January 2010 Winner

Scott's (LTDScott) 1985 Ford LTD LX

The second car I ever owned back when I was a teenager was an '85 LTD Brougham V6. One day while shopping for tires, I noticed that "LTD LX" was an option on the model list. I looked into it and discovered they were a rare (only 3260 built in mid-'84 to '85) V8 version of my car with a lot of factory upgrades. Neato! So the search was on to buy one, and I found one locally which I bought. I made several mild modifications to it but several years later sold it to frink84 (who is on FEP, and his dad subsequently sold it to Marz on FEP, so it's still in the family!).

At the same time, a buddy of mine (who is a Ford wholesale parts guy) was building up his own LTD LX. He converted it to SEFI, swapped in a 5-speed, and added several other goodies, using mostly factory Ford parts. It was good enough to get in Hot Rod Magazine. About a year later, he decided to sell of all his projects and offered to sell it to me for a lot less than he had put into it. I wasn't in the market for a "play" car at the time, but his car already had a lot of the hard work done to modernize it and would serve as a great platform to build an LTD just how I wanted it. I couldn't pass it up, so I bought it.

Since then, I've modified or added a lot to the car. The engine got a new cam, heads, and many other things, the transmission has been swapped, and I have done a lot of work on the suspension to make it a pretty decent corner carver. Along the way, the car was unfortunately rear ended at a traffic light and received a pretty good hit. Much to my relief, it wasn't totaled, so I got it fixed (which was another adventure in itself - the shop went out of business before they finished repairing my car and I almost didn't get it back!) and got a new paint job out of it.

The car has probably 180K miles on it (odometer not original), but nearly every moving part has been repaired, replaced, or upgraded along the way, so it runs and drives great for a 25 year old car. It's no concours winner, as lack of time, money, and replacement parts means it'll never be in showroom shape. But I never intended for it to be. I have done as much work to it as possible to keep it in good shape and make it go fast but reliable without making it stand out too much. I try to drive it at least a few times a week and have taken it to the track several times where a lot of people have been surprised about what an old grandpa car could do. Luckily, Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine and the book "How to Build Ford Restomods" liked my car enough to put my car in their publications

My next goal is probably to replace the stock '94 short block with 150K+ miles with a fresh motor. A 347 or 331 would work well and as long as I'm smart with my parts selections, 300+ HP at the rear wheels and California smog legality should be attainable.

Here's a list of mods:

Engine/related:
Converted from CFI to SEFI with:
-'94 Mustang 302 short block
-AFR 165 pedestal heads
-Crane Cobra 1.7 roller rockers
-Custom cam (mild, passes CA smog)
-Cobra intake with ported lower
-Cobra X3Z computer
-24 lb injectors
-Cobra 65mm throttle body
-Pro-M 75mm MAF
-Cold air kit painted matte black
-Mallory VI-AL ignition box
-Mallory TFI coil
-Ford Motorsports plug wires
-Kirban fuel pressure regulator
-3G alternator
-Underdrive crank pulley
-Lincoln Mark VIII electric fan controlled by DC Control unit
-Aluminum 2 row radiator
-Walbro 255lph pump (from a Camaro, adapted to stock LTD hanger)
-Lincoln Mark VIII hard fuel lines with relocated fuel filter (for dual exhaust)

Exhaust:
Converted to dual with:
-JBA unequal length shorty headers
-Magnaflow 2.5" catted H-pipe
-Dynomax Ultraflow mufflers
-2.5" pipes modified to fit panhard bar
-Polished tips

Drivetrain:
Converted from auto to manual with:
-Z-spec T5 trans
-Cobra clutch
-MGW shifter
-Forte's adjustable clutch quadrant
-Mustang pedals
-8.8 Traction-lock rear end w/ 3.73 gears
-TA girdle cover for diff.

Brakes:
-Front 13" Cobra with Brembo discs and Hawk HPS for street and HP+ for track
-Rear 11" Lincoln Mark VII discs
-Steel braided lines
-Lincoln Town Car master cylinder
-Adjustable proportioning valve
-Ate Super Blue fluid

Suspension/steering:
-Bilstein HD struts/shocks
-Maximum Motorsports (MM) front coilover conversion with 325 lb/in springs
-MM caster/camber plates
-'94-'95 Mustang lower control arms and spindles
-'03 Cobra steering rack with solid mounts
-Borgeson steering shaft
-MM bump steer tie rod kit
-Saginaw power steering pump w/reduced pressure
-Power steering cooler
-MM strut tower brace
-MM K-member brace
-Custom subframe connectors
-MM height adjustable rear lower control arms
-Ford Motorsport HD rear upper arms
-MM panhard bar

Wheels/tires:
-'05 Mustang 17x8 "premium" wheels
-245/45R17 Falken Azenis RT-615 tires

Exterior:
-Hella H4 headlights
-Painted grille, headlight buckets, other trim flat black
-Tinted windows
-Mercury Marquis rear tail lights

Interior:
-Police 140 mph certified speedometer
-Autometer oil pressure/coolant temp/volt gauges
-"Hidden" LED shift light
-Late model Ford truck CD player
-Mustang SVO seats with halo headrests, reupholstered close to stock
-Momo Monte Carlo steering wheel
-Modified stock center console with Cobra leather shift boot and knob
-Mustang dead pedal
-OEM '93 Cobra floor mats

Misc:
-Relocated battery to trunk with Taylor box
-Wolo air horns
-17" Cobra spare tire