I fell in love with the car right away. I walked around, peeked inside, wondered what it would be like to drive it. The “FOR SALE” sign had only a phone number. The deal was done a week later. The year was early 2009. Seven years and 100k miles later, it’s still mine, although it’s not quite the same as it was back then.
The previous owner (herself not the original owner) had a stack of receipts dating back to her purchase of the car early in the Bush junior years. The interesting ones included body work following a crash, a paint job in the original color (which you can see in all the images, it dates back to 2004), and a coil conversion. Which effectively sold me on the car because, you know, scary air suspensions and such. Little did I know that the kid who bought the car in 2009 with little to no mechanical skills would be reinstalling the air suspension into the vehicle in late 2015. But I’m getting way ahead of the story here.
You know how they say love is blind? Well, that must have been the case here because let’s see, the following did not work: driver seat switch (8-way power of course, so there was no adjustment possible), gas gauge (ran out once before I learned my lesson), tach (those two gauges tend to die together), the switch for the outside mirrors (adjusted them by hand), both door actuators (just pushed in the rod tips to lock the car the first couple of years), and both window motors. The only way to let in outside air was by cranking the factory sunroof (which leaked, by the way). But, not only did the sunroof motor outlast the window ones, it still does work here in 2016!
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are two – the interior the week I bought my 1990 LSC back in early 2009 and the same car in March 2016.
Since I had to replace virtually everything I basically just let my inner designer rip (you know you would too). One thing that bothers me about the stock Mark VIIs, and I’ve seen hundreds of them by now in virtually every color scheme, was that the interiors were all monochromatic. So I went two-tone with black and fifty shades of gray dominating the overall scheme, plus hazy blue accents here and there. All vinyl surfaces including the dash have been repainted. The LSC buckets and the backseat are from late model run Fox Turbo Coupes (two different ones), those of you who know ’87-‘88s will recognize the color scheme and material. The front seats have a unique story: these were special ordered and built for a Turbo Coupe by someone who wanted cloth Mark VII LSC buckets in his Thunderbird.
That is something that otherwise doesn’t exist, all LSC buckets were either leather or leather/cloth. But Ford built at least one pair like this, for a T-Bird no less. 25 years later those seats showed up on ebay… where I noticed them on the eve of my birthday. Not a bad present.
My car had very few options from the factory (the sunroof was the big one and did I mention the original motor still works?) but Mark VIIs already came pretty loaded. I spliced in the optional auto-dimming mirror, and also searched out and plugged in (that’s all you have to do) the optional Sony CD player (rebuilt) and its partner the JBL amp. Those, however, were all icing on top of the actual repairs which can be grouped under “vanity” and “real stuff.” The former category included all of the small annoying stuff that was broken when I bought the car, plus something like running new wiring for the fog lamps which didn’t work (and acquiring new fog lamps for that matter, because the old ones had been sold by the previous owner – all I had were the empty brackets)…
Most of that had to be acquired used or new. But some items, as I learned, could be restored by simply opening them up and cleaning the metal parts serving as conductors: such is the case for the fuel door release switch and for the underhood mercury light switch (the trunk release switch too, but that one never broke).
Speaking of under the hood, that’s where the major repairs were done. My initiation into DIY mechanics began within weeks of purchasing the car when the water pump blew, a good baptism by fire. The more serious engine work was done in two stages, the top was done in 2010, the rest of it (with the engine coming out) in 2011.
The engine itself has not yet been rebuilt and now has close to 270k miles, myself being responsible for the last 100k. It burns virtually no oil. Every gasket other than the heads was replaced (most of them leaked when I bought the car or started shortly after), along with all the accessories. The car had lived mostly highway miles prior to 2009 and that has continued on my watch, partly explaining the remarkable mileage. That being said, there’s simply no getting around the fact that the person who built this engine at the old Wixom plant 26 years ago did an incredible job.
The trans was rebuilt before my ownership (the incorrect bolts on the torque converter gave away the secret) and the rear axle (3.27 gears) was done on my watch after it developed a howl with the trunk loaded (at around 200k miles on the original axle). The fuel tank was swapped when we dropped the axle. The steering rack was replaced with the engine out and went in with poly, as opposed to rubber, bushings.
Which brings us to the suspension. Early on in my tenure every suspension bushing was replaced (all poly) and since I was stuck with a punishing coil ride I figured I might as well get some handling from my toy. Throwing suspension upgrades at a Fox body is easy, there exist: stiff shocks, aftermarket rear control arms, caster plates, thick sway bars (mine has a Turbo Coupe bar in the front and a special Addco one in the rear), and these cars also really benefit from subframe connectors. Held together by all of the above and steered by a humble AutoZone reman rack (probably out of a Fox Mustang) my LSC lost virtually all of its body roll and turned into a 6-series fighter. Well, almost. It still had a brutally punishing ride.
Two topics inevitably come up when a Mark VII is discussed. Brakes (which combine the actual power assist with the ABS in one unit) and air suspension. Indeed, those were both unusual systems for their day, though not unique. Many a Mark VII ended up in a salvage yard because of one of those two areas could not be properly diagnosed and serviced. In reality, both systems are fairly simple – especially by modern standards. But they do contain critical wear items that will park the car at the end of their useful service life (which is more than most owners expect from master cylinders and suspensions in general), such as the brake accumulators and, of course, the air springs and compressor dryers.
Typically under-maintained, both systems caught up with my Mark VII – the air suspension with the previous owner who converted it to coils, and the Teves ABS system with me in my first year. Keep in mind that I had no automotive experience whatsoever early on, so when the yellow and red brake warnings lights went on and stayed on I did not know that’s when you pull over to the side of the road. A complete failure of the brake system followed shortly (fortunately in an empty parking lot), and I piloted the car into a wall at a reasonably low speed, although still fast enough to bend the bumper and do a good deal of cosmetic damage to most of what’s around it. I still remember the embarrassment and frustration of that moment. And for most Mark VIIs that would have been the end of the road. But not for this one.
The following picture was taken in a storage facility 4 months after the accident, in the town where it happened. In a way that I still don’t entirely understand, the unit regenerated enough braking ability for the car to be driven to a nearby storage; since at the time I did not yet have a garage at home there was nowhere to tow the car back to.
Over those 4 months I not only learned about the Teves system and how to repair it, but acquired several spare working units as well as the new body parts (all of which were shipped courtesy of my friends from the West Coast, some parts by plane, the big ones like the rare Special Edition bumper by Greyhound). The above picture was taken on my cell phone prior to leaving the storage and the car would be repaired that day by me and a good friend in a nearby AutoZone parking lot and driven 60 miles to my new home which now included a garage. The red brake light was off but the yellow ABS light stayed on. I later found out that one of the bumper mounting studs, when pushed inboard, pierced a section of the main harness and took a couple of ABS wires with it. The EVTM soon became one of my favorite books.
Fast forward to a repair that involved the other famous troublesome Mark VII system, its air suspension. The same garage, 6 years later. All of the components have been restored to the car, the coils are gone, the new rear airbags have been filled up. I’m lying on the ground, listening to the compressor run and watching the front air springs fill (the car is supported by a floor jack under the K-member). The springs looked full to me but compressor just kept on running! “Is there a leak,” I wondered for about 30 very long seconds, “but I have gone over everything!!” And then the compressor stopped and silence set in inside the garage. The springs looked exactly as they should. I gently turned the jack handle counterclockwise and it slowly separated itself from the chassis. The vehicle remained trimmed! I stepped back from the car and admired my Mark VII at its proper trim height for the first time in 7 years of owning it, and for the first time since 2005 when the coil conversion was made.
A test drive followed, first at gingerly low speeds around the block, then within a 2 mile radius from home, over all the familiar potholes and brutal road imperfections which now… suddenly felt much more livable. I kept the window cranked (fortunately it was a warm evening), listening to the car. Then, about 30 minutes into the test drive, when it became clear that everything worked as it should, I fired up the Top Gun Anthem. Just because.
So many more stories could be told here, but I’m at the word limit so I’ll just conclude with three things. First: while I may have made it sound like it was all work, consider that this was (a) a vehicle which I have owned between 170k and 270k on the clock – you’d expect some work to be done there – and (b) I still drove it for 100k miles in 6 years, most of those miles glorious road trips (the work would be done in between). Second: the total approximate cost of maintenance has been roughly half of the price of a 2016 base Toyota Corolla (granted, I DIY’d most of it). Which is still more than a nice low mile Mark VII costs these days.
But for me this was never about being practical. It was about taking this particular car and seeing how good I could make it and how much fun I could have in the process. Third but not least: this was by no means a lone wolf project, at virtually every step of the way and especially early on when I still was developing wrenching skills there were people without whom this project simply would not have materialized. If they read this, they will know who they are, and I remain grateful to them for making a semi-decent mechanic out of me and for helping me see this adventure through.
And there’s more to come. So perhaps we’ll call this installment Part 1 – I have a lot still planned for this car. Thank you for reading and, hopefully, to be continued in a couple years.
PS: After 7 years of living with and restoring a Mark VII I feel that I now know these cars fairly well, so if there’s anything you’d like to ask Mark VII related, I’ll do my best to answer in the comments section!
Absolutely awesome. You deserve a lot of credit. The car is beautiful, and the interior improvements…Just awesome.
“But for me this was never about being practical. It was about taking this particular car and seeing how good I could make it and how much fun I could have in the process.” — That is a concise way to describe the entire car hobby, If all that a car meant was A-B transportation, This forum wouldn’t even exist! Once something is “just an appliance” it in and of itself is no longer fun. I remember building PCs in the 1980s and 90s from the motherboard up, (mainly because I was cheap!), It was a thrill using something you worked on (assuming it worked,LOL) Today $400 bucks at Staples gets all the PC you’d need,and they are so much more capable today, But the DIY thrill is gone. Cars are becoming that way now. Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading more!
Thanks! Yes, there’s something about us humans that we get the DIY bug and yet work so hard to make things work for us at the same time. It’s a paradox. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to all the garages 20 years from now when most analog cars are used up and disappear. I guess they’ll always be doing brakes and shocks but the oil changes may become a thing of the past if/when the new cars all go electric.
Wonderful story would love to go for a ride!
Wow. Gorgeous SE and what a great story to go with it! I’ve been a huge fan of the VII since I was a youngster, and the SE was always (to me, anyway) the best of the bunch. The painted grille insert makes the look, IMO, and the Electric Currant Red is an attention grabber, but in a good way.
Also, the work you’ve done to it just looks fantastic! The interior cleaned up nicely and finding those seats was quite a stroke of luck–who’d have thought they would exist? Big thumbs up on refitting the air suspension, also. A VII just isn’t right without it. I owned the successor Mark VIII for two all too short years and loved it; wouldn’t mind owning a VII someday too, or at least driving one for comparison’s sake. (I wrote a COAL on my ’96 VIII back in January.)
Great article, look forward to Volume II as the story continues!
Thanks! You should get another VIII, they’re fairly affordable and I still see so many of them at the yards – whatever cosmetic issues your project might have there’s no shortage of parts so far and were you so inclined, you could mix and match something very unique. That was partly where I was fortunate: between 2009-2015 was a good time to restore a Mark VII in terms of interior and electronics (and even some body parts) – living in a metropolis with several salvage yards in the area I routinely encountered 6-8 of these cars thrown out every year. If one is willing to drive to out of town yards, that number goes up (it helps that all major salvage chains have online databases now). But, it’s easily three times that for all the VIIIs!
I remember your COAL (white one, right?) – I really hope you pick up another one soon. I don’t see well-maintained VIIIs on the road at all, I’m certain you’d have a unique car in no time. And as for the air suspension – I’m sure you know – the same companies as I acquired my new bags and compressor from sell new suspension parts for an VIII too, for not that much more. They’re truly great cars, the 32-valve is a beast of epic proportions, and of course the fact that the thing actually lowers itself north of 60 mph is beyond cool! 😀
I have one of the Mark VIII, but the maintenance is pretty high, and parts are not cheap. And it’s pretty vulnerable to dents for the curvy shape, and on the third day I drove it this year it was dented in the parking lot. One day after reporting to the insurance company, I accidentally scratched the car when uploading some steel panels and it’s right around the area where the dent is. The insurance payment would just cover the painting including the area with the new scratch, and I dropped the car off the collision shop today after picking up my winter car, LeSabre after being rear ended in the interstate.
Sweet ride! I hope she’s fixed soon!! (don’t get me started on the insurance companies…)
+1 another Lincoln I’m fond of.
Nice nice work. A labor of love on a car that I have always loved. Looking forward to seeing more of it. Thanks!
+1 one of my favourite Lincolns and the only one in my price range. Nice read & nice car
Nice job with the car and story.
Kudos for sticking with it. It always broke my heart a little to see clean LSCs in the junkyards because of that stupid Teves unit. (T-Bird Super Coupes also had that system but the Headgaskets would usually do them in before the brakes!)
Thanks! Really, the only bothersome part of the Teves system is the accumulator “ball”, and those only go bad every 15-25 years. Something that gets replaced once in a car’s lifetime, if that car lasts longer than 15 years. Of course, almost nobody knew that, I certainly didn’t early on. It’s possible to get the replacement accumulators online these days, for $100 plus change.
But yeah, the Teves did some of them in, the leaky springs (and/or shot dryers allowing moisture into the system) probably did most of them in, and last but not least, terrible AOD throttle linkage bushings (a $5 fix) did a bunch more in.
I really admire the work you’ve done to keep it on the road. Your car is a near-twin to mine, though mine has lived a much easier life: Only 43k miles! Everything works except the actuator for the passenger-door power lock (recent failure) and the power seat air bladders. The leaky air bladders don’t bother me, but… what was the fix for your door locks?
Mine is a new-ish acquisition. I’ve put less than 1,000 miles on it myself so far, so I don’t have any good stories about it yet. Glad you were able to revive your air suspension; it makes the car a wonderful grand tourer.
Thanks! I like to use OE for the actuators, and so far I have had good luck on eBay. Here’s a current listing –
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DOOR-LOCK-ACTUATOR-MOTOR-fits-LINCOLN-MARK-LSC-SERIES-T-BIRD-1983-1992-NEW-FORD/301683445146?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35389%26meid%3D9e64d16f8fa84e96811a320c614b8cf2%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D121040724963
It’s actually a super simple DIY job, though slightly annoying the first time because you’ll be doing it by feel with your arm(s) inside the door and not really being able to see what you’re doing. I usually just take the new actuator out of its bracket, pry the old bracket inside the door slightly open with my fingers, get the old actuator out, slip the new one in and (this is the annoying part), situate it inside the old bracket and then push the old bracket back together to hold the actuator in place. The alternative is to use a rivet gun which is what holds the bracket to the door.
Congrats on a cool ride! 43k miles, wow – a real survivor!
See you on the Mark VII forum (tons of info there if you ever need anything) 😀
Thanks for the tip and the link, really appreciate it!
David, one more thing:
Especially if you “outsource” this project, I would still recommend removing/reinstalling the door panel yourself whenever the car goes in for anything door related (window motors or actuators). 90% of all junked Mark VIIs have had their door panels permanently ruined because people pulled the panels over the door handles. That delicate narrow slit was simply not designed to accommodate the strain of a door handle being shoved through there, even if one tries to do it gently. Once it tears there’s no way to make it look good again. The way to remove a Mark VII door panel w/o ruining it is first to remove the carpeted portion that contains the puddle lamps (prying it off along the top edge). Once the carpeted piece is off, a window will be revealed giving access to the 10mm door handle bolt. Remove that bolt. Then just remove the 4 screws holding the switch panel, the 5th screw attaching the panel to the door behind the speaker grill (gently pry off the edge of the grill nearest the dash, then with that off push the grill toward the front of the car, then pry the rest of it off), and then the panel can be pried off the door ALONG WITH the now unbolted metal door handle.
Also: when reinstalling a door panel I always use new fasteners. Old ones, once removed, are never the same and I hate flimsy door panels! I simply buy a large pack (TR142B – 100 pieces) and that lasts me a few years.
http://www.thefastenerwarehouse.com/catalog/item/566976/214650.htm
(you can choose quantity on the right)
Now that’s some serious expert advice!!!! Many thanks… I was wondering about that door handle slit; it seems like it was just designed to be torn.
Ah the Mark VII, one of my favorite Lincolns ever made. I actively looked for these things for a long time on craigslist, but I could find very little in the San Diego area. They’re sadly not common around here, I’ve yet to see one in real life, and the air suspension still scares me despite the knowledge out there. But, before they become too rare and expensive, I do hope to purchase one and at least experience it. A 90-92 LSC in black would honestly be the one I would go for.
Now’s the time to buy, they’re ridiculously cheap. You should be able to find one with a nice body in California and with any luck it will already be CA emissions compliant.
Don’t let the air suspensions scare you – all the bad rep is because most mechanics don’t know what they’re looking at and cars get butchered as a result. If you’re into DIY, these suspensions are a joy (yes, I said it) to work on. Air springs themselves are ultra easy to replace (as in, no special tools required – all you need is a basic tool kit and a good 3-ton floor jack), new springs are readily available from two different aftermarket companies, and new compressor/dryer assemblies are available as well. To replace the compressor/dryer is 3 bolts. There’s nothing else to the system except the air ride computers and those last forever.
If you’re not going to miss chrome bumpers, get a black SE!
I’m envious, you live in one of my favorite cities. I love San Diego!
Love these. Timeless design, still looks good after thirty years.
The ultimate Fox-body! Fortunately for you (and lesser Foxes) the SN95 Mustang 1994-04 kept the evolution of this platform going. Better OEM brakes, axles, control arms and racks all readily available.
Great job keeping this beauty in great condition. And not being afraid to long distance drive it as well. Now that your educated on it’s problem areas, keeping up with repairs will be a lot easier. Smart move stocking up on trouble prone parts while they are still easier to get.
I kept a ’70 C10 on the road for 30 years, from ’76 to ’06. Heads were rebuilt with hardened valve seats and timing chain and water pump at around 100k miles. And it’s original 3 speed trans was rebuilt once and it’s used 4 speed Saginaw replacement was also rebuilt once. 4 clutches (lifetime warranty), U-joints and center bearing 3 different times, and one $100 junkyard rear end when a broken exhaust pipe, blowing hot exhaust directly on the pumpkin, burnt up the original on a trip from So Cal to Washington towing a 29ft trailer. It boiled out the oil and it started howling, it did (after adding oil) continue to function for another year until a reasonably priced replacement was found. It had about 175k miles on it when I sold it, still running well but using oil and starting to smoke on overrun.
25 years and 300k plus miles on the ’86 Jetta (bought in ’91 with 100k miles) has been a lot more trouble free than the truck, but the old Chevy was worked hard and overloaded a lot. Engine, trans, steering rack and pump have all never needed repair or replacement. A lot of little and inexpensive repairs over the years, though as one would expect. Needs rear brake shoes, (will be it’s 3rd set), along with front wishbone bushings and a front wheel bearing now. Soon as it gets a little warmer I’ll get to it.
Keeping a car long term in good mechanical and cosmetic repair and not being afraid to daily drive it as well, as long as doing what you can improving your mechanical skills along the way is what I enjoy doing, and glad to see others in CC land aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and do what it takes to keep the wheels turning.
Thanks! As I mentioned in the COAL, back in 2009 I had no mechanical experience. In fact, I stood by and passed the tools as a good friend replaced the water pump on my ’93 Sable just a year earlier (I was sooo broke then). It was poetic therefore that my first Mark VII repair job was… a water pump! Life is full of little poetic coincidences like that, if one pays attention to them. Anyway, so this time I was the one to do the job and the same friend passed the tools and made sure I did everything right.
I knew right away – given the state of my bank account then – that if I didn’t do it, I couldn’t afford to keep it. Learning how to do it right is another story, when somebody helped it typically got done right the first time, when I was on my own early on it was more like 50/50. I had to do the thermostat twice until it didn’t leak, ditto for the pan mounted low oil sensor. The same water pump had to be done again a couple years later – there’s some debate online as to whether the 5.0 pumps should also be RTVd pump plate to pump body (in addition to the obvious pump plate to the engine block). The first time I only RTVd it plate to block. But no, it needs to be on both sides.
Would love to read your COALs on the C10 and the Jetta!
I should know better than to brag about the Jetta. Went to the supermarket after leaving this post in the Jetta, and as I got in to come home heard a loud ‘POP” and I was staring at the headliner. The backrest frame shattered! Really had to hang on to the steering wheel driving home. Only about a 2 mile drive, luckily. I have an ’89 Jetta parts car at home, but it has grey seat upholstery.
So I pulled both seats out, disassembled both and removed the grey covers and installed the beige covers from my old seat which are still in good shape. The ’89’s seat is quite a bit heavier, and as I pulled off the covers I can see the frame is much thicker and stronger. Took over 5 hours, good thing it’s a nice warm sunny day today. It turned out looking great!
I feel safer knowing how much beefier the replacement seat is than the original.
Classic CC effect.
Anymore, the magazines I read and the websites I prefer to visit regularly are those that detail “project” cars (there even was a short-lived magazine with that title nearly 10 years ago). I love these Mark VIIs for their good looks and with the LSC…. there heavy sporting nature.
Excellent job with the car, excellent write-up.
Great read! Could mirror my experience with my MN12 Cougar, If you’re in the Chicago area we’ve probably perused the same junkyards on different trajectories for parts to enhance and maintain these coupes. Love the Marchal fog lights with matching covers BTW!
We should get together for a drink / car meet (or a yard raid). I live on the North side – would love to see your car and swap stories! Long live the LKQ and Pick-n-Pull of the greater Chicago area!
Yep, favorite one is LKQ on North Ave, where after I’m done there I round the corner on Kostner and hit up again auto parts! 😀 I’m in the northwest burbs but I’m always up for a car meet wherever
I do the same thing, though it’s been a year since there was a VII at the North Ave LKQ (or at Again for that matter). I’ve had tons more luck out on the Tristate however – LKQ Blue Island and Chicago Heights just keep on getting new ones (and they’re within 30 mins of each other).
Email me at livefast82curr@yahoo.com and let’s figure out some fun meet or something! Cheers 😀
We also have a big time Fox T-Bird guy here in Chicago, his handle is Thunderjet. I expect him to respond to this thread at some point…
Oh yeah I’ve seen him here, didn’t know he was from the area too. I’ll be swapping engines in my car in a month or so so after that a meet would be great, I’ll let you know!
The MN12/FN10 stuff is what I usually seek out and north ave/again still get a lot of them. Blue Island is great though, I usually hit LKQ and Circus, there, but I never made it out to Chicago Heights.
Great job with both the car and writing the story. Since it was new when I was a teenager, I have always liked the Mark VII for its use of modern style and technology in an American-style personal luxury coupe, to create a car that could be considered a competitor to the Mercedes SEC and BMW 6-Series grand touring coupes. Since then, I have sometimes toyed with the idea of picking up a well cared for LSC to experience the car while it is cheap, and to see whether 25 years of factory and aftermarket enhancements to the 5.0 and to Fox chassis components could be used to equal or surpass the performance of the German “establishment.”
You actually corrected the one thing that I did not like about the Mark VII, the somewhat bland interior, while proving that the well known mechanical weaknesses can be addressed without really high expense. You are making me think harder about the Mark VII LSC. Even if that never happens, your experience is food for thought with my Chrysler 300C just passing the 100K mile mark, since the 300C should be easier to keep going beyond 200K miles than your Mark VII.
Thanks! I won’t lie, there’s going to be some work at about 200K. The 300 is a great car, I’ve had some as rentals including a 2008 for a weekend back when it was new and a 2016 not too long ago – they’re fantastic. I remember feeling sad to part with the 2008 (so perhaps it’s not a surprise that I ended up with the Mark a year later). Though it’s a great car I thought the 2016 electronic cluster was completely over the top, I much prefer the white faces and greenesh glow of the earlier ones.
That being said… if you can justify having two cars you don’t need to go about it the hard way like I did. You see, I couldn’t swing much above $1500 back back when I bought mine (it cost me less than that actually, and rightly so given the state the interior was in plus the various leaks). $3-4K buys a nice low mile LSC these days (just as it did 7 years ago), and I mean you’re typically looking at less than 100K on the clock and with any luck the front buckets aren’t torn up like mine were. And mechanically it’s probably still a ways to go before everything begins to beg for replacement, and so you can then take it one thing at a time as opposed to 5 or 6 different things at a time.
Yes, the interiors were bland. About the only time they looked great to me was if they were all white or all black. They’re super easy to mix and match though, and the vinyl paints on sale with Sherwin Williams today are fantastic – no one who has seen my car up close has guessed that the interior paint wasn’t original (except those who know that no Mark VII interior was made in that particular shade).
So, more food for thought. And if you ever pull the trigger, find us (and me) at thelincolnmarkviiclub.org !
Nice car. I have always liked the Mark VII (especially that all black LSC that was offered in 1992)
Did your Mark have the automatic high beam dimmer option? I had a 1987 T-Bird(with the V6) briefly and it had this feature. The sensor was attached to the back of the rear view mirror and would turn off the high beams(briefly) when it sensed a car coming towards you.
The local junk yards around my way are full of the Mark VII so parts are plentiful
Thanks! The black LSC was offered in 1990-92, it was the evil SE twin of my car (SEs came only over those three final years of production and in only two colors: red or black). The 1992 had another unique color, and that one was a true one-year only: dark green (kind of British looking).
All Mark VIIs had the automatic high beam dimmer installed. Indeed, the parts (the dash dimmer switch and the mirror mounted sensor box) are the same and shared by virtually all nice Ford-Lincoln-Mercury cars from the 80s. Did yours freak out when encountering its own headlight reflection in the road signs (white ones especially)? Mine does. Otherwise it’s a super cool feature.
Here’s a way to do a real light show: drive down a dark road with the sensor rolled all the way up to hyper-sensitive and the fog lights on. The fogs are factory wired to go out when the high beams come on. So then this happens: the thing senses its own headlights (with the high beams on) in an approaching white speed limit sign, gets confused because of the reflection typically bouncing all over the place, and frantically switches between high and low beams 4-5 times (turning the fogs on/off each time). Hilarious.
Wasn’t there a charcoal gray SE also, in 1990 only? I swear I’ve seen photos of those. Back when I owned my VIII (2004-06) there was a sizeable Lincoln contingent on fordvschevy.com, and I think one of the members had a gray SE.
You know, that’s one of the great Mark VII mysteries! I’ve never seen one in the wild, in a yard, or in photos that were authenticated. With respect to the latter: some of the Mk7 forum guys have this debate from time to time and photos inevitably come up. The photos that I’ve seen have been disputed as “SE imitations” done by later owners. No one I know of has definitively refuted that. So that’s kind of where I have traditionally landed on that subject, but then again I simply don’t know otherwise.
Also, I know better than to be categorical about anything Ford or GM presumably didn’t do. They could literally have done ~anything~ (heck, Ford probably would have done a green SE if somebody who was connected wanted one)…even if these things weren’t openly marketed in dealer brochures and such. Speaking of, I have not seen a gray SE advertised in any 1990-92 Mark VII dealer brochure that I know of. But neither was the GTC, and we all know that those existed and were factory sanctioned, full Ford imprimatur and the works.
Somebody has got to get to the bottom of this sometime, lol!
Awesome story and project on an awesome car! I always loved the style of these. It is nice to see someone take a car that probably would have ended up in the hands of someone wanting it as a daily beater, and eventually ending up in the junkyard within a year or so. You gave it a second life! And many happy enjoyable miles for you as well! Kudos to a job well done!
Thanks. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. Without me it would have gone one of two ways: a real mechanic might have picked it up and brought it back faster than I did, or it would serve someone as a beater for a year tops but then the Teves and the multiple engine oil leaks would catch up to them and that probably would have been the end. It rode like a nightmare too, what with the coil conversion and leaking gas shocks all around.
The Teves moment was the turning point. The car was crashed in Wisconsin, I didn’t even have the money to pay the storage guy up front. He simply told me that it’s fine but if I don’t return with the money within 6 months the car is his. I returned within 4, with the money, the parts, and a box of tools. I took that picture and then my friend and I drove it to an AutoZone parking lot, me tailgating his truck at 10 mph in case the brakes go out again. The brakes never went out. 6 hours later we had the Teves fixed – turned out that I had burned out the main pump by running around on a dead accumulator. I had the new pump, we put it in along with a good used accumulator and bled the system correctly using my newly acquired (eBay) 1990 shop manual.
We got done around 6pm just as it was getting dark (this was sometime in March 2010, IIRC). We drove the car around a little bit, everything worked fine. Then we went to Applebees and I bought us a dinner. Then we hopped in our cars and he followed me 60 miles down to Chicago where both of us lived, then I waved to him as I took my exit and he kept going. Mind you, the bumper was still bent with tons of cosmetic damage around, and those old yellowed lights beaming angrily over it. It must have been quite a sight.
I then got home, parked inside for the first time, and proceeded to tear down the front for a cosmetic rebuild. So anyway, after something like that… there’s really no going back.
Awesome. I give you kudos for not giving up on a car that deserves to be given a second chance.
Great job! As a Lincoln & Continental Owners Club member and a former MK VII LSC owner (’87), I agree about the car and really appreciate the work you’ve put in to keep it better than new! Keep up the good work.
We have quite a few VIIs in the club and even a few convertible conversions, they always get a lot of attention at our shows.
Thank you! Would love to get together with you guys sometime, where are you located? How long did you have the ’87 – was it an LSC or a designer model?
As a 1990 Bill Blass Mark VII owner, I mentioned your story this morning on my Facebook timeline as I enjoyed and could easily relate to your experiences.
https://www.facebook.com/richard.truesdell.3/posts/10155905098884619?pnref=story
Right now the biggest problem on my Mark VII is that the odometer has gone south, now displaying ERROR instead of the car’s approximate 60,000 miles, which is a bummer. I’ve gone into the Mark VII forum to solve other little issues so I’ll find other owners who’ve encountered that problem for the solution.
Great story, really enjoyed reading it.
Hi Rich!
Are you on thelincolnmarkviiclub.org forum? You have a gorgeous Bill Blass designer model. I have no experience with the digital clusters but other guys do, plus I know for a fact that our forum guys have good working used replacements for sale. Finally, I wonder if Paul Protos rebuilds them (he rebuilds many other Mark VII electronics, like the tripminders and the radios).
Congrats on your car, it looks really good (might a COAL be coming at some point?) – I love the white walls and the wire wheels on those. Also, I was in a friend’s ’91 BB and always noted how different the entire dashboard looks with the digital cluster, especially at night.
When Lincoln was not afraid of their heritage. Notice the classic Lincoln waterfall grill and the tire motif on the trunk lid, these cars could never be mistaken for anything but a Lincoln, the premium brand from Ford. Now the brand seems hopelessly lost.
I’m still waiting for the Mk9 😀
Wow, what a great story on a great car and a great gearhead who has a car that he loves and faces down the challenges. This is what automotive enthusiasm is all about, having something you want and learning to fix it and improve it. That is a real source of pride and accomplishment. I think that this is really the last great Lincoln model and these should be saved and preserved, I love luxury coupes and seriously thought about buying one of these before I decided to give the Jaguar thing a chance. You are right that this is the time to buy one as spare parts are still plentiful and cheap. Congratulations on a great car and story.
Thanks!! 😀 Who’s the lucky cat?
Great article and such a lovely car, thank you for sharing your story as well as knowledge. Have you considered getting 1990 plates for your Lincoln since I think it qualifies for Illinois’ Year of Manufacture program? I hear any U.S plates from your vehicle’s year of manufacture are allowed to be used.
Going to look into it – thanks for the heads-up! 😀
Kudos, Livefast! That car made you an expert. I just glanced through the comments and pointers you are giving here. This is so encouraging to anyone who considers adopting such a machine. Worthy machines they are!
Thanks! But… Mark VII experts made me an expert. Most of what I’ve learned I learned from the knowledgeable individuals at thelincolnmarkviiclub.org – credit where it’s due!!! I’m still but a freshly minted jedi who makes mistakes and there are some senior masters there who just look at stuff and it fixes itself.
Enjoyed this read. I can’t wrench to save my life but the story and responses to comments were great. Nice one livefast1982curr.
Loved reading your story. I’ve always had a thing for the Mark VII and almost bought an ’89 LSC with 75,000 back in 2000. Seller wanted $4700, but I decided to stick with my ’88 T-Bird Sport. Now that I look back on it, I wish I had bought the Mark, but it’s never too late to correct a mistake!
The ’88 T-Bird Sport is a sweet car! T-Coupe suspension and I bet it had the electronically controlled shocks too?
And rare too, only about 4,000 made. But the Sport actually used the suspension settings from the ’83-86 Turbo Coupe, so my car did without the electronic shocks.
My 89 LSC 5.0 with a Vortech v3, automatic & 3:73 rear
Gorgeous car, congrats! Are you on the forum at all?
Btw, I think you have the correct fog lamp covers – I’ve only ever seen Mark VIIs wear the charcoal ones, never white ones like mine. I acquired mine from an internet acquaintance, so I actually don’t know if those came off a VII or some other vehicle. I didn’t mind it since I thought white on red looked coherent. But charcoal definitely fits yours better.
Congrats on the work done to your car. Looks awesome.
I own a couple other Mark VII’s & a member of The Lincoln Mark VII Club.
Beautiful car. Great job fixing it and keeping it fixed. But please, don’t get under that car or any other car supported only by a floor jack again. Cinder blocks and jack stands are much less expensive than a coffin. While it is rare, I did know someone who was killed that way. A car on your chest makes it hard to breathe.
Great point – thanks! I see now that I didn’t make this clear in the main article, which I should have. The part about the front air springs, I was lying on the floor in front of the car, not underneath it (you really don’t need to get under in order to see what the front air springs are doing). Whenever I do any work underneath, I always use two jack stands (under the frame rails if I lift the front and under the axle if I lift the back).
Thanks again, excellent catch, it’s good to highlight these things for non-wrenching (or beginner) readers’ sake! My Jedi masters taught me this right away when I got started, it was pretty much lesson Nr 1 – rightly so.
Wanted to show you guys what my old 92 LSE black on black looked like. Had the Erebuni body kit as well as functional hood scoops and a rear window louver.
To: livefast1982curr
You learned like I did how to do the work yourself. I purchased an 84 Mark VII a gold Bill Blass with hail damage in about 90. At that time I couldn’t afford the regular price. Having an early background in paint and body I made her like new again. I believe it had 60K miles when I took it home. I wore that car out with almost 300k miles and very reluctantly had to give it up to the parts salvage, something I’ve always regretted.
Over the years I learned every inch of her and repaired or replaced many of the components. Nothing was as troublesome as the air ride system, but oh what a ride they give. I could write a book on tips and tricks on that system. Recently I purchased an 88 Bill Blass, one owner, with 50k miles in near showroom condition, a real find. There are a couple of little things I’ll change but the one really major thing is the guy had the air springs (I call them air bags) removed and the put in coils. It lost its magnificent ride, what a difference that makes. I believe every piece present are still fine. I will be changing it back how its meant to be. I am reluctant to use the aftermarket air bags because they are not the same large bulbous bladders as the originals. I intend to seek originals from salvage yards that are not full of holes.
Have you or anyone reading this used aftermarket air bags, if so what is your opinion of those as far as ride?
Larry