[EldoFan]

You read right........I am now the 'proud' owner of a 1990 Lincoln Mark VII Bill Blass Edition.

At this time, these are the only two pictures I have of the car (taken from the craigslist listing....noone has a digital camera for me to steal )

(custom Bill Blass vinyl/sticker/whatever on the back window)

The body itself is in excellent shape.....the front airdam has been modified slightly (no foglamps anymore) and filled in, and the little Mark VII emblem on the back came off (what can I use to stick it back on???) but thats about it.

Mechanically.....ehh, it's somewhat of a mixed bag. I had to put a new battery in and adjust this lil screw on the carb so it would actually get some air (and not quit all the effin time)......other than that, it desperately needs new front brake pads......when I say that, I mean it sort of scares the **** out of me because I can feel how faded they are when I press the pedal down. Oh and there's a nice hole in the muffler too......the piece of pipe that extends out from the muffler (the big, long tailpipe) came loose too he said, but is pretty well secured for now. Last but not least, the tint that idiot put on the driver/passenger windows is illegal in my state.......

You know what the good things are though?? Well the biggest has gotta be that the previous owner swapped out the air suspension for a more conventional coil spring setup. Plus the starter and radiator are brand new. He even threw in the Clarion CD/MP3 player.....

The interior is scruffy as hell too.....the power window motors are shot (the windows will go up/down.....with driver/passengers assisting....lol), the door panels are iffy (due to the idiots @ Anderson Ford who looked at the window motors), the front seats are well worn and the carpets could use an afternoon with a Rug Doctor.....but all in all, it works for me (the interior reminds me of my older brother's '86 Taurus.....:lmao.

Oh yeah....when examining the bottom compartment in the center armrest.....I found what looked like crumpled up leaves or oregano or something in there.......now if you're thinkin what I'm thinkin, I'm definitely going to vacuum that crap up out of there before I go home .....haha

Questions though:

1) How much would it cost to replace the muffler & re-secure the tailpipe? I got down underneath the car with it sitting on the ground and those are the only problem issues I could see.....the pipe itself appears to be solid, just needs to be screwed/bolted back wherever it belongs. (additionally.....would it be safe for me to take this on a 50-55mi journey with the muffler in poor shape like that?)

2) Is it possible to get rid of the 'smoker's smell' from the interior?

3) How could I get that tint off the drivers/passenger side window??

 

[MonteCarloSS86]

1.) Well, the price of mufflers and a tail pipe hangar shouldn't be too terribly much--not sure on labor though. But if the hangar fell off because of the mounting location being rusted out you might be running low on luck.

2.) I've tried everything and it still comes back in my '96 Grand Cherokee. I've heard that totally dismantling the interior and cleaning each and every piece thoroughly (including shampooing all fabrics) helps but I can't really justify doing that to a '96 Grand Cherokee. Waxing and washing, yes. Dismantling? No way.

3.) You might get lucky if you carefully (slowly) pull it off. It tends to come off in one large sheet. I'd use something like mineral spirits (careful around interior panels!) on a rag to wipe off the residue.

 

[EldoFan]

One thing about the brakes (refer to above post)......I read in the owners manual that "Ford Motor Company has found no adverse effects arising from the use of popular aftermarket stereo equipment on the vehicle's Anti Lock Brake system, but if the Brake (idiot) Light comes on anytime other than after you start the car, have the vehicle inspected by a mobile audio professional" (or something to that effect).

So just to be safe (and make sure I don't waste any money) I'm going to have my friend (who does car audio installs for a place here in town) look it over.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid because I still have to get used to ABS (don't think my Taurus had it?) or maybe it's actually the master cylinder (as my dad suggested), but either way, those will get fixed this weekend :yup:

 

[2b2]

sorry, no advice, EldoFan
but *love* that model's styling
Congrats!

 

[rearden82]

- It has fuel injection. The adjustment screw sets the base idle by holding the thorttle plate open slightly. The stalling problem is probably caused by a clogged idle air control valve (VERY common on those cars). Spraying the gunk out with carb cleaner usually takes care of that.

- It also has the rather complex Teves Mark II ABS system-- pretty good when it's working; scary when it acts up. If its power assist motor quits working, you'll have ~1/4th pressure to the front brakes, and *none* to the rears. Needless to say, any braking problems should be checked out by an experienced mechanic ASAP.

- The tailpipe does have a rather tight bend over the rear axle, but a decent shop shouldn't have any trouble with that.

- I don't have much advice about the smoke smell, aside from steam-cleaning the upholstery and driving with the windows open whenever you can.

- Most car parts stores carry tint remover (I hear ammonia also works well, but I haven't tried it). It softens up the film and makes it much easier to remove.

- I've seen a lot of Mark VIIs in junkyards. They're good sources of hard-to-find interior trim parts.

 

[F14CRAZY]

PM me if you wish about the Teves system. I'm pretty familiar with it cuz Reattas have it

 

[EldoFan]

- It has fuel injection. The adjustment screw sets the base idle by holding the thorttle plate open slightly. The stalling problem is probably caused by a clogged idle air control valve (VERY common on those cars). Spraying the gunk out with carb cleaner usually takes care of that.

- It also has the rather complex Teves Mark II ABS system-- pretty good when it's working; scary when it acts up. If its power assist motor quits working, you'll have ~1/4th pressure to the front brakes, and *none* to the rears. Needless to say, any braking problems should be checked out by an experienced mechanic ASAP.

- The tailpipe does have a rather tight bend over the rear axle, but a decent shop shouldn't have any trouble with that.

- I don't have much advice about the smoke smell, aside from steam-cleaning the upholstery and driving with the windows open whenever you can.

- Most car parts stores carry tint remover (I hear ammonia also works well, but I haven't tried it). It softens up the film and makes it much easier to remove.

- I've seen a lot of Mark VIIs in junkyards. They're good sources of hard-to-find interior trim parts.

My brother showed me about that lil screw there.....but will get my hands on some carb cleaner when I get home.

The power assist motor......is that separate from the master cylinder or not? If it is, where might it be located if I jack the thing up and get underneath? When I drove home tonight, I applied slow/normal pressure to the brake pedal and it was fine. It was only a few mins. later when I was getting close to my place where it just happened to roll past a stop sign by a few inches.....was fine again after that.

I plan on taking a Rug Doctor to that beast and steam cleaning the carpet at least......dunno what to do about the leather. Was just thinking a Febreeze regimen might be in order every night before I go to work or every morning after I get home tho......

PM me if you wish about the Teves system. I'm pretty familiar with it cuz Reattas have it

I sent you a PM there


Thanks for the advice so far!!

 

[mgescuro]

The last of the El Dorado's true competitors. Tsk tsk tsk.
They were good cars in their day. I didn't even know Bill Blass had an edition. Heh.

I still like the El Dorados. It's the only name I wish would return to the Cadillac lineup in some form. Something mystical about it.

 

[PAULSTS1]

****STOP****

Don't put any water on that interior, there's a product called "Saddle Soap." It will soften the leather, take out the smell, and make the interior look good, and last a lot more time.

The tail pipe thing can be easily handled, go to a muffler shop in a barrio (hispanic) neighborhood, they will fix it up, cheap. I remember that from younger, and poorer days.:yup:

Actually the Mark isn't a bad car, the air suspension not withstanding.

Good Luck

:drive:

 

[EldoFan]

****STOP****

Don't put any water on that interior, there's a product called "Saddle Soap." It will soften the leather, take out the smell, and make the interior look good, and last a lot more time.

The tail pipe thing can be easily handled, go to a muffler shop in a barrio (hispanic) neighborhood, they will fix it up, cheap. I remember that from younger, and poorer days.:yup:

Actually the Mark isn't a bad car, the air suspension not withstanding.

Good Luck

:drive:

I was just going to use the rug doctor on the carpets there, don't worry...... I asked some guys over at Lincolns OnLine what to do about the leather and one or two recommended that Saddle Soap.

As far as the tailpipe thing goes, after I get a new muffler, I think all I need to do is get a new clamp for that pipe, but gotta get back under there for a more detailed look.

Oh and one of the big plusses on this beast is that the guy I bought it off of did a full coil spring conversion & trashed those air bags.......from what I hear though, they're alot worse on the newer Mark VIII's though.....

 

[EldoFan]

So much for "ELDO" fan...

At least it wasn't a Chrysler or an import...

A friend of mine had an 82 Imperial back in high school....what a piece of junk!

As for the Eldorados....they were too expensive.....as for Preludes, ones in my range were all 5spds

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

A friend of mine had an 82 Imperial back in high school....what a piece of junk!

As for the Eldorados....they were too expensive.....as for Preludes, ones in my range were all 5spds

5 speed is the way to go unless you have a pegleg, "arrr matey, d'ya have dat one in automarrtick?"

As for the Lincoln, very good that it has no more airspring... In the 1950's GM put an air suspension system that was crap and they never did again. Lincoln put the same kind of system in the 1950's and never forgot it and always used it from then to... basically now. It was a dumb system then it is a dumb system now. The only good suspension type is the spring + shock like every car on the road or the Citroen hydropneumatic. Pure air suspension is unreliable and crap. I always liked the Mark VII and also the Mark VIII, but I liked the LSC model with those cool BBS mags (they later put them on the Crown Vic "Performance pack").

 

[BrickTamland]

The last of the El Dorado's true competitors. Tsk tsk tsk.
They were good cars in their day. I didn't even know Bill Blass had an edition. Heh.

I still like the El Dorados. It's the only name I wish would return to the Cadillac lineup in some form. Something mystical about it.

Lexus SC300/400.

Congratulations on the purchase!

 

[F14CRAZY]

I'm not meaning to support automatics, but I do believe the last generation offered a 5 speed auto

 

[knightfan26917]

Hey EF,

Congrats on the new-to-you car. But, too bad it isn't a GM .



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"I'm taking a chance" ... Lifehouse ... 'First Time'

 

[EldoFan]

Just a little update here........got this beast home yesterday and I was able to get a better look underneath. For all intensive purposes, I have no muffler/exhaust.....there's actually nothing connecting that rusted out POS with the catalytic converter. Thankfully, everything is in good shape down there and nothing else is rusted out (so I should be able to mount a new one, no problem

)

That's not the big problem though. As far as my brakes are concerned, I took it into my usual garage last night and just got a call back this morning. The discs & rotors need to be replaced all around (yes, the Mark VII has rear discs ).....they are basically shot....my mechanic said he wouldn't be able to tell anything about the calipers until he took the other stuff apart......but realistically, I won't be able to replace those for another week or two if they need it.

Should be able to tackle the exhaust yet this weekend and am going to follow that up with an oil change for good measure.

After all that, I might be able to give it a wash & take some pics......who knows? hehe

 

[Ach]

Oh man, what a sweet ride, makes me long for my gone but never forgotten Mark VIII LSC...those cars had intangibles that the newer FWD Lincolns just can't match. BTW, I had my Mark VIII till it was ten years old with 112K and the air suspension never made a peep- it was so cool the way the car lowered itself at around 60 mph.

 

[JBsZ06]

Sounds like a lot of fun! The Mark VII is awesome.

Post up the photos...and let us know how much this beast has cost you so far.. and through each of the steps....

Enjoy

 

[EldoFan]

$778 for Brakes....(new discs/rotors...front and rear) + brake line replacement (extra $85). NE has 7% sales tax......so go figure on the price....

$30 for Oil Change

$15 for new Air Filter

$287 for new dual exhaust parts (everything extending out from the resonators...)

That comes out to $1110.....about $110 more than I bought the car for. I did something to my left shoulder while I was underneath trying to hook the passenger side tailpipe to the muffler....so car wash + pics will have to wait till tomorrow

Oh....and to get that sticky-ass residue off my windows (from the old window tint)....massive amts. of rubbing alcohol work best

Lucky for me though, when I was out working on the exhaust......my neighbor from 2 houses down came over & low and behold, he has a Mark VII of his own sitting in the garage (that I've never seen). Also....he's got another Mark VII that he uses for parts stashed out on his buddy's acreage outside of town......

New Brakes + New Dual Exhausts = Happiness

 

[lio45]

I'm not meaning to support automatics, but I do believe the last generation offered a 5 speed auto

Who needs a 5-spd auto?

A 5-speed manual from any 5.0 Stang will fit right there. Shouldn't be too expensive at your local junkyard.