end.
Engine wise, I always thought the standard model 1979/80 Riviera with the 3.8 V-6 Turbo was a nice rare find, as was the S-type with the 5.7 350 V-8. I had the production numbers for them at one time but have since lost them.
I also liked the base Mustang II from 1977-78 with the 302 V-8. Not so rare but just overall a cool find.
The shopping center parking lot and 80s-era LTD bring to mind Kathy Bates’ revenge scene in Fried Green Tomatos: https://youtu.be/lx0z9FjxP-Y
I don’t know about anyone else but I never liked the blue oval badge, I preferred letters or nothing to such obvious branding. They seem no better to me than those damn dealer badges.
The Box Panthers really never did anything for me, much preferring the Chevy’s B body, but thinking of a pre-82 with a 351 and a swapped in T5 shifted from the floor really gets my juices flowing. But for the love of god don’t let it have a stupid puffy landau top!
I much prefer the Grand Marquis, myself. Saw many in Mexico and the detailing is more attractive and the slightly awkward proportions aren’t as noticeable. Nicer interior, too!
The LTD Crown Vic reminds me too much of cop cars because, well, so many of them were.
I could take either one (and I have owned a 85 GM and 86 CV) but I prefer the Ford’s instrument cluster. At least on these.
If this is an ’82, I’m assuming it’s got the same shape taillights as the later ones, except instead of horizontal blocks for the lenses it’s vertical lines and “LTD” in script at the bottom. If so-amazing find. I have not seen any Panther of that early ’79-’83 or so generation probably in 15 years. Or, said another way, I’ve seen more of the last big Fords and GMs and even a ’78 New Yorker in the last 2 years than I’ve seen of these in the last 15. Really thin on the ground.
I had an ’87 sedan in two tone navy/baby blue as my first car, crank windows. Solid beast, but if I wanted a box Panther today I’d bag a Colony Park or Country Squire for tailgating the Hunt in New Jersey.
I used to absolutely HATE that Ford 4-spoke corporate steering wheel but now I kind of like it. Ford did not know how to do fake wire wheelcovers worth a damn. That car has a very honest patina.
…I may be mistaken, but didn’t these also have the horn on the left steering wheel stalk? My neighbour had one when I was a young lad. I distinctly remember sitting n its striped red velvet interior, push on the centre steering wheel…nothin’. Horn was a push in on a lever sticking out of the steering column. Weird.
Yep, I remember that well. Thought it was cool, until I needed to use it.
Believe the “turn-signal horn” was gone by 1983 or ’84. Someone in the past mentioned it had been put there originally in preparation for air bag legislation that never came. A Consumer Reports article comparing four “big” 1982 cars (Cadillac Sedan DeVille, Chevrolet Caprice, Crown Victoria, Chrysler E Class (ha!)) pilloried the Ford for the horn setup and suggested it was unsafe. If I remember correctly, the same article more or less recommended getting an Electra Park Avenue or Ninety Eight instead of any of the tested cars!
Very common on French cars since the ’30s at least. Means you can keep both hands on the steering wheel when you operate the horn with your fingertips. Actually safer in an emergency than the wheel hub horn, just takes getting used to.
Nowadays, most French cars have horn buttons on the steering wheel spokes and/or hub.
Another solution was the horn ring, but those went away long before the Panther came about.
This modification is for racing vehicles that will not be used on the highway.
My uncle had a 81 LTD with the vv carb. A Holley 4 barrel and intake found its way onto the 302. It ran a lot better. HC, CO, and NOx were all within the limits set by the state. Why did Ford make the VV again?