Here are two videos of our now upgraded front and rear suspension. It is not budget friendly though. Rear UPR Mustang th-cam.com/video/8tu3MiYo2yg/w-d-xo.html and Front QA1 Naake th-cam.com/video/KpM9hKD3Hiw/w-d-xo.html
Man awesome videos so I baught a crown Victoria a couple years back because it was a good deal 2011 lx true grandma car I out it in the barn and haven't touched it very very low miles fully loaded leather I'm wanting to change the wheels and I'm going the more exspesive rout for lowering but really curious what wheels u have look great tho are the rear rims wider than the fronts I'm building this as a sleeper will eventually do the 4v swap
@@ryanjacobsen9557 Ryan the car is currently on Naake front coilovers and rear UPR adjustable coilover springs. Wheels in this video were reproduction FR500s but currently it is sitting on a brazillion dollars worth of Forgestar CF5s. Have some videos on those wheels as well more recently.
@@PNW_Car_Mods awesome yeah I fell in love with them back when I was a police officer I have a much much better job now that allows me to build it how I like and the wife enjoys it so no budget restrictions lol
We still have this car to this day. Daily driver. Not sure for how much longer. My son is getting the itch for a standard cab short bed Coyote F150. Thanks for the support!
@@PNW_Car_Mods just got my Vic with 70 k on the dash so it’ll be my daily for much longer hopefully. Looking to do a similar style build with just some nice wheels and tires a bit lower and good exhaust. You’re channel is going to be a huge help ❤️
That is a nice looking Vic. I've been taking my time, mainly dragging a to do it. I have a set of front struts with cut springs at a coil and a half trimmed. I want a more flush fender to tire look. For the rear springs I have a set of S197 GT springs that lower it about an inch to inch and a half depending on what's in the trunk. I'm going to look into the Moog coils you used and possibly rear lowering springs for a S197 mustang. I read that the weight of a CV will drop a half inch more if they are used. Ex: Mustang 1 1/2in - Crown Vic 2in drop. This by far is the best explained video out there on how to change the struts. And what I really like is that you did it in focus and in the day time! The part I like most about your video was the time you spent with your son. I learned what I know on my own and by researching whatever it was that I was trying to do. I'm definitely showing my son what I know and learning with him as he grows.
My goodness, what a great "how to" video. This belongs on the trending tab. What's more 'Merican than father & son working on a classic American icon of a car. Good work, have a cold one on me. I think you're right about raising the rear just a snitch to give it a muscle stance. I know this is far down the road, but have you thought about what your going to do if the transmission fails. I've heard mustang GT 5-Speed manual transmissions of tge same era bolt right up. The hardest part is the metal fabrication for adding a clutch pedal, and bracket for the hydrolic clutch master cylinder. Just thinking about the sound of this cars exhaust with a manual row box gives me chills. Also, you would have to worry about anybody stealing it, because who knows how to drive stick these days. Lol.
Thank you Chuck. Always appreciate your support. It will probably get a 5 speed swap. The boy want's it manual trans SOooo bad. Currently at 64k miles the trans works perfectly. Isaac has come a long ways in his mechanical abilities in the past year. Very proud of him. He's a good kid.
We ordered up 4 each 1/4 inch thick energy suspension spring isolators which hopefully will lift us up about 3/8 of an inch out back. The one spring isolator that is applied at the factory is paper thin and only at the top. We will not have an isolator top and bottom. lol if we don't like that then I'll make some perch adapters for the bottom that will get us what ever we want out of the steel tubing and plate. I will say the ride on the Moog spring is fantastic and it is a progressive spring.
I got the outcast drop brackets for the front they're only $38 for the pair and they work brilliantly and you don't lose any shock travel, or have to hack up your springs, so your car rides fantastic just like it did originally but is 2in lower in the front👌
Yoshi do you have the steel lower controls arms or aluminum? I've also heard these can have problems with wheel interference. Depending on diameter. We ended up going to coilovers just for something fun to do.
Martago you should see our two newest videos on this car. It's even better now that the car is on coilovers in the front and adjustable rear suspension. Ride is much improved as well.
Was debating between these and GT500 springs for the rear because they both seem like popular choices with vics. Leaning towards the Moog springs after watching this. Thanks for the video
I really wanted to try the GT500 springs but those cars are so rare parts wise and there is so little information out there on the parts for them I didn't want to take a chance at buying them and having them not be the exact right part. My son loves the way it sits with the Moogs but I would like another half inch of height in the rear. Just to compensate for the trunk and fuel loads.
@@derek8147 Long story on that one Derek. The car only has 63k miles on it so our intent was to just use the factory originals. Once we had it all tore apart to do the spring cut we realized the front passenger side was leaking just a tiny bit. Wetness observed anyways. We by this time there was no way we could scare up anything in time to just leave the car all torn apart so we slammed it back together with the leaky front right strut. We'll have to go back in there one of these days and replace the struts. I would only use the factory Motorcraft struts myself as replacements. If we win the lottery we don't play it will get RIdetechs. ;)
First time I tried to lower my truck I heated the springs and let gravity do it's thing. Shortly thereafter the springs shattered or totally collapsed, kinda forgot it's been awhile. Second time I just ordered some dream beams, turned out a little better.
Why on earth would you go lower in the back?!?! lol. Good ol saggy worn out suspension look. Thought it looked *mean* before you guys dropped the rear. To each their own I guess. Good video regardless though, I enjoyed watching the disassembly, informative, and glad to hear you're planned to raise the back up a bit.
You mean like we should have left the rear at stock height? No way. I grew up in the 70s and absolutely can not stand the massive amounts of rake look. Cars should sit level for the most part IMO of course. Changes will be made though. More for functionality and performance. I would like to raise the whole car up about a half inch. Of course I have to fight my son on this lol. He's young so it's about looks and not how it works. Hope to be going to coilovers and adjustable rear perches soon. Stay tuned.
MRBLACK947 lol yah I love that drag car stance/look. I guess I just thought it would be lower in the back when you said 1” in the front and 1.5” off in the back. If it’s level then that’s solid. I have a CVPI as well, great car imo.
Looking to drop the back of a 2010 I just bought but I like u think that rear is an inch too low. I’m not lowering the front so it’ll be worse on mine.
We ended up putting adjustable rear suspension perches on this car with coil over springs on the rear axle. It's not terribly expensive and might be a perfect option for you. Look in our videos we show the install. Plus it rides a million times better!
They are not a great match for the car and we quickly realized that while they do work the don't ride well at all. I highly recommend going to the adjustable coilover style springs we installed in a 2020 video. The moogs if you do want to try them we got on amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000COMSYK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This car now has coilovers on the front and fully adjustable rear suspension as well. The ride height is now totally dialed in and it just flat out rides 1 million times better. :)
Ford redid the complete suspension in 04 to accommodate the Marauder, never buy a pre 06 vic and take a pass on any unit that has traction control. I had an 05 that was sprung like a baby buggy, lame , my 06 would run circles round that one LOL not all p71 are equal !
'04 is the best year for the P71. That year seemed to have the best build quality, reliability, & performance. I did some research before buying mine, asked my Dad who has been in law enforcement for 30 yrs, my Grandpa that had a maintenance contract for the Sheriffs dept, & other friends in law enforcement; all of them agree that the '04s performed better, & had less problems. 🤷🏻♂️
I would say it's all going to depend on experience level and the amount of rusty hardware you encounter. Anywhere from 4 hours to a whole weekend. I think we had about 5-6 hours into it taking our time and no stuck bolts.
@@PNW_Car_Mods thank you so much for the quick reply!! I was figuring it would be an all day project. I’m going to use a set or ‘11-‘14 Mustang GT stock rear springs I just picked up. I’ll reply back on how much they drop it. It’ll be a few weeks till I get around to it. Thank you again!!!!
At the time yes they were. Looking back on it, they were terrible. I can't really recommend them. We've since moved on to an adjustable setup that utilized coil over sized springs in a more appropriate spring rate and the car drives 1 million times better.
@@PNW_Car_Mods would you say they were to soft or to firm of a ride I saw the coil over video just don’t have the means to weld at my house at the moment
@@rtbrady89 Very choppy like a buckboard and just overall stiff. We tried to convince ourself it wasn't that bad but in reality it sucked. They will work and many people use them but understand you are sacrificing ride quality for looks and that is it.
Under average conditions it rides pretty damn good. I will say though that this car is normally driven with only one or two people in it and nothing in the trunk. It doesn't slam into the bump stops but it does run out of travel easily. I think in the long run we're going to have to refine the suspension to be truly usable and not just for looks. This could be coilovers or something of the sort.
@@PNW_Car_Mods just did my rear with the cc501 it looks great but they ride too soft it bottoms out in some bumps with I'll say slight aggressive driving with just me in it I'm going to install air lift bags to help stiffen the ride will do the front when I get a chance but what do you think of just cutting half the amount you did on front coils?
@@yogie3235 Just a quick thought are your rear shocks pretty old? Also we did end up putting some thicker poly isolators on the rear top and bottom for probaby another 3/8s inch of lift. With two of us in the car and a full size spare in the trunk I don't think it's bottomed out. I have not seen anyone cut a half coil but I would imagine that it would lower right around a half inch.
You can easily do this without removing them put a spring compressor and then cut the coil while it's on the car and then release the spring compressor gently
Thank you sir. The wheels are from a shop called Wheel Replicas down in Texas. The wheels seem to be of good quality and reasonably priced. We went with matte only because I'm cheap and they were on sale lol. Like 100 each for the fronts and 130 each for the rears. Center caps that came with were garbage though. The silver disc is to cover up a huge hole in the quarter panel that was from some kind of key lock box the SPD used on all their crown vics. The silver disc is a purpose made HAM radio antenna block off plate and has nice rubber gaskets to seal the hole perfectly. It gets a ton of comments too hehe.
@@FrankWhiteMH I am trying to remember what the shipping cost was. In the world of insane shipping costs I seem to recall it was pretty reasonable for shipping 4 heavy wheels from Texas to Washington state. Actually just went to their website and it's showing free shipping if I try and place an order right now. Maybe it was free back in July.
@@PNW_Car_Mods I'm trying to understand what will fit in my Grand Marquis. Could you please list your wheel and tire dimensions here? I'm thinking of going with 235/50R18 or 255/45R18 tires.
So the half inch drive is an M18 FUEL 2767-20 that one was from Home Depot. and the 3/8s drive is a 2658-20 and that one was from amazon. Hope this helps. So far I've been lucky with no failures on the Milwaukee stuff.
Surprisingly very well. It is a heavy car though. I think overall it rides better especially the progressive springs in the back. I had read enough out there on forums and the such saying it's not even really noticeable on the Crown Vics so we went for it. I tried cut springs on a fox Mustang once and it rode like a lumber wagon.
Yo I got mines for $800 bucks 175000 miles when I got it 225000 miles now and it's the best running and handling car i ever had and it's easy to work on and cheap. I drive it like i stole it too. Lol
We reused them and the moogs don't come with anything. Ultimately we ended up scrapping these springs. They look cool but just aren't ideal for a crown vic. Went with a fully adjustable coilover based spring setup with a spring rate more appropriate for a crown vic.
Hello. I have a question. Did the alignment changed alot? Where you abel to aligned correctly?? I'm trying to lower mine but don't wanna have to buy tires often doe to alignment! Thank you !
I can honestly say I don't know. That being said it has not burnt the front tires off of it yet lol. They look totally fine as of today. That being said this car doesn't get a lot of miles put on it. Maybe 4k since this job was done. I've been hesitant to spend the money on alignment as we're not done tweaking the front suspension yet.
When i lowered my vic with lowering springs in the front (about 1.5” drop) it was ready for an alignment. That was about a year ago now amd it’s not had any issues since having it done. The only time I think people really run into alignment problems is when dropping significantly. Which in terms of spring cutting would probably be for anything over 2 coils for these cars.
@@PNW_Car_Mods Thank you! I’ve found myself coming back to this video after considering cutting some p71 springs and swapping out the lowering moog springs i originally went with. Just gotta decide what front strut i’m gonna go with because they’re much needed lol. Car bounces like crazy rn with the lowering springs and stock struts
We only did one coil. NOT 1 1/2. There are guys out there that do 1 and a half but I wanted to keep this car from looking slammed. I also wanted to be able to still drive the car down a forest service road without dragging on everything. I think one coil is the perfect compromise. On a P71 its right around 1 inch. Hope this helps. Also to add, not we didn't change anything else. If I had it to do all over again I woudl have had a fresh pair of Motorcraft struts to install. They will need to be changed at some point. The passenger side was a little damp.
Hi Marty. They are Magnaflow Magnapacks. These are NOT the quiet version of magnaflows. They're basically tiny glasspacks. Check out some of our other videos on this car and you will find some exhaust vids.
@@martycole4667 Marty if you I have an actual video of us installing them in the car. We had to scab them in because they were from another car that used 2.5 inch tubing. If they sell a 2 inch version it would be even easier. Part number we used is a 10416 th-cam.com/video/RJgoefQJNWY/w-d-xo.html
I did and it did help but I would still like a little more. My son is happy with it and there's nothing wrong with the stance performance wise so we've left it alone. The rear right height changes dramatically with weight on these cars. Even full gas tank to empty is probably over a 1/4 inch.
@@Shawn-fn7vx Ours is a 2011. I am pretty sure a 2000 has a different front suspension design. But it may be possible to still cut a coil. Do you research on the internet. I know on crown vics the 98-2002 have coil and shock seperate. The 2003 to 11 have coilover shocks in the front.
Nice set up bro. I just done the same thing to my Vic. I was wondering what insulator did you for the rear. An did you use upper and lower insulator? Im not digging the rear ride height. Seem like i to be raised like a inch back there.
I have a 97 grand marquis grandpa owned all its life beautiful,car inside n out I'm looking for the cop,car steel wheels with silver center caps are you interested I, selling the old wheels?
Those bolts dictate the alignment of the car. If you have good tire wear I wouldn't mess with them unless you have to. Even though this car is now on coilovers we still have never had to align it. Tire wear is very good. Especially for a non rotation staggered tire setup.
The actual ride around town is not too bad really. I dislike the rear more than the front. If it had stock sized wheels and tires it would be better but right now the way it is it will hit the front tires on the fenders because they poke out just a smidge. If you can afford it I say do it right with one of the coil over companies out there. Tentative plan is NAAKE QA1 coilovers on the front and UPR mustang adjustable lower rear perches with 10" coil over springs on the back. The way it is right now if you put 4 people in the car and any gear in the trunk it would be complete garbage. I have to be totally honest with that.
@@PNW_Car_Mods I am saying this from experience, there is stored energy left , I miscalculated that and the spring flew horizontally toward my knee, it was painful and still hurt after 4 years later, trust me do not underestimate that strut specially the police stiff spring. And yes I know you have the strut compression tool but never ever trust them. SAFETY ALWAYS FIRST.
Here are two videos of our now upgraded front and rear suspension. It is not budget friendly though. Rear UPR Mustang th-cam.com/video/8tu3MiYo2yg/w-d-xo.html and Front QA1 Naake th-cam.com/video/KpM9hKD3Hiw/w-d-xo.html
Man awesome videos so I baught a crown Victoria a couple years back because it was a good deal 2011 lx true grandma car I out it in the barn and haven't touched it very very low miles fully loaded leather I'm wanting to change the wheels and I'm going the more exspesive rout for lowering but really curious what wheels u have look great tho are the rear rims wider than the fronts I'm building this as a sleeper will eventually do the 4v swap
@@ryanjacobsen9557 Ryan the car is currently on Naake front coilovers and rear UPR adjustable coilover springs. Wheels in this video were reproduction FR500s but currently it is sitting on a brazillion dollars worth of Forgestar CF5s. Have some videos on those wheels as well more recently.
@@PNW_Car_Mods awesome yeah I fell in love with them back when I was a police officer I have a much much better job now that allows me to build it how I like and the wife enjoys it so no budget restrictions lol
Dude I just googled the cf5s look like the old cobra r wheels I think u may have just sold me on those lol
@@ryanjacobsen9557 Check this out. th-cam.com/video/7l1KZ5OeGtk/w-d-xo.html
Right off the bat.
-Goodmorning everybody
Yup he's going to explain everything like it should be told. 👍😏
lol at your username. hehe
Phenomenal video. Still helps panther owners out until this day.
We still have this car to this day. Daily driver. Not sure for how much longer. My son is getting the itch for a standard cab short bed Coyote F150. Thanks for the support!
@@PNW_Car_Mods just got my Vic with 70 k on the dash so it’ll be my daily for much longer hopefully. Looking to do a similar style build with just some nice wheels and tires a bit lower and good exhaust. You’re channel is going to be a huge help ❤️
Every time I watch one of your Crown Vic videos I end up watch police chase videos because of suggested content. 😂
hahahaha. It's amazing what TH-cam recommends. I've never cleared my TH-cam history in 11 years so I get all sorts of weird crap.
@@PNW_Car_Mods wow
U to 😂
That is a nice looking Vic. I've been taking my time, mainly dragging a to do it. I have a set of front struts with cut springs at a coil and a half trimmed. I want a more flush fender to tire look. For the rear springs I have a set of S197 GT springs that lower it about an inch to inch and a half depending on what's in the trunk. I'm going to look into the Moog coils you used and possibly rear lowering springs for a S197 mustang. I read that the weight of a CV will drop a half inch more if they are used. Ex: Mustang 1 1/2in - Crown Vic 2in drop.
This by far is the best explained video out there on how to change the struts. And what I really like is that you did it in focus and in the day time!
The part I like most about your video was the time you spent with your son. I learned what I know on my own and by researching whatever it was that I was trying to do. I'm definitely showing my son what I know and learning with him as he grows.
Great information and maybe one of the nicest complimentary comments I've ever received. Thank you 05 P71
My goodness, what a great "how to" video.
This belongs on the trending tab.
What's more 'Merican than father & son working on a classic American icon of a car.
Good work, have a cold one on me.
I think you're right about raising the rear just a snitch to give it a muscle stance.
I know this is far down the road, but have you thought about what your going to do if the transmission fails.
I've heard mustang GT 5-Speed manual transmissions of tge same era bolt right up.
The hardest part is the metal fabrication for adding a clutch pedal, and bracket for the hydrolic clutch master cylinder.
Just thinking about the sound of this cars exhaust with a manual row box gives me chills.
Also, you would have to worry about anybody stealing it, because who knows how to drive stick these days. Lol.
Thank you Chuck. Always appreciate your support. It will probably get a 5 speed swap. The boy want's it manual trans SOooo bad. Currently at 64k miles the trans works perfectly. Isaac has come a long ways in his mechanical abilities in the past year. Very proud of him. He's a good kid.
We ordered up 4 each 1/4 inch thick energy suspension spring isolators which hopefully will lift us up about 3/8 of an inch out back. The one spring isolator that is applied at the factory is paper thin and only at the top. We will not have an isolator top and bottom. lol if we don't like that then I'll make some perch adapters for the bottom that will get us what ever we want out of the steel tubing and plate. I will say the ride on the Moog spring is fantastic and it is a progressive spring.
MRBLACK947 happen to have a part number for those?
Holy sheesh, that's was a slick looking thumbnail.
Let me be right back after I watch the video.
-Chuck
Cleaning up my underground comments hehe
I got the outcast drop brackets for the front they're only $38 for the pair and they work brilliantly and you don't lose any shock travel, or have to hack up your springs, so your car rides fantastic just like it did originally but is 2in lower in the front👌
Yoshi do you have the steel lower controls arms or aluminum? I've also heard these can have problems with wheel interference. Depending on diameter. We ended up going to coilovers just for something fun to do.
@@PNW_Car_Mods I have the aluminum lower control arms and you're correct I run 19 inch Mustang GT OEM wheels and have no clearance issues
Can you drop the link?
@@TaylorMadejdm1975 do u run moog coils in the rear as well I’m trying to see if I can fit 19 inch rims with them
keep the crown vic content coming! :D
Thanks Charles. We have a metric poop ton of projects for this car. Just need the weather to cooperate as it won't fit in the garage lol.
Man that Vick look so good
Thank you Ace
I'm liking that stance actually.
Thank you very much Robert. My son is ecstatic with it. I'll be checking out your new vid tomorrow. :)
I like this stance a lot might have to do this love the Vic dude.
Martago you should see our two newest videos on this car. It's even better now that the car is on coilovers in the front and adjustable rear suspension. Ride is much improved as well.
Was debating between these and GT500 springs for the rear because they both seem like popular choices with vics. Leaning towards the Moog springs after watching this. Thanks for the video
I really wanted to try the GT500 springs but those cars are so rare parts wise and there is so little information out there on the parts for them I didn't want to take a chance at buying them and having them not be the exact right part. My son loves the way it sits with the Moogs but I would like another half inch of height in the rear. Just to compensate for the trunk and fuel loads.
@@PNW_Car_Mods did you just use stock replacement struts? Figured I might as well replace them too while I have everything apart.
@@derek8147 Long story on that one Derek. The car only has 63k miles on it so our intent was to just use the factory originals. Once we had it all tore apart to do the spring cut we realized the front passenger side was leaking just a tiny bit. Wetness observed anyways. We by this time there was no way we could scare up anything in time to just leave the car all torn apart so we slammed it back together with the leaky front right strut. We'll have to go back in there one of these days and replace the struts. I would only use the factory Motorcraft struts myself as replacements. If we win the lottery we don't play it will get RIdetechs. ;)
First time I tried to lower my truck I heated the springs and let gravity do it's thing. Shortly thereafter the springs shattered or totally collapsed, kinda forgot it's been awhile. Second time I just ordered some dream beams, turned out a little better.
lol I've always heard that was a bad idea but I've never actually tried it.
Nice job! Good video. Very helpful!
If you are totally bored check out our last few crown vic videos. We have upgraded the suspension to coilovers. :)
Cool I would keep it the way it is
Still cruising along at this altitude. :)
Why on earth would you go lower in the back?!?! lol. Good ol saggy worn out suspension look. Thought it looked *mean* before you guys dropped the rear. To each their own I guess. Good video regardless though, I enjoyed watching the disassembly, informative, and glad to hear you're planned to raise the back up a bit.
You mean like we should have left the rear at stock height? No way. I grew up in the 70s and absolutely can not stand the massive amounts of rake look. Cars should sit level for the most part IMO of course. Changes will be made though. More for functionality and performance. I would like to raise the whole car up about a half inch. Of course I have to fight my son on this lol. He's young so it's about looks and not how it works. Hope to be going to coilovers and adjustable rear perches soon. Stay tuned.
MRBLACK947 lol yah I love that drag car stance/look. I guess I just thought it would be lower in the back when you said 1” in the front and 1.5” off in the back. If it’s level then that’s solid. I have a CVPI as well, great car imo.
Looking to drop the back of a 2010 I just bought but I like u think that rear is an inch too low. I’m not lowering the front so it’ll be worse on mine.
We ended up putting adjustable rear suspension perches on this car with coil over springs on the rear axle. It's not terribly expensive and might be a perfect option for you. Look in our videos we show the install. Plus it rides a million times better!
@@PNW_Car_Mods I’m looking at some now. What brand did u use? I’m partial to QA1 stuff on my race truck
@@Formerlywarmer Front is Naake QA1 coilovers and the rear is UPR adjustable with stock motorcraft shocks. th-cam.com/video/8tu3MiYo2yg/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/KpM9hKD3Hiw/w-d-xo.html
Got the links for the springs you used?
They are not a great match for the car and we quickly realized that while they do work the don't ride well at all. I highly recommend going to the adjustable coilover style springs we installed in a 2020 video. The moogs if you do want to try them we got on amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000COMSYK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
@@PNW_Car_Modslink to that video please
first time I have seen the steel control arms.... lowered car looks good
Thank you Mikey. I had heard of steel control arms on crown vics but hadn't ever seen them before. Didn't know we even had them until we did this job.
@@PNW_Car_Mods chopped my springs today in my project f150 cv swap. thanks for the content
I'd leave it looks perfects at 1 in front an 1.5 in rear it's naturally higher in the rear seems like
This car now has coilovers on the front and fully adjustable rear suspension as well. The ride height is now totally dialed in and it just flat out rides 1 million times better. :)
I thought a p71 suspension would be a lot more beefier than that. Them puny little control arms shocks&spring can handle a lot of abuse.
lol. Yeah they can.
I can't find your other comment anywhere in the string, but yes, coilovers are in the works. Got a few other things to get done first.
Ford redid the complete suspension in 04 to accommodate the Marauder, never buy a pre 06 vic and take a pass on any unit that has traction control. I had an 05 that was sprung like a baby buggy, lame , my 06 would run circles round that one LOL not all p71 are equal !
'04 is the best year for the P71. That year seemed to have the best build quality, reliability, & performance. I did some research before buying mine, asked my Dad who has been in law enforcement for 30 yrs, my Grandpa that had a maintenance contract for the Sheriffs dept, & other friends in law enforcement; all of them agree that the '04s performed better, & had less problems. 🤷🏻♂️
How long did it take you to do? I’m looking to do the same thing and am curious how much time it’ll take. Thanks!
I would say it's all going to depend on experience level and the amount of rusty hardware you encounter. Anywhere from 4 hours to a whole weekend. I think we had about 5-6 hours into it taking our time and no stuck bolts.
@@PNW_Car_Mods thank you so much for the quick reply!! I was figuring it would be an all day project. I’m going to use a set or ‘11-‘14 Mustang GT stock rear springs I just picked up. I’ll reply back on how much they drop it. It’ll be a few weeks till I get around to it. Thank you again!!!!
Best way to separate ball joint to get strut out? Hammer to the control arm to shake it loose?
I would try that if needed. Surprisingly this car didn't need any hammer blows. It just came apart.
Those rear springs will fit on an 09 interceptor too ?
Yes indeed they will.
were the rear springs you used the moog cc501 spings?
At the time yes they were. Looking back on it, they were terrible. I can't really recommend them. We've since moved on to an adjustable setup that utilized coil over sized springs in a more appropriate spring rate and the car drives 1 million times better.
@@PNW_Car_Mods would you say they were to soft or to firm of a ride
I saw the coil over video just don’t have the means to weld at my house at the moment
@@rtbrady89 Very choppy like a buckboard and just overall stiff. We tried to convince ourself it wasn't that bad but in reality it sucked. They will work and many people use them but understand you are sacrificing ride quality for looks and that is it.
Looks real good, what’s the ride quality like? Before and after
Under average conditions it rides pretty damn good. I will say though that this car is normally driven with only one or two people in it and nothing in the trunk. It doesn't slam into the bump stops but it does run out of travel easily. I think in the long run we're going to have to refine the suspension to be truly usable and not just for looks. This could be coilovers or something of the sort.
So the moogs were CC501 for Chevy's? Just asking for verification before unbolton and dropping everything.
Yes they were. We have since changed them out for something better.
Good video but you shouldn't use an impact gun to remove or install the upper center strut nut
Just curious why not? I've never heard this before.
@@PNW_Car_Mods to avoid damaging and loosening internals, crowvics new struts have that warning stickers
@@yogie3235 Thank you yogie. That is very good to know.
@@PNW_Car_Mods just did my rear with the cc501 it looks great but they ride too soft it bottoms out in some bumps with I'll say slight aggressive driving with just me in it I'm going to install air lift bags to help stiffen the ride will do the front when I get a chance but what do you think of just cutting half the amount you did on front coils?
@@yogie3235 Just a quick thought are your rear shocks pretty old? Also we did end up putting some thicker poly isolators on the rear top and bottom for probaby another 3/8s inch of lift. With two of us in the car and a full size spare in the trunk I don't think it's bottomed out. I have not seen anyone cut a half coil but I would imagine that it would lower right around a half inch.
You can easily do this without removing them put a spring compressor and then cut the coil while it's on the car and then release the spring compressor gently
Thought about trying this after the fact. Car now has coilovers on it and have never looked back.
Awesome, just curious about where you bought the wheels from.. And what is that silver disc thing on the pass side, love that color..
Frank White my best guess is the mount for the old antenna.
Thank you sir. The wheels are from a shop called Wheel Replicas down in Texas. The wheels seem to be of good quality and reasonably priced. We went with matte only because I'm cheap and they were on sale lol. Like 100 each for the fronts and 130 each for the rears. Center caps that came with were garbage though. The silver disc is to cover up a huge hole in the quarter panel that was from some kind of key lock box the SPD used on all their crown vics. The silver disc is a purpose made HAM radio antenna block off plate and has nice rubber gaskets to seal the hole perfectly. It gets a ton of comments too hehe.
@@PNW_Car_Mods Thanks for the reply, wonder if they ship :D
@@FrankWhiteMH I am trying to remember what the shipping cost was. In the world of insane shipping costs I seem to recall it was pretty reasonable for shipping 4 heavy wheels from Texas to Washington state. Actually just went to their website and it's showing free shipping if I try and place an order right now. Maybe it was free back in July.
@@PNW_Car_Mods I'm trying to understand what will fit in my Grand Marquis. Could you please list your wheel and tire dimensions here? I'm thinking of going with 235/50R18 or 255/45R18 tires.
Hey which milwaukee impact is that? Been looking at getting one for a while
Ill have to look it up when I get home. They have been awesome. Damn thing will break your wrists compared to an air impact.
So the half inch drive is an M18 FUEL 2767-20 that one was from Home Depot. and the 3/8s drive is a 2658-20 and that one was from amazon. Hope this helps. So far I've been lucky with no failures on the Milwaukee stuff.
Nice ride. Where did you buy the coil spring compressors?
Thank you sir. It's a standard Horrible Freight model.
Hey it did the job. Most of my purchases from hf are one time use.
@@theoneandonlymraguilar9456 I hear ya. They definitely have their place. Harbor Freight impresses me more than it disappoints. :)
How does it ride with the cut springs?
Surprisingly very well. It is a heavy car though. I think overall it rides better especially the progressive springs in the back. I had read enough out there on forums and the such saying it's not even really noticeable on the Crown Vics so we went for it. I tried cut springs on a fox Mustang once and it rode like a lumber wagon.
How much did you pay for the car, been trying to get a clean one for a good deal.
Hi Alvin. We paid 2500 plus tax and license. So right at 3k. It was actually an Ebay car through an auction company called Bidadoo.
Yo I got mines for $800 bucks 175000 miles when I got it 225000 miles now and it's the best running and handling car i ever had and it's easy to work on and cheap. I drive it like i stole it too. Lol
Why did you cut the springs? Is that the only way to get them on a new strut?
Evan that is strictly optional to lower the car.
What's the size of the rims and tires?
Check this out Norfolk.... th-cam.com/video/Vb1ps57cptU/w-d-xo.html
Did you reuse the isolators in the rear? Or did your moog springs come with new ones?
We reused them and the moogs don't come with anything. Ultimately we ended up scrapping these springs. They look cool but just aren't ideal for a crown vic. Went with a fully adjustable coilover based spring setup with a spring rate more appropriate for a crown vic.
@@PNW_Car_Mods do u have the link to those I’m planning on 19 inch rims and afraid the moog coils are to low to fit them
@@sethromero961 Check this out Seth th-cam.com/video/8tu3MiYo2yg/w-d-xo.html
Hello. I have a question. Did the alignment changed alot? Where you abel to aligned correctly?? I'm trying to lower mine but don't wanna have to buy tires often doe to alignment! Thank you !
I can honestly say I don't know. That being said it has not burnt the front tires off of it yet lol. They look totally fine as of today. That being said this car doesn't get a lot of miles put on it. Maybe 4k since this job was done. I've been hesitant to spend the money on alignment as we're not done tweaking the front suspension yet.
When i lowered my vic with lowering springs in the front (about 1.5” drop) it was ready for an alignment. That was about a year ago now amd it’s not had any issues since having it done. The only time I think people really run into alignment problems is when dropping significantly. Which in terms of spring cutting would probably be for anything over 2 coils for these cars.
@@derek8147 Well said and thanks for the additional thoughts and feedback Derek.
@@PNW_Car_Mods Thank you! I’ve found myself coming back to this video after considering cutting some p71 springs and swapping out the lowering moog springs i originally went with. Just gotta decide what front strut i’m gonna go with because they’re much needed lol. Car bounces like crazy rn with the lowering springs and stock struts
@@derek8147 We ended up going with the QA1 single adjustable coilovers. Just need to get the damn things put in one of these days.
So you just cut 1 and 1/2 coils out of the spring and didn't change anything else? I'm planning on doing this to my P71 this spring.
We only did one coil. NOT 1 1/2. There are guys out there that do 1 and a half but I wanted to keep this car from looking slammed. I also wanted to be able to still drive the car down a forest service road without dragging on everything. I think one coil is the perfect compromise. On a P71 its right around 1 inch. Hope this helps. Also to add, not we didn't change anything else. If I had it to do all over again I woudl have had a fresh pair of Motorcraft struts to install. They will need to be changed at some point. The passenger side was a little damp.
@@PNW_Car_Mods thank you so much! That is so incredibly helpful info.
Do u think 19 inch rims would fit
Sure. Just have to run a shorter sidewall tire.
Looks good
Thank you Dominick. My son digs the hell out of it like this.
@@PNW_Car_Mods cool nothin like a smile on our kids face lol, I plan on doing this soon to my Mercury grand marquis
What wheels are those
FR 500 Replicas. 18x9 and 18X10. We have another video on their fitment if you are interested.
What brand mufflers are you running?
Hi Marty. They are Magnaflow Magnapacks. These are NOT the quiet version of magnaflows. They're basically tiny glasspacks. Check out some of our other videos on this car and you will find some exhaust vids.
@@PNW_Car_Mods thank you that's what I thought i seen couldn't really tell I've watched a few of your other vids as well
@@PNW_Car_Mods you wouldn't happen to have the part number for those magnapacks by chance? TIA
@@martycole4667 Marty if you I have an actual video of us installing them in the car. We had to scab them in because they were from another car that used 2.5 inch tubing. If they sell a 2 inch version it would be even easier. Part number we used is a 10416
th-cam.com/video/RJgoefQJNWY/w-d-xo.html
Hi rims are from mustang?
Mustang Replica wheels. FR500s.
Did you ever get rear spring isolators to get the height in the back you wanted?
I did and it did help but I would still like a little more. My son is happy with it and there's nothing wrong with the stance performance wise so we've left it alone. The rear right height changes dramatically with weight on these cars. Even full gas tank to empty is probably over a 1/4 inch.
@@PNW_Car_Mods what year is the crown vic? I have a 2000 grand marquis, i was wondering if your method would work on my car
@@Shawn-fn7vx Ours is a 2011. I am pretty sure a 2000 has a different front suspension design. But it may be possible to still cut a coil. Do you research on the internet. I know on crown vics the 98-2002 have coil and shock seperate. The 2003 to 11 have coilover shocks in the front.
Nice set up bro. I just done the same thing to my Vic. I was wondering what insulator did you for the rear. An did you use upper and lower insulator? Im not digging the rear ride height. Seem like i to be raised like a inch back there.
Oh can you also give a part number.
I have a 97 grand marquis grandpa owned all its life beautiful,car inside n out I'm looking for the cop,car steel wheels with silver center caps are you interested I, selling the old wheels?
Hello Jenn. They were sold off last September time. Good luck on your quest. They show up on Craigslist often.
@@PNW_Car_Mods sweet! Ill be looking my dude thank you 😎
Cop car wheels and tires at pick a part $7,00 on Monday's $20,00 every other day .
Why not just drop the 2 bottom bolts on the lower control arms and drop the bottom shock bolt
Those bolts dictate the alignment of the car. If you have good tire wear I wouldn't mess with them unless you have to. Even though this car is now on coilovers we still have never had to align it. Tire wear is very good. Especially for a non rotation staggered tire setup.
what mufflers are you running
Magnaflow Magnapacks. The not quiet Magnaflows.
Cop cars are usually built a little higher than civilians cars so they can go over curbs and such
Fixin to take this thing to another level.
Come much did you cut?
One full coil in the fronts.
you're supposed to raise them
lol Adrian if I could afford to properly build a Crown Vic with a full on desert running suspension I'd be all over that.
America 2019
Hell yeah brother!
How’s it ride? I heard they ride like shit when you cut the spring.
The actual ride around town is not too bad really. I dislike the rear more than the front. If it had stock sized wheels and tires it would be better but right now the way it is it will hit the front tires on the fenders because they poke out just a smidge. If you can afford it I say do it right with one of the coil over companies out there. Tentative plan is NAAKE QA1 coilovers on the front and UPR mustang adjustable lower rear perches with 10" coil over springs on the back. The way it is right now if you put 4 people in the car and any gear in the trunk it would be complete garbage. I have to be totally honest with that.
At 13:02 for the love of God, everytime I see someone point a loaded spring at ones face or toward any part of your body, I cringe in absolute horror.
Where's it gonna go? it doesn't have anything to push it's loaded energy off of.
How about if I had the other end pointed towards me. Would that have been better? or worse?
@@PNW_Car_Mods I am saying this from experience, there is stored energy left , I miscalculated that and the spring flew horizontally toward my knee, it was painful and still hurt after 4 years later, trust me do not underestimate that strut specially the police stiff spring. And yes I know you have the strut compression tool but never ever trust them. SAFETY ALWAYS FIRST.
So ur a wanna be cop with lowered suspension? Correct?🤔
sure
@@PNW_Car_Mods 👍