favourite panther-platform improvements?

Bernini, you're going to do fine with that powertrain. I can't remember when Ford replaced the 5.0 with the 4.6, but I'm almost positive it was after 1990. I think it might have been in '92 when they came out with the redesign and discontinued, (heads up their a$%!!) the wagon. Those 5.0's are some of the most durable and reliable V-8's ever made. I've known some to get 250,000 miles without the heads ever being taken off. Just keep it maintained and it'll do you great.
Good luck and welcome to the site. Did you post pictures of it anywhere?

 

I'd make sure it's running good, then live with it a while 'as-is', get used to it - then see where you want to make changes.

Snooter does give one clue to a direction I'd take if I had one of those - the 4.6 modular motor. I'd buy a DOHC version (regular ones are SOHC) out of a Lincoln Aviator, drop it in your wagon, and you have an instant 320hp - and a good amount of torque. It's gonna drink a bit of gas, though. Side note - if you are able to used the trans in back of the 4.6 as well, you now have a 5-speed OD automatic as well.

 

Cool! Agreed; yeah-- I'll drive it for a while then get into this. Better yet-- find someone to help with THEIR project car, learn from them, then start tearing apart my own some months from now.

So, in the meantime, keep an eye out for a dirt-cheap trashed aviator, to pull most of the parts out of (if I also need many of the electronics, buying the entire salvage outright could well be cheaper than buying the engine, ETM, MAF, transmission, and maybe other parts all individually and shipped off ebay).

 

what does the OD stand for in OD automatic transmission?

 

OverDrive.

And I thought that a 4.6 was 281ci. LOL

 

AH-- ok, just read about the overdrive too.
In reading the wikipedia article, it suggests from the changes in 1981 (on emissions), that pretty much every single post-1981 car on the road in america (and most other countries too) should have overdrive?

 

One advisory on the 4.6 modular motor.....
Make sure it fits. I have not run across any write-ups from anyone who has actually done this swap - SOHC or DOHC. - But there's got to be somebody who has. There's a few forums out there for the panthers....I've only buzzed this one.....

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/cmps_index.php

 

Just a testament to the 5.0. I have a mercury wagon, 1989, that was passed on to me with 235,000 miles on the original engine. the previous owner was a " fill it up and drive" kind of guy who kept the oil changed, but otherwise Preventive maintenance was not in his vocabulary.

The car ran strong, and would hang in with the newbies on the interstate at 85mph all day long. Problem was the leaks, it leaked oil from everywhere as old cars do, so i replaced the engine, just as a preventive measure so i could be assured it would be a good road car. If you can do alot of work yourself, the 5.0 or 302 is a good engine. If youre not looking for a race car, its a good engine, and decently peppy considering the size of what its propelling. the good thing is, there are countless mods you can do to a Ford 5.0 to give it a little more guts, and on engine replacements you can go for the HO option which is what the Mustangs, and Mark Vii's had. On the interstate if you drive right you can look for around 20mpg, a little less if fully loaded. Around town, maybe 17. again with the timing a little low, and really easy on the pedal.

If the car youre looking at is rust free with a good interior i dont think you can go wrong. If you like a quiet wagon, you need to go for a Buick, or plan on adding noise insulation to the cargo area.

From the factory, the tunes in the late 80's fords were top of the line. Outfitted with a head unit from JVC, and a remotely located amp, which gave plenty of Problem was the head units deterioated and self destructed mostly by around 1999. The wagon youre looking at probably doesnt have the factory head unit and if it does, it may not sound great. I have a local guy who said...Said being the key word. Said he could repair my head unit, add an mp3 jack so that i can add nice after market speakers to the car. My 89 has speaker holes in the dash, the front doors and back in the cargo area. Im not sure if the 90 has the speakers in the dash, they may have two sets in the front doors, due to the interior redesign in 1990.

 

Just a little to add. All US sold civilian Panthers in 1990 came with the same lo-po 302 (only fleet cars were available with the carb'd 351 and in Canada I believe the 351 was an option on the wagons). Good solid engine. Not terribly powerful, but dependable. The 4.6 debuted in the 1991 Town Car and then the rest of the Panther platform in 1992 with the body redesign. In my opinion it probably isn't worth the time or money to replace the 5.0 with the 4.6. The big differences (it's been a while, but bear with me) between the lo-po 5.0 and the 5.0 HO were the heads, firing order and intake. Your 5.0 should have the E6 heads. 5.0HO's of the day got E7 heads which are marginally better. A decent stock upgrade would be the GT-40 heads which could be found on later Explorer 5.0's. You can't get real crazy with cams on these since the EFI is a speed density system (unless it is some oddball California emissions car) and thus sensitive to vacuum changes. I believe some have successfully swapped in the 5.0HO cam without incident.

As for the transmission, probably the best thing you could do is add a good external trans cooler. Biggest issue with the AOD that I've experienced was the OD band burning up and not having OD.

You can add rear discs from a '92+ Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car. Find out what rear end your wagon came with. My Crown Vic came with an open 2.73 which I swapped to a Trak-Lok 3.55 ("K" code on the door jamb under "AX")from a forlorn wagon (they are typically found in wagons and Town Cars). I get better in town mileage and highway mileage dropped about 1-2mpg. I have also swapped to a '97+ steering box which has a slightly faster ratio and eliminated the "pinky steer" on my car (it's not as simple as just throwing in a newer box as the line fittings are different, but it's not terribly difficult). If you don't have a rear sway bar you can add one, but you may have to drill your rear lower control arms to accept it.

Headers from a 5.0 Mustang can be relatively easily swapped onto your engine. You can either modify the stock downpipes (the header collector is bigger than your manifolds) or you can use some aftermarket Mustang downpipes and figure out the rest of the exhaust from there.

Other common issues from that year Panther are seized door lock actuators and stripped power window motor gears. Also the vacuum actuator on the steering column that releases the parking brake if you have it applied and shift out of Park can leak and give you bad vacuum leak. Odometer gears (plastic) tend to get brittle with age and break. Aftermarket gears are available for a price (www.speedometergears.com).